Chapter 1689: Trusting Us It was nearing the end of the day, and the group, along with Gary, had to figure out exactly how they would frame the coming disaster. They knew they couldn’t just scream about the future; they had to be tactical. Once they had made a firm decision, they waited for the next morning. When the sun finally rose for the day of the event, it was time for them to do what needed to be done. They had agreed on a split strategy: Gary and Lupus would go together to try and convince Jack, telling him everything that was happening in the city. Meanwhile, Kai would go to Steve’s pack in the outskirts. Although Kai was usually one for wanting to listen strictly to what the medallion intended to show them, preferring to only act when they received official Quests, he listened to Gary’s request. There was one person Kai would never defy when asked, and that was Gary. Kai knew when he couldn’t convince Gary to change his mind, and he understood that just because he didn’t personally agree with a plan didn’t mean he should go off and do things his own way. In Kai’s mind, this was a reactive world. It acted like a real world, just as Gary had argued. The things they did caused the characters to do different things, creating ripples in the current time. But as Bliss had explained before, they were being guided and brought to this specific memory and in this world for a reason. Kai was worried that by interfering too much, they might fail to reach the end of that reason and get stuck. However, listening to Gary hadn’t done him or the Howlers wrong in the past, so he would trust his instincts now. Using Galdark as a mediator, Gary and Lupus called for an urgent meeting with Jack. To their relief, Jack accepted immediately. The two of them as well as Kai were the primary reason there was currently peace between the factions, and Jack was in a genuinely happy mood. The day of the festival was a massive event for all of them, a time to enjoy where they could eat as much as they wished and celebrate their survival. When Gary and Lupus saw the large, innocent smile on Jack’s face, they found it even harder to speak to him. They felt like they were about to destroy the only bit of joy these people had left, but they had to. “There’s something we need to tell you, and it’s very important you hear us out until the very end...” Gary said, his voice cracking slightly with the weight of the secret. He spoke of what they feared would happen tonight when the full moon rose. He explained the nature of the transformation and why it would take place, ultimately blaming it all on Unzoku’s final, spiteful curse. For now, Gary kept the "future" talk to a minimum; instead, he explained that they had seen the exact same thing happen in their own distant village. He claimed they only recently realized it was Unzoku’s doing, and now they believed the same curse had been placed on Jack’s pack. Although Steve was very accepting of the fact that they were from the future, they didn’t know if Jack would be as open-minded, so they had to stick to a more grounded, convincing story. “We decided to tell you because I think there’s a good chance this is what could happen to both of you tonight,” Gary claimed, looking Jack in the eyes. “Even if you don’t believe us, don’t you think it’s better to be safe than sorry? By using our method of preparation, at least you can be safe just in case we’re right.” 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮 Gary finally paused, his heart racing. Galdark was in the room as well; he had overheard everything, and both he and Jack were in a state of quiet disbelief over the whole thing. “Thank you, both of you, for telling me this,” Jack said as he stood up, his expression shifting from joy to grim determination. “I guess we should hurry and inform everyone. I know the pack won’t be happy about it, especially today, but it’s for the sake of the whole kingdom and for each other.” “Wait... you actually believe us?” Gary said, his eyes widening in surprise. He had expected to spend hours arguing. He had more words prepared, more "proofs" and plans that might have been needed to sway the Alpha. He was genuinely shocked that it had been so easy to convince them. “Of course I would,” Jack replied simply. “The three of you have done so much for the sake of both of our packs. You have only ever done things in the best interest of helping us. And as you said, worst-case scenario? Nothing happens, and we just missed a party. Next month we can be more prepared and run tests, but for now, we should do as you say and go with the best method to protect the people.” The reason why Jack knew it would be hard was because the method Gary suggested was brutal: making the werewolves low on energy by starving them. On a festival day meant for feasting, trying to force a pack of hungry wolves to fast would cause a lot of trouble and potential rebellion. What Gary and Lupus didn’t know was that at that very same moment, Kai had approached Steve and his pack with the same warning. Steve had listened with a weary nod, his reaction mirroring Jack’s. “I thought this wouldn’t end with just Unzoku. It looks like we have one more thing to deal with,” Steve said, looking out at his villagers. “But there is a bit of a problem on our end, Kai.” Steve pointed toward the town square. “The feast has already begun, and half my pack has already eaten their fill and there is another issue as well...” **** **** 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.