The king had arranged food from every corner of the world.
He had prepared gifts adorned with gold and gemstones.
Jupiter was seated at a table nearly 30 meters long.
The king himself sat right beside him.
Thus, the first day of the feast passed.
But even that was not enough to impress Jupiter.
The king even took Jupiter hunting with him into the forest.
He tried many things, yet nothing seemed to satisfy the god.
Eventually, the final days of the feast approached.
Jupiter's continued disinterest began to anger the king.
But what the king failed to realize was that all of this
had been Jupiter's test
a trial meant to understand the king's true nature.
As part of this trial, Jupiter had even tried to humiliate the king on several occasions.
At first, the king took no offense.
But soon, he decided to retaliate.
And so, he made a dreadful decision.
The king ordered that on the following day,
human flesh be served to Jupiter.
He instructed his servants accordingly.
But he also gave them a strict warning:
"Even if Jupiter see it… even if Jupiter eat it…
do not reveal that it is human flesh."
It was, without a doubt, the most foolish decision the king would ever make.
Though he didn't realize it at the time…
And with that…
another day came to a close.
The next day, the time for the feast arrived.
Jupiter came and sat at the table, ready for his meal.
But unlike the previous days, the grand table usually covered in luxurious delicacies had none of that.
Before him, there was only one thing:
A plate of decorated human flesh.
Jupiter immediately understood what had happened.
Fury blazed in his eyes as he roared at the king:
"How dare you serve me human flesh? You have insulted me! You are lower than any man. I curse you!"
"I curse you to become a wolf so terrifying, so dreadful, That men will scream at the very sight of you. You shall become a creature Half man, half wolf!"
Hearing this, King Lycaon fell at Jupiter's feet and begged:
"Please… forgive me. I have wronged you. But don't curse me. I am a king."
He pleaded for mercy and asked Jupiter to understand his love for Fortuna.
He begged Jupiter not to curse him, but instead, to punish him some other way.
Jupiter's voice echoed once more.
"King Lycaon… The curse cannot be undone. But as a remedy, I will change its form.
On any full moon If you lose your temper, You will transform from man into a wolf."
"You may still marry Fortuna in your human form. But if, during a full moon, you fail to control your rage, Your fate will be tragic."
With that, Jupiter vanished.
The king was somewhat relieved At least the curse had been modified.
Months passed.
Unaware of what had happened, Fortuna now with her father's blessing prepared for marriage.
It became one of the grandest royal weddings the kingdom had ever seen.
And after many months, Fortuna became pregnant.
Their life was peaceful and full of joy…
so far.
But everything changed on the night of a full moon.
That evening, after dinner, the King and Fortuna were preparing to sleep.
Just then, Fortuna spoke to the King:
"I want to go visit my father's palace tomorrow.
It's been a long time since I've seen him."
But the King refused her request.
Fortuna, however, kept insisting.
As the moments passed, the King began to feel something strange inside him.
He was losing control.
He could no longer suppress his anger.
And as his rage took over, King Lycaon transformed
Into a monstrous werewolf.
With sharp claws, long fangs, and a terrifying form.
He growled and howled as he stepped toward Fortuna.
Suddenly, Jupiter appeared.
The sight of her father brought Fortuna a sense of relief.
Jupiter raised his crimson staff toward the werewolf's face and chanted something ancient.
A powerful energy burst forth from the staff.
The glowing force struck the King's body directly.
It made the transformed Lycaon twist and writhe in pain.
Then, the creature ran
Bursting out of the palace and into the darkness.
That horrifying beast fled into the forest, terrifying the palace servants and the people of the kingdom.
Thus, King Lycaon became the first werewolf known to mankind.
But no one in the palace knew…
That the second one was already growing
Inside Fortuna's womb.
.....
The darkness on the island was growing deeper and deeper.
Even though the moon was out that night, only a faint bit of its light reached the island.
It was as if something was blocking it.
After Sarra finished telling the story of King Lycaon, those who had listened felt like they had just heard another folktale.
Because of that, none of them took it very seriously.
Immediately, the captain rose from the ground and addressed everyone:
"No one has anything more to say, right?
It's gotten pretty late.
Everyone should go back and get some rest now.
The cold is starting to pierce right through to the bones."
The travelers were all shivering badly.
The island's cold was far more intense than the chill they were used to back in London.
"Before we go, I have one more thing to say.
We can't just leave the campfire burning like this and go sleep.
The light might attract that creature to the shore.
