I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The one who had tried to kill my mother was still roaming free while the one who had saved my mother was behind the bars. She was going to be executed because of me.
I felt like I was in some sort of a crazy game sequence. I was made to believe one thing and given a task. Once the purpose was achieved. I was told, Ding! Your belief is false. Then, I was given another belief with a new task.
I wasn’t going to let people mess with my head anymore. I would investigate everything secretly. I would peel away all layers of pretense until the truth emerged; bright and clear. But, to do that I needed time.
“I am here to meet the Lycan King,” I said, showing him the jade token. It was given to me by the Lycan King as a reward for completing my task. I could move freely within the palace with that token.
The guard bowed and let me inside. If I told the Lycan King that I wanted to meet Hera, he would probably refuse. So, I made my way to the underground dungeon, hoping that they would let me see Hera by showing this token.
Unfortunately, I bumped into the lycan king along the way. He smiled at me and raised his eyebrows, “Don’t you think you are a day too late to attend the celebratory feast?”
“I apologize for not attending the feast, your highness,” I said with a low bow. “I will accept any punishment you decide, but….”
“But?”
“Can you please let me meet the wereheretic?”
His expression turned cold and his words took on a frosty edge, “Why do you want to meet her?”
“I… I want to thank her on my mother’s behalf.”
His nostrils flared and his eyes turned bloodshot, “I think I have given you too much freedom! How dare you try to fool me with your petty lies!” He took a step towards me and continued in a menacing tone, “You told me yourself that the wereheretic killed Ayame. Why in the world would you want to thank her?”
“I never intended to fool you, your highness.” I knelt on the ground and begged, “Please give me a chance to explain.”
“You have five minutes. Don’t think that I will be lenient with you just because you have the jade token.”
I explained everything that had happened to him but he didn’t believe me.
“It is indeed a very unusual story but do you have any evidence to prove it?”
“My mother is alive. Isn’t that enough to prove that my father tried to kill her?”
“Can’t it be the other way around? What if it is your mother who created the Vexin wolves and staged her death?”
“She would never do such a thing.”
“You are bound to say that. You were closer to her after all.” The Lycan King helped me up and said in a kinder voice, “Alpha Hades has been managing the Moonmist Pack for a very long time, Justin. I can’t accept Ayame’s testimony as evidence or yours for that matter. If you want to prove yourself, you will have to do better than that.”
“You had promised to grant me a wish if I managed to track Hera.”
“So, you want to use that wish to get your father punished? Isn’t that a bit too cruel? What if you find out that he isn’t the one creating Vexin wolves later on? Can you live with that?”
“I am not that unfilial, Your highness. I don’t want to use that wish to get my father punished.”
“Then?”
“I… I want you to delay the execution of the wereheretic.”
“You what?”
“I don’t think Hera is a mindless Killer, My king. If you give me some time, I can prove it to you.”
“You must be crazy, Justin. She has killed thousands. There is no way you will be able to refute all the claims. Even the moon goddess herself can’t prove that Hera is innocent.”
I clasped my hands together and bowed, “I still want to try, your majesty.”
His expression went blank and a sigh left his lips, “You know what I think? I think you are completely smitten by that wereheretic. You even made up some weird story around your mother’s death to prove her innocence.”
“Your majesty, please… please give me some time to seek the truth…”
“Fine, since you have contributed so much, I will give you a month. She will be executed on the next full moon instead of this one. But, if you are unable to prove her innocence, you will be charged with treason and executed along with her.” He patted my shoulder, “Think well before deciding.”
“I accept the terms, my king. One month later, I will either present the evidence or die with Hera.”
“Fine, die with her. What do I care?” With a frustrated grunt, he stomped away.
I rushed to the other side and hurriedly presented the token to the guards. The Lycan King would probably pass an order forbidding me from entering the palace. This was my only chance to meet Hera.
The guard was reluctant to let me inside but when I told him that I had taken explicit permission from the King he let me inside. Even so, I was allowed to walk only up to the outer boundary of the magical circle. She was crouched on the cold floor, her face buried between her legs.
“Hera?” My voice trembled as I called out.
She raised her head slowly. The moment our eyes met, her lips curved in a smile but it was replaced with disdain almost instantly, “Why are you here, Justin?”
“I found out the entire truth, Hera….”
She folded her arms over her chest and snorted, “Truth? And what is that?”
“You didn’t kill my mother.”
“So?” She shrugged with nonchalance. “Does it matter if I have killed ninety-nine people instead of a hundred?”
“I don’t think you are a mindless killing machine, Hera. You must have your reason for killing Alpha Hades and the others. If you tell me your story, I can help you gather evidence. Together we can prove your innocence and you will be free again.”
“Who said I want to be free, Justin?” Her gaze roamed around the cell, “I am quite content here.”
“Hera, please….” I said gazing towards the entrance. “You have to tell me everything quickly. The guards can come looking for me any moment.”
“Quit it, Justin. Don’t waste your time gathering evidence. It is utterly useless. If they want to kill me, they will even if you give them the most fail-proof evidence. If they don’t want to kill me, they won’t; not even when they have the blood flower and the hell fire.”
“But, Hera….”
“You don’t need to feel guilty for anything that happened, Justin. This is my fate. Don’t ruin your life because of me. It is time for you to forget me and move on….” With those words, she turned away from me.
There was shuffling of footsteps and four guards came rushing inside, “The Lycan King has ordered us to take away your jade token.” One of them said, whisking it out of my hand.
“Please come with us, sir,” Another guard said as he grabbed my hand. I looked at Hera helplessly. She refused to turn around despite the commotion.
“Miraya?” I called out as I struggled with the guards who were trying to drag me out of the cell.
She spun around with a gasp, her eyes wide in shock. That was the only affirmation I needed. My hunch had been right. She was Miraya. Now all I had to do was find out how Miraya became the wereheretic…
As the guards dragged me out of the cell and threw me out of the palace, I made a promise to myself; soon, I would uncover the entire story and present the truth to the entire world.