The cold night air bit at Razan's skin as he stood outside the towering city walls, his breath curling like pale smoke beneath the dim moonlight. His fists trembled at his sides, not with fear, but with the lingering ache of the bruises he had earned earlier. His so-called rivals had humiliated him again—an old, familiar routine—yet tonight their cruelty struck deeper than ever before. The city where he had grown up no longer felt like home; it felt like a prison built to break him.
"I can't stay here any longer," he whispered, the words barely escaping his cracked lips.
He made his way back to the small, lonely house where he had lived since his mother's passing. The silence inside greeted him like a ghost. With a heavy, resigned sigh, he gathered the few belongings he owned—two worn shirts and a pair of faded pants. Everything he had ever known fit easily into his hands.
Without looking back, he stepped into the night.
The path to Dhulmir Forest stretched before him like a mouth of endless darkness. Distant howls rose from within its depths, long and mournful, as if warning him to stay away. Even so, he kept walking, each step echoing with quiet defiance. Remaining in the city, trapped in the cycle of humiliation and weakness, felt far worse than any danger waiting beyond the trees.
Dhulmir Forest was a place spoken of in hushed voices—a domain of monsters and ancient beasts whose power rivaled legends. Only the strongest hunters dared to enter its shadowed labyrinth, and even they respected its dangers. No one stepped inside after dark. Not even the brave.
Yet Razan crossed the boundary without hesitation.
Because for the first time in his life, fear was not enough to stop him.
After stepping into the forest, Razan tried his best to avoid any confrontation with the deadly creatures lurking within. But misfortune clung to him like a curse. Without realizing it, he wandered straight into the territory of the Kazgar Wolves—one of the most feared packs in all of Dhulmir. Oblivious to the danger closing around him, he kept walking deeper into their domain.
Then—
A growl.
Razan froze. His breath hitched in his throat. He had heard the stories—whispers of the monstrous wolves that ruled Dhulmir Forest under the cloak of night.
From the darkness between the trees, a Kazgar Wolf stepped into view. Its massive form was wrapped in shadow, but its eyes—those blood-red, predatory eyes—glowed with lethal intent, locking onto him as if he were nothing more than a trembling prey animal.
Then more eyes appeared.
One pair.
Three.
Five.
Circling him.
Razan stumbled back, fear clawing up his spine. Now he understood. He was deep inside their hunting ground. This was no warning; this was a death sentence.
His heartbeat thundered in his ears. So this is it…? Is this how my miserable life ends?
He wanted to run, to scream, anything—but the wolves advanced with slow, predatory steps, their hunger unmistakable.
The largest wolf stepped forward, muscles coiled, its gaze fixed on him.
It lunged.
FWOOOSH!
A dark blur shot past him, so fast Razan barely registered it before the force of impact echoed through the forest.
CRASH!
The lunging wolf was hurled across the clearing, slamming into a tree with a bone-shattering thud.
Razan blinked, stunned. A tall figure now stood between him and the pack—cloaked in black armor that seemed to swallow the moonlight. A hood shadowed most of his face, but beneath it, two golden eyes glowed like molten metal.
"You're a reckless one," the man muttered, his tone calm yet carrying an unmistakable authority, as if he were accustomed to facing death without flinching.
Razan's mouth fell open. His knees trembled—not just from fear of the wolves, but from the overwhelming presence radiating from the stranger.
Who was he?
How did he move so fast?
And why… why would someone like him save a nobody like Razan?
Razan swallowed hard, his voice barely a whisper.
"W-Who… who are you?"