The agonized cries of his soldiers snapped Adro out of his reverie. He swiftly turned to approach his men, who were struggling to save their comrades. Two survivors were trapped with their legs squeezed down under the rock, while another lay dead, crushed by it.
Adro clenched his fists in frustration. This was meant to be his day of joy, filled with laughter and smiles from the palace's residents and his people. The shedding of blood and the loss of friends were heartbreaking. It shouldn't have happened today.
"Your Highness, could this be the work of a witch?" Asked one of the men who was Adro's right-hand man in leading this group.
Adro nodded. "Whoever it was, one will pay dearly for this. I've lost my warriors and Azer," he muttered, staring at the ground. Then he lifted his gaze to look at his man. "You lead the team in evacuating the wounded and the fallen. I'll investigate further."
"But, Your Highness-"
"Leo," Adro said, lowering his voice. "I'll be fine."
Then Adro gazed at the sky and pointed to the glowing orb that was still floating above their heads. "That orb is still up there, as if it's watching and taunting us. Someone is controlling it from somewhere, and I must find him. I don't want him to disrupt my wedding and my people."
Leo remained silent, clenching his jaw. If it wasn't called disrespectful to object to his master's decision, he would have prevented him from going alone.
Smiling thinly at Leo, Adro patted his shoulder once. "You know what I can do and how many battles I've won. Ten or twenty witches mean nothing to me. Guard everyone back to the palace. I rely on you and will return before the ceremony begins."
Leo sighed, then bowed. "I will, Your Highness."
Adro mounted one of his soldiers' horses and swiftly rode off. But before he could gallop away, he recalled something and pulled on the reins. "Please tell the queen to prepare my backup wedding attire."
"Of course, Your Highness," Leo answered.
Then Adro spurred his horse through the path that cut through the forest. He kept a vigilant eye on the glowing orb and remained cautious of his surroundings. However, as he ventured deeper into the woods, the orb suddenly ceased its movement and shattered in the sky, releasing sparkling dust, which was soon swept away by the wind.
"What just happened?" Adro mumbled, furrowing his brow and scanning the area.
"Witch! Reveal yourself! Don't hide like a coward!" Adro shouted, one hand ready to draw his sword.
However, no one answered, except for the calls of birds and the rustling of leaves in the wind.
Adro's jaw clenched. It seemed the witch was toying with him. As far as he knew, all witches were evil. Perhaps this one disliked the activity of a joyous ceremony at the palace.
Unable to find anything else, Adro considered returning to the palace. At least he remembered the way, so he could come back with more men later. But as he moved his horse, he heard footsteps followed by growls.
Turning his head to the source of the sound that was coming from behind his back, Adro's eyes bulged to find a pack of unusually large wolves gazing at him intensely from behind the trees.
Adro's grip on the rein tightened. He had encountered many wild beasts in the forest and even fought dragons alongside the knights of a friendly kingdom, yet this was the first time he had seen wolves of such size.
There were eight of them. Their dark eyes glistened, and their mouths drooled profusely. Their behavior did not resemble ordinary wolves. Adro couldn't even determine which one was the alpha in the pack. Adro slowly reined his horse back. He knew he would have a tough time against this monstrous wolf pack.
In one swift motion, he kicked the horse's body to make it run away. Unfortunately, half of the wolf pack, which was as big as warhorses, made it to block Adro's path.
Adro turned his horse to flee in another direction, then constantly pulled the reins and looked back at the pack of wolves behind him. Their snarls drowned out the sound of the wind hitting his ears.
Unfortunately, the horse Adro rode was slower than the massive wolves. A jet-black wolf with red eyes swiftly leaped and bit the horse's back, causing it to tumble violently to the ground. As the horse fell, Adro agilely leaped to the side, rolling several times before standing up with his longsword firmly in hand.
Three wolves closed in on the downed horse and devoured it on the spot. Adro kept his eyes on the other wolves surrounding him, raising his sword in readiness. Then, one of the wolves pounced on him, but Adro quickly sidestepped, slashing his sword to leave a long gash on the wolf's body.
The wounded wolf whimpered in pain and fell to the ground. The other pack members turned infuriated at seeing their members hurt and launched a brutal and simultaneous attack on Adro.
Valiantly, Adro fought against the formidable wolf pack. However, he was alone and overwhelmed, so he ended up cornered by the relentless attackers.
In the fight, Adro's eyes caught sight of a small, winding path leading somewhere unknown. Suddenly, a gray wolf lunged at him, knocking him backward. He landed on his back with the wolf on top of him, threatening to tear his face.
Adro's trembling hands struggled to hold the wolf's powerful jaws. He took a deep breath and released one of his hands to punch the wolf's throat to soften its grip. Then he swiftly grabbed his sword and thrust it toward the wolf's throat.
As the wolf got injured, Adro forcefully pushed it to the side and fled toward the narrow path. He ran as fast as he could, with the wolf pack still chasing him and howling continuously.
The trees grew denser, but Adro deliberately ran off the beaten path, making it difficult for the large wolves to chase him through the dense forest. However, during his escape, Adro spotted the silhouette of a house through the trees. He headed for the house, noticing the numerous fireflies fluttering around.