168 Who Are You?
Selma Payne’s POV:
I quietly lay in the hard and cold cocoon, curled up like a baby in the womb. My heart was calm, and my face was serene. I was like a stuffed child waiting for the arrival of my new birthday.
Speckles of golden light seeped out of my skin. They had completed their mission and were about to dissipate.
But I disagreed.
Why couldn’t these engravings as gentle as the moonlight forever accompany me?
The fireflies landed on my skin as I wished, integrated into my muscles, and twisted and stretched. They were no longer in the form of purification runes but moths about to fly away. They were hidden in the blood in the golden and red light.
I was finally satisfied. I fell into a deep sleep in the snow, naked.
I woke up in the warmth.
When I opened my eyes, I was greeted by the rough wooden floor and the crackling of a warm fire behind me. I believed cream sausages were stewing on top of it, which aroused my appetite.
I was sleeping face down on a pile of furry blankets.
Dorothy was stirring the soup in front of the fire. When she turned around, she realized that I was awake.
“Hey! You’re awake, Selma!” She kneeled in front of me and touched my forehead. She asked with concern, “How do you feel? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?”
To be honest, I felt great. I was full of energy and couldn’t wait to go out and run seventy or eighty laps.
However, under Dorothy’s gentle explanation, I suddenly felt lazy and didn’t want to move.
“I feel pretty good. There’s no problem.” I stared at the pot. “I’m a little hungry. What time is it now? Should we have that meal? Is the main course cream sausage?”
Dorothy laughed and said, “Can you eat later? We’ll have to check your body first.”
She called out to some people a few times, and then a rush of footsteps came. The next second, I was held firmly in a hot, trembling embrace.
“You’re finally awake, Selma!” Aldrich was not as calm as before. “God, you have no idea how long you were unconscious!”
“How long?” I was also quite curious. After all, I was as hungry as if I hadn’t eaten for three months.
Aldrich was somewhat unhappy with my nonchalant attitude, but since I was sick, he could only say softly, “For an entire week, you were like an unconscious doll!”
“It’s been a week?” My muddled brain finally started to work normally. I suddenly sat up and nervously asked, “What about the forest? What about the team members? Where’s Frank? How are they? Is it safe?”
“Don’t get too excited. Lie down now.” Aldrich forcefully pushed me back into the pile of blankets. “The team members have all returned safely. The forest has disappeared. They found Frank unconscious in a crack in the rock. He was in shock then, but fortunately, he was given emergency treatment and is fine.”
I heaved a sigh of relief. “That’s good. Oh, right. Where are we now?”
I didn’t see anyone else looking around other than Dorothy and Aldrich. This place didn’t look like the first base.
Aldrich’s answer greatly exceeded my expectations. “We’re in human territory. This is a safe house in Gorndbell Village at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. The advanced team used this place as a supply point. Now, it’s your place to rest.”
“So we are at the foothill?”
“Yes, you were in an emergency. The werewolf grandmasters couldn’t solve it, so we could only come down to find medical resources.”
“But I didn’t wake up in the hospital.”
“Yes, you suddenly got better just as we were halfway down the mountain. Your body temperature returned to normal, and your breathing was no longer rapid. It was as if you had fallen asleep. We went to the hospital to check on you, and there was no problem. The human doctor didn’t agree to let a ‘healthy person’ stay in the hospital, so we had to bring you to the safe house.”
I thought I knew what the sudden ‘illness’ was. One would always feel bloated after overeating, but it would be fine after the food was digested.
Master Hayley pushed open the door and walked in. She was holding a few bottles of nutrient medicine. I had probably been relying on these to maintain my body’s functions for the past few days.
“Thank the heavens. You’re awake.” She heaved a sigh of relief. “I dare say that I’ve never seen a case like yours in the records of the werewolves.”
She gave me a simple examination, and I nodded in thanks.
I was not sure if I should tell my companions about my transformation. A brand new body that had been transformed from ice and stone and great power that had been transformed from the remains of demons. Was that not too inconceivable?
This wasn’t as simple as removing my entire body or taking some stimulants. I wasn’t even sure if I was still a werewolf.
When your body was completely shattered and reassembled, even if the soul that awakened was still you, would your body still be the same?
Speaking of this, I suddenly thought of Maxine.
After I was torn apart like a wall-breaking machine, the blockage in my mind disappeared, and everything about the ‘wolf’ became clear again.
“Maxine, are you there?” I tried to call out to her in my heart.
A few seconds later, Maxine’s awkward voice sounded, “Ha! You still remember a wolf like me?”
