Chapter 67
Kane's POV
[Third Day of the War]
I felt the wild war cries of warriors around me, their voices tearing through the air, making my eardrums ache.
I tried to open my eyes, but my eyelids felt heavy as lead.
Blaze?
I called out to him in the depths of my consciousness.
No response.
Only dead silence, like being thrown into a freezing abyss. I had never felt such emptiness—Blaze had always been there, ever since my first transformation, he was the other half of my soul. But now, in my mental realm, there was nothing. Only me, falling alone in the darkness.
A bucket of ice water splashed onto my face.
The bone-chilling cold made me gasp sharply, and my eyelids finally forced open a crack. My vision was blurred, only able to see the gray sky and... the rusty smell of blood.
I looked down to find myself bound to a crude cross, my wrists and ankles locked tight with iron chains.
"Awake?"
That voice.
Stella.
I struggled to lift my head. She stood before me in black Blood River warrior leather armor, a mocking smile on her lips. Behind her stood the Blood River army, ready for battle, a dark mass with banners snapping in the wind.
"You fucking..." My voice was hoarse, like it had been scraped with sandpaper.
"Look at you now," Stella tilted her head, like admiring some interesting plaything. "Remember when you were in Blood River? That hostage struggling to survive in the arena."
I clenched my jaw, saying nothing.
"And now? The mighty West Wing Lord, the Silver Moon's second son," she reached out and grabbed my chin, her nails digging into my flesh, "still tied up here like a dog waiting to be slaughtered."
I jerked my head away, shaking off her hand.
The chains rattled, grinding my wrists raw and bloody.
Stella laughed, her laughter sharp and piercing. "You think escaping Blood River means you can escape your past? Kane, you'll always be that little bastard trampled underfoot in the arena."
"Shut up." I growled.
"Stubborn fool," she turned around, waving toward the dark tent on the war chariot. "Let him watch with his own eyes how everything he guards crumbles."
The tent flap lifted, and a hand reached out, waving forward.
The Blood River wolf warriors began their assault on the city.
War drums thundered, shaking heaven and earth. I was forced to look up at the distant Silver Moon walls. That was where I grew up, where my mother once lived, what I swore to reclaim.
Now, it was burning.
Flames soared skyward, thick smoke billowing. Blood River wolf warriors shifted into wolf form, surging toward the walls like a black tide. They climbed with their claws, tore with their fangs, wave after wave attacking. Silver Moon warriors on the walls fought desperately—some shifted to meet them in combat, some fired silver weapons—but there were too many Blood River wolves, impossible to kill them all.
I saw a young Silver Moon soldier surrounded by three Blood River warriors. He fought hard, cutting down one, before the second's axe cleaved into his shoulder. He screamed and fell on the wall, blood pooling beneath him.
I saw a Blood River female warrior charge onto the wall, only to be impaled through the chest by a Silver Moon spear. She struggled to pull out the spear, finally collapsing weakly, eyes still open, staring at the gray sky.
I saw the base of the wall piled with corpses—Silver Moon, Blood River, mixed together, indistinguishable.
That feeling of helplessness was like a hand choking my throat.
I struggled desperately against the chains, wanting to rush forward.
But Blaze didn't respond. I was just a waste tied to a cross, unable to do anything, only able to watch my people die.
Just as Blood River gained the advantage, about to climb onto the walls, a thunderous wolf howl echoed from the distance.
An Alpha's howl.
I jerked my head up. Two figures appeared on the wall—Alpha Walter and Luna Jenna. Walter transformed into a massive silver-gray wolf, Jenna following close behind, both charging into battle side by side.
The old Wolf King had taken the field himself.
Silver Moon warriors erupted in thunderous cheers. Morale ignited instantly, and the retreating defense line began to hold. Walter swatted away a Blood River soldier with one claw, Jenna bit down on another enemy's throat. They were like two blades, forcibly pushing back Blood River's assault.
I couldn't help but laugh.
"What are you laughing at?" Stella turned around, her face ugly.
"I'm laughing at you," I stared at her. "You think you've already won? The old Wolf King isn't dead yet, Silver Moon hasn't fallen. Your pathetic army can't even get over the walls."
Stella's face instantly darkened. She walked over and raised her hand, lashing me twice with a whip.
The pain of tearing flesh made me grunt, but I didn't beg for mercy.
I just kept staring at her, my eyes full of contempt.
"Bastard," Stella ground her teeth. "Just wait and see."
At that moment, someone emerged from the dark tent.
He wore silver armor, gleaming in the sunlight.
"You're the boy the Crimson Flame Warlord saved from the arena all those years ago?" He stood before me, looking down from above.
I looked up, studying him. "You are?"
"I am one of the Seven Claws Generals, Silverclaw—Nicholas Gonzalez."
I let out a derisive laugh. "You may have taken the Crimson Flame Warlord's position, but you're not fit to compare to him in any way."
Nicholas's expression shifted slightly. He bent down, whispering in my ear: "True, but didn't you get that great hero killed? Informer."
My whole body shook.
"I didn't!" I roared. "That soldier back then couldn't possibly have passed intelligence in such a short time!"
I turned to look at Stella, my eyes locked on her.
"Stella! Tell me clearly—who leaked the Crimson Flame Warlord's injuries to you back then!"
Stella and Nicholas exchanged glances, then smiled at each other.
"Stop teasing him," Stella said slowly.
I froze.
Then, I slowly turned toward Nicholas, saying word by word: "So it was you."
Nicholas shrugged. "No one knows the truth. Everyone will believe you're the informer."
"Despicable." I ground my teeth.
"Despicable?" Nicholas laughed. "Kane, this is the game of power. You think returning to Silver Moon means you can clear your name? Dream on."
He clapped his hands.
Suddenly, the earth shook violently.
Blood River soldiers opened a massive silver iron cage. From inside came low, hissing roars, like some monster struggling.
Then, it crawled out.
It was a gigantic worm, its body as thick as an entire tower, at least fifty meters long. Its entire body was covered in slimy black scales, and with each movement, the earth shook violently, leaving deep furrows. It had no eyes, only a massive mouth filled with rows of sharp teeth, constantly dripping foul-smelling saliva.
The Bloodthirsty Worm.
I was completely stunned by the massive creature before me, unable to speak a word.
"Do you know what this worm is fed on?" Nicholas stood beside me, his tone casual as if chatting.
I didn't answer. I just stared at that monster, watching it slowly crawl toward Silver Moon's walls. If it reached there, the walls absolutely couldn't hold.
"The corpses of thousands upon thousands of losers from Blood River's arena," Nicholas said in my ear. "Back then, if not for the Crimson Flame Warlord, Kane, you would have become its feed too."
He patted my shoulder and turned to leave.
I lowered my head and closed my eyes.
Despair flooded over me like a tide.
Blaze was severely injured and couldn't respond. I was tied here, unable to do anything. Silver Moon's walls were about to be breached.
And all I could do was stay here and watch everything be destroyed.