The Flower Is Finished

We decided to take turns guarding the horses because the wolves' howls were growing closer and closer. Whether we liked it or not, one of us had to stay awake.

I kept watching our surroundings while strange noises occasionally came from the bushes.

In the silent middle of the night, the sound of flowing water broke the stillness. The wolves' howls echoed throughout the forest, while the warmth of the campfire kept me frozen in thought.

Since we couldn't find a cave, we decided to make camp in the middle of the forest and guard the horses in shifts.

I turned toward Farel, who had already fallen asleep, then glanced at the horses resting nearby.

As my eyes focused on the campfire, the necklace around my neck suddenly glowed red, signaling that demons were approaching.

I immediately reached for my sword.

At that exact moment—

Swoosh!

An arrow flew straight toward me.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

I blocked the arrows with my sword, and within seconds, several shadowy figures dressed in black emerged from the darkness.

My eyes narrowed, but what stood before me left me utterly shocked.

They weren't demons. And they weren't human either.

How was it possible… for them to have no heads?

The creatures standing before me had no heads at all. Only a torn neck remained above their bodies. I swallowed hard as a rotten stench filled the air.

Even without heads, they somehow possessed an incredible sense of hearing. Every small movement I made caused them to pull back their bows simultaneously.

There were ten of them.

Ten identical creatures without heads.

They raised their bows together.

Within seconds, they released another wave of arrows toward me.

I quickly dodged while deflecting them with my sword. Several arrows missed and struck the ground instead, but the creatures slowly continued advancing toward me step by step.

Then suddenly—

One of them shifted its aim toward Farel.

My eyes widened.

"Farel! Wake up!"

Slash! Crash! Aghhh!

I jumped toward him just as the arrows were fired.

But suddenly, a stone shot out from deep within the forest at incredible speed, knocking the arrows away before they could hit us.

The arrows fell harmlessly to the ground.

I immediately turned toward the bushes.

A familiar figure stepped out from the darkness.

"William?" I asked with narrowed eyes.

Sure enough, he walked toward us confidently.

"So you're still alive," he said casually.

The ten creatures instantly turned toward the sound of his voice.

"How have you been, Xanders?" he asked as if nothing unusual was happening.

I tightened my grip on my sword.

"We'll talk later. Let's deal with this first," Farel suddenly interrupted, clearly shocked by the headless monsters before us.

"Leave them to me."

The moment William spoke, he vanished like lightning.

Before the creatures could react, their bodies collapsed one after another.

I stared at him in amazement as he walked back toward me.

"Are you hurt?" he asked.

I shook my head, but my gaze shifted toward Farel, who still looked stunned at the blood scattered everywhere.

"Are you fascinated by blood?" William teased.

Farel quickly shook his head.

"No. I'm just surprised your speed is that terrifying."

William chuckled softly at the compliment.

"So, what are you doing here?" he asked directly.

"I'm searching for the Black Rose Flower."

His eyes widened instantly.

"You're searching for that flower?"

I nodded. Even though I knew almost nothing about this territory, asking William was far better than wandering around blindly.

"That flower is only a legend," William said quietly. "I've lived for thousands of years, yet I've never seen it myself."

I fell silent. Was the flower truly real… or was it simply a myth created long ago?

"You really don't know where it is?" I asked suspiciously when I noticed him avoiding my gaze.

"I've heard stories about it," he admitted. "But no one truly knows its location, even after thousands of years living here."

"Is there any place your people have never explored?"

William crossed his arms before answering.

"According to ancient legends, the flower grows at the peak of the highest mountain in the Werewolf Clan."

He paused briefly.

"Many people tried searching for it. Some reached the summit… but returned empty-handed. Others never came back at all."

His expression darkened.

"That's why people call it the Flower of Death. Those who survive the journey often lose their sanity."

A faint smile appeared on my lips after hearing that.

If such stories existed, then perhaps the flower truly did exist. Reaching it was simply not easy.

"Can you take us there?" I asked.

William hesitated.

"Do you even understand the situation right now?"

"His lover is dying," Farel answered casually.

I immediately glared sharply at him.

"So you actually have a lover?" William laughed.

Without hesitation, I smacked Farel on the head.

"Ow!"

William burst into laughter.

"You should keep your mouth shut before I shut it for you myself," I warned coldly.

"Tch… you're too cruel to me," Farel complained dramatically.

"Then let's leave now," I said.

But before I could turn away, William suddenly grabbed the collar of my shirt.

"Let me rest for a while first."

I stared at him in disbelief as he yawned lazily.

"You're seriously going to sleep at a time like this?"

He nodded casually.

"I just escaped from them. If I return immediately, wouldn't that be ridiculous?"

I had no choice but to agree.

After that, we resumed guarding the area, though thankfully no more creatures appeared.

A few hours later, we continued our journey deeper into the Werewolf territory.

Even though we hadn't reached the main region yet, the atmosphere already felt terrifying. I occasionally glanced at my necklace to make sure demons weren't nearby.

This time, William led the way while we carefully observed our surroundings.

The condition of the Werewolf Clan was horrifying.

Several trees had collapsed and lay scattered across the ground. The smell of blood filled the air so strongly that it became difficult to breathe.

It looked like the demons had slaughtered the Werewolf Clan.

Anyone still alive was probably captured to fight against us.

"How is Jack?" I finally asked, remembering the shadow guards.

"He was captured," William answered quietly. "And this time… he couldn't escape."

I let out a rough sigh.

"Then why didn't Arvan's shadow guards find you?"

William looked ahead coldly.

"Before they could find me, the demons killed them first."

Silence fell between us.

The demons had already taken control of the Werewolf and Vampire Clans.

Because we were heading toward the highest peak in the Werewolf territory, we decided to disguise ourselves. That way, the demon guards wouldn't immediately recognize us.

William guided us through a hidden path, though danger still surrounded us.

Wait…

Something felt wrong.

"There's no way this could be so easy," I muttered.

"We walked right into a trap," Farel suddenly cursed.

Just as I expected, William immediately realized it too.

The three of us looked around cautiously.

The demons had already surrounded us.

I glanced down at my necklace, but strangely, it wasn't glowing red anymore.

That meant—

We had entered a trap without realizing it.

"Damn it… we're surrounded again," Farel muttered.

And then—

The monsters appeared once more.