Chapter 249

Warriors transformed into werewolves, howling eerily, their eyes scattering a blood-red glow.

Perhaps on any other day, even with the curse manifesting, they might have retained their sanity.

But tonight was a full moon. The sky was illuminated by the fullness of the moon.

Sanity was lost, replaced by sheer wildness.

The werewolves drooled from their mouths, their eyes darting in search of prey.

Under the grip of such wildness, they needed to hunt.

Naturally, their targets were their kin who still retained human forms.

Thud! Thump!

"Arghhhhh!"

"St-stop! Please, come to your senses... ughh!"

The sharp claws of the werewolves sliced through armor, and their enormous fangs dug into flesh.

The fate of the warriors yet to transform was twofold. Either be brutally slaughtered by those who were once allies or…

Shiver, shudder...

Ahhhhhh!

Become one of them.

Those who didn't perish from the first blow were all turned into werewolves.

After a momentary violent gust, only fallen humans and bipedal wolves remained.

Gasp, gasping...

Growling!

The now vicious-looking werewolves divided into two groups.

One group began moving towards a village abundant with prey.

They began by walking on two legs, but soon they started galloping like beasts on all fours.

"We need to stop them...!"

Kureha, who intended to chase after them, was blocked by another group of werewolves.

Their eyes locked onto the last human in the vicinity, drooling with anticipation.

Kureha clenched his fists, ready to fight.

Swoosh.

Kuilan stood in front of Kureha.

A werewolf monster, bigger than any other, positioned itself protectively in front of Kureha. Kureha, startled, looked up at him.

Though bleeding from his wounds, Kuilan whispered, "Hey... I'm... fine."

"..."

Kureha, his fist clenched tightly, stared ahead.

"Help me, Kuilan. We have to stop them."

In the distance, the group of werewolves running towards the village was visible.

They must be stopped.

If they reach the village, who knows what disaster will unfold...!

Kureha, with a powerful stride, charged towards the werewolves in front of him.

Kuilan, seemingly unsure at first, clumsily followed him with his massive form.

The werewolves' claws were as sharp as blades, and their limbs exuded monstrous strength. However, their attacks were merely wild swings led by instinct.

'One hit could be fatal! But if I can dodge...!'

Kureha narrowly dodged the werewolves' attacks and retaliated by smashing their jaws with his fists.

Kuilan, too, swung his arms awkwardly, catching and smashing the werewolves into the ground one by one.

The stand against the werewolves was over in a flash. Without pausing, Kureha sprinted onward.

The ones heading towards the village had gotten significantly farther.

'Too far! At this rate, I can't stop them...!'

Then it happened.

Whoosh!

Kuilan grabbed Kureha by the waist, pulling him to his side, and with a giant leap, they began covering several meters in a single bound.

In no time, they were closing in on the werewolves. Kureha wanted to thank his younger brother, but there was no time.

The village was just ahead.

Kureha, propelled forward by pushing off from Kuilan's arm, leapt.

Landing firmly on the back of a running werewolf, he wrapped both arms around its neck and—snapped it.

Thud!

The desperate werewolf crumpled, and using its body as leverage, Kureha lunged forward again.

Over there, Kuilan was seen smacking down two other werewolves.

'Three more to go...'

There were three werewolves ahead of Kureha.

Drawing from all her strength, Kureha caught up with the closest werewolf and tripped it.

With the creature's momentum, it tumbled headfirst into the ground, the sound of its neck breaking eerily echoing around.

'Two!'

The next one sensed Kureha's presence and charged at him.

The wolf's sharp claws swiped the air. Kureha dodged and counter-attacked, striking its jaw and side with a fierce punch.

A short yet intense clash ensued, and the victor was Kureha.

The werewolf, with Kureha's fist embedded from its forehead to its nose, spat blood and fell.

'Last one...!'

Hope flashed across Kureha's face. If she took down the last one, there would be no more casualties!

Kureha looked straight ahead to spot the last werewolf.

But then.

Whoosh-!

The last werewolf rushed madly into the village square, attacking the townsfolk who were warming themselves by a fire and chatting.

Blood and flesh scattered. The screams and cries of the attacked villagers pierced the night.

"...No, ah...!"

Kureha gasped.

It was too late. Within seconds, around ten villagers had been brutally attacked by the werewolf's swift onslaught, their blood painting the ground.

And then, mere moments later, they began to rise.

Slowly. Unsteadily.

They howled!

Twisting bones and beastly roars signified the awakening of a curse deeply embedded in their lineage.

