Jason and Ylva rushed out of the back room the moment the elder opened the front door. Thalion stood there, barely upright, his silver hair matted with fresh blood and his frail body covered in deep gashes that still oozed. His breathing was ragged, and one arm hung limp at his side.

Jason’s first thought was how the hell he had managed to slip through the guards outside with such injuries. But this was an elf with access to magic. There was no telling what he could do.

Ylva was cautious too, her claws slightly extended and her ears pinned back. "Thalion... you look like shit," she muttered, staying close to Jason’s side and keeping one hand on his arm.

The elder werewolf didn’t hesitate. She stepped forward without a second thought and guided the injured elf inside, her old hands surprisingly steady as she helped him to a low wooden bench.

"I haven’t seen a male elf in ages," the elder whispered, her cloudy eyes wide with shock. "Sit. Let me look at you."

Jason and Ylva didn’t tell her anything about what they had seen in the dungeon. They simply watched as she began working on his wounds with practiced efficiency, mixing herbs and stitching gashes with quick, precise movements.

The elf was already slipping in and out of it at this point due to the herbs she had given them.

Jason realized something as he watched her. The elder didn’t seem to care about the health of others at all. This wasn’t kindness. It was a way for her to gather information about them, especially their biology. The dried body parts hanging in the corners of the hut suddenly felt a lot more sinister.

Jason had no idea if she had taken them alive but judging by the way they were preserved, Jason leaned towards that conclusion with his own limited medical expertise.

Thalion lasted only a few seconds before his eyes rolled back. But right before he passed out, he muttered in a broken voice, "I... found you..."

The elder gestured toward the back room. "You two should return to your beds. I have this under control."

Jason shook his head firmly. "No. I’m staying right here."

Ylva looked at him with a raised brow. "Jason, it’s not that serious. She knows what she’s doing. We should let her work."

Jason didn’t move. He kept his eyes fixed on the elder and Thalion. "I’m not leaving this room."

Jason was firm, he wasn’t going to bulge on his initial decision.

Ylva stepped closer, lowering her voice so only he could hear. "Why are you acting like this? It’s just the elder fixing him up. You’re being paranoid."

Jason glanced at her, his expression serious. "There’s something off about her, Ylva. I can’t explain it, but I don’t trust her. If we leave him alone with her, I don’t think he’ll make it. I need you to trust me like you have done,"

Ylva’s ears twitched. She studied his face for a long moment, then let out a frustrated sigh. "You’re impossible. Fine. We’ll stay. But if this turns out to be nothing, I’m punching you again." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Jason gave her a small, tired smile despite the tension. "Deal. Just... stay close, okay?"

They both sat on the edge of the bench opposite Thalion, watching in silence as the elder worked. It took a little over thirty minutes for her to finish. Thalion’s body was covered in huge wounds, including one long gash across his chest that had missed his heart by mere centimeters. The cut looked intentional rather than accidental — someone had stopped short of killing him on purpose.

Jason finally spoke up, his voice low but direct. "How haven’t you been probed by the elves for what you do here?"

Ylva’s eyes widened. She wanted to stop him from asking something so rude, but a single sharp look from Jason told her to shut up. The body parts hanging around the hut weren’t hidden at all. Her experiments were clearly unethical, and they bore a striking resemblance to the horrors they had seen in the dungeon. Jason picked up on this right away, it was something that he might have overlooked as well.

But if they wanted to create the perfect mage, it would make sense why this was overlooked because they were working together.

The elder paused mid-stitch, then continued as if nothing had happened. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I am asking," Jason pressed, stepping closer. "Are you working with the elves?" Jason wasn’t bulging because there was something fucked up about the situation.

For a split second, the elder’s hands halted. Then a disgusting smile slowly wrinkled her face.

"Ylva," she said, voice sweet but dripping with something darker, "it looks like you have got a smart one."

She opened her mouth to reveal her fangs — they were made of cold, gleaming metal.

Ylva could feel it, she planned to attack Jason but Ylva quickly too a defensive stance.

"You really do act like one of them."

Jason’s eyes narrowed. "So you are working with them."

The elder chuckled hoarsely as she finished the last stitch. "Working with them? Oh no, dear boy. I simply provide them with... research. They give me subjects, I give them answers. It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement."

Ylva’s claws flexed. "You’re experimenting on your own kind?"

The elder shrugged. "They stopped being my kind the moment they failed to produce what the females wanted. Now they’re just... materials."

Jason felt sick. "And you’re fine with that?"

The elder’s smile widened. "I’m a survivor, just like you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a patient to keep alive... for now. Or you are welcome to try and stop me, but this elf will die."

The elder werewolf was one step ahead because she had given Thalion something that only she had the antitode to which meant they couldn’t kill her even if they wanted to.