Dreadwolf, Lord of Runes

In all the commotion, Kane had actually managed to forget about his volfar beast form. Thus, what he thought was a relieved smile, had actually turned into a menacing, fang-filled grin.

So, his expression became a little wry and he chuckled, "I know I look a little different, but—"

Before he could finish, Luna had already charged him, hugging his body, and rubbing her cheek against his furry chest. "I don't care, Master. You already told me what happened earlier, I just wasn't really prepared for what it really looked like. I'm glad we're together again…"

Kane laughed softly, "So am I," while he carefully used a large, clawed hand to caress her head and ears. Never once did he fear Luna might shun him because of his changes. The catling was loyal to a fault, and certainly wouldn't care what he looked like.

Suddenly, Ella's voice interrupted their reunion, "I hate to break you two up, but we have other things to worry about…"

Luna still didn't understand the elven language, but she didn't need to. Now that she was back with her master, she was perfectly happy letting him take the lead.

Kane looked up, and noticed that the brown-haired man, presumably Viljar, had already disappeared again. Now, he had transformed into a large, bear-like beast form, and hovered in the air at least 800 meters (half a mile) away. In front of him floated a woman Kane had only seen a few times, but already felt a deep loathing for: the elven queen.

The queen held a single, slender sword in her hand, while Viljar carried a large, long-hafted, double-bladed axe with both hands.

Kane quickly realized that his beast form gave him improved natural senses, as he could perfectly understand their conversation, even from this distance, which should have been impossible, even with a fifth rank blood core.

"Viljar!" the queen snarled; her face distorted in rage. "I guess I need to have a conversation with some of my people, since I distinctly remember them telling me you were dead!"

Then she scoffed dismissively, "But it doesn't matter! I don't know when you broke through to the eighth stage, but you still don't stand a chance against me! My crystalized core is of a far higher rank, and you aren't even a paragon! Leave now, and I can save your execution for later!"

Her words were filled with malice and arrogance, but the volfar in front of her wasn't deterred. He looked at her with calm and a solemn expression, "I may not be able to defeat you, Irene, but I can hold you back for a while. That's all I need to do today."

"And are you prepared to die for that?!" Irene, the elven queen, screeched furiously. She wanted her pet, but even more than that, she wanted her disobedient daughter back.

Viljar didn't respond, he simply kept floating in front of her, his expression solemn, and his stance clear: if you want to pass, you'll need to fight for it.

He wasn't going to attack first, of course. He was the disadvantaged party here, and he was trying to stall for time. As soon as the fight actually started, he would only be able to hold on for so long.

Kane looked at Viljar's back with a complicated expression. He wasn't sure how to feel about this unknown man risking his life for him… but then he shook his head and distanced himself from the whole thing. These people made their plan without his input or consent, and if they died executing it, even if that included keeping him safe, that was on them.

Yet, despite his dismissive thoughts, he couldn't help but feel some respect for this Viljar. This stacked on top of the gratitude he felt for bringing Luna to him safely.

Seeing he had no intention to move, Irene scowled, before panning her gaze towards the trio standing on a cliff’s edge. Once she looked at her daughter, her face actually mellowed a little.

"Ella!" she exclaimed, with a hint of concern masked by fury. "Give up this foolishness! These beasts aren't worth your compassion! Come back now, and we can talk about this!"

Ella sighed sadly, her eyes downcast, and mumbled just loud enough for Kane to hear, "For all her faults, she does love me…"

Then she looked up and stared at her distant mother with determination, "It's not just about the volfar, Mother. It's everyone. Most high elves live in misery under your tyranny, no matter how beautiful you make the city look. It's all just sterilized bullshit, hiding the stink!"

Irene's face twisted in disgust, "Most of them are ungrateful punks! Don't you understand that none of them are worth our time?! We are royals! You are the daughter of a paragon! All of that trash is beneath us!"

But Ella shook her head and looked away, mumbling sullenly, "You'll never understand, Mom. And I'll never catch up to your power so long as you remain a paragon."

Then, she turned back to face her mother, determination growing even higher, "That's why I'm doing this. I will make things better, even if I have to risk everything and go through my own mother to do it!"

Despite her determination, there was a slight tremble in her voice. Kane quickly realized that, despite the vastly different ideologies of this mother-daughter pair, they did love each other. Just not enough to change their personal views.

Irene made a few more attempts to convince her daughter, but they went ignored. Ella turned her attention to Kane, and had to gulp a moment, despite the determination in her eyes, "Tell Lady Mána I'm ready, please…"

Meanwhile, in the background, Irene had finally attacked Viljar, causing a fight of apocalyptic proportions to start. They both used the element of fire, but Viljar's fire had more destructive properties, while Irene's fire seemed strangely nurturing.

The forest around them was instantly burned to ash, and they took their fight higher in the air, since neither of them wanted to harm the trio on the ridge.

Kane finally released Luna, who had been hugging his body this whole time, and tore his eyes away from the immense scale of the eighth ranked battle. The desire for that kind of power burned in his soul, but for now, he frowned at the clearly anxious yet determined Ella, "Ready for what?"

In response, Mána suddenly appeared in his field of view. She mostly looked the same as before, with a halter top, a sarong, waist-long hair, and full moons for eyes, everything coloured in the brightest of crimson. But there was one difference: around her neck was an intricate, crimson tattoo. It looked like a collar made of runes.

Kane frowned, but before he could ask her about that, Mána spoke up as she looked at Ella with an expression of respect. "She's ready to make the sacrifice she believes is necessary for her to achieve her dream."

Ella was startled by her appearance, "L— Lady Mána? I can see you?!"

Mána smirked mischievously and caressed the runes around her neck, "Master's mark allows me a little more freedom than most patron spirits."

Kane frowned when he heard that, and suddenly realized there was a strange connection between the two of them. It wasn't there before, but he wasn't sure what it was supposed to do.

Unaware of his thoughts, Mána shook her head and became serious again, "But enough about that for now."

She turned to Kane, and explained rapidly, "The elves use a kind of technology that mixes Mystic power with electronics. That neuralizer in your brain is no different. It is operated by a tiny soul core that houses an actual soul, which was first enslaved by the bitch queen."

She pursed her lips as she continued, "If we want to stop her from using that neuralizer against you in the future, we have to turn it into an advantage instead… " she panned her gaze towards Ella, "by replacing the soul in that soul core with another."

Kane blinked in surprise. Mána's meaning was clear.