𝕾𝖔𝖚𝖑𝖘 [𝗲𝗻𝗴 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻]

★[𝐜𝐩𝐭.𝟎𝟗]★

"Arrox POV...

The night lay like a dark cloak over the forest. When I awoke with a throbbing headache, I found myself in the empty cabin. The silence was unsettling – too quiet. My gaze searched for Ora, but she was nowhere to be found. A disconcerting feeling enveloped me. Had she left the forest? My thoughts turned to Alice; perhaps she knew more. Anxiously, I ran on all fours through the forest, searching for Alice's sleeping place, while darkness surrounded me.

Alice was found in a hollow of a tree trunk. Sensing my presence, she opened her eyes and transformed into a human to pet me. "Why did you come alone? Shouldn't you be searching for Dorea with Ora?" she asked, visibly surprised. With my paw, I gestured to the ground, trying to signal something was wrong. "What's the matter?" she inquired, as I attempted to convey with a howling sound resembling Ora that she was not here. Shocked, Alice looked at me. "She's gone?!" I nodded, and panic seized her. "We have to find her. I'll look for clues." In a flash, she flew off, and I hurriedly followed, just managing to keep pace. She found something – with a sharp turn, she flew directly towards it. Upon landing, she transformed back into an elf. "The tree trunk has fallen... But there's been no thunderstorm for months, and Ora doesn't kill trees. She would never do such a thing!" Puzzled, we looked around, and I noticed a peculiar spot that resembled a cut. I pointed at it with my nose. "Looks like a sword cut, but swords can't chop down trees. It's just one cut, could it be from a katana?" A hesitation in my breath accompanied my gaze at Alice, and I nodded. The only one I knew with a katana was Eros or Rheos. The thought unsettled me, and Alice sensed it. "What's wrong, Arox? Is someone from the kingdom involved?" I nodded hastily. Her pupils widened. "Ora has been abducted by the kingdom!" In her desperation, Alice began pacing frantically, while I pondered how we could rescue Ora. Adonis seemed to be our only hope. With my paw, I sketched a small image in the dirt that vaguely resembled Adonis. Alice contemplated it at first but then recognized the person depicted.

Back then, Adonis told me to howl as loudly as I could, and he would come. But I don't know if it really works; the kingdom is too far away. Without telling Alice anything, I ran through the forest, searching for a high rocky peak. Alice followed me in the air, maneuvering precisely through the treetops. The race made my breathing heavy; I ran as fast as I could. I didn't know what was happening with Ora right now, but we had to act quickly. If she dies, the forest dies. The animals will suffer! The thought drove me even faster.

Alice didn't know what was going on. She was surprised at how fast I ran, but she only wanted to save Ora. She didn't know much about the kingdom or Rheos; Ora had always avoided the topic to protect Alice. Slowly, we reached a clearing. I ran and climbed the rocks with my paws, digging my claws into the stone wall for better grip. When we reached the top, I lay down for a few seconds. But there was no time to rest. I sat up, took a deep breath, and let out my howl. As loud as I could, an echo resounded throughout the entire forest. We waited for a few minutes, but nothing happened. Alice had cuddled up to me, tears in her eyes. We felt how quiet it was in the forest; no animal made a sound, the wind was still. But I couldn't abandon Ora.

I pushed myself up again, went to the peak, and took a deep breath once more. Then I tried to let out a loud howl again. This time, it was even louder, and I was sure it could be heard all the way to the city. Still, nothing happened. As we were about to give up and leave the rock, I felt a sudden gust of wind. It was unusual since there had been no wind for hours. I turned around, Alice behind me, growled into the darkness, and peered through the bushes. Suddenly, we saw a black shadow. I took a combat position to attack the unknown creature if it approached us.

I felt a second strong breeze, and a creature stood next to us. I growled even louder. The creature emerged from the darkness and approached us. We didn't recognize them because the person was completely dressed in white, the face covered by a hood of the cloak. The person raised their hands to remove the hood. "You summoned me," he said, and then we saw the red eyes of Adonis, more intense in the night's light. Alice transformed instantly, and panic was evident in her eyes. "Dear Lord Adonis, Ora has been abducted, and we urgently need your help. Ionia will die; Ora is the soul." He looked at us briefly shocked. "What, she's gone?? Are you sure she's not just wandering somewhere?" he asked, bewildered, with a slightly angry tone. "No, Adonis, she has undoubtedly been abducted. Not far from here is a fallen tree. There has been no thunderstorm for weeks, and Ora doesn't kill trees. It was a cut that made the tree fall, probably from a katana..." At this last sentence, his face darkened completely. "Show me the spot." Alice transformed into an owl and flew to the spot, followed by me. When we arrived, Adonis teleported to us, approached the fallen tree trunk, and examined the spot. He paused briefly and then turned to us. A soft whisper escaped his lips: "Rheos~." Alice hesitated and looked at me. I started growling immediately. He had violated Ora 200 years ago. I wanted to run immediately, but an invisible barrier, created by Adonis, stopped me. I glared at him angrily. "Calm down, big guy. In your current form, you can't attack him. Alice, you'll have to stay in the forest, look for Dorea. You'll find her, but you'll need Leona for that." She looked at Adonis inquiringly. "Who is Leona?" she asked. "A vixen. Go east; you'll find her there." She nodded and flew off. Adonis turned to me. "You'll have to fight. But first, you need to become human. I need my magic book. Follow me to the castle. Normal humans can't see you," he said with a stern voice.

We hurried through the darkness, Adonis's magical presence veiling us from the sight of ordinary people. It was a world hidden from most.

When we reached the castle, the massive gates creaked open. Adonis led me through long corridors, flanked by old paintings of past kings and queens. The splendor of bygone days was captured in every stone of the castle.

Finally, we entered Adonis's study, illuminated by the warm glow of the fireplace. In the center of the room lay his old magic book, adorned with ancient runes and spells. Adonis flipped through the pages until he found the desired page. He murmured some lines from the old book, and a magical glow enveloped the book.

"You need to transform into a human, Arox. Only then can you act in the kingdom," explained Adonis as he recited a line from the book. An invisible spell surrounded me, and I felt my form changing. My paws became hands, my fur turned into skin. Finally, I stood before Adonis as a human.

"Now, Arox, we need to act quickly," said Adonis as he closed his magical book.

Arox's human form: