Kaiden's eyes widen in shock as he processed the information. "Wait, are you telling me that I actually physically transformed into a red energy wolf instead of a silver energy wolf?" he asked, confused. "How is that even possible?"

  Brokenfang remains silent and shrugs in response. Loden comments with a shrug, "We are unsure about this. I cannot recall anything in our history about a red wolf; only silver. But even checking our scrolls may not yield any useful information."

  Kaiden's mind is spinning with confusion and disbelief. The idea of him transforming into a giant energy wolf is impossible to comprehend. He tries to make sense of it in his head, but his thoughts are a tangled mess. "This can't be real," he says aloud, shaking his head in denial.

  Brokenfang's words cut through the confusion, grounding Kaiden back to reality. "It did happen," he asserts, his black ears twitching in emphasis. "It can happen again in the future, and we must be careful."

  Loden nods in agreement with Brokenfang's words. "Brokenfang is right," he says. "We must be cautious and take precautions to ensure that this does not happen again. We do not yet know what caused the transformation, or if it will happen again. And while the healing had no effect, the antidote we used was the only thing that was able to cure the poison."

  Loden watches as Kaiden stretches out his legs from their crossed position and has them out in front of him, a slight hint of irritation on his face. He gives a small sigh, recognizing the younger ones' discomfort. "Alright, alright," he says, realizing that Kaiden had grown tired of the conversation. "Maybe we should take a break for now," he suggests, feeling the tension in the air.

  Kaiden's ears perk up at Loden's words, and he quickly stands up. He glances around the room, noticing his bag from the previous day sitting beside the bed. Without a moment's hesitation, he moves over to it and begins rummaging through its contents.

  Loden's and Brokenfang's brows furrow in curiosity as they watch Kaiden rummaging through his bag. But before they could even open their mouths to ask him what he was looking for, Kaiden exclaims "finally" and triumphantly pulls out a small pouch.

  Loden's eyes widen with recognition as he sees the small pouch in Kaiden's hand. He quickly realises what's inside it, putting two and two together. The scrolls they had used the previous morning, to search for Brokenfang, were safely tucked away inside. "Ah, so that's what you were looking for," he says, nodding his head in understanding. Brokenfang though did not recognizes the pouch since it was his first time seeing it and looks curiously at Kaiden.

  Kaiden moves back to his seat and sits down next to Brokenfang once more, opening the pouch and carefully extracting the map and the smaller silver scroll that contains the list of celestial warrior names. Loden moves closer to the group, he and Brokenfang lean in closer, their interest piqued by Kaiden's actions.

  "I figured this would be a great opportunity to look at both the map and the list for the next celestial warrior," Kaiden says as he carefully unrolls the small, silver scroll to view the list of names.

  Loden nods as he takes the map and immediately unrolls it, beginning to scan it in earnest. Just as Kaiden is about to say something, Loden speaks up first. "The map is showing the next location," he says, his eyes still glued to the document.

  Brokenfang watches the duo with a curious expression, his wolf ears perked up in attention.

  Kaiden pouts for a moment, feeling as though his moment has been taken by Loden. However, he quickly shakes his head and composes himself. Looking at Loden with a curious expression, he asks, "Where is the next warrior exactly? Can you show us on the map?"

  Loden can't help but notice Kaiden's slight pout at being interrupted, but he quickly moves on. He looks down at the map in his hands, and then points to a specific location. "Well, based on this, it appears that the next celestial warrior is located here," he says, tracing his finger over the map to a symbol. "In a land far to the east close to the territory of the celestial Stag Luminara, known as the Forsaken Forest."

  Kaiden can't help but feel a shiver run up his arm at the mention of the "Forsaken Forest". He glances over at Brokenfang, noticing the wolf's fur standing on end with fear and dread. It's clear that something about the location unnerves them both, could Brokenfang have unpleasant memories and feelings about the forest that he could somehow sense. Or did the name itself just give off the creepy haunted vibes of a place no one wants to venture to.

  "What is the Forsaken Forest?" Kaiden asks, noticing Brokenfang's ears drooping at the name. Loden's expression turns more serious, and he responds, "It's a dark and dangerous place, haunted by the spirits of those who have perished there and infested with all sorts of creatures you don't want to encounter."

  Brokenfang shakes his head in agreement, his body visibly shuddering at the thought of the forsaken forest. He tries to keep his composure, but the mere mention of the place brings up memories of harrowing experiences. "It's not a place that I would willingly go to," he says, his voice shaking slightly. "There are countless tales about it, and I have my own unpleasant experiences there."

