1 Chapter 1: Prologue: Successor of a Lycanthrope
Casterwich City...
The tall skyscrapers couldn't shield the light-polluted streets of the city from the moonlight. A blood moon, crimson in shape and red as blood hung over the behemoths of metal and concrete, painting a beautiful picture to the eyes of the beholder...
The honking sound of the cars, the booming of music, and the indistinct chatter of the people swam into Antonio's ears as he stared at the slightly red starless sky in confusion.
"What's going on?"
Dressed in a formal outfit, Antonio stood still in the ocean of people trying to rush back to their places of abode before midnight.
The expression on his face revealed the most dominant emotion swimming within his brain,
Confusion...
'Wasn't I in a cave with my friends and brothers? and my fellow hunters? about to hunt down those vile creatures?!' Antonio's expression twisted into a terrifying visage as he remembered the last few scenes that had played out before he had lost consciousness.
Regardless, before he could completely organize his mind, a voice called out to him, cutting in his train of thought.
"Young master!"
Antonio was startled when he noticed a young man who looked older than him run up to his side. He quickly got on the defensive, moving his hand to the blade that was attached to his back, but grasped at nothing but air.
'That's right, I don't have my weapon!' Antonio's already dark expression darkened even further as a feeling of nakedness washed over him.
'Damn it!'
"My Lord! Why and how did you run off so quickly?!" The young man dressed in a butler's attire yelled out frantically as his eyes moved to inspect Antonio's body for injuries or bruises questionably quickly.
"I'm... Fine." Antonio said as he looked at himself up and down. Dressed in a white collared shirt with straight black slacks and a black suit, his attire was that of a businessman, the incredible quality of the materials oozed out a bit of a a refined air.
"Are you okay, my Lord?! You look as pale as bones!" The concern in the butler's voice was extremely obvious, although Antonio couldn't tell if that concern was targeted at him cause he was still trying to comprehend if he was not dreaming.
"If you are okay, then we need to get going, my Lord. The feast is about to start! The sixth Majora will be attending, and showing up late will be the ultimate form of disrespect!"
The young butler quickly urged Antonio into a black car that had appeared out of nowhere and pulled up beside them. Once he had gotten Antonio into the passenger seat like a statue being moved, the butler signaled the driver and climbed in.
The car sped off into the busy traffic, leaving only a trail of smoke and dust...
***
Inside the car...
'From what I can tell, this most definitely isn't my world! This is my body, but yet not my body, but why can't I recall ever getting into these weird clothes, or knowing that strange young man? and what are these things
All sorts of thoughts mixed around within Antonio's head as he tried to figure out what was going on. To his side, the butler rambled on and on about all he should and shouldn't do once they arrived at their destination.
"Where are we going?" Antonio who had been quiet since suddenly spoke up.
"Eh?! Young master, you must be joking, right?" The Butler stopped his words immediately and stared at Antonio as though he had just seen a ghost.
"Answer the damn question!" Antonio, who was still stuck in his confusion didn't have time for frivolities. Anger flashed in his eyes as they took on a crimson shade, reminiscent of the blood-red moon hanging over their heads.
The butler swallowed a mouthful of saliva as a chill raced up his crest.
"Y-yes, my Lord! We are headed to the 204th Bloodless Banquet of the Nojaras!"
"Bloodless Banquet?" A dark look flashed in Antonio's eye as he nudged the butler to continue.
Letting out a breath of cold air, the butler continued...
"Your father, Sir. Ramses instructed me to make sure you appropriately attended the festival. Should anything go wrong, he'll have my head on the dinner plate!" The butler said, in a pleading, almost cringing voice.
Antonio rested his hand on his cold smooth chin and crouched when he felt absolutely no facial hair.
'Sigh... Even my beard is gone. What the hell happened?!'
His eyebrows creased again as his thoughts moved even further,
'From what I can tell, there is something strange going on. I can feel mana in the air, and this word is not related to my world in any way, it's like I'm on another planet where humans exist '
Antonio took a breath and felt the mana in the air circulate into his bloodstream and out of his pores oddly. At that moment, he noticed a strange oddity.
'I have never been able to sense mana so clearly before. I can practically feel it brushing against my skin.'
"We have arrived, my Lord!" Maybe due to fear, the butler had kept silent for the rest of the trip, giving Antonio the much-needed peace of mind he needed to think.
In front of Antonio stood the most pristine and eminent building he had ever seen in his life. Although he had been surprised by the tall building he had seen when he had suddenly appeared in this world, those buildings couldn't even begin to compare with this one.
