Shuurai
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Chapter 114
🕑 Added 2025-07-07 13:25:40 +0000 UTCThe massive wolf steps into the amphitheater, he was massive. Almost as big as a small mountain. His fur ripples in waves of midnight blue, shot through with silver, But it's his eyes was fixed on me with an intensity that made my skin prickle.
"The King Wolf of the Eastern Wind," Thane announces. "Andrius."
The great wolf's massive head turns toward the gathered crowd, ears flicking forward as he acknowledges the formal introduction. But his gaze slides back to me.
"Aiden Leonhart.” Andrius said, his voice rumbles up from somewhere deep in his chest. "It's good to see you again."
What?
I blink. "Again? I think you've got me confused with someone else. We've never met."
Andrius tilts his enormous head, and his expression shifts.
"Haven't we?" he asks. "My apologies. Sometimes the years blur together."
That's not an explanation, and we both know it. I notice Thane's confusion as well
"Andrius-sama, these are the travelers seeking settlement rights. Aiden Leonhart and Irene Belserion—"
"Yes," Andrius says, his gaze was fixed on me. "I know who they are.”
He pads closer, and I have to tilt my head back to keep eye contact as his shadow falls over me.
There's something in his expression that I can't place and I can't figure out what.
Unless…
Interesting. Very interesting.
"Sentinel-sama," Thane ventures."Perhaps we should proceed with the trial protocols—"
"There will be no trial."
The words hit the amphitheater like a thunderclap. The assembled crowd goes dead silent for a moment, then erupts into whispers.
"Sentinel-sama?"
"Tell me something, Aiden," Andrius says, completely ignoring Thane's protests. His voice carries that same rumbling quality that makes my ribs vibrate. "If you saw someone in danger—a stranger, someone you owed nothing to—what would you do?"
The question comes out of nowhere, but the answer's automatic. "I'd help them."
"Even if it meant putting yourself at risk?"
There's something specific about how he's phrasing these questions. Like he already knows the answers.
"Of course."
"Even if the odds were impossible? Even if it meant standing against forces that could destroy you?"
"Yeah." I shrug, somewhat understanding where this is going. "If someone needs help, you help them. That's not complicated."
Andrius goes very still. His ears prick forward, and something in his expression changes—grows warmer, maybe, but I can't be sure.
"No," he says softly. "It's not complicated at all."
He rises to his full height, towering over the amphitheater.
"The Eastern Territories welcome these travelers," he declares, his voice booming across the stone walls. "They have my blessing for settlement. Let it be recorded and proclaimed to all the clans."
The crowd explodes.
"But—the trials—the protocols—centuries of tradition—"
"Are satisfied," Andrius says firmly. "I have seen all I need to see."
Andrius looks at me for a long moment then his massive head tilts slightly.
"Walk with me. Both of you. There are things we should discuss away from curious ears."
I nodded.
As we walk, Irene leans and whispers. “Do you know him?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“Why do I feel Andrius knows you personally?”
I think about it for a second, all these puzzle pieces starting to click together in my head. "I don't know... but I'm getting a pretty strong suspicion about why."
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The passage Andrius leads us through is carved directly from the mountain's heart.
The wolf's claws click against the stone in a steady rhythm, and every few steps he glances back at me.
The more we walk, the stronger my suspicion gets.
The tunnel opens into a vast natural cavern that takes my breath away. Crystals cover every surface in formations that look like frozen waterfalls of light. They chime softly as we enter, responding to our presence with musical tones.
Andrius settles onto a raised stone platform in the center, his tail curls around his front paws, and he watches us.
"You have questions.” Andrius said in a matter of fact.
I shrug slightly. "A few."
Andrius chuckles.
"I have been alive for over three thousand years, Aiden Leonhart," he says. "In that time, I have learned to recognize certain qualities in people. Courage. Compassion. The willingness to sacrifice oneself for others."
He leans forward slightly, his voice growing more intense.
“But you are more than that. Unfortunately that is all I can say.”
I look at him, the way he talks about me, this familiarity he's trying to hide.
It all points to one completely impossible conclusion.
"I traveled to the past, didn't I?"
His ears shoot up, genuine surprise flickering across his features before he controls it.
"Perceptive as always, Aiden," he says, and there's unmistakable warmth and pride in his voice now.
There it is. Confirmation.
The implications settle over me. Time travel.
I didn’t expect I would be doing that in this world.
Still…that explains everything.
The question now is when..
"When?" I ask directly.
Andrius shakes his massive head. "Time is delicate. Knowledge of one's future can unravel the very mechanisms that make it possible. What I can tell you is that when the moment arrives—and it will—you'll understand what needs to be done."
“I see…” It was true, I’ve read and watch enough to know you don’t interfere with time.
"This explains why you granted us territory immediately," Irene says, understanding evident in her voice. "You already know Aiden personally.”
Andrius nods.
He turns back to me, his expression growing serious.
"But understand, Aiden—the path ahead will not be easy. The choices you'll face, the responsibilities you'll carry... they will test you in ways you cannot yet imagine."
His voice softens slightly.
"When those moments come, remember this: you are not alone. You have allies who believe in you, friends who will stand with you regardless of how dark things become. Sometimes, that faith from others becomes the foundation that carries you through."
The weight of his words settles over me
"Thank you," I say simply, meaning it.
Andrius's expression might be a smile, revealing those impressive fangs.
"The gratitude is entirely mine, my friend," he says quietly. "It always will be."
The warmth in his voice is genuine, then there is a shift in his demeanor as he settles back slightly.
"However," he continues, his tone becoming more serious, "your trials are not yet complete. You still need the approval of the Southern Territories."
"Kira and her sentinel, Jue" Irene says, understanding immediately.
Andrius's ears flick back slightly. "Yes. Ju is... different from Tiamat and myself. She governs the swamplands, and her methods are..." He pauses, choosing his words carefully. "Unconventional."
"Unconventional how?"
Andrius shook his head. “I can not tell you that. What I can tell you with certainty is that Jue's trials are unlike anything you will have encountered."
“I understand.” I nodded.
"But," Andrius continues, and his voice carries that same confidence I heard earlier, "I have no doubt you will succeed."
I raise an eyebrow. That's a lot of faith in us. I really wonder what happened in the past.
“Rest here tonight. Recover your strength and prepare for what's ahead. The swamplands are treacherous even without the trials, and you'll need to be at your best."
He moves toward the cavern entrance.
I nod.
"Thank you," I say simply, meaning it. "For the trust. For the assistance. For whatever I apparently do for you that I haven't done yet."
I can see Andrius smile, before he turns around and disappears into the tunnel.
