Elibur and two wolves are with him outside a prison room. Both sides are walls but it requires a magical key to make the door appear. They greet me except the Alpha.
"You're gonna have to see this," he said. "And tell us about the situation."
His blazing enchast draws a door on the wall by fire before he opens it. The empty room may overdose the boredom of the prisoner. But the wolf seems comfortable with a single, bulky maroon, mattress. He's complacent because his safety is eccentric.
I praise Elibur, "You're kind to your prisoners."
"The wolf did it."
They have been attentive since Elibur opened the door. However, the white werewolf—that has a unique glow of fur—is peacefully napping on that mattress. I make cautious steps toward the wolf. When I manifested my spellbook, Elibur stretches an arm in front of me in defense.
"I'll be fine," I assured.
And he insists, "It's still my accountability if an incident attacked you and your child."
I shrug my shoulders and proceed. The power surrounding this werewolf is magnificently mighty. The shell is the same but the core is not. Chiefly, this power is familiar. I have felt and touched it before... in the forest of the Moon's Order pack. I closed my spellbook and moved backward for safety. None of us can defy this power, this is an Eldar.
"'The fall of a ruler shall the dead rise again.' Biaco has been falsely waiting for you, Haiban."
The wolf opens his eyes at me. The crystalline eyes excavate nostalgic memories. It's an honor to stand before him. An enchast appears on his forehead as he speaks with an echoing voice, ["You're the only one who recognized me. An enchantress... Fascinating."]
Elibur whispers, "You know him?"
"Yes. He's my father-in-law."
"What..."
"How," I move my chin up while questioning the esteemed Eldar, "how did you rise up from the dead?"
Haiban sat like a crazy rich wolf on that mattress and said, ["The fall of your Delta became my rise. His flesh was available nearby the river of water wheel. My spirit consumed that and I became a living werewolf~"]
“What is your spirit doing there?”
[“The souls of werewolves are everywhere, woman. We have no world for the afterlife. Our Intelligence has no salvation, only our wolf. Those two will be estranged after death. This won’t be necessary without my ephemeral purpose. And don’t get me wrong! I didn’t kill your Delta.”]
“You’re… creepy. To be honest, I cannot tell if what you did was a crime. You came here on your own. Why?"
["Oh, this city was where I lived. I came for a visit~"]
"Without dangerous intentions, no?"
["I am not a monster."]
"Then what is this ephemeral purpose you were talking about? It contributes to the reason why you came here, no?"
["You're quite inquisitive, woman. Let me have some warmth and rest! Oh, by the way, I smell a silver wolf in you."] He lies down after he stretches his paws. He's as carefree as his son. It's how they brag about how strong they are.
"You have to abide by the rules in this city," Elibur warns, "and that includes honoring the rulers standing in front of you."
["You just want to ask me your concern, right? I came from a human city called Lanbarc. Whoever killed Mraz, I know not."]
"Whoever is at fault shall not be freed unpunished. You're gonna have to linger here as part of our investigation of Mraz's death. If you transgress, then you shall be treated as a criminal." And he walks away with his wolves outside this room, I was about to follow when Haiban speaks again,
["Have you forgotten about my son?"]
I halt and look back at him right away! "There wasn't a time wherein the sun rose... without me thinking about him."
"Moon Priestess, what are you talking about?" Elibur asked. They are waiting for me outside. I figured out that I am the only one who can hear Haiban speak.
["Have you heard about the tale of the lost wolf wanderer in the wilderness?"] He's looking at me directly to the soul. ["The wolf walked for several years without knowing his destination. The only thing he knew was his name. After years of darkness in oblivion, he heard someone call his name. A hand is extended to him. And when he reached for that hand, his paws became a hand. That was his salvation from the loneliness."]
"Why are you telling me this tale?"
["Because maybe you can make it a reality. It takes a broad imagination to be an Eldar. It was only my tip if you're aiming to be one."]
"..." Or maybe he's the one who wants me to be an Eldar?
["Not a single day passes without you thinking about him? The past makes you flounder, isn't it? Perhaps you can't see your destination while looking backward and walking onward, but you can if you look onward and walk backward. However, your neck might hurt the longer it takes, so you have to decide which direction you should look. That will be your destination. None can have both, unfortunately."]
"Are you the same?"
