Chapter 146: Heartache (Nox’s POV)

Nox’s POV

Nox’s plan was simple.

He would return to the courtyard in Malong City and turn it into a gateway.

From there, he could enter Xirang Hall and reach the Lost Realm without traveling all the way back through the gorge. He could also return directly to the courtyard whenever he needed.

It was convenient and safe, especially with so much work waiting for them.

They needed manpower to gather herbs and mine the ores scattered throughout the Lost Realm.

The rest of them still had to prepare for the next journey, and nobody knew what trouble they might run into on the way.

If he made the courtyard his regular passage, he and Oshan would save a lot of time when they needed supplies or information.

He soon made his way through the twists and turns, moving under the shadows.

His shadow affinity made traveling this way far easier for him than for the others. He could hide his presence, slip through the earth, and avoid drawing attention as he approached the city.

His speed was unmatched to others.

That was exactly why he took this task on himself.

What was more...

He needed some time to settle his mind.

Nox leaped onto a low tree branch and sat down. His fingers raked through his hair and squeezed hard.

"Damn it..."

He didn’t finish the sentence. His hand shook for a moment.

No one had noticed anything, but he hadn’t been right since Axe took the first scroll.

For one stupid second he had actually thought about shoving Axe aside and grabbing it himself.

But reason stopped him.

Moon had already agreed. What the hell was he supposed to do?

Now Axe’s wolf had shown itself. A Wolf so powerful that even Ghost Master had flinched.

Nox had seen the whole thing.

Of course he had seen all of this.

The shared pain.

The way Moon’s eyes changed for a moment. The way Axe, of all people, looked like something inside him cracked open.

He had never seen such a look on Axe, yet for a second even that iron man’s eyes held something.

Nox’s chest burned.

He really wanted to tear the soul string right there. But he could not.

Axe was his brother. His little brother. They had relied on each other for eighteen years.

He rubbed his face hard with both hands, then pressed the heels of his palms against his eyes until black spots danced.

He needed to sort out these feelings before his turn came.

A bonding process...

He could still see that phantom wolf vividly.

Could he pull something like that out of himself too? Wanting it didn’t mean he had it.

Maybe nothing was waiting inside him at all. Just an empty shell.

His fingers dug into the bark.

If he couldn’t awaken anything strong... then what?

Moon needed them for a reason. Their souls, their bodies, something that helped stabilize him.

Now that Axe had such a powerful wolf spirit, maybe he alone was enough for Moon. Maybe the rest of them would be just an extra burden.

A sharp ache crawled up the back of his neck and settled behind his eyes.

Nox let out a rough breath and dropped from the branch.

The sun was rising, slowly melting the snow in the alpine forest. A fresh smell drifted through the air and eased the ache in his head a little.

The moment his boots hit the ground, he started walking, faster than before, like he could outrun the thought if he moved fast enough.

"Fuck it," he muttered under his breath. "I’ll just become a formation master and lock every damn wolf spirit inside an illusion.

See how useful they are then."

Soon he mixed with a group of merchants heading into Malong City and pretended to be one of them.

He had already put on his mask and slipped deeper into his cape.

When he finally reached the courtyard, he carefully checked the surroundings before entering.

Everything looked the same as before.

The courtyard was quiet.

There were no obvious signs that anyone had tried to enter while they were away.

They had spent a day and two nights outside, but the place had not changed much in that short time.

Nox relaxed a little.

He had been worried someone might have invaded the courtyard while they were gone.

His formation can hold back a new wolf like Evan and Lyra, but not any Elder.

He slipped into the backyard and found Oshan Dew there, mending a fence to make a small garden for Marina.

Oshan looked up when Nox appeared. Confusion crossed his face for a moment before he relaxed.

"You’re back. Where are the others?"

"Resting inside the lost realm," Nox replied casually. "We have a lot of work ahead, so let them rest for now."

Oshan studied him, then apparently decided not to ask too many questions.

Nox pulled a chair over and sat down.

"Oshan, we need more manpower. The Lost Realm has plenty of ores and herbs scattered around, but we can’t collect everything ourselves. We need people who can dig, sort the materials, and carry them back without wasting time."

"That makes sense." Oshan rubbed his chin. "But where will we find enough people we can trust?"

"That’s the problem." Nox spread his hands. "People are easy to find. Trusting them is not."

"Do you trust me?" Oshan asked with a snicker.

"No. But you are bound by oath. You will die if you do something bad." Nox grinned.

"Heh. You do know I want to kill your Vaelis, right?" Oshan sneered.

Nox raised his brows.

He looked at Oshan and found no real malice, yet something about the words felt genuine.

"Why?" he asked.

Oshan only laughed and did not answer.

After a while, he asked, "Should we take Marina inside? How long can she stay here like this? I need to go to the west border."

"West border? Why?" Nox asked. "Your Luna doesn’t live in the west." He smiled without any empathy.

Oshan threw him a dagger-like look, then grumbled, "Don’t even mention her name again. Since I made the contract, I am bound to fight against her."

"Heh. Even without the contract, you were already bound to fight her. Did you really think a she-wolf would ever love a hunter—their eternal enemy? And my scumbag father wouldn’t let it go either."

"You are too young to understand love, Nox. Just shut up and go do your work." Oshan pushed his legs with the plank in his hand.

"I understand more than you." Nox scoffed, then stood up.

"Let’s wait until Moon comes out after resting, then decide about Marina," he said.

"I’ll send you into the Lost Realm when I come back from the city market. There are some free workers we found. You need to guide them, so forget about the west border for at least four days. You can go when we all head west for registration."

Oshan knitted his brows tight but did not press further.

Nox turned to leave.

Before leaving the courtyard, he checked his belongings and adjusted his clothes and mask. Then he went to the well and looked at his reflection.

He looked like a robber hiding in the city.

That was exactly how he liked it.

Nox left the courtyard and made his way toward Levi’s shop.