Chapter 3
The territory of the Steelclaw Clan reeks of foul odors.
I lay in wait in the bushes along the border, observing the patrolling guards. They were not very vigilant and clearly did not take me, this "dead man," seriously.
Ants.
The moon was obscured by clouds, making it the perfect time to act. I avoided patrol routes and stealthily infiltrated the core area of the Steelclaw Clan.
Lina lived in a dilapidated little house.
This infuriates me. She should be living in the best room, enjoying the privileges due to a priestess. But Chad treated her like a prisoner.
I saw her through the window.
My heart stopped for a second.
She sat on a simple wooden bed, dressed in rough linen clothes. Her long silver hair had lost its luster, and she looked as haggard as a ghost.
Most terrifyingly, the silvery moonlight emanating from her body had almost completely vanished.
The Silvermoon bloodline is declining.
I tapped lightly on the window. She looked up, and when she saw me, her pupils contracted sharply.
"Aiden?" Her voice was hoarse, like an old woman's. "What are you doing here?"
I climbed through the window into the room. She immediately backed away, leaning against the wall.
"Don't be afraid, it's me."
"You should be dead." Her eyes were filled with terror. "Breaking the blood oath will kill the guardian, and the priest said you'll never wake up."
"The priest is a bastard."
I approached her, but she continued to back away. I noticed that her arms were covered with old and new scars, marks left by the Steelclaw Clan's suppression of the Silvermoon bloodline.
What did they do to you?
"It's nothing," she said, avoiding my gaze. "I'm fine."
lie.
Her priestly powers were fading, and the moonlight in her eyes grew fainter. The Steelclaw Clan was suppressing her bloodline through some evil method.
"Lina, tell me the truth."
She remained silent for a long time, then burst into tears.
"Chad threatened to kill you while you were unconscious and the child in my womb if I didn't give my fingerprints. I had no choice but to comply."
I know.
But hearing her say it herself still made me angry.
"Tell me specifically what happened during those three years."
“Chad said he was also powerless to resist,” Lina’s voice trembled. “Some men in red robes would often come to see him, and each time they met, he would become even more irritable. They gave him a potion, calling it a ‘calming soup,’ but it was actually steel claw serum.”
The serum was disguised as a calming tonic, no wonder the people of Silvermoon Valley didn't notice.
What else did he do?
"He wanted Ethan to drink that soup too," her voice trembled, "saying it was to help the child adapt better to life in the Steelclaw Clan. But I can feel that stuff is changing Ethan's bloodline."
Bloodline erosion.
Chad doesn't just want to control Lina; he also wants to change my son's bloodline. If this erosion continues, Ethan will forever lose his dual lineage as guardian and priest.
"I want to see the children."
"No," she shook her head. "Chad won't allow anyone near Ethan, except for the nanny he designates. And..."
"And what?"
"Ethan's afraid of me." Her tears dripped onto the floor. "Those drugs aren't just changing his lineage, they're changing his memories. He now believes Chad is his real father, and I'm just a strange woman forced to take care of him."
Memory alteration?
This is more evil than I imagined. Chad is not only eroding the child's bloodline, but also distorting his perception.
Where is he?
"Lunar Academy. Chad said it's safer there."
Luna Academy is where wolf cubs receive their education, and it's also the easiest place for them to get close.
"Lina," I said, taking her hand, "I'll take you away from here."
"Impossible." She pulled her hand away from mine. "Chad's power is too great, and you are now—"
What's wrong with me right now?
She looked at me, a hint of confusion flashing in her eyes.
"Your eyes..." She reached out to touch my face, "...are different. And your aura...is more...dangerous than it was three years ago."
I know.
The breaking of the blood oath awakened something dormant within my bloodline. I don't fully understand what it is yet, but I can feel an ancient and powerful force stirring within me.
"Wait for me." I turned to leave. "I'll come back and take you away."
"Aiden," she called to me, "Be careful of Chad. He's no ordinary Claw Warrior; those red-robed men gave him some kind of power-enhancing potion. And... they seem to be waiting for something."
"Waiting for what?"
"Waiting for you to wake up." Her voice was almost inaudible. "I heard them say that their plan can only truly begin when the Guardian's bloodline awakens."
I see.
I didn't wake up by chance; I was awakened by some force. Chad and the red-robed man behind him had been waiting for this moment.
But what they don't know is that I am no longer the weak guardian I was three years ago.
Although the breaking of the blood oath brought pain, it also broke a certain seal in my bloodline.
I can sense an ancient and wild power waiting to be unleashed.
Chad Sheen will soon realize he messed with the wrong person.
