Lord Of The Lost

The witch eyed Bai Lan, her voice calm but laced with wisdom. "You get what you give. Fate, in the end, is always fair."

She continued, her tone growing more philosophical, "The power of luck has already woven itself into your destiny, like ripples on the surface of a pond. It might seem insignificant now, but in time, those ripples will affect your future. Just wait, and as long as you keep moving forward, that power will reveal itself."

Williamstood there, unconvinced. He couldn't help but think this sounded like the kind of empty encouragement people give when they don't know what else to say. 'Just keep going,' he thought sarcastically. 'Eventually, something good will happen.'

He had heard this type of advice before, and past experiences had taught him not to put much stock in it. Relying on luck felt like a gamble, and he had no intention of placing his fate in the hands of something as unpredictable as luck.

Shaking off the thought, he shifted the conversation. "Calcifer mentioned you're called the Demon Master. Is that true?"

The witch arched a brow. "So what if I am?"

Williamleaned forward, lowering his voice. "I think I've been cursed by a demon. Can you take a look?"

The mention of a demon piqued the witch's interest. Her expression shifted slightly as she leaned closer, curiosity gleaming in her eyes. "A demon, you say?" she muttered, intrigued. Demons weren't something one encountered every day. Their presence was usually confined to the abyss or deep underground, far from the world of the living. On the surface, demons had long been eradicated.

Muttering a few incantations, she cast a spell and scrutinized Bai Lan. Her eyes glowed with magical energy as she examined him more closely. What she saw made her blink in confusion. "Wait, that's…"

Her voice faltered as she saw traces of demonic essence tangled within Bai Lan's very being. Not just that; there were also incomplete werewolf traits. She rubbed her eyes, almost convinced she was seeing things.

Looking again, she gasped. "What in the world?!" Her reaction was comically over-the-top, as though she had just encountered a living anomaly. It was like watching a medieval witch confront Frankenstein's monster for the first time.

Williamstood there, just as shocked. It was as if he had gone in for a routine check-up, only to see the doctor examining his results with wide eyes, calling over the specialists and head nurses, all of them huddled around his file, whispering with grave concern. The thought made him nervous. 'Am I about to have a condition named after me?' he wondered grimly.

Finally, the witch looked at him, her eyes wide. "How are you still alive?" she asked, completely bewildered.

Williamblinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"

She crossed her arms, fixing him with a curious stare. "Do you even know how humans become werewolves?"

Williamshook his head, intrigued but cautious. "No… care to enlighten me?"

The witch nodded, launching into an explanation. "In a distant and ancient time, during an age long forgotten, someone hunted a silver wolf under the light of a full moon. By drawing extraordinary power from that wolf, they performed a primitive ritual, one that created the first werewolf."

She paused for a moment, as if reliving the distant past, then continued. "Back then, humans had no real understanding of magic or the mystical forces that shaped the world. Much of what we know as history is riddled with accidents, coincidences that led to miracles."

Bai Lan's thoughts drifted as he tried to comprehend her words. It was like imagining a monkey typing away at a keyboard and somehow producing a masterpiece by sheer chance. Werewolves, it seemed, were one of those rare miracles born from such accidents; a fusion of human and wolf, created by luck and ancient magic.

"The werewolves we know today," the witch said, her voice quieter, "are far removed from those original creatures. The silver wolves were magical in their own right, and those first werewolves drew from that power. But over the centuries, things have changed."

Williamlistened carefully, trying to wrap his mind around the idea of this ancient legacy. The werewolves of today were different; more brutal, less mystical. But what did that mean for him? And why did he have traces of both demonic and werewolf essence within him?

As the witch's words sank in, Williambegan to realize that his situation was far more complicated than he had first thought. The ancient forces at play within him weren't just remnants of magic or chance; they were part of a much larger mystery that he was only beginning to uncover.

"The first werewolf ancestor," the witch began, "could only transform into his wolf form during full moon nights. The rest of the time, he was human. This transformation ability, passed down to his descendants, became the foundation for the werewolf tribes."

Williamlistened intently, absorbing the knowledge. The witch continued, "Over time, as the bloodline diluted across generations, the werewolves faced new challenges; impurity in their blood, making the transformations less stable. But at some point, they became followers of the primordial moon, evolving rapidly in pursuit of power."

The witch's eyes gleamed as she spoke, her voice taking on a reverent tone. "Through their devotion to the moon, the werewolves learned to break free from the limitations of transforming only during full moons. Under moonlight, they could shift at will, and during full-moon nights, their powers surged.

They also learned to use these nights to purify their bloodlines, strengthening their connection to their ancestral powers."

Williamnodded as she explained. "So that's why the werewolves I've seen rarely take human form?"

"Exactly," the witch replied. "For them, remaining in human form is seen as a weakness, a degeneration. Their wolf form is their true nature now. They've moved so far down this path of evolution that they've nearly severed all ties with humanity."

The witch paused, reflecting on the history she had witnessed through her studies. "The werewolves once thrived, but when the primordial moon fell, they lost their source of power. The full-moon nights no longer bestowed the strength they once did. That's when their decline began, and they turned to witches for survival."

She sighed, her voice becoming somber. "The experience of the original werewolf can't be replicated. It's like trying to recreate a masterpiece by accident, it only happened once, and any attempt to copy it will fail."

Williamunderstood the analogy. It was like a monkey randomly typing on a keyboard and producing a coherent essay by chance; if even one element was missing, the entire thing would fall apart.

