Keys

Looking ahead Azreal saw a mansion that was separated from everything else by there or four other house spaces.

Walking into the house it's wasn't decorated in an extravagant way just simple necessities, once they stepped into the house the few wolves stopped in the living room, when they got to the door leading to the back yard Azan also stopped.

Looking back at him Azan nodded to Azreal but still, he didn't drop his guard at all.

They didn't stop walking until they were in front of a huge garden, dozens of different trees and plants all around, it was almost like a different world everything in there was just so serene and calm.

Once they got to this point Ahadi shot Nala a glance and she unwilling stopped, while he and Azreal continued, walking in the garden Azreal observed everything, although it looked like people rarely enter every single plant grew in a uniform manner.

From the distance Azreal could see a woman sitting completely naked in a meditative pose, from the distance the plants appeared to cover her up but as he got closer he saw how very little was hidden, it didn't seem like the plants were protecting her modesty when he got up close but rather she'd been there so long that they started growing on and around her.

Stopped a good distance away Ahadi spoke.

"I apologize for disturbing you, Great Aunt"

Hearing the voice the woman slowly opened her eyes, glancing over at them, she didn't say anything just looked at Azreal for a moment then questioningly at Ahadi.

When her eyes landed on him, Ahadi fished out the wolf paw and showed it to her, seeing the paw she smiled wryly and nodded to Ahadi who intern placed the paw on the ground and left.

Before saying anything she slowly put on her clothes —all the while maintaining eye contact with him— and walked over to him, sitting an arm's length away she picked up the paw while smiling.

"Do you know what this is?" She asked holding up the paw.

'A wolf paw' Azreal said to himself but that probably wasn't the answer she's looking for, since it was clear that the paw held some importance based on how they were acting since its appearance.

"No"

"This is a key, forty of them were distributed all over, each opening a different entrance, Ahadi and those before him managed to collect thirty-four, five of them came looking for the tomb but for the longest while we couldn't find the last one until now, so did you manage to get in?"

Azreal looked at the woman strangely, didn't they inform her of what happened? Yea he just came with Ahadi but did anyone run ahead to explain anything? Sighing he recounted what he previously told Ahadi.

"I see, so this key isn't yours"

The woman went silent for a while.

"No member of the empyrean wolf tribe is allowed in the tomb it is sacred ground, and just the same no outsider is allowed inside either, that is why we chose to collect all the keys but now, not only has someone broken in but they've also destroyed the tomb and stolen the [Empore's Build]….I suppose by our own rules we should let you go and your friends did save Azan but still, the fact remains you destroyed the tomb and the key wasn't yours so you're nothing but an intruder"

After she finished speaker she closed her eyes as if to think.

From what the woman said it was clear that anyone who was able to grab the sword could keep it but the wolves wanted it for themselves but for some reason didn't just take it from before and now based on what she just said she should just let him go but based on how she phrased her words she wanted something from him.

Squinting his eyes while looking at her Azreal waited for her to say what she wanted and she most certainly did make him wait.

It felt like few hours passed before she opened her eyes with a serious face.

"We want the sword"

When Azreal heard that he was slightly taken aback for two reasons, one why didn't they go get it from the tomb from before and two what did it have to do with him? Did she know what was in the room?

Looking at the different expressions on Azreal's face she clarified her words.

"Five warbeast came here before you and none of them managed to get into the tomb, the tribe has always wanted the sword but we couldn't just change the rules to suit our needs that would set a bad precedent, so we waited and when the five came none of them were good enough to make it in, it's not like we could tell the guards to loosen up if someone had a key"

Speaking up to this point she sighed.

"The goal was always for someone with a key to go inside and go get it and once they stepped inside we'd know so we'd wait for the person outside and have them hand it over willingly, but now that your snake friend has escaped we can't go hunt him down and take it since he was able to escape with it by our rules it's his, but if you his partner he betrayed were to take it from him and give it to us then we wouldn't be violating any rules"

As she finished speaking she smiled at Azreal waiting for him to respond.

"I have no interest in the sword so sure, as long as you find him and are willing to pay for a new weapon for me I'll take it from him"

Azreal didn't even hesitate to answer, why the hell would he care about the sword when he can build a better one plus this way he can get his revenge on Xavious.

The woman was slightly taken aback by how quickly Azreal agreed. Hearing his condition she smiled even more she didn't believe he had no interest in the sword for one second.

"Hahaha okay, we'll find him and send a wolf with you just to be safe, once you get the sword you hand it over to that wolf as a symbolic gesture "

Azreal nodded in agreement and hesitated for a second before speaking up.

"Do you know where the empyrean wolf king is?"

"No, but it seems like you found something in the tomb for you to have some business with my Great Great— I don't even remember how many greats, hahaha, grandfather"

Hearing the response Azreal quickly denied it.

"No, it because of the drawings in the tomb, plus it's called a tomb but there was nobody in there"

The woman smiled at his response, nothing could be read from her face.

"You can leave now, when we are ready I'll call you, What is your name by the way?"

It was only now that he realized that he hadn't given his name.

"Azreal" as he said his name he looked at her waiting for her to introduce herself.

"Quiet a dark name, A Beast King at your age is impressive but you aren't a point where you've earned the right to learn my name" the woman smile as she gave her response.

Then she got up and went back to her earlier position.

Shrugging Azreal got up and walked away right when he was about to exit the garden he turned and looked back a the woman without any shame on his face.

"Are you guys gonna give me a room?, I have no money"

"Tell it to Ahadi, the one who just brought you in"

Azreal still had a few questions he wanted to ask but she didn't seem like she wanted to answer anything.