“Aira! Are you home?” Raka’s voice echoed from outside, breaking the quiet morning filled only with the chirping of sparrows in the tree by the house.
Aira hurriedly closed the attic door and went downstairs. Her mind was still swirling with questions about the missing wooden box. Who had taken it? And why? But she knew Raka wouldn’t stop calling until she came out.
“I’m here, Raka!” Aira called as she opened the front door.
Raka stood there, wearing a black t-shirt and faded jeans. His face was as cheerful as ever, though a slight furrow creased his brow. “What’s up? You look so stressed.”
Aira sighed. “It’s nothing, really. Just... a lot on my mind.”
Raka narrowed his eyes, clearly unconvinced. “Are you sure? Usually, when you say ‘it’s nothing,’ it means there’s something.”
Aira forced a small smile, though her heart was heavy. “Seriously, I’m fine. What about you? Why are you here so early?”
Raka scratched the back of his head, looking a bit awkward. “I just wanted to take you out. It’s been a while since you left the house. I thought maybe you could use some fresh air.”
Aira hesitated. She was feeling overwhelmed with everything happening lately, but she wasn’t sure if going out would help. Still, seeing the hopeful look on Raka’s face, she finally nodded. “Alright, but not for too long, okay?”
“You got it, boss!” Raka grinned widely and walked toward his motorbike. “Hop on!”
The day passed quickly. Raka took her to their usual spots: the meatball stall at the end of the street, the small park near their school, and finally, a little hill they often visited to watch the sunset. While Aira couldn’t completely forget her worries, she did feel a bit lighter.
But that night, everything changed.
Aira was sitting in her room, trying to recall the letters from the wooden box she had memorized before it went missing. The words “last guardian” and “wolf’s blood” kept circling in her mind. What did they mean? And why did Fenrir’s voice keep echoing in her thoughts?
Suddenly, her phone vibrated. A message had arrived.
**Luna:** “Hey, Aira. I know you’ve been going through a lot. How about we meet in the forest behind the school? I just want to talk.”
Aira frowned. Luna? Why would she suddenly ask to meet? They were never close, and Luna often acted cold toward her. But the message sounded… different. As if Luna genuinely wanted to help.
After a few minutes of hesitation, Aira replied. “Okay. I’ll be there.”
The forest behind the school always felt eerie, especially at night. The towering trees cast long, dark shadows under the moonlight. Aira walked slowly, trying to calm herself. She carried a small flashlight, but its beam wasn’t enough to dispel her fear.
“Luna?” Aira called out, her voice trembling. “Are you here?”
There was no answer. Only the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves.
Aira ventured deeper, feeling increasingly uneasy. She started to think this was a bad idea. But before she could turn back, a laugh rang out from behind her.
“So, you actually came,” Luna’s voice said, followed by a cold chuckle.
Aira turned around and saw Luna standing there with her two friends, Dita and Maya. All three of them were looking at her with sly smiles.
“What is this about?” Aira asked, trying to sound firm, though her voice shook slightly.
Luna stepped closer, her eyes narrowing. “I just wanted to have some fun, Aira. You’ve always seemed... special. So I thought, why not see how special you really are?”
Aira took a step back. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Oh, you know,” Luna said, her tone mocking. “You always pretend to be an ordinary girl, but I know there’s something strange about you. And tonight, I’m going to prove it.”
Before Aira could respond, Dita and Maya moved quickly, shoving her to the ground. Her small flashlight flew out of her hand, its dim light disappearing into the bushes.
“Let me go!” Aira shouted, struggling. But they were too strong.
Luna stood over her, looking satisfied. “Come on, show us who you really are, Aira. Or are you just a coward?”
Aira felt anger bubbling inside her. She didn’t know where it came from, but it felt like fire burning through every inch of her body. She tried to hold it back, but the more she resisted, the stronger it grew.
And then, everything changed.
Aira’s body started trembling violently. Pain coursed through her from her fingertips to her entire body. She clutched her head, trying to stop the pain, but she couldn’t. It felt like something inside her was trying to break free.
“What’s happening to her?” Maya’s panicked voice broke through the chaos.
“I don’t know!” Dita replied, her voice shaking.
Luna, who had been so confident, now began to step back. “What is this?”
Aira could barely hear them. Their voices were drowned out by a louder sound—a growl that echoed inside her mind. She felt her nails lengthening, her skin burning, and her eyes… she knew something was changing in her eyes.
When she finally looked up, Luna and her friends stared at her in horror. “Y-your eyes… they’re red!” Luna screamed.
Aira didn’t know what was happening, but she felt a new strength coursing through her. She slowly stood, even though her body still felt heavy. When she caught her reflection in a puddle nearby, she barely recognized herself. Her face was still hers, but there was something wild about it.
“You… you’re a monster!” Luna shouted before running off with Dita and Maya.
Aira wanted to chase them, to explain that she wasn’t a monster. But her body wouldn’t move. The pain returned, stronger this time. She fell to the ground, clutching her chest.
“Fenrir…” she whispered before everything went black.
When Aira opened her eyes, she didn’t know how long she had been unconscious. The forest around her was still dark, but something felt different. Her body felt lighter, though she was still exhausted.
“What’s happening to me?” she murmured, trying to piece together what had just occurred.
But before she could think further, footsteps echoed in the distance. Aira turned, hoping it was Raka. But instead, she saw a pair of glowing red eyes staring at her from the shadows.
“Aira,” Fenrir’s voice echoed in her mind. “This is just the beginning.”