Aine rolled on the bed, her feline eyes adjusting to the darkness. She breathed a soft sigh as she hugged the pillow other side of the bed. Despite the warm ambiance of Whifur, the pillow was cold. While it was nice to touch to cool her beastkin body, the coldness also reminded her of her late husband.


    Adriel Blackclaw.


    Just remembering him made her giggle like a young girl. What a fine man he was. What a fine husband he was.


    And he was gone. Taken from her. There wasn’t a day she didn’t miss him.


    When she heard his demise, she was heartbroken. The pain she felt could only be described as someone ripping her heart out. It was too much to bear. She thought that she would die because of the pain she felt.


    Yet, she didn’t.


    She managed to endure it. For her people. For her daughter. Morrigan.


    She was an adult now. Day by day, she reminded her more and more of her father. She was strong and cool-headed. She mastered the use of her daggers. She didn’t shy away from responsibilities. Just like her father. She couldn’t be more proud of her despite still seeing her as her little baby. Yet a single thought ate her from inside: What if she ends up like her father? What if by following her father’s steps, she would meet the same end as him?


    Grandpa Adonis once told her those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it. The mere idea sent shivers down her spine, filling her with a sense of dread that threatened to overwhelm her despite the warm weather.


    Yet, despite her fears, Aine knew that she couldn''t shelter Morrigan from the dangers that lurked beyond the safety of Whifur. She couldn''t keep her locked away, shielded from the harsh truths of their world. Morrigan was her own person, with her own dreams and aspirations, and Aine had to trust that she would make the right choices, just as Adriel had once done. She already left Whifur once to explore the world and came back with new allies.


    But her maternal instincts were too strong. Even if her little baby became the strongest being in the entire world, she would still worry for her.


    She dug her face into her pillow. She needed to sleep. She had a bunch of things to do in the morning. She had to prepare breakfast, wake Morrigan and Larve, tidy the house, and wash the dishes before helping children learn writing. And that’s what she had to do until noon. After noon she had more stuff to do.


    But something felt wrong. Her feline ears and tail rose up as if to warn her. She opened one of her eyes halfway and scanned the room best of her abilities.


    Her heart rate fastened as she noticed a shadow resembling a large man. Her logical side tried to tell her that it was just her half-asleep mind playing tricks on her. It was nothing but a weird shadow cast by clouds obscuring the moon.


    But her primal side disagreed furiously. “Danger!” it called out.


    Aine decided to trust the primal side of her. Her hand slowly fell from the side of the bed. Her fingers traced under the bed and grabbed the hilt of her knife. It was a knife with an option to ignore some of the target’s Defence stat, made specifically for her to defend herself if the need arose.


    Aine wasn’t a fighter. She didn’t believe she had what it took to kill another sapient being.


    She rapidly rose from her bed, throwing the pillow to the shadow while she raised the knife. She aimed to scare off whoever was creeping around her bedroom by catching them off guard.


    Unfortunately for her, things didn’t go as she envisioned. Before she could even face the attacker, he was on top of her, holding her knife-wielding arm with one hand while he forced his fingers into her mouth. Aine bit the fingers violating her mouth but the only thing she achieved was causing her toothache. She crawled the man’s forearm with her nails but they bounced off his skin. He was using mana to reinforce his body, Aine was sure of it.


    Even if he didn’t use mana Aine wasn’t sure if she could throw him off. The man was large even by beastkin standards. Her wrist felt like a thin stick in the palm of the man. The fingers tasted of sweat and dirt, causing her to gag. In a desperate bid for freedom, Aine shifted her weight, attempting to throw off her attacker with a sudden burst of movement. But he was like an immovable force, his grip unyielding as he pinned her down with frightening ease.


    Panic threatened to consume her as she realized the gravity of her situation. She was trapped, helpless against the overwhelming strength of her assailant. Morrigan was in her room, sleeping with Larve. She could hear her if she could let out a loud scream. But what if someone entered her room too? What if the attacker hurts her and Larve?


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    “Ssshhh.”


    He whispered.


    “Don’t struggle too much. Or make noise. I can tear your jaw clean off, just so you know.”


    Clouds moved with the wind and moonlight revealed man’s face. Two lion ears poked through his golden hair resembling a mane. He looked similar to Arslan yet Aine could clearly see the difference between them. Arslan usually had a determined look on his face with a frown while this man grinned with clear sadistic tendencies.


    Regal. Traitor. Slaver. A beastkin who sold other beastkin. A criminal scum Morrigan and B?rü was searching for.


    How? How could he be here? How did he pass through the guards? The walls? The magical barriers?


    “You must be lonely. How long has it been since your husband died? It is a shame for a body like this to be not used.”


    He licked his lips as his eyes scanned Aine’s body. Aine felt disgusted yet she met the criminal''s gaze head-on, refusing to show any sign of weakness in the face of adversity. That only caused his grin to widen.