["..."] His nonchalant eyes reply with a smile first. ["I like you already~"]
I was attacked by a hiccup all of a sudden! Did I just pass Haiban's evaluation? But he has been saying something indirectly. The foundation of my decision was wrecked twice for today. Elibur called me once more and I bid my farewell,
"Thank you for your generous advice, father..."
I hasten my steps and close the enchanted door. The door disappeared and became an empty wall. What kind of audacity did I eat to call him 'father' after forsaking his son!? The riddle was fulfilled. I visit Biaco's room inside the palace and found the kids—pups—playing with him. Watching them in the open doorway, my chest is filled with relief to see him having his new life as an ordinary wolf. Happily living the present wherein the kids love him dearly.
Perhaps this is the chance given to him to live his life to the fullest after he suffered centuries of remorse. Now that Haiban is here, Biaco will not recognize it. It is for the best. I caught myself smiling before I left.
The black wolves accompanied me back to my island and unexpectedly, two white wolves were waiting outside. In the living room, Linly and Manjiro are entertaining another personage. "Aunt! You have another visitor!" Linly informs the obvious. I have 3 uninvited visitors in a row now! What's more surprising are the baby napkins and supplies in a foreign basket.
"It's been a long time, Dandeline," Lanasia greeted. When I look at her, the baby bump is in its second trimester too. "How's your pregnancy?" she asked and looked at my flat belly. I unplugged the enchanted belt, then my baby bump bulged, and I sat beside her.
"We got thicker," I said.
Linly clasps her hands. "Isn't this a great reunion?"
"You really are best friends. You both bear the next generation of hybrid werewolves," Manjiro said.
"Listen here, my friend," Lanasia bluffs, "I need that disguising belt, too. Or else I will introduce you to my kid as an old lady!"
"Can't you do it yourself, lazy bum? Attrition will not work on me with that kind of face." I sarcastically point at her face. They laugh at my harsh quirk. Later on, Lanasia holds my hands and sincerely asks for privacy. The couple left with their hands holding and to play with the dogs outside. I knew my friend would not dawdle around until I cast them out by force.
"... How are you?" she started.
"The signs of war are gone. The werewolves are once again united. Plandreas is rising in the hands of werewolves. It's the day I've been looking forward to. So, I'm happy."
"Let me rephrase. Are you doing fine on your own even without your mate? I want to talk about you, just you."
"... Well, I miss him." My voice cracks. "I miss him every day."
"..." She jolted and stood in front of me. "Do you remember what I told you before the perpetration of your plan? If the result will not be aligned with your expectation, if the result doesn't make the two of you better, then you shall receive a friendly slap from me." She raises her hand immediately and I raise my hands to stop her,
"Wait! Let me breathe first!" Then I inhale. My eyes wince after that heavy slap. She's taking this seriously!
"I won't tolerate your selfish decisions anymore! And I will not mourn with you! That's not the cycle of my job as your friend. Sometimes, I need to discipline you, too."
"I have decided, child. I'm done defying my fate. It's over between us."
"How could you say it's over if you're the only one who decides!? How could you decide for Hessuel without knowing his opinion and what would he feel!? What if it's not over for him? He's still here on the surface. What if he wants to speak his feelings but he can't because he's stuck in the body of an ordinary wolf? Do you really conclude to shut him up like that? It would've been better that you let him die since you treat him like a dead person!
"It's not over until you both agree to end it! It's not you who will decide what he should feel, what he should do, and what he should become! Do you have any idea what has happened to him ever since he lost you? He fornicated with several she-wolves, he insulted the Luna, he put chaos in the Vengeance pack, and slaughtered their Alpha all because he became bitter since you abandoned him!
"That's the truth of the outcome you believed to be best for him. But after all, you judge things on your own and later on find yourself in the scraps of your regrets. I cannot tolerate this, Dandeline."
"You have no idea how painful it was to lose a loved one, and you won't care lest you're there."
"I care! And this is the way I show my care! It's not fate that you should conquer, it's your fear. Then that will change your fate. Make love the reason to overcome it. Please, Hessuel can be better than this. He can be a better father, a better mate to you, a good silver wolf, so please save him."
She sat down on the couch in front of me. I've been staring at my knees while receiving those words that slapped me the other way around. I wipe the drops of tears swiftly. This is the 3rd shot for wrecking the foundation of my bitterness.
"Tell me again... Why did you choose to live at twenty-three years old?"
And the question turned the table of my precepts.
"I..."