Chapter 1525: Where Are We (Part 2) The system had done strange things before, but never like this. Gary remembered when he had first encountered Unzoku, when countless error screens had flooded his vision, glitching and overlapping until it seemed as though the system itself had been compromised. Back then, even if he couldn’t control it properly, he still knew it was there. He could see the errors, could feel the presence of the system trying to react. This time felt different. There were no error screens. No messages. No warnings. No reaction at all. It was like the system wasn’t even acknowledging him anymore. ‘How can the system just...break? Nothing is making sense, and this is really starting to piss me off,’ Gary thought, gritting his teeth. Still, even if the system had abandoned him, he wondered if his other abilities remained intact. He lifted his arm in front of him, focusing on the memory of transformation, on the countless hours of Qi training he had done. He had shifted parts of his body so many times before, sometimes by accident, sometimes with purpose. He didn’t need the system for that anymore. Moments later, fur sprouted across his arm. His muscles thickened, his hand warped into a claw, and he stared at the familiar brown-furred limb. It had worked. Yet something felt...off. Gary clenched his transformed hand into a fist, flexing the claws. The sensation wasn’t wrong, but it wasn’t quite right either. He couldn’t put his finger on it. He glanced around, scanning the hills and distant mountains. He saw no people. No animals. Just endless grass and a hill not too far away. There was no one to test his strength against, no target to strike at to see if he was imagining things. So instead, he pushed further. Fur rippled across his body. His frame expanded, bones shifting as his full werewolf form took shape. His claws dug into the grass as his size increased, and in moments he stood there once more as a wolf of muscle and menace. It had worked, he could still transform. There were no immediate problems, no visible hindrances. But deep down, the unease gnawed at him. ‘Shouldn’t I be out of energy? I fought with everything I had, I even used my True Alpha form. I should be drained right now. Is that what feels strange? Is that it?’ Gary frowned. No, it was more than that. His body felt energized, but it wasn’t the same energy. He braced himself, drawing on the shadow and flame that usually answered his call. He tried to transform into the Shadow Ash Lycan form, the terrifying state that had once elevated him above all others. He held his breath, tensed every muscle, willed it into existence. Nothing happened. He tried again. Nothing. The realization sank in like a stone in his chest. ‘I can’t transform into my Shadow Ash Lycan form. I thought maybe it was because of the system, but...no. That’s not it. I know what this strange feeling is now.’ His fists trembled as he stared at them. Even as fur rippled along his arms, even as strength coursed through his veins, he knew the truth. His power wasn’t what it had been. It was almost as if his Shadow Ash Lycan form had never existed at all, erased from him entirely. Gary let out a slow breath and forced himself back into his human form. His claws retracted, the fur receded, and soon he was standing once more in the Howlers uniform, staring down at his human hands. For now, conserving energy was the only logical choice. He didn’t know where he was. He didn’t know what threats lay ahead. Until he had answers, wasting strength on forms that felt unstable was reckless. He started to walk, letting his senses guide him. His nose twitched, the scents of the meadow filling him. He searched for anything familiar, any hint of direction. And then, suddenly, his eyes widened. A familiar smell hit him. He turned his head sharply, his body moving before his thoughts caught up. He sprinted up the nearby hill, his legs pounding against the grass. The closer he got, the stronger the scent became. At the top of the hill stood a blonde-haired young man. He wasn’t moving. He wasn’t even aware of Gary at first, just staring at his own hands in disbelief, as if he couldn’t recognize them. “Kai!” Gary shouted, relief and surprise mixing in his voice. “You’re here as well!” Kai’s head snapped up, his eyes wide. Gary ran straight toward him, skidding to a halt by his side. He could see the confusion etched across Kai’s face, the same confusion Gary himself felt. “Gary?” Kai said, still sounding half in shock. “So you’re here too... Damn, I was hoping I was the only one. But now this just makes it worse.” Gary took a deep breath. “We’re not in Slough. I don’t even think we’re in the same country anymore. Everything smells different. Fresher. Wilder.” Kai nodded, his expression grim. “I remember everything that happened. The fight, the light, it swallowed me whole. And then I woke up here. Same for you, right? But there’s something else... I think I’ve lost some of my powers. I can still transform. I can still shapeshift. But my elemental abilities? They’re gone. Completely gone.” Gary froze, his mind racing. Kai’s words mirrored his own fears. If both of them were in the same situation, then this wasn’t coincidence. It wasn’t just the medallion teleporting him randomly, this was something bigger. If even Kai, a Shapeshifter Alpha, had lost his elemental powers... “Then what the hell is happening to us?” Gary muttered. Kai shook his head. “I don’t know. But whatever this place is, it’s stripping us down to something else. Something...less.” Gary clenched his jaw, his frustration bubbling. “What should we do then? Where do we go? I don’t even know which direction to head. Should we just start walking blindly? Should we, ” “Gary...” Kai interrupted softly, his eyes narrowing. “I just noticed something else.” Gary blinked. “What?” “Your eyes. They’re yellow.” Kai’s voice was low, almost disbelieving. “Not red. Yellow.” Gary’s heart skipped. He hadn’t even realized, too distracted by everything else. His hands shot up to his face as if he could feel the difference in his eyes. And then he saw Kai’s eyes too. Yellow. The same as his. “What the hell?” Gary whispered. Panic edged into his tone. “Have we both...turned into Omegas? That doesn’t make any sense!” Before either of them could say more, another voice cut through the air. “Where the hell is this place?” Both Gary and Kai whipped their heads toward the sound. At the top of the mountain, broad-shouldered and unmistakable, stood a man with long, scruffy black hair falling past his face. His figure radiated dominance even from a distance. Gary’s stomach dropped. Kai’s lips curled into a snarl. “Of course. If the two of us are here, I should have known he would be too.” His fists clenched, his voice dripping with venom. “Lupus.” **** **** For updates on MWS and future works, follow me on my social media below. Instagram: jksmanga P.a.t.r.e.o.n: jksmanga When news drops about My Vampire System, My Werewolf System, or any other series, you’ll hear it there first. Feel free to reach out, if I’m not too busy, I tend to reply.