Chapter 47 Chapter 47

Chapter 47 Chapter 47
When Yfraim escorted Iris to the gateway and saw his two trustworthy companions, only then did his mind find peace. Whenever he thought about how his head had nearly rolled, he still felt a shiver of dread. The primary question dominating his mind was: why hadn’t he woken up when someone dared to enter the meeting hall?

For hundreds of years, he had trained his senses to be sharp in the presence of an enemy, but earlier, that ability had failed him—and if it weren’t for the cursed wolf, the mountain would have lost its king.

Other questions troubled him: how did those vampires manage to enter the assembly room when Sapiro had placed a barrier there? And how did the enemy vampires enter the mountain at all, given the barrier Ryuk had placed over the entire area before he left? It was impossible for the barrier to be ineffective, especially since the barrier creator himself couldn't get back in.

He knew the answer to how, but the question of who was what they needed to uncover, for their lives would be in danger if they didn't solve the mystery of the intruder’s capture.

"You seem deep in thought?" his brother asked him. They were walking back toward a wide, treeless clearing to discuss the plan Iris had presented to him. "What are you thinking about?"

"There are a lot of things bothering my mind right now, brother, and I can't think of a single solution to our problem."

"Do you know what the problem is?" Leora tapped him on the shoulder, throwing her left arm over him. With her right hand, she pulled Ryuk by the arm, positioning herself between the two.

"Of course I know what our problem is right now..." he replied.

"I'm telling you, you don't know what your problem is."

"Fine, tell me then—what is this problem I don't know about?"

"The problem with you is that you’re trying to carry the burden of this trouble alone, even though there are so many of us here to help you." She playfully put Ryuk in a headlock with her arm. "Starting with this crazy brother of yours, who’s ready to be a cannonball just to keep his brother safe—even if that brother is a king with a few loose screws."

"And you, do you know what your problem is?" Ryuk and I looked at each other because of her question; seeing her smirk, I knew exactly what she was going to say.

"Me? A problem? My only problem is that my face is just too beautiful."

"Unbelievable! Since when did you learn to praise yourself like that?" I teased her.

"Just now, as in right now... So, what is my problem?"

"Aurora escaped from under your nose without you knowing, and you're in trouble with Fiel because she’s with a man instead of you," he answered the young woman, laughing. He and Ryuk shared a fist bump, especially as their female friend went silent. "Don’t you two try to fool me. You'll regret it!"

"As if you could handle the two of us brothers. We do great things when we're together—lest you forget." There was a hint of pride in his voice as he said it.

What he said was true. No one could defeat the two brothers in battle, especially when they stood back-to-back, guarding one another.

Leora let go of them both and faced them, cracking her knuckles.

"You really want to do this, don’t you?" she challenged arrogantly, rolling up her sleeves. "You two are being too cocky for my taste, so I’ll indulge you. Let’s see who goes home limping..."

Ryuk and I raised our hands simultaneously as the very ground we stood on shifted. The vines on the trees began to twitch, as did the roots of the trees behind them. Aside from being skilled in combat, Leora was adept at magic—most notably, she could manipulate anything in direct contact with the earth. Their friend was a warrior with elemental abilities.

"We're just kidding, okay?" Ryuk said with a laugh. "But what Yfraim said is true—Aurora outsmarted you."

She smirked, and with a wave of her hand, the trees returned to their natural peace.

"And here I thought she would wait for me! That kid is so annoying! So stubborn!" She kicked a small stone in frustration. "How could she do this to me? She promised me she’d wait at their mansion, but then she goes off on her own! You better scold that ward of yours, Ryuk, because if you don't, I will!"

"Why did you even come home anyway?" he asked her.

She approached them and, as before, threw an arm over him and linked the other with his brother’s arm.

"I’m worried about you, okay? And my worry grew even more when I found out your brother—the one who's supposed to be so good at looking after stubborn kids—wasn't here. I actually lied to Aurora, saying I spoke with Uncle Rafuza just to put her mind at ease. She was the one who told me what happened to you in the meeting hall. That girl is worried about you too, and I didn't expect her to use her ability to see the future to lure me away."

He kissed the young woman on the forehead and ruffled her hair. "And thank you, because I know many of you are worried about me."

"Keep your 'thank you'! I was almost in tears earlier, especially when we couldn't get in. And then there's this brilliant brother of yours! He makes a barrier but doesn't know how to bypass it! I want to smack both of you! You’re so good at stressing people out!"

"You're not a person. You're a wolf," Yfraim pointed out.

"Oh, fine! You and your brother are great at stressing out animals. There, happy?" She nudged his brother’s shoulder. "You'll find Aurora, won't you?"

"That’s actually my problem, because I can't find even a trace of her. I can't believe there’s someone better than me when it comes to magic!"

"Wow, really?! Your self-confidence is at the highest level! Hey, Ryuk, maybe you forgot that we couldn't even enter the barrier you made! Good grief!" Leora grabbed his hand. "Hold me back, Yfraim, or I'm going to give your 'brilliant' brother what's coming to him!"

"Maybe you forgot that I only just learned how to cast a barrier spell?"

"And why did you only think to learn it now?"

"Maybe because I'd rather be out fighting with you guys than studying?" his brother replied sarcastically.

His two companions were being so loud that even the animals outside on the mountain were likely disturbed by their shouting.

"Are you two done bickering yet? Good grief! You've got me sandwiched between you and, as if that wasn't enough, you're screaming right into my ears."