Nexus Bond

Band of Wolves Arc: Part 3

"Please, Akira, switch with my body. Please," Raz begged as a plate full of pork was placed in front of Akira.

Akira started salivating at the sight of the food.

"You can start," Grandma said warmly.

"Yes, let's have some pork chops," Mel added, placing her plate on the dining table.

"No! Please, no! Let me have it!" Raz cried.

"Oh, shut up and watch," Akira replied, smirking.

"Akira, why don't you switch with Raz so she can also enjoy?" Grandma suggested.

"Yes, please!" Raz said eagerly.

"I'm still curious how you two switched bodies," Mel asked, leaning forward.

"Well, as you know, Raz is an Asur. Other Asurs can track her location, which might create a problem for everyone," Akira explained.

"Then how did you survive last night?" Mel asked.

"Last night was a gibbous moon, the night before the full moon. On that night, an Asur's power weakens, so they couldn't track me," Raz said from Akira's body.

"You two are truly unique, Raz and Akira," Grandma said.

"I mean, neither of you has an Ou mark, do you?"

"What's an Ou mark?" Akira asked, tilting his head.

Grandma turned, pointing behind her left ear, revealing a diamond-shaped symbol with a dot in its center.

"That's an Ou mark. Every human being has an Ou mark somewhere on their body," she explained.

"I have one too, but it's near my belly button," Mel said cheerfully.

"When a child is born, they're born with an Ou mark," Grandma continued. "It symbolizes the amount of Ou flowing through their body."

"Uh… What is Ou?" Akira asked, clearly puzzled.

"Well, it's obvious you're not from our world, so you wouldn't know. Ou is the life force present in every living thing. It can be converted into matter or magic. With the help of Codices, we can manipulate and control Ou," Grandma said, holding up a book.

"Oh, that book!" Akira exclaimed.

"Yes, it's called a Codices," Grandma confirmed.

"Everyone gets a Codices at the age of fifteen. I'll get mine soon!" Mel said excitedly.

Grandma drew some symbols on a piece of paper and showed them to Akira.

There were five diamonds in five variation each one had a dot in its center 

"The amount of Ou in a person's body can be measured by the mark. The first symbol, with zero crosslines, shows someone has very little Ou. The number of crosslines increases with the amount of Ou. It can reach up to 4 crosslines. People with four crosslines are scarce. These individuals have immense amounts of Ou flowing through their bodies."

She then pointed at Akira. "And then there's you. You're the only human without an Ou mark or Codices, yet you can still use magic because of Raz. Being an Asur, Raz doesn't have a mark or need a Codices to control Ou. Still, I can feel an immense amount of Ou flowing through your body, equivalent to someone with four crosslines."

"What?! Four crosslines?!" Mel shouted in shock.

"Yeah, that's because I'm the daughter of King Asura. I contain much more Ou than a regular Asur and human," Raz said

"Asura?" Grandma repeated, a smile spreading across her face.

"What happened, Grandma?" Mel asked, noticing her expression.

"You… are just like him, Akira," Grandma said softly.

"Huh?" Akira asked, confused.

"The fabled Hero of Nexus. The hero who defeated Asura," Grandma said, her voice filled with awe.

"What? A hero who defeated Asura?" Raz questioned.

"No! You must be mistaken. Asura was defeated by god, wasn't he?"

"No. Asura was defeated by a human named Chronis. He was just an ordinary man with only two crosslines. But he fell in love with Sarena, an Overseer. God was against their union. At the same time, Asura attacked the Overseer realm with his army. He killed several Overseers, including Sarena. She died in Chronis' arms.

"Chronis wept and mourned her loss, but something miraculous happened. They formed a bond, granting Chronis the powers of an Overseer. With this newfound strength, he not only defeated Asura but humiliated him."

"I love that story!" Mel said with a big grin.

"How can this be? A human defeated Asura? I can't believe it," Raz growled.

"Hey, Raz, why are you defending him? He's not your dad, is he?" Akira teased.

"Yeah, you're right. It's good he got defeated," Raz admitted.

"Okay, enough talking. Let's finish our meal," Grandma said.

After dinner, Grandma glanced at the clock. It was 7 o'clock.

"Mel, it's time for them to go back to the shed," she said.

"Right on it," Mel replied.

"Oh, let me help with the dishes," Akira offered.

"That's so kind of you, dear," Grandma said with a warm smile.

Mel stepped outside, heading to the shed.

"Half of the shed burned down in the fire. They'll have to adjust in the remaining half," she said to herself, glancing at the clear night sky.

The full moon shone brightly. "Wow, the full moon looks beautiful tonight," she remarked.

Her gaze shifted to the edge of the forest. She froze and screamed.

"Mel?" Grandma called, rushing outside with Akira following.

They found Mel standing still, staring at the forest. Grandma asked, "What happened?"

Mel pointed toward the forest. A pack of wolves stood at the edge, their menacing eyes gleaming, waiting for orders to attack.

"The wolf Akira defeated brought his pack," Mel whispered in terror.

Grandma looked up at the full moon and gasped. "No. Please, no!" she cried.

One of the wolves began to transform. It grew taller, standing on two legs. Its jaws and claws sharpened. Soon, it had taken on a humanoid hybrid form.

"Werewolf," Akira whispered, his voice only reaching Raz.

The other wolves followed, their bodies contorting and changing as they let out bone-chilling howls. From behind them emerged a massive white wolf. His fur gleamed under the moonlight, but his devilish body exuded power and malice.

"I want the boy alive," the white wolf growled.

The wolves howled in unison and charged toward the three.

"Run!" Akira shouted.