So we have to put it out."
Everyone understood the seriousness of what was said.
So they all agreed to it.
Daniel and Francis stayed back to put out the campfire.
Everyone else went back to their tents.
Mary's Tent
"Mom… do you think the story they told is true?
I feel scared inside," Max asked her mother.
"Max , you shouldn't believe all that.
They're just made-up stories.
There must be some reason behind what's happening,"
Mary gently explained to her daughter.
Max hugged her mother tightly and tried to sleep.
Outside, the cold only grew stronger.
Day 5
In the morning, they had their usual meal.
Afterwards, they began discussing what they were going to do that day.
Leading the conversation was the captain himself.
"We need to act quickly.
Otherwise, what happened to Harry could happen to someone else.
A few of us are going to the waterfall again.
The rest can stay back and continue with the usual work at the shore."
"Isn't that dangerous, Daniel?"
Francis voiced his concern seriously.
"We have to do something, Francis.
Just staying at the shore won't help.
Who's to say that beast won't come here?
Everyone's safety is my priority."
Francis only grunted in response to Daniel's reply.
Meanwhile, a few of them were getting ready to head into the forest.
Daniel, Francis, David, Joseph, and Daril were the ones going to the waterfall.
Joseph hesitated at first, but when it was made clear that Barry, Edward, and Charlie couldn't come, he agreed.
Glenferd had said he wanted to come, but after what happened the previous day, Charlie refused to let his father leave his side.
Francis opened his suitcase and secretly tucked a pistol gun into his pants.
He hadn't told anyone that he had a gun.
After taking it, Francis stepped out of his tent.
Daniel was already outside waiting for him.
As planned, the five-member group began walking into the forest.
Time: 10:30 A.M
Glenferd was sitting inside his tent, busy working on a new novel.
At that moment, a voice rose from just outside Glenferd's tent.
It was Martha.
"Am I disturbing you, Mr. Glenferd?"
"Hey… no, come on in. Did you come with any purpose, Martha?"
"Nothing in particular. I was just sitting idle and thought I'd come see what you were doing," Martha replied politely.
"Oh, that's all? I'm trying to write a new novel.
The plot isn't something I made up.
The story is based on the accident that happened to us.
I'm just thinking about how the rest of it should go," Glenferd said to Martha.
"Oh… am I in the story too?"
"Of course… I haven't left anyone out of it,"
he said with a smile.
Hearing that, Martha gave a soft smile.
"Alright then, you carry on writing. I won't bother you,"
she said and stepped back outside.
12:30 PM Inside the Forest
Daniel and the others, who had gone once more to investigate the waterfall, were resting beneath a tree, exhausted from walking.
Even during the day, the forest was deeply unsettling. That fear had already seeped into the hearts of all five of them.
It was Daril who broke the silence.
Daril had small, attractive eyes.
His height was only just enough for his age.
Though he was 26 years old, he didn't appear that age at all.
"Hello Friends , can I ask something...?
What kind of courage do we even have to walk into that waterfall area?
What proof do we have that the creature won't be there?
And even if it comes to attack us, we don't even have the weapons to fight it off."
Daril said this seriously to everyone.
"Edward saw that creature after dusk.
And the others said the same about Harry and the group
that it happened after sunset.
So I believe the creature only comes out after dusk.
That's just my conclusion,"
Daniel tried to reassure everyone.
But Joseph wasn't convinced.
"So we're walking into this with nothing but a conclusion?"
Joseph voiced his disagreement.
"Life does not respond to the conclusions we imagine. It has a path of its own.
It moves forward, not yielding to our thoughts or desires.
When we reach one conclusion, life raises a new question before us.
At the end of that question, we arrive at another conclusion.
What do you understand from this?
Life is not something we must try to grasp it is something we must experience and understand."
Francis said this to Joseph, hoping to ease the stern expression on his face.
But it didn't work. Joseph got angry.
"You all do whatever you want... For me, my life is most important.
I'm heading back to the shore."
No sooner had he said that, Joseph walked back the way they had come.
No one tried to stop him.
After he left, the remaining four ended their break and resumed walking toward the waterfall.
Because they were afraid, they walked slowly.
Even when stepping on dried leaves, they moved with utmost care to avoid making any noise.
After walking for a while, they finally reached their destination.
But... the joy and excitement they had when they first saw the waterfall were no longer on their faces.
Instead, only fear and hatred toward the wolf-like creature remained.
To be continued....