Chapter 38: Calm Was Shattered

Another two days passed relatively quietly.

Adam no longer needed his cane to walk. The weakness that had previously forced him to lean on it had dissipated enough for him to move normally, and that meant something even more important: he could resume his daily mission. He gained experience again. He accumulated stat points again.

He also trained under Asterin’s guidance. The fencing she practiced was not simply technique; it was posture, intention, mastery. According to her, Adam had taken a step on the path of a king… and whoever walked that path could not wield a sword like an ordinary soldier.

He had to do it like someone who rules.

“The path of a king…”

He murmured to himself on more than one occasion.

The words kept echoing in his mind. However, Adam didn’t have much time to reflect on it.

Reports from the demonic forest began to arrive again.

This time, they weren’t scattered rumors or isolated sightings.

A city had already been destroyed.

The report was clear. And yet, the weight of those words felt more real than any sword.

Worse still…

The city of Calic was on the verge of collapse.

“This second wave is much larger.”

Adam rubbed his forehead as he read the reports. The figures left no room for interpretation: there was at least one V-rank monster among them… possibly more.

The situation could not be more serious.

He began tapping his index finger on the desk, once… and again… and again—a slow, restrained, almost mechanical rhythm.

Events were unfolding as they had in his past life.

And yet, at the same time, they weren’t.

That slight deviation was what disturbed him most. In his previous life, everything had followed a clear pattern until disaster struck. Now, the pieces seemed to be moving in the same way… but with imperceptible variations.

And the variations were dangerous.

Today, Selene was arriving.

His fiancée.

Just as it had happened before.

And her death… had not been pleasant.

Adam closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head, as if he could push that memory away. He couldn’t afford to relive it now. Not when time was running out.

He had to avoid that fate.

At any cost.

And, at the same time, defend the city of Arkham.

“First things first…”

His expression hardened. The second wave was imminent. So was Selene’s arrival. Too many fronts open.

First, his mother’s safety.

Then, his fiancée’s.

Then, build a defense capable of withstanding the tide of monsters from the demonic forest.

If they managed to overcome this crisis with minimal damage, the gains would be unimaginable.

The real beginning of their rise.

“I just hope no more variables appear…”

A long sigh escaped his lips.

He got up and walked to the window. His gaze was lost in the great walls of Arkham, solid, imposing… but not invulnerable.

Nothing was.

…

A few minutes later, Adam stood in front of the mansion’s entrance, impeccably dressed. The dark fabric of his attire fell elegantly over his figure, sober but dignified.

A few meters away, a carriage slowly made its way down the cobblestone road, escorted by several knights whose banners waved gently in the breeze.

The sound of the wheels stopped right in front of him.

The carriage door opened gently.

And then he saw her.

A young woman with silver hair descended with measured grace, her strands shining in the light as if they caught fragments of moonlight. Her deep, hypnotic blue eyes rose to meet his.

For a brief moment, Adam forgot to breathe.

Selene.

His fiancée.

She reached out her hand naturally, as if the gesture had been rehearsed since childhood. Adam took it carefully, his fingers wrapping around hers with just the right amount of firmness, and helped her down completely.

Without letting go, he guided her inside the mansion.

Behind them, the knights followed silently.

Once seated in the living room, the initial silence was brief.

Leaning back against the sofa, Adam asked:

“How was your trip?”

Selene brought two fingers to her lips, as if organizing her thoughts before speaking:

“It was quite pleasant… at first. But as we were arriving, we had some complications.”

She paused. The sigh that followed was slight, but heavy.

“Monsters attacked us… but we also saw many villages destroyed.”

Adam watched her closely. He didn’t need any more details. The slight tension in her shoulders, the way she avoided holding his gaze for too long… it was enough.

She didn’t want to relive it.

“You don’t have to tell me everything… I’m glad you made it back safely. Why don’t you rest first? It’s been a long journey.”

Selene crossed her arms and puffed out her cheeks slightly, in a gesture that contrasted with the seriousness of what she had just said.

“Why are you telling me to go rest? Didn’t you want to see me?”

Adam blinked, as if that accusation had taken him by surprise.

“Why wouldn’t I want to see you? You’re my fiancée. I want you to rest; you had a long trip.”

“Hmph…”

She looked away with feigned indignation.

“You’re quite good with words. As expected of my fiancé.”

Adam sighed, resigned.

“Well… you got me. Then don’t rest. Tomorrow we’ll go for a tour of the city.”

The smile that lit up Selene’s face was immediate, broad, and almost triumphant.

She had gotten exactly what she wanted.

“By the way…”

She added naturally.

“Where is your mother? I want to say hello to her.”

Adam stood up and offered her his hand.

“Come.”

She accepted it without hesitation, and the two of them left the room under the discreet gaze of the servants, heading toward Alisha’s chambers.

…

Several hours later, night fell over the city.

The moon hung high in the sky, pale and lonely, barely visible behind a blanket of slowly moving clouds, as if trying to stifle its light. There were no stars.

In the nearby forest, something was moving.

First, there were scattered crackles among the trees. Then the branches break. After that, the unmistakable sound of many feet moving in unison.

Entire herds advanced, destroying everything in their path.

On the walls, the guards on duty frowned when they sensed movement in the darkness.

Many shadows.

They were approaching quickly.

At first, no one spoke. It wasn’t the first time nocturnal creatures had prowled the perimeter. But then the growls began to rumble, deep and violent, as if the forest itself were roaring.

That was no longer normal.

“Torches,” one of them ordered, his voice more tense than he wanted to appear.

The flames were lit.

And what they revealed took their breath away.

A horde of lightning wolves emerged from the darkness, their bodies streaked with erratic sparks, their eyes bloodshot, their jaws open in a grimace of pure ferocity.

“Quick! Send the signal! A horde of monsters is attacking us!”

In the distance, behind the crazed mass, something larger advanced with slow, heavy steps.

A colossal wolf.

Almost five meters tall. Twisted horns rising toward the dark sky.

The air around him began to vibrate.

A sphere of plasma took shape between his horns, spinning with increasing violence, illuminating the forest with blue flashes before being hurled directly at the wall.

The impact was immediate.

BOOOM!

The explosion shook the entire city. Stone and dust rose in a thick cloud as the shockwave swept through streets and rooftops.

In a matter of seconds, calm was shattered.

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