Before dawn, a thin mist filled the forest.
Kalle stood in front of the ancient stone gate, carrying Allen on his back. He could feel the cold and eerie aura emanating from behind the gate. The wolf head carvings on the stone gate seemed to be staring at them, as if they were living creatures watching these three uninvited guests.
The woman stood in front of the gate, placing her palm on the engraving in the center of the stone gate. Her fingertips traced the runes, and she murmured in a low voice, "This is the ancient language of the wolf clan. 'Only those connected by blood can enter.'"
"You mean it needs blood to open?" Kalle frowned.
The woman nodded, drew out a dagger from her waist, and without hesitation, made a cut on her palm. The bright red blood slowly dripped onto the wolf head carving on the gate.
The blood drops seeped into the stone gate, and the engraving immediately glowed with a deep blue light.
With a rumbling sound, the stone gate slowly opened, and a breath mixed with dampness and decay rushed out from behind the gate, as if no one had set foot here for countless years.
The woman stepped in first, and Kalle, carrying Allen, followed closely behind. The stone gate slowly closed behind them, cutting off the light from the outside world, and the surroundings were plunged into darkness.
Kalle lit a torch. The dim yellow light illuminated the long and narrow stone passage. The walls were covered with ancient carvings, depicting the battles and coexistence between werewolves and humans, like a cruel yet glorious epic.
"Is this... the sacred place of the wolf clan?" Kalle asked in a low voice, his gaze sweeping over the reliefs on the wall.
The woman stopped, stared at the scenes on the wall, and said in a low voice, "Yes. The oldest secrets of the wolf clan are buried here."
She pointed to a huge relief, which depicted a giant wolf with wings. The wolf's eyes burned with flames, and the bodies of countless warriors lay prostrate around it.
Kalle's gaze fixed on the giant wolf's eyes, and his heart tightened. "What is this?"
"The Blood Moon Wolf King," the woman said slowly, her gaze solemn. "The king of the wolf clan once massacred an entire village a hundred years ago. It is said that whenever the blood moon rises, he will wake up and start a new round of slaughter."
Kalle's heart sank. Staring at the fierce fangs of the Wolf King on the relief, he felt a familiar sense of oppression, as if these eyes had stared at him in a dream.
Allen struggled slightly on his back and murmured, "Blood... moon..."
Kalle stopped in his tracks instantly and looked down at Allen. "What did you say?"
Allen's face looked extremely pale in the firelight. His brows were tightly furrowed, and cold sweat poured down his forehead like rain. He slowly opened his eyes, and a faint trace of deep blue light could be seen in his eyes.
"Brother..." Allen's voice was weak, as if he was being controlled by something. "I dreamed of a giant wolf. It stood under the blood moon and stared at me..."
Kalle's heart skipped a beat. He clenched Allen's hand and said in a low voice, "Allen, don't be afraid. I'm here."
The woman's gaze contracted slightly. "He can already sense the presence of the Wolf King."
Kalle frowned. "What do you mean?"
The woman explained in a deep voice, "The curse of the wolf clan is deepening. The wolf nature in him is gradually awakening, and his blood is resonating with the Wolf King."
Allen's body twitched slightly, his breathing became rapid, and black patterns gradually spread to his neck, as if something was eroding him from the inside out.
Kalle gritted his teeth, gently put Allen down, placed his hands on his shoulders, and soothed him in a low voice, "Allen, hold on. You won't turn into a wolf."
The woman walked up to Allen, gently placed her palm on his forehead. A soft silver light emitted from her palm, temporarily suppressing the black qi in his body.
Allen's breathing gradually became steady, the pain on his face slowly subsided, and he fell back into a deep sleep.
The woman withdrew her hand, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and said in a low voice, "We have to hurry up. If we delay any longer, he may not be able to hold on until tonight."
Kalle nodded, picked up Allen, and continued walking towards the depths of the stone passage.
At the end of the stone passage was a magnificent underground palace.
In the center of the palace, a huge stone coffin stood quietly. The relief of the Wolf King was carved on the stone coffin, and deep blue flames burned around it, making the entire palace look like a ghostly realm.
The woman stood in front of the stone coffin, her gaze complicated. "The remains of the Wolf King are buried here."
Kalle stepped forward, gently placed Allen beside the stone coffin, and asked in a low voice, "What's next?"
The woman took out a silver short dagger from her bosom and handed it to Kalle. "Use this dagger to pierce the coffin lid and awaken the consciousness of the Wolf King."
Kalle took the dagger, his brows furrowed tightly. "Awaken the Wolf King? Are you crazy?"
The woman's gaze was calm. "If you want to lift Allen's curse, you have to talk to the Wolf King. He holds the source of the curse, and only he can lift it."
Kalle hesitated for a moment, looked down at Allen's pale face, and finally gritted his teeth, raised the short dagger, and stabbed it fiercely into the stone coffin.
In an instant, the entire palace shook. The stone coffin slowly opened, and a deep blue light burst out from the coffin, transforming into a huge wolf shadow that slowly stood in front of Kalle.
The wolf shadow looked down at the three of them. Its eyes sparkled with a light like that of the blood moon, and a deep voice echoed in the palace. "Who awakened me?"
Kalle gripped the short dagger tightly and said firmly, "It's me."
The wolf shadow stared at him, and a trace of playfulness showed in its eyes. "You don't have the aura of the wolf clan, yet you dare to break into here. You have some guts."
Kalle took a deep breath and looked straight into the wolf shadow's eyes. "I'm not doing this for myself. I'm doing this for him."
He pointed to the sleeping Allen, and his gaze was filled with determination and an undeniable desire to protect. "He's been cursed, and I want you to lift it."
The wolf shadow was silent for a moment, then said slowly, "To lift the curse, you must pay a price."
Kalle asked in a low voice, "What price?"
The wolf shadow's gaze swept over him, and its voice was cold. "Use your blood and soul in exchange for his freedom."
Kalle's heart shook, and his fingertips trembled slightly. But after a moment, he took a deep breath and said without hesitation, "Okay, I accept."
The woman suddenly looked up, her eyes full of shock. "Kalle, are you crazy?"
Kalle smiled slightly, his gaze firm. "He's my only family, and I won't let him die."
The wolf shadow stared at Kalle, and a trace of approval flashed in its eyes. "Interesting."
Then, it slowly opened its sharp claws and walked towards Kalle...