The Unknown Killer

"What happened? Are you alright?", I asked the White Wolf Leader who was covered in blood.

There was a terrified look on all of their faces. The White Wolf Leader didn't answer.

The Phoenix Leader stood up, "Your Highness, it's a great emergency. There is someone who is killing the Beasts. The Wolf Leader's son was also killed. It's his blood on his body and there are a few Beasts who wanted to meet you. They were captured by the familiar."

"Killing the Beasts but who could do that?", I asked them.

The White Wolf Leader stood up. There were tears in his eyes, "Your Highness, please bring justice. The one who killed my son was quite powerful. I fought with him but was easily defeated by him."

I was shocked by his words, "Powerful than you. Is that even possible? You are the strongest among the Magical Beast Leaders. When did all this happen?"

"It was last night. Almost after midnight but I wasn't able to inform you immediately because that person froze me with the wind magic. The moment I broke the magic informed the leaders and came to you", the leader told me.

"What about your son's body?", I asked him.

He replied with a trembling body, "He took it with himself."

What will he do with a dead body?

"Whoever he is but he is clever enough to use the magic of wind. It is the only power that all four beasts possess. It is quite questionable what he will do with the dead body. But how did you find out that it was a man not a woman?", I asked them.

The Griffin Leader stood up, "He is said to wear a mask on his face so, his head is visible. Even the body shape is of a man, not a woman. Your Highness, if you allow please let the beasts enter because they are witnesses and may know more about the situation."

I nodded and told Hao to bring them. Hao brought them. They were a total of three people. A young boy, a middle-aged lady, and an old man. The young boy belonged to the Dragons, the lady belonged to the Phoenix and the old man belonged to the Griffins. So, each of the beasts became the victim. The three of them were sobbing and crying.

The moment they saw me they fell to the ground and began to beg, "Your Highness, please bring us justice."

I went to them and helped them in getting up. I then led them to the nearby chairs and Hao brought them water.

"Please, calm down and drink the water. Then calmly tell me what happened so, that I could help you?", I told them.

They drank the water hurriedly. When I observed them, it seemed that if they had fought against the beast as well. There were wounds all over them. Their clothes and hair were all messed up.

"Now you can tell one by one what happened? When and where?", I told them.

The old man began to speak, "Your Highness, you might don't know me but I used to be the Griffin Leader during the ruling period of your great grandfather and your grandfather. During the rule of your father, I retired. Yesterday evening I went on a stroll in the forest with my disciple in the forest. Suddenly, someone attacked with wind magic. I dodged it easily but my disciple was injured. To protect him I had a fight with him but was frozen by the wind magic and in front of my eyes my disciple was killed and taken away."

He began to cry and beg, "Your Highness, please do something. He was not my disciple but my son. My family died while fighting against evil long ago. He was my only family."

The lady began to speak, "Your Highness, something similar happened to me as well. My ten years old son was killed and taken away."

She was trembling all over. I put my hand on her shoulder to calm her. She then continued, "Your Highness, my mother was the late Phoenix Leader. I couldn't become the leader because I am not as strong as her. Today morning, I was training my son in the backyard of the house when there was a strong wind. I created a shield for myself and my son. The wind was so strong that the shield cracked. It was then that the killer appeared. I tried to teleport my son to another place but before the teleportation could be complete I was hard hit on my back with a wind arrow. Before I could attack I was frozen and my son..."

She started crying more. I hugged her to calm her down. Then I went to the young boy, who almost looked the same age as me. He was trembling all over and was quiet but tears were flowing down his eyes.

He looked at me when I approached him, "Your Highness, please let me become a guard and help you in finding the killer."

He was very determined in his words, "But I don't keep guards. As for the killer, I will surely find him and give him the worst punishment but first of all, can you tell me who you are? And what did the killer do to you?"

He was silent and then spoke, "Your Highness, my elder brother is the last Dragon Leader. He injured himself while protecting the King. He then retired himself because he thought that he cannot protect the King with his injured body. Since that moment I had worked hard so, that I could become a leader and serve the ruler. It was almost morning today when I woke up early and went to catch fish. It was then when there was a strong wind and the killer came for me."

He became quiet and after a while spoke, "I used all my skills that my brother taught me through training but was almost killed. It was then when my brother came and had a fight with him to protect me. Instead of me my brother was killed and taken away. Now there is no one in the world left that I know. My brother was my only family. It was all because of me. Your Highness, please let me take revenge for my brother myself."

It is all because of me. If I had been careful. I looked at them and felt a sharp pain of regret.