  Kaiden's curiosity piqued, he leans in closer to Brokenfang, his hand resting on the small silver scroll. "You've been there before?" he asks, a hint of excitement mixed with trepidation in his voice.

  Loden accidentally slips up and speaks under his breath, saying, "He was probably born there or left there." Kaiden and Brokenfang both hear his words and turn to look at him, causing Loden to feel embarrassed and turn his face away.

  Brokenfang's shoulders sag as he speaks, his head turning away as he remembers the difficult past. "My family believed it would be best to avoid angering Astryaln further due to my appearance and left me to survive on my own near the forsaken forest," he says, his voice filled with a sense of sadness and abandonment.

  Kaiden's heartstrings are tugged as he listens to Brokenfang's story. A myriad of thoughts rush through his mind, questions about how old he was, how long he was left in the forsaken forest, and how he managed to survive. But Kaiden keeps his thoughts to himself, not wanting to intrude on Brokenfang's painful memories.

  Loden's curiosity gets the better of him, despite his embarrassment, and he asks Brokenfang gently, "How long were you left there for? What did you see in the Forsaken Forest?"

  Kaiden shoots a sharp look at Loden, silently signaling that now is not the time to ask such questions. But Brokenfang shakes his head, getting both Kaiden and Loden's attention as he speaks.

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  His expression betrays the weight of his experience, and he begins to speak. "I was young much younger than you Kaiden when I was left there, lost and alone for many days and nights. The forest was my home for a long time, and I saw many things that no one should ever witness but I had to until I could not survive there any longer."

  Kaiden shakes his head a slight sadness washing over him as Brokenfang’s words sink in. A glimmer of realization suddenly lights up Kaiden's eyes, and he exclaims, "That's it!" The unexpected outburst causes both Loden and Brokenfang to look at him curiously, wondering what he has grasped.

  Loden and Brokenfang both look at Kaiden, their curiosity growing as they ask in unison, "What is it?"

  Kaiden's eyes glint with excitement as he responds, "I just connected the pieces together about Brokenfang's experiences in the forsaken forest and the next warrior."

  Loden and Brokenfang are clearly puzzled, with Loden asking, "What do you mean?"

  Kaiden, sensing their confusion, clarifies, "I think Brokenfang's experiences in the Forsaken Forest might be the lead we need to find the next warrior. Don’t you see."

  Loden scratches his head, not quite following Kaiden's logic. But Brokenfang seems to understand what Kaiden is getting at, nodding his head in agreement. "I think I know what Kaiden is trying to say," Brokenfang says, his expression growing serious.

  Brokenfang speaks with a hint of pride in his voice, but his expression betrays the sadness that comes with the memories of the Forsaken Forest. "I know the terrain well and can navigate us through it easily," he says. "And knowing what lurks in the darkness of those trees will give us an advantage."

  Kaiden nods in agreement, his excitement growing as he continues. "Exactly," he says. "And with your heightened senses, we'll be able to avoid any danger that might approach us and successfully find the next warrior!"

  Loden looks sceptical, scratching his head as he raises a valid concern. "Those are valid points," he says, "but how do we expect Brokenfang to track the warrior's scent when we don't have their actual scent to follow? There will be dozens, if not more, different scents in the forest."

  Kaiden's excitement fades as Loden's words sink in. He realizes the flaw in his plan, the realization dampening his spirits. "You're right," Kaiden admits dejectedly. "We don't know the next warrior, so how can we track their scent if we have no idea who they are?"

  Brokenfang gazes at Loden and then at Kaiden, his expression determined. He turns to Kaiden, offering reassurance. "We will find a way," he says. "Astryaln wanted you to find me for a reason, and I believe that helping you find the next warriors is that reason. Together, we can accomplish this journey."

  Kaiden nods in agreement, a glimmer of hope reignited inside him. He straightens up from his leaned-over position, sitting back into a comfortable seated position. As he does so, he picks up the small silver scroll that he had placed onto the floor earlier under his hand.

  The room falls quiet for a moment, but Brokenfang's curiosity gets the better of him. "That scroll you're holding, Kaiden," he asks, "what is it, and what's written in it?"

  Kaiden gazes at the small silver scroll parchment in his hand for a moment trying to remember what the Elder Council had told him many days ago. As the words come to his mind, Kaiden turns and looks back at Brokenfang. "This is a list of the celestial warriors who serve under Astryaln," he explains. "Their names will remain blank until we meet them, and this parchment is only for me and the celestial warriors to view. It's essentially a sophisticated list of names that will only be complete once all of the warriors have been found."

