My father reached for the door and opened it, stepping aside as he turned toward us.
"After you, my lady and my little boy," he said with a noble bow and a smile.
"That's so nice of you, my lord," my mother replied in a playful tone as she started walking out of the room.
They do this kind of thing a lot—calling each other 'my lord' and 'my lady.' But I think it's mostly in a joking manner. Most of the time, they just use each other's names. And when it's just the two of them, my mother often calls him Eddy.
Following behind, my father came out and chuckles."Haha… it's all my pleasure," he says with a grin.
"You're really loving sometimes, Eddy—you know that?"
"Sometimes? That's harsh. I'm always in love with you."
"Alright, alright, let's get going before our cute little baby gets annoyed with his father's flattery." My mother said.
"He won't. In fact, one day, I bet he'll be begging me to teach him all my flirting techniques," my father saif with a grin.
Honestly, watching those two be so lovey-dovey makes me a little jealous. Compared to them, I died a virgin—what if it happens again? Man, I'm not cool with that kind of stuff. I think I might actually have to ask him for advice...
For now, let's just go and focus on enjoying watching stars. Carrying me in her arms, my mother starts walking down the hallway, with my father right beside us.
After passing through a few different corridors, I began to get a sense of where we were headed. If my memory serves me right, this path leads to the garden. It makes sense—after all, it's the perfect place to look at the stars.
Just before we reached the manor's exit leading to the garden, I heard the sound of hurried footsteps approaching us. A voice followed soon after, calling out to my father.
Hearing the voice, my mother—still carrying me—turned around, as did my father. Now I could see clearly: it was one of the guards. He was out of breath, pausing to catch it before speaking.
"My Lord, It's an emergency! The capital is under the attack by a bloodthirsty fenrir," The Guard said, horror etched on his face.
Hearing that, my father and mother froze in shock. Silence hung for a moment before my father finally spoke.
"What? How is that possible? Fenrir don't came to the city—they mainly inhabit the southern forest!" He said in disbelief.
"My Lord, judging by its appearance and the scars on its body, it seems to be an outcast from its pack. That may have driven it into a bloodthirsty state—and it's came straight to the capital because of that," the guard reported.
"An outcast… Why would it be cast out?" Father murmured, falling silent for a moment, deep in thought.
An exiled Fenrir... Edric considered internally. Perhaps it challenged the pack leader and lost—Among Fenrirs, the defeated are always cast out. And being cast out after his loss may have driven him into a bloodthirsty state, which leaded him to capital to calm himself.
He clenched his jaw.
After a moment of watching him lost in thought, he finally snapped out of it and said,"Whatever the reason, we can't dwell on it now."
"In that state, if we don't act fast, it could cause massive destruction in the capital," he said, his expression turning grim with seriousness.
Seeing how serious situation and my father is in, my mother couldn't help but ask," Edric, is everything going to be okay? I am little worried for capital and it's people."
After a brief pause, he took a moment to think through the situation. Then, with a small, reassuring smile—meant to keep her calm—he spoke gently to her.
"Serenia, I'm sorry… but I have to take care of this."
"No, it's totally fine. You don't have to apologize—it's your responsibility, and the capital and its people needs you," my mother said calmly, reassuring him that she wasn't upset or worried and that she also wanted him to go.
"Alright. You should go with the baby. If possible, I'll try to return quickly."
"Okay. Take care of yourself, Edric. I'll be waiting in the garden for a while."
"Yes. But don't wait too long."
As they exchanged words of reassurance, my mother and I separated from my father and continued toward the garden.
.....
"Explain the full situation, knight. How did this happen, and what is the current status?"
Edric demanded.
"Yes, My Lord. The fenrir entered through our southern watchtower, which was still under construction and Lightly guarded. It killed everyone stationed there and made its way straight towards the capital." the knight explained.
"What? All of them? And how did it get into the city?" Edric asked, his experience tightening.
"My Lord, it appears it waited outside the gate until it was opened for merchants. The moment the gates opened, it rushed in, killing several guards and merchants before
disappearing deeper into the capital." the Knight replied.
"Even the merchants... Were our knights unable to harm it?" Edric asked, his brows furrowed.
"No, My Lord. The entrance knight guard inflicted severe injuries, but the beast completely ignored the damage and kept advancing." the knight said.
"That Fenrir is truly consumed by bloodlust… even ignoring its own wounds," Edric muttered under his breath.
"And of all days, it had happens now when General Varek Ironhart has still not returned, and the other generals are stationed at their respective border watchtowers and barracks," Edric added, his frustration clear.
"What about the Capital Elite Force?" He asked.
"Squads ten and eleven, which were stationed in the southern part of the capital, have suffered severe casualties. We've requested reinforcements from other elite forces." the Knight replied.
"Have reinforcement arrived?" Edric asked.
