The 'Lust Choker' was returned and everyone can go back to the playdate at Terakion Kingdom, but there was something wrong... within the place, I could feel it.

But it was mostly for one person: Sloan. He looked slightly subdued and the air of superiority and command around him that I always felt diminished slightly.

I saw that Zelda can sense it too and confronted Sloan, but he politely waved her off. Yet Sloan was fingering something in his pocket. I wonder what was going on.

But I couldn't dwell on it long when our chaperone for this visit came up. The son of the King, Lycaeon, who was a proud and slightly snobbish wolfman, but he did his duty as he saw fit.

"Alright, people, after that fun time at the museum, it's on to one of the special places in Terakion Kingdom, especially a day as blessed as this," Lycaeon said.

Everyone had no hesitation just going anywhere. It was part of the pact anyway. When one asked where they were going, Lycaeon simply held a finger to his lips and said, "Secret."

That simply made people a whole lot curious than they were supposed to be, and jittery excitement could be felt as they walked through the barren lands of Terakion Kingdom.

The Terakion Kingdom was actually a war zone ever since it was first created, not because of petty politics or the like, but more toward honor, instinct and slight blood lust. It was every man for themselves.

Now, the wolfmen have become more civilized than before, but fighting rings, death matches and arenas were still the whole point of this kingdom. It was brutal and bloody, even with their hierarchy for King to be all the candidates strike down until the last.

A kill or be killed world that only improved after the involvement of Celebi Republic when they were asked to improve the tech around the Kingdom, not to mention indoor plumbing. The elves, despite their weaknesses that wolfmen will not tolerate, they have reached out to those savage creatures and made them more sociable for the rest of us.

But it doesn't mean their history was all the way bloody...

Amongst the barren space were villages that act more like safe zones, filled with the greenery of nature. There were arenas and coliseums everywhere, blood sport still a common hobby here that no matter how far I walk, I can still hear roaring of crowds and shouts of the wounded or-.

"We are here," Lycaeon said.

In front of us was a huge forest, filled with strange looking trees, only native to Kingdom Terakion, the Zamazenta Forest.

The trees with their bark like fur and their leaves a bloody red, they fill a bloody light to the ground and bear strange fruit said to enhance wolfish properties on the consumer. Passing through there to our destination only gave me an eerie feeling, I was not the only one.

But soon enough, we didn't need to feel restless because we landed on a impressive sight.

It was a statue of a lady sitting with a wolf, hugging it lovingly. Circled around the statue was shrubbery with that strange fruit and flowers. There was also incense around giving wispy, translucent smoke that gives a thin veil around the statue.

It was simply awe striking.

"The statue of Silana who was cursed by a bitter lover to be in love with the monstrous wolf that rampaged villages back then, Lupa and give birth to a new species, the wolfmen. We always give token of appreciation to our ancestors and worship them as Gods that have given us life until now," Lycaeon said.

"And today happens to be the day that marks another year since the first wolfman was born. We always given our blessings here and rejoice that we lived great lives until now," Lycaeon prattled on.

I edged toward Sloan. "Is he always like that?" I whispered.

 "Yes," Sloan whispered back, "I have known Lycaeon for years and he's always been proud of our species and the histories that entwine."

"Well, even so, it's good to know," I said.

But I would have never seen what was going to happen next.

We all had been bowing respectfully when a rustling sound was heard. The next moment, wolfmen in mask jumped from above and are knocking people from left to right.

It was pure chaos later. Everyone was screaming in fright and ran away without direction. I felt someone grab my hand and saw that it was John, who said, "We have to get away from them!"

I nodded, "I hope nothing bad happens."

"Did you have to say that?" A voice came from nowhere: Alex.

"That doesn't matter," John replied, "We should run this way. Out of the forest from where we came."

"What about the others?" I asked.

"They will be fine as well," John said, "I always have an ace up my sleeve."

As soon as he said that, a man was swinging a club down to us but I immediately deflected with the staff, having no will to go unconscious. Immediately afterward, smoke was settling the entire vicinity that made people scream louder.

Yet John took advantage of this and ran away with me.

"I really do hope they will be alright," I said.

"There's nothing else we can do. I set that smoke bomb so that it would confuse that ambush team and we can reach to safety. We should call in the authorities so that they could settle this mess."

"I wonder what they were up to," I said.

"First it was Black Blood, then the IHD and now this? Are we some kind of trouble magnet?" John asked, shaking his head. Although John knows that the Duke Silverhart's organisation is called Shining Organisation but he prefers IHD much better.

"It may be not all us, maybe the attack was another motive," I said, but as I said it, I couldn't help thinking of Sloan's morose look. I shook it off though, it would do me no good will to simply suspect anything.

"That may be true," John mused and then we said no more.

Despite some people thinking that the Terakion Kingdom is lawless, they do follow a monarchy, you know, so have laws that bind the place. An attack at a sacred place was considered worthy of investigation when brought by us and the batch of CB in the district to the scene.

By the time we had arrived, many of the people were conscious and murmuring to themselves. They did a double take when they spotted us with the CB.

"Ro!" I was immediately tackled by my big brother, "It's good that you are safe. I thought that you-"

"I'm fine, Clover," I said, "Did anything happen?"

"Actually..."Clover started, but were interrupted by a sharp sob, which was held back immediately afterwards.

I looked to see it was Zelda who was clutching a letter and released myself from Clover before coming to her.

"What's wrong?" I asked softly.

Zelda looked up, teary eyed but strong willed for the steady voice that came out, "Sloan... Sloan was kidnapped by those thugs."

"What?!" I asked, incredibly shocked, "Why?!"

Zelda's voice lowered, "Not in front of everyone."

"Young miss, did you say that Sloan was kidnapped?" A person from the CB asked.

Zelda nodded.

"We need to bring you to the station and get some answers. The King will not be pleased that one of the successors to the throne be missing," That person said.

Everyone lives and dies, no one is immortal, so of course one day the King has to be succeeded by another. Following their culture though, the heir thing was utterly different from the rest, even the republic's.

A King is selected by pure power. Only the top 10 of the young generation in pure combat and skills of a soldier will be placed as the term of successor and when they become legally adult which is 18, they will duke it out until the last one standing to become the only one King.

Before it used to be the fight to the finish, no prisoners but now the system became more lenient and it's until surrender.

It also seems that Sloan is one of those successors, but who would want to kidnap him anyway?

Wouldn't it make sense to kidnap him when he's of age, not 8 years shy of it, because even if you kidnap Sloan now, someone else could make it to top 10 and be a threat. Kidnap during the moment of battle and it would be truly a successor short and less threat.

None of this makes sense, really. What is going on?