  Kaiden turns the parchment around, holding it up for Loden and Brokenfang to see. Three names appear on the list, each marked with a unique symbol beside them: Loden, Wulfric, and Brokenfang. The symbols next to their names seem to hold some significance, but their meaning remains uncertain for now to Kaiden.

  Brokenfang's gaze drops to the list, his expression one of surprise. He then pulls down the collar of his shirt, revealing the celestial mark on his shoulder blade. "My celestial mark matches the one beside my name on the list exactly," he states, marveling at the perfect alignment.

  Kaiden gazes at the glowing celestial mark on Brokenfang, his head tilting slightly as he studies it. As he does, he notices that the mark is a wolf's head with glowing eyes but the ears are surrounded by sound waves. Kaiden ponders for a moment, whether these marks represent something literal or hold a symbolic meaning.

  Loden joins in, pulling up his sleeve to reveal his shoulder, showing off his own celestial mark. "Mine matches too," he remarks. "I didn't notice the symbols the last time I examined this parchment."

  Kaiden squints at Loden's mark, realizing it had been a while since he'd last seen it. The symbol, a wolf's head with glowing eyes, is softly glowing. Kaiden tilts his head, confusion crossing his face as he notices faint lines surrounding the wolf, barely visible to the eye at first glance.

  Kaiden turns the parchment back around, focusing on Wulfric's name and celestial mark symbol. The same wolf head appears, but this time, the teeth are visible. He takes note of the difference in the symbols and considers the implications.

  “Loden, do you remember when we first met Wulfric with the Emperor? What did you guy say to each other?” Kaiden asks, trying to jog his memory. "You said something, the Emperor said ‘It’s customary’."

  Loden nods, remembering the scene vividly. "When we first met Wulfric formally, we exchanged a customary greeting," he says. "It's a tradition among the celestial warriors to show respect and acknowledge each other's connection to Astryaln."

  Loden nods, his mind traveling back to that day with ease. "I raised my sleeve, exposing my mark," he recalls. "Then I said, 'My name is Loden, the Swiftness and Agility of the Wolf.' Once I finished, I lowered my sleeve, just as we were told is customary."

  Kaiden, his curiosity piqued, asks Loden about Wulfric's words. "Do you remember what Wulfric said?" he says, a hinting of excitement in his tone.

  Loden nods, remembering Wulfric's introduction as well. "Wulfric also introduced himself using the same custom, removing his gloves hand to show his mark," he replies. "He said, 'My name is Wulfric, the Prowess and Ferocity of the Wolf."

  Kaiden nods, a thoughtful expression on his face as some details begin to click together in his mind. He turns towards Brokenfang and asks, "Brokenfang, could you introduce yourself to Loden using the customary greeting, so I can hear yourself?"

  Brokenfang looks at Kaiden, then at Loden who gives him a nod. Brokenfang nods back, understanding what Kaiden is asking for him to do. "Of course," he says, clearing his throat. Brokenfang pulls his shirt down revealing his celestial mark as he speaks. "My name is Brokenfang, the Keen Senses and Courage of the Wolf." When he is done speaking, he releases his shirt collar.

  Kaiden listens intently as Brokenfang speaks, his eyes widening with realization. The pieces of the puzzle begin to fall into place, and he snaps his fingers, feeling the connection between the names, symbols, and the words of the greeting.

  Loden looks at Kaiden closer, his expression puzzled. "Do you mind explaining what that snap was for?" he asks, his tone slightly sharper but genuinely intrigued.

  Kaiden snaps out of his momentary contemplation and turns to Loden, who looks at him with a mix of confusion and annoyance. "Sorry about that, I got overexcited," he apologizes, realizing he didn't mean to snap so loud. "The snap was just a sudden moment of realization. I figured something out." He can't help but feel a bit defensive at Loden's slightly rude tone, but he brushes it off and explains further. "The names, the symbols, and the greeting all align together for the celestial warriors. It's like a puzzle coming together. Don’t you see your greeting explains your mark?”

  Kaiden's optimism slightly falters as Brokenfang and Loden give him skeptical looks, shaking their heads in unison.

  "Nope," Loden says.

  "I don't see it," Brokenfang joins in.

  Kaiden scratches his head, a hint of confusion and disappointment crossing his face. "Come on, doesn't it seem too much of a coincidence?" he asks, trying to convince them. They shake their heads, clearly not seeing the connection he's just realized. "Alright, let me explain," he says, trying to keep his enthusiasm intact.