Chapter 25: Taking Blame

When the sun rose high on the mount, and the morning glow grew brighter, Moon heard the footsteps wafting down the stone-paved pathway, announcing the arrival of the Grand Witch.

Two figures entered the dark cavern one after another, their shadows long and ominous, with a dozen heavily armored guards following closely in their wake.

As soon as the Grand Witch’s foot touched the damp inner floor, her gaze pierced through the humid air. Her eyes immediately landed on the jagged stone walls where the secret caches had been carved.

Empty.

All empty.

The rare potions, the ancient scrolls, and the sulfur-scented ingredients that had taken decades to hoard were gone, leaving behind nothing but barren stone racks that gaped from the wall like a grinning, mocking mouth.

Her knuckles turned stark white as her grip on her halberd tightened.

And in the next moment, the entire cavern vibrated with her heart-piercing roar, "Who did it?!"

Moon kept silent.

The air kept silent.

Only the dripping water seeping down the mossy wall into the broken basin made a slow, hollow plop sound, cutting through the suffocating tension.

Before Moon could even blink, the witch flashed in front of him, leaving a blur of dark purple robes. She reached out with a clawed hand, grabbed a handful of his long black hair, and pulled violently, shaking his head back so hard that several strands from his scalp fluttered down onto the dark stone floor.

"Did you do it?!" she hissed.

"A rogue witch? You broke the seal of my array?!"

She stared into his calm blue eyes, looking for a trace of panic or hidden spiritual energy.

Then, as if with her profound confidence in her own magical array, the witch scoffed and let go of him, denying the possibility herself.

"No! There is no way a worthless rogue like you could shatter my lock. It is impossible. It is someone allied with you!"

Moon didn’t move his lips. He let his head fall forward.

"You have a mole inside the Vaelis pack!" she snarled, turning around to face the entrance.

"We will find out by tracing his blood connection," a deep, authoritative voice echoed through the cavern, vibrating with a heavy Alpha pressure that made the stone walls tremble.

Moon raised his face slightly.

His gaze involuntarily landed on Alpha Vaelis, who walked into the room with a stiff, heavy stride.

The pack leader had clearly spent the last month resting after the kick Moon had delivered to his crotch. Though the Alpha’s face was a mask of cold fury, his eyes still held a lingering shock and burning hatred.

"Search him!" the Alpha commanded the guards as he stood tall and straight like a giant in front of Moon.

"Strip his clothes. Let’s see where this little mutt hides the items."

The guards pounced on Moon like starving wolves.

For the next hour, the cavern became a chamber of relentless inspection.

They tore his already coarse, tattered tunic, running rough, calloused hands over his bruised skin, searching for hidden spatial satchels, talismans, or any residue of the stolen magic.

Despite knowing he was just a shell, they searched for the sake of searching and to humiliate him.

Moon’s burning gaze fell on the Alpha.

He sneered, "Does the Alpha miss my foot that badly?"

Alpha Vaelis’s entire body became stiff, and his heavy pressure pressed down on Moon.

However, he didn’t press Moon further.

The Grand Witch waved her hands, casting tracing runes that glowed with a sickly green light, forcing her dark magic into Moon’s veins to search for the signature of her stolen potions.

The dark, invasive energy pricked at Moon’s bones like a hundred needles. It was an agonizing, invading sensation, but Moon gritted his teeth, holding back his screams.

Deep inside his lower abdomen, his five elemental cores spun silently, blocking any outside force from clouding his mind and tracing his blood.

He sneered internally. ’Can you trace the Moon Goddess? You fool,’ he thought.

Frustrated, the Grand Witch slammed the butt of her halberd against the ground.

"There is no trace of the potions or items in his body or his clothes. Alpha, I tell you, it must be those five defective bastards! They were here last night. They used this human as a cover to rob my sanctuary!"

Alpha Vaelis frowned, his amber eyes darkening in thought. But after a moment, he dismissed it with a wave of his hand.

"Impossible. Leo, Ugo, and Axe have been locked in the deepest dungeon cells since dawn. Rio and Nox were sent to the Black Ridge to mine the SikiMoon Stone. Top sentinels heavily guard them, and the Gamma is there too."

He paused, then continued, his gaze never leaving Moon.

"They had been causing too much trouble lately. They are broken Omegas. They cannot bypass your arrays." His eyes traced Moon’s face intently. "I have sent people to drag them to the altar this morning."

Moon’s heart gave a sudden, violent throb against his ribs.

’They were locked up? What is the altar? Why were they taken there...’ Moon thought, his mind spiraling rapidly. But he had no way to find his answer now.

’What in the world are these brothers doing all day long? How am I supposed to find them and awaken their spirits!’ Moon’s heart sank in a bottomless frustration.

A strange, complicated feeling bubbled up in Moon’s chest—a mixture of lingering anger for their selfishness and a dark, twisted satisfaction. They were traitors, yes, but they were also bound to him by a thread of fate they couldn’t break.

"If we cannot find the thief, we will use the next best thing," the Grand Witch hissed, her eyes locking onto Moon with venomous intent.

"We will use blood-tracking witchcraft."

She drew a small, curved silver dagger from her belt and stepped in front of Moon. Without a hint of mercy, she sliced a deep gash into his forearm.

Moon gasped as his crimson blood welled up, spilling into a small crystal vial she held underneath the wound.

"With this blood connection, I can trace whoever touches the stolen goods, and I can curse your soul until it rots from the inside out," she whispered with a maddened grin, sealing the vial with a wax stamp.

"Maybe I can find your pathetic inheritance by chance," she whispered so low that even the Alpha couldn’t hear it with his heightened hearing ability.

Moon watched the blood drip, his jaw clenched so hard it cracked. That was a Mage’s precious blood!

"Go ahead and try," he whispered back, his pretense shedding away. ’Once I break free, your curses will burn your own house to ashes,’ he thought.

Alpha Vaelis stepped forward, looking down at Moon’s bloodied, pale figure with utter disgust.

"The time has come. The city square is full, and the fire is built. Take this filth to the grand city square. Let the pack witness the end of the witch who dared to deceive the Alpha."

With a wave of her halberd, the witch removed the array suppression. The guards dragged Moon down from the stone platform. His legs, bleeding and numb from days of kneeling, gave out immediately.

He was dragged across the rough gravel floor like a broken doll, his torn body trailing in the dirt as they pulled him out of the dark cavern and into the blinding, fierce morning sun.

In a whirlwind of movement, they were suddenly transported to a crowded place.

"The Grand City Square!" Moon muttered as he opened his eyes slowly, adapting his vision to the sudden sunlight.