In a grand hall filled with people wearing armor and wielding weapons of various types, a man in grey walked through the doors. They paid him no mind and simply continued conversing with one another. There were rows of seats and chairs, posters, and fliers on boards in the hall, too many to count.


    He approached a robed man in elegant robes, standing at a grand desk adorned with mystical artifacts. The robed man looked up, his eyes sharp and assessing. He gave a slight nod, acknowledging the newcomer''s arrival.


    "Blood and name," the robed man requested, bringing out a piece of paper and a knife. The man in grey picked up the knife and cut his index finger, causing blood to drip. The man in grey used the blood to inscribe something on the paper. The blood on the paper glowed a golden color. The robed man took the paper and, in exchange, gave the man in grey a carved rectangular metallic token.


    "Wait with the others," the robed man said. The man in grey left and found an empty seat, sitting in it. On closer inspection, one would notice that the man in grey was wearing a grey coat with a hood, a black undershirt, and black boots. He carried no weapons and wore no armor, except for the fingerless gauntlets on his hands, which had a gradient of both black and grey.


    After sitting there for a while, the man in grey was approached by others. "Hey, you must be new here. My team and I are looking for a new member. Mind telling us what you can do?" a man in red armor asked the man in grey.


    The man in grey looked at the armored man for a moment, then turned away, not paying him much attention. "You can at least say no," the armored man mumbled, leaving the man in grey alone.


    Hours passed, and everyone in the room was led into a staircase by people in hoods. The staircase was made of stone, and its walls appeared cave-like. The only light source was a man in a hood producing fire with his palms—he seemed to be a mage.


    They finally exited the stairs and entered what looked to be a cave. In the cave, there were stones that glowed a dim blue, and more people in hoods were present. Symbols were etched into the walls, forming a circle, with mages altering the symbols and people with weapons guarding them.


    The people who were once in the room above were now all lined up in rows. They conversed with each other, though not as loudly as they had in the hall. They tried whispering, but the echoes made it inefficient.


    A woman with red hair stood before them, accompanied by those in robes. They stood behind her. She began to speak.


    "Welcome, fellow travelers. For those of you who are new here, let me explain what is happening. Years ago, our mages discovered how to cross between worlds."


    "A remarkable achievement. In these worlds, there are unknown beasts and resources that can greatly benefit the Kingdom of Pyros. So we send people like you—those willing to risk their lives to find riches and adventures in these unexplored worlds."


    "Whatever you find and manage to bring back will be shared between you and the kingdom, depending on its value. I also advise forming groups, as I mentioned earlier. These worlds are filled with beasts, many of which we are just starting to understand. So don’t think you can do this all on your own—that’s foolishness and a ticket to an early grave," the red-haired woman said.


    She then brought out a piece of metal and raised it above her head for everyone to see. "I believe you all have these," the red-haired woman said. It was similar to the token given to the man in grey, who recognized it.


    "Think of this as your key, ticket, north star, and lifeline. When you enter those worlds, we have no idea where you''ll end up. Whether you''ll end up in the same place—or even the same world—isn''t always certain."This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "This magic is new, so when you get to those worlds, use this. It shows you a blue line that only the owner of the token can see, leading the way home. We’ve opened many portals, leaving symbols like the ones you see on this wall in those worlds, and they could be anywhere."


    "The token guides you to the symbols and notifies us, allowing us to open a portal from our side, making it possible for you to come home."


    "Do not lose yours. If you do, you''re stranded in one of those worlds with no chance of coming back. And you can’t use another traveler’s token to open a portal, so forget about it," the red-haired woman said.


    Hearing this, many of the new travelers clung tightly to their tokens, especially the man in grey.


    "Some of you may be thinking there will be signs of human life, but unfortunately—or fortunately—we have found none. We’ve only found destroyed architecture and technology, indicating that there was once life in some of these worlds, but that it all perished. Lastly, for those who have decided to team up, body contact when passing through the portal has a high probability of sending you all to the same area. That is all," the red-haired woman concluded.


    She looked at the robed mages who were altering the symbols. They stopped, began chanting words, and the symbols on the wall started lighting up one by one until a portal appeared beneath the symbols.


    People began forming groups, but the man in grey remained alone. He simply stood there, and when some tried to approach him, he gave each of them a glare that scared them off.


    He took a deep sigh. "Well, months of training have led me to this. Let''s hope your crazy plan works, Lycan," the man in grey muttered.


    Standing in the portal, the blue light illuminated the man in grey’s face, revealing a dark brown-skinned man with short curly hair and grey eyes. It was Fenris.


    "Here I go," Fenris said as he stepped into the portal.


    <hr>


    A Few Months Ago


    "Have you ever heard of an Alpha werewolf?" Lycan asked.


    "An Alpha werewolf? Isn’t that what you are—a pack leader, right?" Fenris asked.


    "Not quite. Let’s try something else. Ever heard about how a werewolf bite can turn a human into a werewolf?" Lycan asked.


    Fenris scoffed at hearing such a question from Lycan. "I didn’t expect you to ask me about myths. What are you going to ask next, how we burn when we touch silver?" Fenris asked mockingly.


    "Just answer the question," Lycan insisted.


    "Yeah, I’ve heard of it. And I’ve heard it’s a myth. I’ve bitten my share of humans, and not one of them got our sharp teeth, claws, or started growing fur," Fenris answered.


    "Well, what if I told you that wasn’t such a myth?" Lycan asked.


    "What if you just answered my questions instead of asking your own?" Fenris replied. This made Lycan furrow his brows a little.


    "What?" Fenris asked. "It was annoying. Just tell me where you’re going with this. Enough of these guessing games. I’ve never been good at them."


    Lycan took a deep breath. "Fine. Long ago, before the great cleansing, we werewolves had something called Alphas."


    "They were werewolves like us, and at the same time, not. They were faster, stronger, and being near an Alpha would make the pack more powerful than they ever would be alone. One more thing: they could turn humans into werewolves with a bite," Lycan explained.


    Fenris knew what Lycan meant by "the great cleansing." Five hundred years ago, humans all over the world decided to band together to rid the world of all werewolves. Thus began the creation of the Hunter’s Guild, which operated globally, crossing borders freely without restrictions.


    There were bases located in the five great countries: Pyros, Aqua, Terra, Zephyr, and Voltana. Although they all worked together, there was competition between them, of course. It was human nature to prove superiority and to fear and hate things they couldn’t control. And nothing brought people together more than hate.


    Fenris had heard of the great cleansing from Buck, who had been told by his family. Fenris thought Buck was fortunate to remember his family, even if he’d lost them at a young age. He knew about the great cleansing, but nothing of this "Alpha" nonsense that Lycan was talking about, which caused him to say nothing.


    "You don’t believe me, do you?" Lycan asked.


    "Not really. No," Fenris replied. "If these so-called Alphas exist, where are they, and how did they disappear?"


    "That’s what everyone here is trying to find out. We believe—well, I believe—that there was a ritual that could make a werewolf into an Alpha. It was most likely destroyed during the great cleansing, but there might be a way to bring it back, and I need everyone’s help here to do it," Lycan said.