Under the full moon, the newly transformed werewolves roared and dashed deeper into the village.

In the tavern beside the square, by the river's forge, in the central marketplace, in the blacksmith and fields and general store—those who had been working late were attacked.

Then, those who were soundly asleep had their turn.

As werewolves surged like a tidal wave into the residential areas, there were screams, shouts, sounds of fighting, and the unmistakable sounds of transformation...

Kureha, overwhelmed, sat down, taking in the scene.

A fire had broken out somewhere during the chaos, slowly spreading throughout the village.

Just like that wildfire, the beastly transformations spread.

Under the brightly lit night sky, the village was ablaze, and its inhabitants transformed into wolves. It all happened in the blink of an eye.

As Kureha gazed distantly at the scene, a raging voice echoed in his ears.

"It's your fault."

Turning, he found his father.

With broken ribs from being previously subdued by Kureha, he gasped for air and shouted.

"You... our village... our people... look what you've done...!"

"..."

"Right. Does it feel good now? Huh? Because of that damned sense of justice, you've brought your homeland to this state. Does it feel good now?"

With trembling hands, his father raised his staff, pointing at Kuilan, who stood next to Kureha.

"That mere monster…! What about that mere monster...!"

Kuilan was collapsed on his side.

Before they knew it, the younger brother's form wasn't that of a massive monster anymore, but shrunk down to that of an ordinary boy.

From the heavily coughing Kuilan's body, blood continuously flowed out like a black fog.

As the people in the tribe began to reclaim their curse, transforming into werewolves, the tribe's curse that had been sealed within Kuilan was being released.

"Cough, cough! Cough, cough!"

"..."

Kureha just stared blankly at his writhing younger brother.

"You ruined it! Our tribe's fate! You've ended it! Damned be, all of us! We'll be cursed...!"

Thud!

Suddenly, as his father was spitting out words of curse, he swayed and collapsed.

Behind him stood a familiar silhouette. Kureha mumbled in shock,

"...Mother?"

It was Kureha's mother. However, she looked different. She had taken the form of a wolf.

Yet, unlike other werewolves, she was dressed in official attire, holding a staff in her hand.

"I knew a day like this would come. I was always prepared. Although I'm not as strong as your father, I'm still a shaman."

With a wolf's face, his mother gave a bitter smile.

"Since the day your father took your brother away, I've been... waiting for the day he'd be freed."

"..."

"Your father just wanted to protect the tribe, don't resent him too much."

The mother, with the gentle voice of a wolf, lay the unconscious father flat on the ground.

"You did what you had to do. Don't blame yourself too much."

"Mother, that form..."

"Yes. When it's full moon, I become a wolf, and when it's a new moon, I become human. It's our tribe's true form. If only the day of liberation wasn't a full moon, today's tragedy would not have occurred."

The mother slowly looked up at the moon.

"Eventually, this was bound to happen. All of us living as our true selves... It's not your fault."

"..."

"We were born this way, after all..."

Approaching, his mother slowly knelt beside the fallen Kuilan.

"My poor second son. He's about to die."

"Die? Kuilan?"

"The entire tribe's curse that he held onto his whole life is now manifesting and escaping. It must have been a tremendous burden."

Kuilan was wheezing, breathing rapidly. Kureha clenched his teeth, looking intently at the face of his dying younger brother.

"Soon, all the curses will be emptied, but his share of the curse will remain. His weakened body won't be able to endure it."

"...Mother."

After a moment of hesitation, Kureha cautiously spoke up.

"I will become the new vessel."

"What?"

"Transfer Kuilan's curse to me."

"This magic doesn't work that way. It's impossible to extract an individual curse. If you try, you have to take in the curse of the entire tribe..."

"Then give it all to me."

The mother gazed blankly at her eldest son and then chuckled softly.

"At this point, with everything already over, you want to take on the curse again? What could possibly be the meaning behind such an act?"

"This child has suffered as much as all of us combined in his lifetime."

Kureha gently brushed his fallen brother's forehead with his hand. An X-shaped scar, still reddened, marred the skin there.

"He deserves to be just as happy, doesn't he? That's only fair."

"..."

"Even if it's just until this child can bear his own curse... I'll take it upon myself in his stead."

Observing her two sons, the mother smiled sorrowfully.

***

At the Maple Leaf Tree Altar, a ritual to re-contain the curse was conducted.

As the branches of the Maple Leaf Tree radiated an ominous light, the curses once again began to seep out of the werewolves that had rampaged throughout the burning village.

The villagers, returning to their human forms, collapsed, covered in blood.

