John stood frozen, his adrenaline spiked and his nose throbbing, completely unable to process the appearance of his savior. "Mr... are you maybe one of the knights they sent to come and save me?" John asked, looking up at the imposing figure in the black hood.
The hooded man, Caden, slowly turned his head to regard the boy. His deep crimson eyes were intense, but his voice remained measured. "We will talk later, John. Let me first handle this guy."
Jones was still reeling, a mix of confusion and fury contorting his features. He could not understand how the hooded man had snatched his prey out of his grasp; it was as if the wind itself had intervened. He looked down at his own hands, still clenched in the position where he had held John's neck, before glaring at the figure standing before him.
"Who are you? Why are you interfering in my business?" Jones roared, a territorial challenge in his voice. "Get lost, or I'll let you join the boy in the afterlife!"
Caden ignored the threat. He slowly reached behind his back and drew the gleaming samurai sword strapped there. The polished steel caught the faint light filtering through the canopy as he pointed the tip directly at the werewolf.
"I am sorry, wolf, but I am here to save the boy," Caden stated, his voice devoid of emotion. "Surrender, or die."
Without wasting another word, Jones dashed toward Caden at terrifying speed. The werewolf was certain he could out-speed this arrogant figure, catching him off guard while he was still posing.
But Jones was gravely mistaken.
Caden remained utterly composed, his body language relaxed until the very last millisecond. The moment Jones entered his striking range, Caden moved. It was not a wide swing, but a precise, lightning-fast diagonal slash.
Blood sprayed from a deep, precise cut across Jones's chest. The werewolf skidded to a stop, his eyes wide with genuine shock. He had underestimated this leech completely.
Jones took a stunned step back and observed the wound on his chest, which was already beginning its strenuous, werewolf-speed healing process. He looked back at the hooded figure, a terrifying new respect replacing his contempt. "I underestimated you, leech," he spat.
Jones's eyes then turned a fierce yellow, his fangs grew longer, and his entire body bulked up with raw, predatory power. Caden responded in kind, transforming as well. His eyes flared a brilliant red, and this time, thin, dark black veins appeared beneath them, showcasing a different, controlled power.
They both charged at each other, but Caden was quicker on the draw. He flicked two throwing knives from his sleeve and whipped them forward. Both blades hit their mark directly in Jones's chest.
The small blades were a minor inconvenience to the enraged werewolf. Jones simply roared, slapped the knives from his chest, and lowered his shoulder for an all-out collision. Caden, seeing the inevitable impact, turned his head to look at John. The command was sharp and clear.
"John, take the maid and move to a safer position!"
John, stunned but obedient, nodded immediately. He dropped to one knee and gently picked up Elena.
As the two fighters hurtled toward each other, Jones felt a surge of cold fury. The only place this boy is going to is hell, he thought, his primary mission—capturing or killing John—burning in his mind. He tried to pivot, aiming his charge at the fleeing boy, but Caden intervened instantly, appearing directly in Jones's path.
Caden launched into a dizzying flurry of attacks, delivering multiple slashes to the werewolf's body. Blood splashed everywhere, the rapid strikes leaving superficial but stinging wounds that Jones's healing factor could not instantly close. Caden brought his sword down in a powerful, arcing downward slash, but this time, his arms were stopped, the blade caught between Jones's massive, vice-like forearms.
Jones smiled, a savage, confident display of fangs. With a grunt of effort, he threw Caden with brutal force. The vampire slammed into a huge tree, impacting so violently that a deep dent was instantly formed in the solid trunk.
While Caden was momentarily stunned and stuck in the indentation, Jones followed up with a vicious knee strike straight to Caden's stomach, knocking the wind completely out of the vampire. Caden slumped against the trunk, gasping for air.
"Why are you so weak, leech?" Jones asked, standing triumphantly over the pinned figure.
Caden gave a couple of harsh coughs, clearing the sudden pain. He looked up at the werewolf, a cool smirk returning despite his injury. "Well, I was woken up recently. My power is still recovering. But I don't need to be at full power to beat the likes of you."
Before Jones could react to the arrogance, Caden disappeared from where he lay, flickering into a black blur. He instantly reappeared behind Jones's broad back.
"Blood Punch!"
BAM!
Caden drove a focused, concentrated punch into Jones's back, a strike charged with the residual power he could muster. The blow sent the massive werewolf flying through the already heavily dented tree, which finally snapped and splintered under the force of the impact.
Caden straightened, rubbing his bruised stomach, and walked back to the spot where he had dropped his samurai sword. He picked it up, testing the balance. "Where is that fucker?" he muttered, confirming the werewolf was still alive. He then dashed in the direction where he had punched Jones, leaving the initial battlefield to continue the duel.
===
John was running hard, his grip firm on Elena, when he noticed the amazing truth: her terrible wounds were slowly starting to heal, a testament to the potency of his unique blood. She gave a slight, painful moan, signaling her return to consciousness.
"Elena, are you awake?"
She slowly opened her eyes. They were weak, but alert. "Yes, Master. I feel my energy returning, but I need more rest. I am going to close my eyes for a little bit longer."
John gently put her down for a quick moment. "Listen, Elena, you must not tell anyone that you were bitten by the werewolf."
