Two small stone houses stood side by side—one was fifth-class, the other, with slightly neater walls, was fourth-class.

  Martha's greatest pride over the years was that she had managed to establish a foothold in Selene City along with her three younger brothers. She knew very well how hard-won all of this was.

  At this moment, she leaned weakly against the worn doorframe of the fourth-class stone house, her gaze vacant and her face pale.

  The sky darkened as the sun slowly set, plunging the whole sky into darkness. Only in such dusk would Martha force herself to move to the doorway to feel the outside air.

  Inside the stone house came the warmth and aroma of food. That was her three brothers' home. The brothers huddled together, living as one; the room was filled with the mixed scent of cassava and wild meat—their simple dinner.

  There was no complex cooking technique—just cassava and wild meat simmered slowly in a rough clay pot, plain and crude.

  Martha knew her brothers always saved the scarce wild meat for themselves, but she truly had no appetite now.

  Her legs ached terribly, barely able to support her body. Only when her brothers went outside to find work did she dare to wrap herself in thick animal skins to hide from the unbearable pain, letting out faint moans.

  The pain had hardly ceased these past days, especially in her legs, where each sharp pang felt like knives cutting through her flesh.

  She knew it was her crippled legs rebelling—betraying her body. Martha bit her lip hard, letting tears run down her cheeks. She had often thought that if she died, these pains would no longer torment her.

  But she didn't dare to die. She feared that if she died, her brothers would lose their minds and go mad.

  As long as she lived, her brothers would not recklessly fight; they knew she needed care. She bit her lip tightly, tears slipping down silently.

  However, Martha underestimated the determination and courage of the Dorian brothers. The three brothers had never given up on their thoughts of revenge.

  They were fully prepared, willing to pay any price to take down the minotaur called Bronan—even if it meant being expelled from Selene City and wandering the wilderness.

  Dorian was stirring the food in the clay pot, heavy with the scent of a humble meal. Two younger brothers squatted nearby, swallowing hard with eyes full of longing.

  The arrival of the rainy season made hunting difficult. Even with the blessing of three bloodline warriors, they hadn't caught much meat these days.

  Fortunately, today luck was on their side, and the three brothers jointly hunted a large wild boar.

  Dorian carefully scooped pieces of meat from the pot into a wooden bowl and handed it to the youngest brother, Alec, instructing him to deliver it to their sister.

  "Don't sneak any!" Dorian gave Alec a stern glare, who was salivating.

  "Got it!" Alec nodded vigorously and hurried toward Martha's stone house door.

  "Alec loves his sister the most; he wouldn't steal," Samuel said.

  Dorian paid no attention, picking up three other wooden bowls and evenly dividing the cassava soup into three portions. He grabbed one bowl casually and took a few sips.

  "Going to the tavern tonight?" Samuel brought up the topic, his voice low and tired.

  "Yeah!" Dorian answered without hesitation.

  He understood Samuel's thoughts. Even the cheapest blood wine was something they couldn't afford more than one glass of, let alone any good dishes.

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  Being mocked by other customers was common, and he felt bad inside. But he knew the saddest person was actually Martha.

  When Draven and the others arrived, they happened to see Martha and Alec arguing at the doorway over the bowl of wild boar meat.

  Martha truly had no appetite, but she understood and knew her brothers wouldn't want to eat a single bite without her.

  No matter how she insisted, her stubborn brothers forced her to eat. Suddenly, a sharp pain surged through her, and the strength in her hands vanished. The wooden bowl slipped and fell, shattering with a crisp clatter.

  A bowl full of wild boar meat spilled all over the ground, releasing a strong aroma of meat. Martha crouched down, enduring the pain, and clumsily picked up the pieces.

  "What happened?" Dorian and Samuel heard the noise and hurried out from next door.

  Seeing their sister struggling to bend down and gather the meat, Dorian immediately flew into a rage and kicked Alec.

  "What else can you do?" he roared, his voice full of anger.

  Samuel quickly ran over, helped Martha up, and silently gathered the meat pieces back into the bowl for her.

  Alec fell to the side, lowering his head and biting his lip tightly, too afraid to make a sound. His shoulders trembled slightly, revealing the pain and helplessness within.

