Chapter 1713: The Weight of Memory The scenery shifted once again, but this time, the transition felt hollow and artificial. It appeared as if they were standing in the exact same world they had just inhabited for so long, but the vitality had been stripped away. Unlike their previous experience, they were no longer able to feel the sensory details of the environment. There was no bite of the cold wind against their skin, and the air lacked the familiar scent of damp earth and pine. Though Gary, Lupus, and Kai could clearly see each other, their bodies were no longer solid; they floated in the air, translucent and shimmering like ghosts haunting a dream. The three of them had fully expected to be dropped into the chaotic darkness of the night, the fateful night of the full moon that had defined the climax of their journey. Instead, they found themselves observing the world during the bright, unforgiving light of day. “First, I want to show you the truth of my memories, or at least, the truth of what was used to construct the world you just left,” Jack’s voice resonated from the void around them. “I’m sure you noticed the quests. A lot of those objectives were created to push you into a very specific direction. They were designed to act as a guide, forcing you to see how every event was originally intended to play out. However, the world you were in possessed its own internal will. It was a world that would constantly try to shove you back onto the rails of history, regardless of the choices you made.” This revelation caused several eyebrows to rise in confusion among the trio. They thought back to the strange coincidences they had encountered. “Did you ever notice things that just didn’t seem to fit? Specific actions that the people around you took that didn’t quite make sense in the heat of the moment?” Jack asked. “That was the will of the world at work. Those people were being pushed by the narrative of the past to move in the direction of my original memories, regardless of what was actually happening around them. The world was trying to correct itself. However, the world would still continue to play out and adapt based on your direct interactions. For example, look at what happened here.” They looked down from their spectral vantage point to see Steve’s pack gathered in the forest below. They were out on a mercenary quest together, moving as a coordinated unit. The three travelers recognized the scene instantly; it was the moment they had gone up against a high-tier beast. In the world they had just experienced, the three of them had intervened, saving several werewolves from certain death during that struggle. Now, they watched the "true" version of that memory play out. Without their intervention, the werewolves were not saved. They were caught in the beast’s path and slaughtered where they stood. “Those weren’t the only deaths Steve’s pack experienced in the real timeline,” Jack explained solemnly, his ghostly form flickering. “From what Steve told me much later, there was a lot of direct involvement from Unzoku. He was meddling behind the scenes, pulling strings that no one could see. He purposely made Steve feel more and more desperate about the survival of his pack. He heightened the tension and the fear between our two groups, driving a wedge of hatred where there should have been a bridge of brotherhood. That is why the reality ended up being far worse and much bloodier than the version you just played through.” The scene began to shift and blur, the colors bleeding together like a painting being wiped away by a wet cloth. When the focus returned, the atmosphere became heavy and suffocating. One person’s heart in particular began to thud painfully against his spectral chest: Lupus’s. They were witnessing the exact moment where Lilly had been caught by Steve’s pack while standing over a dead body. They were seeing the tragedy play out in its original, unedited form. They watched as Lilly tried to turn and run, her eyes wide with a terror that felt all too real. The werewolves, fueled by the adrenaline of the hunt and the suspicion Unzoku had planted in their minds, attacked her immediately. She fought back with everything she had, her movements desperate and wild, but as more and more members of the pack surrounded her, she didn’t stand a chance. She was overwhelmed and killed. What happened next was even harder to watch. Steve arrived at the scene shortly after the struggle had ended and saw the body. He recognized who it was straight away, and the color drained from his face. He stood there, paralyzed by a horrific conflict of emotions. He didn’t know whether to shout at his fellow pack members in a fit of rage or simply collapse in grief. In the end, paralyzed by shock and his own perceived weakness, he chose to leave her body where it lay in the dirt. A short while later, Jack was the one to find her. Lying next to her was the body of one of the dead werewolves from Steve’s pack who had died in the initial struggle. Steve, distraught and broken by what had happened, hadn’t even thought to take his fallen comrade’s body back with him; he had just wanted to get out of there as fast as possible. “Filled with a blind rage over the death of my wife, I decided to go to Steve to end everything. I felt I had every reason in the world to stop him,” Jack explained, his voice echoing with the ghosts of past anger. “The fight was brutal. I fought directly against my own brother with the intent to kill. In the end, I was on the verge of becoming the victor. I was ready to strike him down and end our bloodline, but that was when Bluebird stepped in to stop me.” Jack watched the memory of the struggle with a weary, distant gaze. “I didn’t understand why he was protecting Steve back then. There was a desperate struggle between us, and in the middle of our fight, that was when Bliss and Lenny finally appeared.” Watching the history unfold, the three of them found several things interesting. For one, Galdark was nowhere to be seen; he wasn’t with Lenny and Bliss this time but just a part of Jack’s pack. This meant that whether Galdark went looking for the two of them or not, it wouldn’t have mattered in the grand scheme of things. It made them wonder if Galdark was actually a reliable person when it came to his supposed connections. They also realized that Bluebird, even without their influence, had been sharp enough to figure out that something was wrong. He had intervened to stop Jack from committing an act of kinslaying just in time. “With what the three of you did in the simulation, I have to thank you,” Jack said, turning to face them. “Because of your presence, I was able to witness how things might have played out if my wife had lived. I’m glad I got to see her again, even if it was only through a shadow of a memory. As for Unzoku, since you three didn’t get involved in the fight with him directly, that part of history went pretty much the same way as it always did.” Jack’s expression hardened as the sunlight in the memory began to fade into a deep, blood-red sunset. “Which brings us to the moment you’ve been waiting for. The truth of the night of the full moon.” **** **** 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. 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