Morning light crept into the small house, soft and pale, brushing the curtains like timid fingertips. Lucy woke with a jolt, her heart filled with anxiety and her breath sharp. For a second she didn't know where she was. Her eyes darted around the room, searching corners, shadows, the window frame—
Everything looked normal.
But she didn't feel normal.
The memory hit her all at once—the moonlit figure, the pack of wolves, his blue eyes turning blood-red, the way his silhouette had swallowed the night around him. And the drawing… those five beasts marked in moonlit blood.
Lucy sat up slowly, rubbing her arms as if trying to wipe away last night's cold.
"Was that even real?" she whispered.
Her mind said no.
Her body said yes.
She could still feel his gaze lingering in her bones, like frost that refused to melt.
For a long time she didn't move. She only sat there, staring at the sunlight warming the windowsill. Morning felt like a lie—too peaceful, too gentle—to belong to the same world that had shown her such terror and wonder hours ago.
Her Thoughts Swirled Restlessly
The drawing… the wolves… the strange man…
What was he?
Why her?
Why now?
And why did she feel, deep inside her ribs, as though something was trying to wake up?
Lucy tried to push the thoughts away, but they kept circling back. The image of the beasts burned in her mind:
A winged lion with fire swirling around its mane,
A two-faced eagle staring in opposite directions,
A serpent with five heads rising from waves,
A minotaur wreathed in stones and earth,
And the last one… the werewolf… staring straight at her as though alive.
She pressed a hand to her forehead, overwhelmed.
Then a knock sounded.
"Lucy? You awake?"
It was Merlin.
Relief washed over her—not because he was handsome or strong or capable—but because he was steady. Solid. A reality she could rely on when her world kept tilting.
She opened the door.
Merlin stood there, hair messy, uniform jacket half-zipped, but his eyes sharp.
"You didn't sleep, did you?"
Lucy managed a half-shrug. "Not really."
Merlin scanned her face—her pale expression, the tension in her shoulders.
"Something happened last night."
It wasn't a question.
And she didn't pretend otherwise.
Instead, she simply nodded.
The Revelation Begins
Merlin stepped inside and shut the door behind him.
"Before you tell me, I need to say this first."
He pulled something from his jacket pocket—a photo printed on thin paper. When Lucy took it, she recognized it instantly.
The drawing.
The one from her window.
Except this one was on a separate cloth, carefully folded.
"I brought it to the tribal man we caught yesterday," Merlin said. "And he recognized it."
Lucy's eyes widened. "He… recognized it? Then he knows what it means?"
Merlin nodded. "He said it belongs to them—the five divine guardians of his ancient forest tribe."
Her breath caught.
Her fingers trembled around the cloth.
"Lucy… he also said something else. Something about you."
She froze.
Before she could ask, Merlin lifted a hand softly. "Not yet. First you need to understand the symbols."
He took a seat by the table, motioning for her to sit across from him.
"Come with me to headquarters," he said. "The man wants to talk. But he made one thing very clear—he will only speak with both of us present."
Lucy's stomach tightened.
"Why… both of us?"
Merlin looked at her with a mixture of caution and worry.
"I don't know," he said. "But when he woke up and saw you again… he reacted like he'd seen a ghost."
Lucy swallowed hard.
A ghost.
Or something worse.
They Leave the House
The street outside was quiet—too quiet. Morning fog still clung low across the ground, swirling around their legs as they walked. Somewhere in the distance a crow cawed, sounding almost like a warning.
Lucy stayed close to Merlin, her mind racing with questions she didn't know how to ask.
Finally, as they passed a row of old houses, she spoke.
"Merlin… last night something… someone came here."
He stopped immediately.
"What do you mean someone?"
She exhaled shakily. "A man. Or… I don't know if he was a man. He rode in on wolves."
Merlin looked at her sharply. "Wolves?"
"Yes. Dozens of them. They surrounded the house."
"What did he want?"
"I… I don't know," she whispered. "He didn't speak. He just stared at me. And then he drew… that."
She handed him the cloth Merlin had given her earlier.
Merlin held it tightly.
His jaw clenched.
"Then we need answers. Now."
Headquarters — The Tribal Man Speaks
The interrogation room was small. A metal table, two chairs, a dim bulb buzzing overhead.
And in the corner sat the tribal man.
He looked exhausted—eyes dark, clothes torn, scratches across his arms. But when he saw Lucy enter, he stiffened like someone had poured ice water down his spine.
"You…" he whispered.
Lucy's breath hitched.
Merlin stepped forward. "You said you recognized the drawing. Explain."
The tribal man turned to Merlin and slowly nodded.
"Our tribe has worshipped five divine protectors for centuries," he said. "Five beasts chosen by the spirits of nature."
He pointed at the blood-drawn symbols.
"That is the mark of the ancient pact. The symbol of balance."
Lucy listened intently, her pulse pounding.
"What do they represent?" Merlin asked.
The tribal man began.
The Winged Lion — Arcis
"Arcis, lord of fire. His wings burn brighter than the sun, and his roar can melt stone. He is the flame of judgment."
The Two-Faced Eagle — Vernes
"Vernes sees past and future at once. He commands the wind. He is wisdom and destruction, breath and storm."
The Five-Headed Serpent — Nago
"Nago lives in the rivers, the oceans, the lakes. Five heads for five tides. He controls water—he is rebirth and death."
The Minotaur — Zoro
"Born from earth itself. His steps create mountains, and his fists split rivers. He is strength."
The Werewolf — Volmer
His voice lowered.
"Protector of the forest. Ruler of beasts. Guardian of moonlight. Volmer is the most feared… and the most sacred."
Lucy felt her heart thud painfully.
The same creature she saw last night…
"What happened to him?" she whispered.
The tribal man looked down.
"Volmer disappeared 30 years ago… after the burning of the tribe's sacred grounds."
He paused, eyes filling with grief.
"And now he has returned."
Lucy's Blood Runs Cold
Merlin leaned forward.
"Why is he attacking humans?"
The tribal man's face hardened.
"Because humans broke the ancient pact. Because they slaughtered the forest guardians. Because they spilled sacred blood."
He looked directly at Lucy then, with an expression she couldn't read—fear, awe, confusion.
"But there is one more thing."
He stood shakily, hands trembling.
"When Volmer returned… he searched for someone."
Merlin narrowed his eyes. "Who?"
The man lifted a shaking finger.
And pointed at Lucy.
Her stomach dropped.
"No," she whispered. "That can't be—"
"You carry the scent," the tribal man breathed. "The aura. The mark. I felt it when I saw you."
Lucy backed away instinctively.
"What are you saying?" Merlin demanded.
The tribal man spoke with absolute certainty:
"She is connected to Volmer."
Lucy felt the world tilt.
Connected how?
Why her?
What did it mean?
The tribal man continued, voice steady now:
"Volmer does not show himself to humans unless…"
He swallowed hard.
"Unless they are part of his fate."
Lucy's breath stopped.
"What fate?" she whispered.
The man stared at her with ancient fear.
"The fate that binds the human…
to the beast