"I do not know, My Lord. As a member of the Tenth squad of Capital Elite Force, my captain ordered me to report to you immediately after we sent message for reinforcements." Knight replied.
"You did the right thing coming here. Even if you sent message for reinforcements, not everyone may respond immediately, as each Elite force has their own duty to protect their assigned sector. Leaving their post without proper orders would be against Everhold's governance system and could cause disorder," Edric said, analyzing the situation.
"Let's hurry. We must act at once."
"Understood, My Lord!" the guard said firmly.
...
Few hours before, in the capital—
"Get a hold of yourselves! Defend the capital!" shouted the captain of Squad Ten of the Capital Elite Force.
With many of their comrades fallen, the squad was left vulnerable and panicked.
"Captain, all the First mages and First sword are dead! What should we do?" one of the knight cried out, his voice trembling, unable to think clearly on his own.
"Just hold on until Lord Edric arrives! The knight should be close to delivering the message by now!" the captain shouted, loud enough for everyone to hear—hoping his words would spark even a flicker of hope in their hearts.
But the Fenrir, letting out a loud and bloodthirsty howl...continued its rampage. It ignored its own wounds, thrashing its claws at the remaining knight who are only left from the squad.
Some knights still held their ground, fighting with everything they had left. But the beast frenzy only grew. It seemed as if its own blood was fueling its hunger for more.
The captain, his eyes burning with fury as he watched his comrades fall one by one, gritted his teeth and surged forward.
"Die, you beast!" he roared, rallying what strength remained in him. With sword in hand, he lunged straight for the Fenrir's leg, aiming to cripple it.
But the Fenrir, despite its wounds, reacted swiftly. It slashed with a claw, sending the captain flying.
"Captain, no!" the knights shouted in disbelief. But before they could react further, the Fenrir senced momoentry laps, and soilder began dropping their guard the beast launched an all-out assault.
Some got badly hurt, while others managed to return to the fight.
A mage rushed to the fallen captain—he was a healer. Without wasting a moment, he began casting his spell. After a few moments, as he reached the final incantation, he shouted: Healing Magic, Level One—Winds of the Gods
One of the knights, still frozen in disbelief at the captain's condition, finally took a breath as the mage rushed to their aid.
"That mage… he's not from Squad Ten or Eleven," he muttered under his breath. He scanned the surroundings—seeing not only mages but also a group squad—and finally his gaze fell on the markings on the mage's uniform.
Then, with renewed hope, he cried out, "Look! It's Squad Five!" as reinforcements arrived.
But as he noticed the small group, he grabbed one of the new arrivals by the shoulder. "Why are there only a few of you? Where are the others?"
"They have their own sectors to defend. They can't abandon them without orders," the Squad Five knight answered calmly. "Right now, we need to focus on that!" He pointed at the rampaging Fenrir.
The knight clenched his jaw in frustration but turned away, running back to aid his comrades.
Behind him, the newly arrived squad began unsheathing their blades and joining the fight.
The Fenrir, sensing the arrival of fresh, uninjured enemies, suddenly bolted, breaking away from the ongoing battle.
The captain, barely conscious, watched it retreat and muttered, "That beast… it's not just bloodthirsty—it knows when to retreat. One hell of an instinct."
The reinforcements quickly moved to block the beast escape path and launched a coordinated attack.
Though their numbers were few—five knights, one First sword, one First mage healer and one knight sergeant leading them.
But with a strategy, they started striking in multiple areas at once. The fenrir was hit but still managed to dodge some of the attacks. And it goes for a while. After fenrir started tiring, it used its most powerful tool to escape.
With an earth-shaking howl, loud enough to deafen a normal person, it forced all of them to drop their weapons and clutch their ears.
Spotting an opening, the Fenrir leapt past them and began sprinting away.
The captain, newly healed, shouted a command with all the strength he had left.
"He's heading toward Everhart Hall! Stop him at all costs! Go—run!"
Hearing the order, all squad whether they are his or not scrambled to their feet, lifted their weapons in hand, and chased after the fleeing beast.
The captain then turned to two nearby knight. "You two—stop right there!"
They rushed over.
"Get two horses—now. Bring one to me so I can follow. The other, ride it straight to Everhart Hall and inform Lord Everhart immediately. Tell him: a Fenrir is headed his way."
"But Captain, you need to rest—"
"Silence!" he barked. "I'm the captain of this squad. If I must die, I'll die fighting alongside my soldiers. Now move!"
"Yes, Captain!" they answered and ran toward the stables where their horses were kept.
(Author's Note: Capital Elite force hierarchy
1. Captain, the commander and leader of all troops.
2. First Sword or First Mage, highly master in magic and swordsmanship.
3. Knight sergeant, Experience knight.
4.knight, A trained and skilled fighter.
5.Guard, they manly stander soilder stationed in capital Barracks for training and to become a knight or for needing manforce for anything like patrolling or delivering message)