Original Werewolf

Lily struggled to move amidst the raging blizzard.

The chill spread from the skin inwards, penetrating deep into the flesh and bone marrow.

Her body was stiff as a puppet, yet a burning desire smoldered within her. Like a piece of wood that had been lit and then extinguished, it quietly emitted a great deal of heat and black smoke, scorching her heart.

Lily felt her blood thicken, like glue or sludge. It bound her body, like ropes wrapped around her flesh... turning her into a prisoner.

—I am a prisoner trapped inside a body!

A crimson flame reignited deep within Lily's pupils.

The regret of losing the book, the rage of being provoked by the rabbit, the grievance of trekking alone in the snow... negative emotions fueled her soul, making her blood thicker and thicker.

The big white rabbit leaped around with incredible agility in the blizzard. Every time Lily was about to fall behind, it would stop and look back mockingly; and just as Lily was about to catch up, it would leap away again, making Lily feel her blood pressure rising higher and higher.

At first, her rationality was trying to dissuade her from calming down.

But as she chased after him, her rationality told her: Screw it, hurry up and catch up!

However, the cold wind outside was so biting, and her body was so stiff. Now, just running made her hear creaking and groaning sounds coming from all over her body... her body had reached its limit.

Just then, Lily subconsciously glanced back.

But she found that the path she had come from had turned into a patch of white snow without any footprints. Looking down, she found herself surrounded by messy footprints... as if she had just been going around in circles.

How could this be? [You are bound by the clothing of mortals]

A clear, ethereal female voice rang out.

You must not approach the Yato unless you discard your attire.

Lily gritted her teeth and took off her clothes without thinking.

Strangely enough, after that she seemed to feel a liberating nature—a brand new power that flowed into her body.

Even though she had removed all her warm clothes, she felt her skin gradually warming up. The blizzard could no longer harm her in the slightest.

She chased after the large white rabbit, which was called "Yato," once again.

Her body was no longer stiff, her skin no longer cold... After removing her clothes, she ran with all her might on all fours like a wild beast, her whole body steaming with white heat in the snowy night. But even so, she still couldn't outrun the rabbit.

You are bound by the flesh and blood of material things.

The voice rang out again.

It resembles a wind chime, or perhaps crystal. Like a spring flowing in a deep valley, clear and tranquil.

You must not approach the Yato unless you sacrifice your flesh and blood.

Lily's crimson pupils were now fixed on the rabbit, and she continued her frantic run.

This time, she finally broke free from the inescapable maze and pounced fiercely on the rabbit.

Before the rabbit could react, she pinned it to the ground.

Driven by intense thirst, Lily bit down on the rabbit's throat and sucked its blood. The rabbit thrashed about violently, but even that couldn't drive Lily away. Instead, she embraced the rabbit like a fierce lover, kneeling on the ground and holding it close, burying her head in the knee-deep snow.

She drank all the rabbit's blood, and then began to devour the rabbit's flesh and blood.

As Lily ate, her bones creaked and groaned—grayish-white fur grew from her skin, and her beautiful face gradually transformed into a ferocious wolf's head.

In the end, only a few remains of the rabbit remained.

Lily, now a gray wolf, spun around in a daze, her long wolfish snout stained with blood.

Just then, she suddenly saw the rabbit—

"Isn't that big white rabbit hanging in the sky?" She howled loudly at the moon overhead, wanting to run to the moon.

At that moment, one wolf after another emerged from the snow, seemingly out of nowhere.

The wolves echoed Lily's howls, raising their heads to howl at the moon. A surge of intense joy welled up within her.

You are bound by the shadow beneath you.

The woman's voice rang out for the third time.

You must not approach the Yato unless you cast aside the shadows.

Lily looked down at her shadow with a confused expression. Her blood-red eyes stared at the shadow, and she wanted to bite it.

But just then, she was suddenly bound and hoisted up by several threads that emerged from her own shadow.

Lily, in her wolf form, struggled desperately while remaining bound, but she could not break free of the gray threads.

She struggled and struggled, and gradually transformed into human form.

The giant white rabbit in the sky glanced back at her, then headed away to the other side of the sky.

Bound in place, Lily watched Yato fly away, letting out an almost piercing howl. But in the end, she was unable to break free from the gray threads binding her.

As the moon set, Lily suddenly regained consciousness.

—I am still in the young master's study.

Her clothes lay discarded to the side, while she stood rooted to the spot. There was no white rabbit in the cage; only a book lay quietly inside.

"Thank goodness... the book wasn't lost..."

Lily subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief, but felt her voice become so hoarse.

She paused for a moment, then realized there seemed to be something in her throat. She couldn't help but cough, and then spat out a clump of blood-stained rabbit fur.

... Was that... not an illusion?

Lily felt a chill run down her spine as she recalled the distinct sensation of chewing and swallowing the rabbit.

