The Devil's Cage

“2567 told you that?” Perry Kaner looked at Mary blankly.

“Mhmm. He told me exactly that. He also told me what’s truly powerful is one’s heart! A heart of vigilance without losing its keenness, indomitable and able to see through despair.”

Mary nodded and helped Perry Kaner up. She was careful and soft.

“What’s truly powerful is one’s heart? The heart?”

Perry Kaner managed to stand with Mary’s help but the mutters from her mouth didn’t stop, instead, it got stronger.

“Heart of vigilance? Not losing keenness? Indomitable and able to see through despair?”

Her mutters grew louder, her dull eyes grew clearer.

Then, she felt warmth, the warmth from Mary’s palm.

Her rushed, unstable breathing became calm and relaxed, Perry Kaner slowly retracted her own hand. She nodded at Mary before walking towards the shadow.

When Perry Kaner touched the shadow, her body quickly merged, causing her to disappear from sight.

Mary looked at the direction where Perry Kaner left and smiled, she then knocked on the door.

Dok, Dok Dok.

“Come in.”

Mary pushed the door and entered after Kieran gave permission. The door was then slowly shut.

Inside the shadows, there was a pair of eyes that watched the shut door, it didn’t move its gaze for quite a while, as though the door was holding something that she was worried about.

The worries made her neglect the peculiar changes that happened in her body.

On Perry Kaner’s palm, a very small piece of skin bulged and slowly fell off.

It was a very tiny piece but the meaning it held was substantial.

It was just that the owner of the palm didn’t notice it.

…

“Duke Eldar met with me just now. He doesn’t like me but it’s wasn’t disrespectful either. He told me to guard the land of Warren properly and even asked me if I wanted to know what happened to my parents back then.” Mary spilled the beans the moment she stepped into Kieran’s room.

Kieran stayed quiet, he looked at Mary and acted as a listener.

“I said no need. After all, that was the past. My mother died and my father is dying, the things in the past mean nothing anymore. My answer seemed to shock the elderly duke though. Then he asked me how I viewed you. I said… you are the most important person to me,” said Mary while holding Kieran’s hand.

“The moment you appeared in my sight, I felt that you were extraordinary. No matter who you are, no matter where you’re from, you will never change in my heart.”

The young princess spoke as though she was making a vow.

“You heard something about me?” Kieran asked.

Mary’s specifically targeted consolation obviously wasn’t an arrow without a target.

“Um. They told me that you are Wolf Sect’s leader, the current generation’s White Wolf! The God of the Prairies men’s heart. The one and only, God of War!”

Mary nodded. Her youthful face did her best in hiding it but Kieran still made out the anxiety in her eyes.

Warren and the prairies were mortal enemies!

Rivals for generations!

The opponent of the war that ended a while ago!

Given the circumstances, the young princess’ heart was mentally disturbed.

“I am not,” Kieran said calmly.

“Really?” Mary looked up suddenly, her face was overjoyed.

“Mhmm. I am not,” Kieran emphasized.

“Great! This is great!” Mary said in an almost cheerful tone.

Looking at the overjoyed princess, Kieran didn’t hold back his smile. He automatically lifted his hand and placed it over Mary’s head again.

“However, since someone claimed that I am, if I don’t do something about it, will it make me look insulted?” Kieran squinted his eyes and said slowly.

His squinted eyes were glimmering delicately.

“Duke Eldar isn’t…”

“I won’t strike an old man who is stuck in the past. He isn’t worth my time, he will have what is coming to him,” Kieran interrupted Mary and said with ulterior motives.

“Then?” Mary showed curiosity in her gaze at Kieran

Although she was also curious about what would happen to the old duke, compared to Kieran, Dule Eldar was less of her concerns, despite him being a respectable person.

“You will know after a while. Before that, you should return to your room. You need to rest. Don’t lie to me, I know you haven’t been resting well over the past few days. Now, go sleep,” said Kieran.

“Mhmm.”

Mary nodded right away since she knew Kieran’s personality, she turned around and returned to her room.

Kieran saw Mary return to her room with at least three Raven Sect members serving as guards. After that, he slowly walked out to the courtyard.

“Viper Sect eh?” Kieran looked up to the starry sky and muttered to himself softly.

Kieran was extremely alarmed by the Viper Sect, which had been hiding for almost 20 years.

He knew the sneaky sect wouldn’t cause such a commotion if they didn’t have a goal to achieve.

Kieran even speculated that back then when King James VIII proposed the plan to eliminate Viper Sect, there was a high chance that it was also instigated by Viper Sect themselves.

As for what the hidden Viper Sect wants?

Kieran didn’t know. Information was lacking, to the point that Kieran couldn’t even deduce a theory.

However, one thing was for sure, after he killed two of the branch leaders, Viper Sect would not just let him walk.

All he had to do now was wait for them to pay him a visit.

But…

It was too passive for his liking.

Handing everything to his enemies and waiting quietly in his room wasn’t what Kieran was used to.

As always, he preferred to take the initiative to strike!

Using offensive methods to destroy Viper Sect’s plans; whether defensive or offensive, he would always choose to move with initiative.

If they defended, he would attack and break their defense.

If they attacked, he would also attack, let’s see who will win in the end.

“Since Viper Sect has been hiding for 20 years appeared, then… why didn’t Wolf Sect appear since it didn’t truly disappear? I don’t know what you snakes want to achieve but I know how to disturb your schemes.”

Kieran took a deep breath and jumped up to the roof.

The moment his feet landed on the tiles, his pores grew rough and bigger, his teeth started to mutate, his ears started to lay back and white fine fur started to grow from his rough pores rapidly.

Within a breath, a white werewolf stood on top of the roof of Warren Palace.

A lot of soldiers and guards in the outpost saw the scene. All of them were stunned at the changes.

Then…

Awhoooooooo!

Loud, endless howls sounded.

Unlike the howls from [Spirit of the White Wolf], Kieran’s own howl was louder, it didn’t just spread throughout Warren alone, it reached places further away as well.

The flatlands, the hills, the forests, and the lakes.

All wolves that had been hiding heard the call.

The instinct in their bloodline made them submitted to the call.

Awhoooooo!

One, two…

Ten, one hundred…

A thousand, myriads…

The wolves called out to each other as they howled at the moon.

The howls even went past Lightning Fortress and went further north.

The north where the prairies were.