"The werewolf ancestor's bloodline was powerful because it had compatibility with humanity," the witch explained. "But for other creatures, even if they possess power from wolf-like beings, it's rare for their offspring to inherit those traits. That's why true werewolves are unique."

Her gaze turned sharp as she continued, "People with strong talents can draw mystical power from other creatures. Haven't you heard of hunters who kill monsters and end up cursed by the very beings they slay? That curse often grants them some of the monster's power, what we call an 'extraordinary inheritance.'"

Williamraised an eyebrow. "So, it's possible for a human to gain the characteristics of a werewolf by killing one?"

The witch nodded. "Yes, there's an underlying commonality between humans and werewolves. When a human kills a werewolf, there's a high probability they'll absorb some of its traits. It's often referred to as the 'werewolf's curse.' But it's not just limited to werewolves; you can inherit traits from other powerful creatures too. Sometimes, it doesn't even require killing.

Touching a powerful creature's remains or performing certain rituals can also transfer its traits, but the key is timing. If those forces have dissipated, there's nothing left to inherit."

She leaned back slightly, eyeing Williamcuriously. "So, it's not surprising you inherited werewolf traits. What 'does' surprise me, though, is how you've also inherited demonic traits. How can you have both?"

Williamfrowned, equally puzzled. "I've been wondering that myself," he admitted. "It doesn't make any sense."

The witch shook her head, clearly baffled. "It shouldn't be possible. Werewolves and demons, those forces don't mix easily. Werewolves are creatures of the natural world, bound to the moon and the earth, while demons are creatures of the abyss, of chaos and darkness. They should repel each other, not coexist in the same body."

Williamcould see the gears turning in her mind. She seemed as fascinated by the mystery as he was. "So… what does that mean for me?"

"It means you're an anomaly," the witch replied, still studying him. "An impossibility. You've somehow inherited traits from both werewolves and demons, two forces that should cancel each other out. I don't know how you're still alive, let alone functioning with both inside you."

Williamfelt a chill run down his spine. The more he learned, the stranger his situation seemed. There were no easy answers, only more questions. And the witch, for all her knowledge, appeared to be just as perplexed as he was.

The witch was practically pulling her hair out in frustration. "This doesn't make sense!" she muttered. "A person can only follow 'one' extraordinary path; otherwise, it's like being a two-timing scoundrel!" She paced back and forth, her voice rising as she continued.

"Do you think extraordinary powers just sit around, waiting for someone to come along and use them like they're in some desperate love triangle?"

She shook her head in disbelief, imagining how the forces of magic must be reacting to Bai Lan. "It's like both powers are in competition, trying to win you over. One's like, 'I gave you the strength of a werewolf, and you repay me by seeking other powers?' And the other is saying, 'I'm a demon, the highest of the dark races, and you still think you need something else?'"

The witch groaned, clearly exasperated. She turned her bewildered gaze toward Bai Lan, then glanced at Little Red Riding Hood. "I thought 'she' was special, but now I've got you here, and you're even more bizarre!"

She took a deep breath, trying to process what she was witnessing. "Your talent must be highly compatible with both the 'werewolf' path and the 'demon' path. It's extremely rare... in fact, it's practically unheard of."

"Rare?" Williamraised an eyebrow.

"Rare? This is beyond rare!" the witch exclaimed, throwing her hands up. "It's only possible because you somehow absorbed pure characteristics from both paths. Otherwise, you'd have lost your mind long ago. The human spirit can't normally handle the influence of two dark forces like that."

The witch, as experienced as she was in the mystic arts, had never encountered anything like this. She was a master of the occult, someone who had seen almost every bizarre magical scenario imaginable, but this; this was something new. She couldn't help but marvel at the two standing before her, both dual-path transcendents, a phenomenon she had never thought possible.

"It seems you've been favored by both the 'demon' and 'werewolf' paths," she finally said, her tone tinged with awe. "Most people only have one kind of extraordinary talent, and that talent can only draw them to a single path. If you're compatible enough with that path, you can absorb its power without needing rituals. But to be chosen by 'two'... it's nearly impossible."

She paused, explaining further. "You see, each extraordinary path has unique characteristics. Even within the same path, those characteristics differ slightly from person to person. Demons and werewolves, while both part of the dark races, have entirely different symbols and sources of power. They shouldn't be able to coexist within one person."

Williamnodded, beginning to understand the gravity of his situation. "So... when someone follows one path, trying to take on characteristics from another would be like drinking poison?"

"Exactly!" the witch exclaimed. "Forcing yourself to absorb powers from another path; especially one so incompatible, would destroy you. It would twist your mind and body beyond repair, eventually leading to a painful death."

Williamremained silent for a moment, his eyes shifting to his status panel, where the talent for "Killing to Prove the Way" stood out. He tilted his head, pondering what the witch had said.

After a brief pause, he asked the question that had been gnawing at him. "Is there a way to remove these extraordinary characteristics from my body?"

The witch looked at him seriously, her expression darkening. "Removing extraordinary characteristics... is no small feat. You might not survive the process. But even if it could be done, the cost would be high, and you'd lose all the power you've gained. You'd be left vulnerable; ordinary, with no protection against the forces you've already encountered."

Her words hung in the air, leaving Williamwith the weight of an impossible choice: live with the dangerous fusion of powers inside him, or risk everything to return to normal.