  Seeing this, Martha ignored her own pain and hurriedly got up, shielding Alec behind her.

  However, she did not notice that her twisted and swollen legs were exposed to Dorian's sight. Those legs had become horribly deformed, the skin bluish-purple, swollen as if they could burst at any moment.

  "Sister, your legs!" Dorian's voice was filled with horror. His shout instantly caught Samuel and Alec's attention.

  The three of them turned their heads almost simultaneously, staring at Martha's legs with disbelief. Although they had long known that their sister's legs were severely injured, the worsening condition weighed heavily on their hearts.

  "Don't look." Martha's voice was weak as she tried to cover her unsightly legs with the animal skin. She wanted to move back to the doorway, hoping to hide the obvious wounds, as if not letting them see would make the pain disappear.

  But Dorian and the others no longer cared about that. They rushed forward and carefully lifted Martha into the house together. The room was small, and their movements were clumsy, yet filled with urgency and worry.

  "Is it them?" Draven's face was grave as he pointed toward the stone house.

  Rurik nodded with a serious expression, clearly agreeing.

  Draven sighed. He could sense the gravity of the situation. This didn't seem like a trap. He led Rurik toward the stone house.

  Just as they approached, a figure suddenly burst out the door — it was Alec. He collapsed onto the ground, his face full of anger, eyes swollen red, his gaze fierce and resolute.

  Draven had seen such eyes before, nearly identical to those Rurik and others had when they stared down Bronan — eyes filled with endless hatred and defiance.

  "Let me see your sister." Draven reached out steadily and helped Alec to his feet.

  Alec recognized Draven and understood that he was the black wolfman. His emotions flared even more. He turned and shouted toward the stone house, "Brother!"

  Inside, Dorian frowned upon hearing the shout. He wanted to calm Alec, but his voice held a hint of urgency. Just as he prepared to step outside, Alec called out again.

  Without waiting for their reaction, Draven stepped forward and stood at the narrow doorway. The house was small — a female deer person sat against the wall, while two young deer people squatted nearby.

  Hearing the noise, the three of them simultaneously looked up toward the door, their faces alert. Dorian immediately stood up, taking a defensive stance.

  "Don't be tense, I am Rurik's leader." Draven raised his hand in greeting, speaking calmly.

  Dorian glanced at Samuel, as if signaling him not to act rashly, then said to Draven, "Let's talk outside."

  Draven didn't move immediately but pointed at the female deer person on the floor. "Take the door panel off and carry her out with me."

  Dorian was stunned, disbelief written all over his face. He asked in confusion, "What?"

  "If you don't want her to die, come with me." Draven said and stepped back a few paces to give them space.

  However, the young deer people did not immediately comply. Instead, they chased after him, their eyes full of hostility.

  "What do you mean?" Dorian's voice trembled, filled with suspicion and anger.

  Rurik quickly stepped forward and stood in front of Draven. Draven sighed, gently pushed Rurik aside, looked directly at the young deer people, and spoke seriously:

  "If her legs aren't treated quickly, they will become gangrenous and infected, and eventually, she will die."

  "Gangrenous? Infection?" Dorian frowned, his eyes filled with confusion and pain. He couldn't fully understand Draven's words, but the fact that she could die pierced deeply into his heart.

  A flicker of struggle crossed Dorian's eyes. He tugged on Alec's sleeve. "What are you waiting for?" he urged quietly.

  "Listen to him. Carry sister out and follow him!" Dorian made the decision.

  Alec hurriedly nodded, and Samuel followed, stepping outside. The three brothers removed the door panel together and prepared to lift Martha.

  Martha struggled desperately, unwilling to follow a stranger who was a wolfman. She had no idea who Draven was or what his intentions were. How could she agree to leave with him, no matter what her brothers said?

  The atmosphere inside the room was tense. The four siblings were caught in a tug-of-war of sorrow and helplessness. Draven couldn't bear the scene any longer. He stepped forward calmly and quickly reached out, gently pressing the skin at the back of Martha's neck.

  In an instant, the movement inside the room stopped — even Martha's struggling slowed down.