Chapter 1714: The Return The scene shifted into the deep, oppressive quiet of the night. Once again, Gary, Kai, and Lupus found themselves transported through space and time, arriving at the same campsite where Steve and his pack were currently stationed. “Forgive me, as this imagery you are seeing here is partially reconstructed from my own imagination based on the details that were eventually given to me,” Jack’s voice echoed throughout the spectral space. “Because I wasn’t there in person, it might not be entirely accurate in the smallest details, but the outcome is the truth.” Jack paused as the spectral werewolves below began to move restlessly. “As you already know, when we defeated Unzoku, he placed a curse on our bloodline. At the time, we were completely unaware of what had happened; we had no idea a ticking time bomb was buried in our very souls. For Steve and his pack, the timeline was different. In the real history, they never came to the Red Wing Kingdom. Instead, they stayed right where they were.” Jack’s ghostly form looked down at the camp. “Although we had defeated Unzoku together and the hatred between our groups had lessened, we both knew things weren’t exactly the same. The scars of our conflict remained. Then, the full moon arrived. It was a complete nightmare for Steve. Without the preparation or the warning you provided, they all turned simultaneously. They lost their minds to the beast and went on a bloody rampage toward the neighboring villages.” The three observers watched in horror as the werewolves tore through the camp and vanished into the trees. “There were brave adventurers who did their best to protect the innocent,” Jack continued. “The nearby city did a better job of defending itself, but the night still resulted in the deaths of many people. Many of Steve’s pack were killed in the fighting as well. The only saving grace was that Steve’s pack was located in a remote area. The distance they had to cover before reaching civilization kept the total damage to a minimum. But then... there was what happened to us.” The three of them gulped as the scene dissolved and rebuilt itself. They were now standing in the familiar werewolf hangout within the Red Wing Kingdom. “With it being the night of the festival, things could have been far worse,” Jack explained. “We had decided to celebrate the occasion privately rather than joining the general public. A lot had happened recently, and I didn’t feel like joining the crowds. The pack decided to stay with me out of loyalty. When midnight struck, that was when the curse took hold.” Before their eyes, the scene erupted into chaos. The werewolves dropped everything in their hands, cups, food, weapons, as their bodies began to contort. Instantly, the transformation took hold, including Jack, who stood at the center of the gathering. The moment the transformation was complete, Jack threw his head back and let out a howl so piercing and powerful that it seemed to freeze the entire city in place. The howl put everyone on guard and even startled Bluebird, who had been enjoying the festivities elsewhere in the kingdom. Within seconds, a massive battle broke out. The knights of the Red Wing Kingdom found themselves in a fierce, desperate struggle against the rampaging pack members. Bluebird arrived on the scene, his face a mask of conflict. He didn’t know what to do; he was struggling emotionally and physically as he went up against a feral, Jack. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺 Bluebird tried to stop him, but a heavy swing of Jack’s claw crashed against his sword with such force that it lifted Bluebird’s entire body, sending him crashing through the wall of a nearby building. Despite the impact, Bluebird struggled to his feet. He knew he had to keep fighting, but people were dying all around him. The knights weren’t strong enough to contain this level of carnage, and Bluebird wasn’t sure he could defeat Jack without killing him. Gary, Kai, and Lupus watched the carnage, thinking they knew how this was going to end. They expected the knights and werewolves to slaughter each other until only a few traumatized survivors remained. The knights were fighting valiantly, doing everything they could to save lives, but they were losing. Suddenly, a massive, heavy shadow began to stretch across the ground, blotting out the light of the moon. The three of them looked up into the sky, their eyes widening in disbelief. “Is that... is that what I think it is?” Gary stammered. “That’s unbelievable,” Kai stated, his voice barely a whisper. “I know we’ve seen some crazy things in this world, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like that before!” The shadow descended rapidly. As Bluebird looked up, a tear actually formed in his eye, shimmering in the moonlight. “You...” he breathed. The shadow crashed into the center of the battlefield with the force of a falling star. Dust and debris exploded outward. When the air cleared, a massive, clawed foot was planted firmly on top of Jack’s entire body, pinning the Great Wolf to the ground. Jack snarled and struggled, trying to claw his way out, but the foot pushed down with such overwhelming power that he was trapped. Slowly, the giant, clawed foot began to shrink and shift. “Hey, do you want me to seriously hurt you or what?” a voice rang out, cool and confident. “Because I’m doing all I can to stop this without breaking you. I guess this will have to do for now.” The clawed foot transformed into a regular human foot, and the massive being shifted and shrunk until it took the form of a man with striking red hair. “You’re still looking out for us, after all this time... Ray,” Bluebird said, his voice trembling with relief. Ray looked toward Bluebird, though his eyes remained sharp and focused on the chaos around them. “It doesn’t look like I’ll be able to talk much,” Ray replied. “There are some things I need to deal with first. It seems I can never get a break, even after all this time.” The three observers stood in stunned silence. They had come to see the truth of the werewolf curse, but they had just witnessed the intervention of a legend. **** **** 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.