Moonlit Betrayal

The weather was bright over the heart of Javini, one of the country’s largest metropolitan cities—until a werewolf attack erupted at the worst possible moment. Human beings who were about to start their day and fight their hassles in life were distracted by the presence of the werewolves. Their lives were interrupted, breaking the money-making infrastructures and slaughtering the innocent minds of the people, wondering as to why their lives had been placed at the tip of their purpose to live.

People are shouting for help. Most of them called for the Werewolf Hunters to come and save them. Ever since the world began, werewolves and humans have been rivals. In a world where peace should be mandated, war has become a norm in everyone’s lives.

The alarm system, which warned students to flee the building before the werewolf could further invade the area, sent everyone in the class into a state of terror.

Amilita Plasmata, who had just finished an examination, and her brother, Yvar Plasmata, hurried out of the school grounds together. They attended Beautiful Paradise University, one of the most prestigious educational institutions in the Javini region.

“Yvar! We should go back to our house as quickly as we can!” Amilita shouted to her brother after she rescued him from the jaws of a werewolf. Yvar was about to be torn into pieces, but Amilita immediately grabbed him and pulled him aside. This caused the werewolf to attack the student who was passing behind Yvar, rather than Yvar himself.

The werewolf was rendered oblivious to Amilita and her brother’s presence when Amilita seized a sunflower growing beside the entryway and flung it into his face.

Yvar paused and asked, “I-I thought werewolves could not maintain themselves under the heat of the sun for so long,” before continuing to run.

“They are, don't they?"

Amilita gave a small shake of her head and replied, “It was most likely the witch who was responsible for bestowing them.”

Yvar paused for a moment to catch his breath as he struggled to keep up with his sister’s faster jogging pace. It seemed as though she did not need to worry about taking even a single breath. Unable to detect the slightest hint of fatigue or strain in Amilita’s expression or running speed, he found himself glancing at her, his brow furrowed and his eyes darting back and forth.

“Don’t be distracted, Yvar,” Amilita said, stopping him from glancing around, before adding, “Our parents and other siblings are probably waiting for us.”

Blood was strewn across the entire city. Numerous dead residents lay scattered along the highways and among the streets, like unwanted corpses abandoned by their owners. Lost souls continued to emerge, transforming what was once a noisy metropolis into a place of solitude. The city was left in such total destruction by the werewolves that even the werewolf hunters were unable to maintain their resistance against them.

As soon as Amilita and the other people who had barely survived emerged from their respective buildings, they were met with horrific sights: beheaded bodies, arms severed from their owners, legs torn to pieces, and stomachs ripped open.

The highways and even the small roadsides that Amilita and Yvar tried to flee through were blocked by a werewolf. Because of Amilita’s knowledge of plants and nature, she was able to create a scent-based lure on the spot, allowing them to escape the werewolf’s grasp before he could kill them. Yvar, only nine years old at the time, could not stop sobbing as he watched his sister—who was eleven—fight for their lives.

However, Amilita did not let their existence end.

“Stop crying, please! It isn’t going to help us evade capture!” As soon as she finished off the werewolf, she accidentally pointed a finger at him.

Searching for a way back, Yvar started sniffing around. Just as Amilita was about to lead him across the roadway, she spotted a group of werewolves approaching them. She pulled her brother away and hid him behind a large rubbish can. When Amilita saw how many werewolves were rushing together, her knees trembled. She went back for her brother as fast as she could. She ducked around the corner and whispered for him to cover his ears as she hid.

The werewolves failed to capture them, which turned out to be surprising. Amilita did notice, though, that these werewolves were moving along a path similar to the others she had seen on the opposite side.

“Oh, no! They’re heading toward our town!” Yvar wailed, his fingers trembling in horror as he bit at his fingertips. Both children ran toward the forest, keeping their distance from the werewolves the entire time. Amilita’s sunflower shield, which she had used in the conflict, was strapped to the front of their pack bags.

Amilita bandaged Yvar’s wounds as soon as they reached the rural edge of the city, marked by thick clusters of trees that signaled the start of the forested part of town. Before moving on, they paused for a few moments to catch their breath.

“Sister…”

“Yes?”

“W-What if the werewolves arrived in our town and devoured our parents?”

After hearing her younger brother ask the question, Amilita’s mouth immediately filled with saliva. The thought that her brother, still so young, had to face the brutality of this world was incomprehensible to her—she simply could not wrap her head around it. She averted her gaze to the untamed landscape, sighing and shaking her head, trying to keep herself from being carried away by her emotions.

She rose to her feet and, after exhaling a breath of assurance, replied, “They will definitely survive.”

The werewolves had taken control of Javini Town. Humans were still being captured, even with bushes, towering trees, and other natural cover to hide behind. Even the faintest traces of their voices carried across the forest, especially when the werewolves howled, their sounds echoing through the woodland.

“It’s them,” Yvar said, his voice shaking with anxiety. Amilita’s shoulders jerked in surprise as she abruptly turned toward the wailing sound.

Her eyes widened as she realized that the sound was coming from the very direction that led to their town.

“Oh, no… We need to move!”

Amilita shrieked at her brother, urging him to come with her as quickly as possible. They were trying to make their way back when, all of a sudden, a werewolf dropped down from above. It was later discovered that the creature had been watching them from a distance, hidden high among the thick branches of a tall tree. Both of them gasped for breath. Yvar’s neck began to bead with sweat as Amilita swallowed hard.

“Big sister… What sh-should we do?” Yvar asked in a small voice as he hid behind Amilita’s back. Amilita’s eyes, fearless, stared straight into the maw of the ravenous werewolf.

Amilita and Yvar continued to retreat as the beast advanced with heavy footsteps. The werewolf’s gray fur was streaked with filthy white highlights that caught the sun’s rays, blinding anyone who looked at it for too long. Amilita, however, was subconsciously impervious to this effect, and the werewolf itself seemed astonished that she did not grow uneasy.