The royal family was dragged away, with some of them cursing the Huang family while others desperately cried out for mercy, but none was to be found. The following day, an announcement echoed throughout the city claiming that traitors to the throne had been captured the previous night and were to be executed at high noon.
No one was officially invited to witness the bloody affair, but humans have a natural curiosity for such gruesome spectacles. At the announced time, citizens flocked to the city center, leaving no space unoccupied. At the heart of the gathering stood a massive execution stage, upon which waited tall, muscular men whose faces were entirely covered by black hoods. They wore only heavy black trousers and large leather boots, their hands gripping massive pangas that seemed to absorb all the light that fell on them. Just by looking at the edge of those dark blades, an onlooker would feel a phantom ache as though they had already been cut.
When the royal family was dragged onto the stage, the crowd fell into a stunned silence. The populace had assumed the Huang family were the actual prisoners and the royal family the executioners. Seeing the roles so violently reversed sent the crowd into a turbulent clamor.
A senior elder from the Huang family stepped confidently onto the stage. He cleared his throat loudly, his internal energy carrying the sound and making the crowd go silent once more. In a practiced, dignified manner, he proceeded to read out the long list of crimes committed by the royal family, providing concrete evidence and witnesses for each accusation. To make matters worse for the condemned, each crime seemed more heinous than the last. By the time the elder finished reading, the entire crowd was clamoring loudly for the royal family's deaths while praising the Huang family for doing heaven's work and cleaning up the world.
The elder was deeply pleased by this outcome, for he knew that he had accomplished his political work in the best way possible. For any new ruler, especially one who takes over a kingdom by sheer force, it is an essential strategy to bring the masses over to your side by tarnishing the name of the previous ruler as much as possible. Of course, this is not a strict requirement for new rulers who are powerful enough to rule through terror alone and do not care about how many people they have to slaughter in future rebellions and riots. However, the Huang family was wise; they carried out their plans precisely so that the common people would be on their side from day one.
While the executions were taking place in the city square, the white wolf remained with the young miss inside the royal palace, which was already being heavily renovated to reflect the new regime.
"I know that it is time for you to go, and no matter what I say today, you will still leave me behind," Huang Biren said, her voice trembling slightly. "You have chosen the dark path of vengeance, but the little I know of this path is that it usually does not end well at all. Even if one can successfully get their vengeance, in most cases, they feel no true satisfaction whatsoever, rendering their entire life goal meaningless. The sudden loss of purpose often leads them to do foolish things or even turn into the very monsters they originally hated. If you can one day achieve your vengeance, remember that I will always be on your side, no matter what you become. When you are finally done, please come back to me—not as a pet or a tamed beast, but as my best friend."
Huang Biren said all this while down on her knees, looking directly into the wolf's yellow eyes. The wolf's eyes were visibly wet with unshed tears, and the two simply looked into each other's souls for a few quiet minutes.
In the next instant, the wolf disappeared from the room like a gust of wind, leaving only a single white envelope on the floor in front of the young miss, who was already weeping silently. For days, the white wolf ran without stopping toward the ancient forest he had once called home, the tragic place where his pack had come to a violent end, leaving him with a shattered mind.
The wolf eventually reached the dense edges of the forest. Before entering this treacherous wilderness where the weak were surely lunch and the strong might become supper, he stood still and analyzed his decisions up to this point. With his eyes closed, the white wolf strengthened his inner resolve against the world before dashing off into the shadows of the Endless Forest.