Kureha absorbed the dark, tainted blood of his ancestors into his very being, taking in even the curse his brother held.

Although Kureha's body was robust, the pain was beyond imagination.

Feeling as though his soul was being torn to shreds, he gritted his teeth and persevered.

His younger brother, Kuilan, had borne much more of the curse with a far weaker body.

Kureha thought to himself that if he couldn't endure this much, he'd be failing as an elder brother.

Once the ritual concluded, Kuilan's face appeared much more tranquil.

His mother, clutching her staff, spoke in her human voice, "Having been a vessel for the curse all his life... your brother's spirit core is steeped in it. He will likely remain frail for the remainder of his days."

Struggling to his feet, Kureha gave a weak smile, "I'll take good care of him."

"And you... you should choose. Choose wisely."

"Choose what?"

"How the curse manifests."

The tip of the mother's staff lightly poked Kureha's chest.

"With my magic, I've sealed the curse deep within you. However, if you sustain a severe injury or exert yourself too much, the curse will try to resurface."

"And what will happen then?"

"Normally, you'd turn into a werewolf monster. But with my magic suppressing it, you won't transform. Instead... you won't be able to use that part of your body."

"..."

"Which would you prefer?"

He didn't need long to decide.

"I'd rather lose the use of a body part. If I became a werewolf monster... I might hurt Kuilan."

"...Very well."

Watching her son willingly embrace his torment, the mother turned her gaze away, conflicted.

"The Empire's forces are coming."

Beyond the burnt wooden barriers of the village, the sight of the Empire's troops marching orderly was visible.

They had lost their warriors and now, they had lost what they were protecting.

The Leaf Tribe's end was near.

"Go, Kureha. Don't look back, just leave. I'll handle things here."

Staring blankly at the approaching enemy, the mother said to Kureha, "You're his elder brother. Teach Kuilan... the joys of living as a human."

With immense pain coursing through him, Kureha cradled Kuilan. His brother, reduced to skin and bones, felt shockingly light.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The sound of the enemy's footsteps grew closer. The booming voice of the Empire's commander echoed through the air.

The brilliant shine of war badges and the spreading flames of magic...

Leaving their burning hometown behind, his mother whispered softly to her two departing sons,

"I'm sorry for being such a wretched parent."

Without looking back, Kureha too whispered,

"I'm sorry for being a terrible child."

Holding his younger brother and staggering forward, Kureha couldn't be sure.

Had his choice been the right one?

Had leaving his hometown, his tribe, and his parents all behind been worth it?

His mind was in turmoil. The curse inside him stirred like a pest, fueling his confusion.

His entire value system was tangled up.

'What was I even fighting for...'

That's when it happened.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Kuilan, nestled in his arms, coughed dryly and opened his eyes.

Kureha gave him a weary smile and looked down at him.

"How are you feeling, Kuilan?"

"...Who... are you?"

Kuilan asked in a fading voice, his unfocused eyes suggesting he didn't remember his time as a wolf.

"It's me, your brother Kureha. Remember?"

"...I'm not... sure. Where are we? And where's father?"

Kureha, with a broad smile, took off the coin necklace he was wearing and placed it around Kuilan's neck.

"Kuilan. You're a very lucky kid."

"...Huh? But it hurts so much..."

To a child whose entire life had been pain, Kureha asserted with conviction,

"You were born into this world."

"...What?"

"I'll make you lots of delicious food."

Supporting his frail brother, whose weight felt like he could float away, Kureha vowed,

"Cold? I'll get you warm clothes. Ever slept under a soft blanket? I'll get you one. I'll buy you a feathered pillow too."

This world is infinitely broader than that cramped Leaf tree hollow.

"In spring, we'll sunbathe. In summer, we'll go to the riverside. In fall, we'll pick apples. In winter, we'll watch the snowfall by the heater."

It's filled with things far more beautiful than any curse.

"We'll fish together. And, you know our tribe's traditional songs? Oh! I'll also teach you martial arts, and..."

What else could he give?

What could he offer this child who had taken on the world's curses for his entire life?

Kureha's words faltered. Facing his younger brother's innocent gaze, he suddenly felt like crying.

'For the rest of our lives, I'll give back all the good fortunes I've been blessed with to you.'

So, please-

Don't ever regret being born into this world.

Hugging his brother tightly, Kureha clenched his teeth.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"I didn't know you were suffering... I'm sorry."

Rubbing his teary eyes vigorously, Kureha grinned.

"I'll protect you from now on."

To his brother, who looked puzzled, Kureha declared,

"Protecting my little brother is my job!"