Elena looked confused, her voice a mere whisper. "Why, Young Master?"
"I will tell you when we make it out of here. If anyone asks, just tell them that you were bitten by the bear and that it took longer to heal—or make something else up."
Elena, recognizing the urgency in his voice and the weight of his command, simply nodded.
"Promise me, Elena." John looked directly into her eyes, conveying the seriousness of this life-altering secret.
"I promise, Young Master, that I will tell no one that I was bitten by the werewolf."
"Good." John picked Elena up and started running again.
They had not gone far before a figure appeared in the path ahead. When John drew closer, he saw it was Jones, waiting for them. The werewolf looked exhausted and badly injured, his massive form leaning heavily against a tree.
Huff, huff.
"What took you so long, boy?" Jones rasped, a final, desperate challenge. He pushed off the tree and began to limp toward John.
Just then, Caden arrived, appearing silently from the dense trees behind them. Caden wasted no time, leveling the tip of his sword at the weary werewolf.
"Who sent you, wolf? Speak! What do you want with the boy?"
Jones, feeling his life slipping away, knew he could not survive another engagement. Caden's last strike had forced his body to expend too much precious energy on healing. "I cannot say," he mumbled, refusing to betray his master. He closed his eyes, a flicker of profound sadness crossing his face.
Goodbye, Dena. Daddy is sorry daddy couldn't save you. I hope you can forgive me, he thought, his final, heartbreaking moment focused on his captive daughter.
Jones mustered every ounce of power he had left and, with a guttural scream, charged Caden one last time.
"So be it," Caden replied, readying himself.
"Blood Breathing," Caden whispered. He instantly felt his blood flowing smoothly, his power rapidly rising to its peak. He dashed to meet the wolf. "Blood Strike!"
They passed each other in a blur faster than the human eye could track. Caden immediately clicked his sword back into its sheath.
Behind him, Jones's head rolled on the ground, separating cleanly from his body as blood gushed onto the forest floor.
Caden looked down at the lifeless body of the werewolf. "I could feel the pain inside your heart, wolf, but you can rest easy now."
John stood in complete shock. He had never seen a life ended so cleanly or so brutally; the entire scene had happened in an instantaneous flash. He looked at the fallen giant, the man who had been a nightmare for the last twenty-four hours, now reduced to nothing but cooling meat.
Caden appeared instantly next to John and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. John slowly turned his head to look at the warrior.
"Let's go home," Caden said.
John said nothing. He turned his head to look back at Jones's headless body one last time, watching the blood soak into the earth. Then, he simply squeezed Elena closer to himself and started walking in the direction Caden pointed.
The ordeal was finally over.
====
The next morning, Elena slowly opened her eyes. The room was bright, clean, and quiet, a blessed relief from the cold, bloody cave. Standing before her was Anna, John's mother, looking radiant and immensely relieved.
"Good morning, darling. How did you sleep?" Anna asked, her voice gentle and warm.
Elena blinked for a few seconds, her mind catching up to her surroundings. "Uhm... it was good, My Lady."
"I want to thank you for taking such care of my sweet John. I will surely reward you for your good services."
Elena, remembering the secret she promised to keep, immediately shook her head. "Uh... no, My Lady. Young Master John actually protected me. He managed to stab the werewolf with a dagger coated in silvereye spider poison, which is how we escaped. Afterward, I was attacked by a bear. Because the fight with the werewolf had already left me in a very weakened state, I was careless, and the bear managed to bite and scratch me badly. I was unconscious ever since. I do not know what happened after that, but the fact that I am still here means that John actually saved me. I need no reward, My Lady."
Anna walked to Elena's side and sat on the edge of the bed. "I know, darling. John told me everything," she said softly, then gently caressed Elena's cheek. "I just wanted to hear what you have to say."
Anna's smile became complicated, a mixture of gratitude and subtle political calculation. "But you were still there with him. You are the reason he is still breathing. He likes you very much, Elena. I hope you know it."
Anna leaned in slightly, lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "You cannot be his wife, but you can still warm his bed.
Elena did not respond, her expression unreadable as she processed the blunt, high-stakes proposition.
"You can take the rest of the week off," Anna concluded, rising to leave. She moved toward the door, but Elena's soft voice stopped her.
"My Lady?"
Anna paused and turned back to look at Elena. "Yes?"
"If I may ask, where is Young Master John?"
Anna gave her a light, knowing smile. "You should look to your right."
Elena looked toward the corner of the lavish room. Tucked into a comfortable chair and covered by a heavy blanket was John, slumped in a deep, exhausted sleep. He was still wearing the clothes he had worn during the escape, his face bandaged where Jones had slashed him.
Elena turned back to Anna.
Anna's smile softened into pure maternal affection. "He never left your side." She then exited the room, leaving the two of them alone.
After a quiet minute, Elena carefully turned onto her side in the bed, her head facing John. She looked at him with a warm, genuine smile gracing her lips.
"Thank you, Young Master John, for protecting this lowly maid," she thought, allowing herself a moment of emotional honesty. She then closed her eyes and, comforted by his presence, finally drifted back into a restful sleep.