“The strongest light is born from the deepest dark.”
3,127 years ago – The Hidden Temple of Aetherion
3rd POV
The moon was red that night. Not a hunter’s moon, nor a blood omen.
This was something older.
The sky itself seemed to bleed as the stars flickered one by one, retreating into silence. Winds howled through the high cliffs of Aetherion, tearing through the sacred trees that had not bent in a thousand years. Even the air, thick with divine magic, was still and waiting.
Selene—goddess of the moon—stood barefoot at the edge of the Trial Circle. She was younger then, her silver hair loose around her shoulders, her violet eyes shadowed with something no god should carry:
“The strongest light is born from the deepest dark.”3,127 years ago – The Hidden Temple of Aetherion3rd POVThe moon was red that night. Not a hunter’s moon, nor a blood omen.This was something older.The sky itself seemed to bleed as the stars flickered one by one, retreating into silence. Winds howled through the high cliffs of Aetherion, tearing through the sacred trees that had not bent in a thousand years. Even the air, thick with divine magic, was still and waiting.Selene—goddess of the moon—stood barefoot at the edge of the Trial Circle. She was younger then, her silver hair loose around her shoulders, her violet eyes shadowed with something no god should carry:
“You can only rise by facing the dark.”Mia’s POVThe world fractured the moment the moon turned red.The trees no longer whispered—they screamed.I stood in the dead center of the Hollow Clearing, surrounded by a silence so sharp it could bleed. The air pulsed with a rhythm that wasn’t mine, yet matched my heartbeat perfectly. My breath fogged, though the air wasn’t cold. Shadows shifted around me, too fluid to be real, too slow to be wind.Snowy, I called internally. Where are you?No answer.My wolf had been silent ever since the Blood Moon rose.Damian stood behind me. I could feel him—his scent, the warmth of his soul. But he was distant, physically present yet unreachable. The trial had begun, and even he was not permitted to interfere.This trial was mine.A circle of runes blazed around me. Gold and violet light surged beneath my bare feet. The sigils had appeared the moment I stepped into the clearing, awakening an old power.A test. A message. A warning.Above me, the Blood
Kato’s POVThe portal collapsed behind us with a shriek, sealing off the world we left behind. For a moment, everything was silent. Not the comforting silence of peace—this silence was electric. It crawled across my skin like static. I gripped Nyx tighter in my arms. She was still unconscious, her small frame shivering from the trauma of what we’d just escaped.The Phoenix Realm was not meant for mortals.The sky above us shimmered with hues of molten gold and deep amethyst, shifting and warping as if it were alive. Ash fell softly from above, white as snow and hot as coals. Trees, or what once were trees, stood like charcoal statues, limbs twisted skyward in frozen agony. Every step I took felt like walking across a memory—each one burning, raw, and sacred.N
Mia's POVThe moon hung low that night, tinged crimson and ominous. It was the beginning.The Blood Moon.I stood on the edge of the cliff that bordered our packlands, the wind tearing at my hair, my heart thunderous in my chest. Behind me, the forest was still recovering from our return—the surge of power that had burst from the portal when Lunara collapsed had scorched a half-mile radius of trees. Yet no one spoke of the damage. No one dared.Because we had her.Nyx.The child of the Blood Moon.She slept now in the warded nursery below the pack house, guarded by Sybil and Kato, while Elara and I stood watch under the bleeding sky.
Mia's POVThe next morning arrived with an eerie stillness. No birdsong, no rustle of leaves. Just silence.It unsettled me more than any nightmare ever could.By the time I made it to the dining room, the pack was already gathered. Damian stood at the head of the table, maps spread before him. Elara, Kato, Austin, and Sybil flanked him. Mike and Nella sat to the side, tension thick in the room."You're late," Damian said without looking up."I'm aware," I muttered. "I had a name in my dreams. Nyx."That got his attention. He looked up sharply, eyes narrowing."That's the name of a goddess," Sybil said, stepping forward. "The ancient personificatio
Mia’s POVThe next morning, I woke with a dull ache in my muscles and an electric buzz under my skin. Something was shifting. I felt... heavier, not physically, but spiritually. Like power was settling into my bones.“Time to start,” I murmured to myself.Outside, the clearing behind the pack house had been transformed into a training ground. Trees surrounded us, their branches like silent witnesses. Warriors from both Damian’s and Austin’s packs were scattered around, but they all paused when I stepped into the sun-drenched circle. Beside me stood Elara, calm and centered. Kato lingered near the trees, nervously kicking at the dirt.Sybil, arms crossed, watched from the edge like a teacher observing a test.