Eight hours after the tournament, somewhere east of the third kingdom;

I opened my eyes in an unknown part of the forest. There was no creature and I was with my rescuer, Ronk. He had wrapped my chest with a cloth and covered my wounds. I was not surprised that I had once again been hit in the chest and even thought of wearing armor on my chest from now on. I sat silently on a log, lost in my thoughts.

Ronk had built a fire between us and was stirring a cauldron with a spoon to prepare dinner. I couldn't stop thinking about Rose's helpless face, the people who had died in the tournament, and every person I had lost. Success meant nothing.

I had to do something and try harder for them. I knew I had to stop Miron, but he was stronger than I thought. What was I going to do?

"Drink it, you need the energy," Ronk said, holding out the bowl.

"No thanks, I don't want anything to eat," I replied.

Ronk sat down next to me. "Tell me, Ryuu, what happened."

"Nothing important. I'm just thinking."

"The ones you lost?"

"Like I said, it's nothing."

Ronk shook his head slightly. "You're more like me than your father in that respect."

"About what?"

"If you try to solve your problems on your own, the result will be worse than death."

"You're the one who told me not to trust anyone. You taught me not to give responsibility to others."

"Yes, but you should know that the people fighting with you are not only there to fight. They are there to support you in every way. It took me a long time to realize that, but now I know."

I wanted to stand up and tell Ronk how I felt. "It's not about the war or my friends. It's about the fact that no matter how hard I try, someone always dies in my arms. The enemies are getting tougher and everyone expects more from me. I wish I could find my uncle.…"

Ronk interrupted me. "Ryuu, don't fool yourself anymore. We both know that Miron killed your uncle."

I didn't want to believe it, but I hadn't heard from him all this time. I couldn't hold back my tears. "No, it can't be. You told me he was alive."

"It was the last thing he asked me to do to make you stronger. I thought you had a right to know."

"So why now? You've kept it from me all this time."

"Because I still want to see if you'll go through with it. Only then can I continue to help you defeat your enemies."

I didn't know what to say. What if I really wasn't the right person like he said? "I don't know. I'm not sure anymore."

"They say that when you have nothing left to lose, there's no one stronger than you in the world. But that's a big lie with all the pain it brings. That's why I want to tell you something."

Calming down, I took a seat and decided to listen to Ronk. "When I was about your age, I was considered the strongest of my kind. I liked the respect and trust of the people. It made me an even stronger person. I thought I had everything until I met your father's sister."

"Dad's sister?"

"Yes, there were three siblings in total: an older brother and a younger sister. They were very happy together. They came to our clan that day to collect compliments. I fell in love with her at first sight. She was quite strong and suddenly became my dream. We got married soon after and although Kaika didn't like me at first, we became a family."

"What happened after that?"

"Things changed suddenly, especially after your father died. Miron started attacking the wolf clan with the support of the epics. He hunted them one by one. I gave up the leadership of my clan and went into hiding. The epics were getting stronger and we didn't know what to do. When our child was born, your aunt, I mean my wife, failed. I swore to raise the child in secrecy and named him Lokash."

"Wait a minute, if he's my aunt's son…"

"He's your nephew and I'm your uncle."

"What happened to him?"

With a deep sigh, Ronk answered my question. "I trained him just as you did, but the power of the wolf had already taken control of him. He said he wanted more and blamed me for his mother's death. He left home. My pain didn't stop there. I had abandoned my bloodline and it went to war amongst itself. Everyone wanted to rule and in the end, there wasn't much left. I had lost my bloodline, my mate, and my son. It was all my fault so I cut myself off from humans."

"Ronk, I'm really sorry to hear that."

"It's okay. I'm the one who should apologize. I kept a secret you should know about. I was scared. I didn't want to see you like my son with his eyes filled with hatred."

"You were a very good teacher. Thank you for everything."

Ronk turned his head to look at me, looking proud. "Listen, when I healed you I realized that you had lost a heart. But the problem is that you lost another heart in the tournament."

"So you're saying I have one heart left."

"No, I'm asking if you're still going to keep going."

"You were right. I really do take after you when it comes to stubbornness."

"Well, if you want to take down Miron, we're gonna need a lot more help. We're going to the dragon clan. It's time for you to meet your mum."

After Ronk's words, I stood up again in shock and excitement. There was no way he just said it. I was sure I heard the word "mum."

"Ronk, what are you saying? My mum died a long time ago. My uncle said…"

Ronk interrupted me once more. "He lied, but he did it for a logical reason. Even before the great war, the wolf lineage was evil. Its founder was a man who only loved to destroy. He damaged many lineages, including the dragon lineage. Since the dragon lineage was strong, the wolf lineage's founder saw them as rivals and wanted to eliminate them. After your father and the king defeated the founder, the wolf lineage changed but the dragon lineage's hatred never ended."

"Then how did they meet my mum?"

"After your father saved your mother in a battle, she believed that the wolf clan was good. She not only believed but fell in love with your father. They got married but no matter what they did, the dragon clan's hatred did not end."

I was quite annoyed by Ronk's explanation because I still didn't understand why he had left me. "Then why did she leave me?"

"I know you're angry, but it's not her fault, Ryuu. After your father died, things got really hard for her. The dragon bloodline banned her from their lineage as long as you were around and banished her from their lands. The worst thing was when word got out. When people started to find out that you were Alpha's son, your mum had to hide you from the great evil that was coming."

"Is that why she gave me to my uncle?"

"She talked to your uncle and handed you over to him even though he didn't want you to. She told the people that you had failed. She went back to the dragon clan and stayed as far away from you as she could to protect you. She knew that the closer she got, the more people would want to hunt you down or kidnap you."

"Why didn't my uncle say anything?"

"Your uncle didn't like the dragon clan. He was very hostile to outsiders, especially the dragon clan. He didn't even want Alpha to marry her but that's what happened. Somehow he loved you very much and saw you as his son. He raised you away from them and wanted me to tell you about it in the letter. But you have a right to know like everyone else."

When I thought about Ronk's past situation, it would have been just as unreasonable to blame my mum or uncle as it would have been to blame Ronk. There was no point in getting angry. I had to pack up and take the next step as Ronk had said. As much as I was excited about seeing my mum, I wanted to do it anyway.

"Thanks for telling me all this," I said.

"Tell me Ryuu, what do you want to do now? Are you going back or are you going to fight?"

Turning my head slightly to Ronk, I was about to say what was on my mind and in my heart. "We're going to the dragon bloodline. I'll put an end to this. Please master, lead the way."