    “Oh, you have some fight in you. I like the ones like you.”


    Aine struggled once again, biting hard enough to cause her gums to bleed. Her fingernails broke without putting a single scratch on the man.


    “Then you are going to love me.”


    A familiar voice rang out before an aura like moonlight shone brightly. Aine scrambled back to her feet while grasping her knife. Morrigan busted the door open at the same time.


    “Mother! Are you okay?”


    She grabbed her mother and retreated back after seeing B?rü in the room staring down the attacker.


    “You saved us the trouble of searching for you.”


    B?rü pointed his swords toward the Regal. His frame matched and even surpassed the criminal. That wasn’t something that happened very often yet, Regal didn’t seem to be intimated by him.


    “You think you are so high and mighty aren’t you, old dog?”


    Regal taunted, his voice dripping with contempt. B?rü''s expression remained stoic as he tightened his grip on his swords, his eyes narrowed in determination. With the silver aura coating his blades, he lunged forward. Regal raised his arms to block but the attack of wolf beastkin was too much for him to casually shrug. Silver energy slashed him, destroying the room and sending him flying out of the house. B?rü leaped to chase after him.


    “Mother. He didn’t do anything, right? You are okay?”


    Morrigan searched for wounds on her mother’s body as she helped her retreat.


    “Where is Larve?”


    Aine on the other hand worried about the youngest member of her house.


    “I am here Aunty.”


    Larve popped out of one of the rooms. Aine hugged her. Aine looked back at the room she escaped, seeing the destroyed walls and furniture. Her heart ached as this entire house was built by her husband. Yet, she couldn’t sit down and cry.


    “Here is not safe. Quick, we must alert others. If he is here then others-“


    Before Aine could finish her sentence, screams and shouting tore through the silence of late night. Aine grabbed Morrigan tightly.


    “Morrigan. My daughter. My baby. Wear your armor and pick up your daggers. Slavers like him never roam alone. You need to protect others.”


    Morrigan nodded, her expression determined as she quickly retrieved her weapons and began to don her armor. She hasn’t had the chance to wear her new armor as it was made by modifying a dungeon drop Poyraz has given to her. It was already a good item by itself and thanks to being modified by a master craftsman like Eluton, it was beyond excellent.


    Larve, too, listened intently to Aine''s instructions, her eyes wide with fear but her resolve unwavering. She clung to Aine''s side, seeking comfort and reassurance in the face of danger. Three of them exited out of the house as it was unsafe but the outside was even more chaotic than they expected. Aine expected people running around and slavers chasing them but what happening was far worse.


    Several red gates shone brightly, illuminating the city and dyeing the surroundings in blood red. Several houses were on fire. Most importantly, demons were there. Even though it was the first time Aine had ever seen them, she knew that they were demons. Their shapes and sizes varied yet she knew that they weren’t normal monsters. Their numbers seemed to increase more and more with every second passing as they constantly exited out of the gates.


    “Ancestors, help us. We have to activate the safe zone! Morrigan go and find Amaterasu! I will go to the safe zone and activate it. After that, we can escort people there!”


    Morrigan looked hesitant.


    “I can’t leave you alone! You can’t fight, Mother!”


    Aine grabbed her daughter and kissed her forehead.


    “I will be okay, dear. Our people need your strength.”


    As Aine reassured Morrigan and Larve, she could feel the weight of responsibility pressing down on her shoulders. The chaos unfolding around them demanded swift action, and she knew that every moment wasted could mean lives lost. With B?rü busy dealing with Regal, she had to lead people. She took a deep breath.


    “Those who can’t fight, escape to the safe zone! Those who can fight, protect them! Everyone! We will deal with this just like we did before!”


    Despite all the chaos and noise, Aine’s shouting was loud and clear. Several beastkin close by heard her call and started to flock to her side. With determination burning in her feline eyes, Aine made her way through the streets of Whifur, her senses alert for any signs of danger. The air was thick with the stench of smoke and the sounds of screams echoed in the night, driving home the severity of the situation.


    As she neared the location of the safe zone, Aine''s heart clenched with fear and uncertainty. The safe zone was a last-ditch effort they hadn’t needed to use before. It was a bunker with complicated magic formations that could erect a magical barrier with the press of a button.


    As she inched closer, the mob behind her increased in size. Children cried as they woke up in the middle of the night violently and were afraid and the elderly struggled to keep up all while demons attacked them. Thankfully, guards led by Arslan were able to intercept them which stopped them from losing anyone.


    With shaky hands, Aine pressed the button and felt the tingling sensation as the barrier was erected. She took a deep breath and gathered some others she knew and ordered them to take care of Larve and people as she exited out of the barrier. She couldn’t sit down in the barrier. She was a leader and wife of the man who founded Whifur. There were still people outside who needed her help.