Journey of the Tethered Path: Volume 4 — Ripped Apart
He was finally ready to confess. Then they took her.
Oswald has survived dragons, wyverns, tournament captains, and a mountain-sized werewolf. He has saved three islands, earned the title "Hero of Sylvia," and finally admitted to himself what his heart truly wants.
But before he can speak the words, the maid is ripped from his side—abducted in the dead of night by a kidnapper who leaves no scent, no tracks, and no mercy.
Now Oswald must hunt her across the brutal, unforgiving landscape of the Bestial Dominion. His only clues: a cryptic warning from a wolf tribe leader about an underground arena where winners get anything—and the dagger he gifted her, found abandoned in a forest clearing.
He descends into a Victorian-era hellscape where exotic spectators bet on blood. Four fights stand between him and the information he needs. A tiger wrestler who yields out of respect. A panda martial artist searching for his lost son. A wolf boxer who just wants a real fight. And finally—the Organizer himself: a cunning fox who throws two giant tigers at Oswald just to watch him break.
But Oswald doesn't break. He shatters his own arms, collapses from exhaustion, and still crawls toward victory—because somewhere in a forsaken prison, the maid is chained in darkness, a glowing magenta poison coursing through her veins. She has only one thought keeping her alive:
"He is coming."
And he is.
Act IV is the breaking point. The hunt. The arena. The rescue. The moment Oswald's carefully constructed mask of heroism shatters—and something far more dangerous emerges.
He was never supposed to fall in love. Now love is the only thing keeping him human.