When she recalled the joy of tearing flesh and blood, she was horrified to find wolf fur growing on her skin, and she gradually crouched down, eventually transforming into a gray wolf.

... Is it the curse of the Wolf Transformation Technique?! Lily was startled, recalling the knowledge in the witch's legacy book.

But soon she realized that something seemed wrong.

Unlike when he was under the influence of the Wolf Transformation Technique, it seemed like he could transform back at any time...

A thought struck her, and the wolf fur on her body disappeared. She crouched down on the ground, reverting to her human form.

"... The Grimoire of the Path of Love?"

Lily murmured to herself, somewhat frightened by her own loss of reason. If she had chosen to cast aside the shadows back then, would she never have been able to come back? And the burning desire to devour flesh that surged from the depths of her being after she turned into a wolf terrified her even more.

The closer someone is to her, the more she loves them, the more she admires them, the more she wants to devour them. In human form, it's alright, but if she were a wolf... if Iver were right in front of her, she probably wouldn't be able to control her bloodthirsty urges.

This form is too dangerous.

Let's just seal it away and pretend we never had this ability.

Lily thought to herself.

... Even so, she still felt some regret.

Because that wolf didn't seem to be an ordinary wild beast. She vaguely sensed that she possessed some special abilities...

But in order to avoid relapse, let's just pretend that ability doesn't exist.

She no longer had the leisure to pack her things, but the anxiety kept her from falling asleep. She worried that if she accidentally fell asleep, she would have that dream again... turning into a wolf and returning to the snowfield.

As a result, she lay in bed, tossing and turning all night without being able to fall asleep.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Iver and Sherlock were also awake.

Iver has already prepared the ceremony.

However, it seems there's been a slight problem on Sherlock's side.

"How would I know if we're orbiting the sun or the moon? In my entire life, I've never used any knowledge of astronomy—I don't mean I can't learn it, but my brain has become accustomed to not accepting knowledge that's useless to me. Of course, I know it's useful now, but I need some time to adjust."

Sherlock, enraged, threw his "Introduction to Astronomy" aside, stacking it next to "Introduction to Astrology": "Besides, I graduated so long ago, and astronomy was still my freshman year subject—"

"But my father still likes you quite a bit."

Iver interrupted the conversation.

The "father" he refers to is Professor James.

His book, * Asteroid Mechanics *, is a rare achievement in pure mathematics, and few in the scientific community could offer any criticism. In the field of astronomy, James was undoubtedly a first-rate professor.

How should I know why!

Sherlock shouted.

He sighed and then explained, "I often asked the professor questions about astronomy and mathematics. But that was because I didn't do well in those two subjects, and I just wanted to pass... However, the professor was really good to me. When I graduated, he even recommended me to join the Inspectorate, but I declined."

Iver thought for a moment, "Since you were able to pass back then, you should be able to pass now."

"... Perhaps."

Sherlock sighed, "But my mind is completely fogged up right now, I can't remember anything here..."

"It seems the Moron Curse is indeed quite idiotic."

Iver commented, "Not spiritual enough."

Sherlock then threw the two large books in his hands at Iver's head one after the other, which Iver easily caught with both hands.

"Then what should we do?"

Sherlock asked with some concern, "Are you almost done here? I've seen you working for a long time... Why don't you lift my curse first, and I'll hang it back after I've finished learning?"

"No need for that. It seems you really can't get the hang of it in one night... But it's alright. I can help you with this ritual. For the parts you don't understand, I'll help you cheat a little."

Iver replied lightly, "But you'll have to finish reading these two books before your next promotion. You'll be in the Promotion Ritual when you advance and change jobs, and I won't be able to help you then."

"Must."

Sherlock breathed a sigh of relief and vowed, "I'll definitely finish reading it before my next promotion."

—It's still uncertain when he'll be promoted next.

The transition from the Third Level to the Fourth Level cannot be accomplished in just one month.

If he didn't work, he could learn the basics on his own in about a week and a half. He should have plenty of time.

"Then let's take these two books with us when we leave."

Sherlock didn't want to waste time. "I'll take another look while I'm investigating... I'm sure I can learn it."

"Okay. Come find me when you feel you've learned it enough, and I'll give you a test paper."

Iver said with a smile, "I've received astronomy education since I was a child... Let's go, it's almost dawn."

"By the way," Sherlock followed behind Iver and asked casually, "Who is the prayer being offered to in the ceremony? Is it Weizhe? I'll take some offerings with me..."

"No, bring some black pearls instead."

Iver replied, "This ritual is meant to invoke the Constant Self."

Update complete! Requesting votes at the beginning of the month!!

Thank you Remy for the generous donation! I'm still feeling unwell, but I can type now... I don't have a fever. My temperature returned to normal after a three-hour nap yesterday afternoon, so I didn't go to the hospital.

If I hadn't taken the day off yesterday, today's update would have happened to fall on the Mid-Autumn Festival, which would have been a perfect time to update the schedule (sigh).