"My Lord, please let us enter." The butler said as he opened the door for him to alight from the strange vehicle.
"Thank you..." Antonio suddenly realized that he knew nothing about the butler standing before him, not even his name.
'My lack of knowledge of this world and what the hell is going on might prove to be disturbing...' Antonio inferred, feeling a headache brewing up in his head...
They stepped into the building with a lagging pace and were greeted with an interior decor that to Antonio, could only be reserved for the most royal of royalties.
A fountain, Golden chandeliers, irises, a bed of roses, and many other precious flowers, as well as impeccable lighting made the interior of the building even more exotic than the exterior.
"Beautiful..." Antonio stared at the place with wonder in his eyes. However, he was quickly broken out of it when he felt a slight change in the mana surrounding him, accompanied by a presence he had failed to detect when they had walked in.
"This way, sirs..." Out of the shadow, a man dressed in a butler attire and holding a towel on his right arm walked out.
Saying nothing else, the man began to walk away. Taking that as a sign, Antonio began to follow behind the butler.
'Perhaps the answers I aspire to will not be answered very soon. For now, I will just go with the flow.' Antonio noticed that the young butler was most likely his, and for him to be able to attend an event in such a sumptuous place meant he was some sort of royalty.
Walking across a large corridor, he stared at the ornaments and paintings that lined the walls. The paintings all portrayed either strange creatures or incredible battles. He let his gaze climb up to the ceiling where he was greeted with a scene that caused all the hairs on his body to stand up and his heart to nearly cease all functions.
'W-what?! Why?!" His pupils widened as he stared at the giant mural...
The picture was that of a war, much like the ones he had once taken part in. In this battle, two sides clashed, leading to the creation of rivers of blood so dense, that the battleground had become the same color as a fresh wound.
On one side, a group of humans did all they could to fight against a group of large wolves that devoured them in large numbers. Although they tried their best, killing many of the giant wolves, the humans could do nothing but cry and run amidst the flames as they were all torn apart and devoured.
Antonio hurriedly tore he gave away the mural...
Suddenly, he was overcome with a great feeling of suspicion as his gaze fell. Just a few meters before him was a grand door that most likely led to the banquet.
Antonio could feel his heart pounding fiercely as all sorts of thoughts raced through his mind...
Step...
Step...
Step...
Despite his mind's unwillingness, his body took one slow step at a time until he finally arrived at the door together with the two butlers.
"Ehem..." The butler leading the way cleared his throat before pushing on the huge metal doors that should weigh a few tons like they were made of cardboard.
"I present to the court, Antonio Seirius, first of the Seirius family and successor of the fourth Canis Majora..."
The scene that played out in his eyes caused Antonio's heart to stop completely...
Lying on a decorative table at the center of the great dining hall, were the properly portioned and dissected parts of a human. Seated all around the hall were people with glowing gold and brown eyes and long canines protruding out of their mouths as they stared at the bloody scene transpiring before them with delight.
"N-no..." Antonio's eyes widened as he let out a gasp, terribly wishing what he had just witnessed was a bad dream.
However, the reality was reality, unkind, bitter, and filled with despair.
"Hm?" The two butlers stared at Antonio in confusion as he took a step back, but quickly recovered as he continued to move forward.
On his handsome face was a sickly pale, expression devoid of all life was plastered. He took slow steps into the grand dining hall, his eyes fixed on the human carcass.
"You monsters..." Madness filled Antonio's eyes as visions of the past played out in his head.
"Hm?" The people seated in the hall finally noticed Antonio and his odd behavior. He was always odd, but he was more weird this night.
"You bastards!!!"
A sinister ambiance exploded out of Antonio as his eyes turned a deep gold with hints of inky darkness.
'I'll kill them! I'll kill them all!!!'
His bones creaked and his ears expanded as his body transformed.
However, pressure washed over him, causing his transformation to be ceased.
"What are you doing, Antonio?" A man dressed in a business suit suddenly stood up from the crowd of people and fixed his eyes on him. But he was also shocked, Antonio has never transformed, the reason best known to his mother, Amanda.
'I... can't... move...' Antonio snarled out of his confusion only to realize he had been rendered completely immobile.
"Is this any way for the successor of the Canis Majora, a proud ancestry of Lycanthrope to behave?!"
Antonio's mind spun violently as the words of the man caused great distress in his mind...
'Lycanthrope?! Does that mean I am a werewolf?!"
