Chapter 17: Steel and Spells
The wind had shifted.
It wasn't just the scent of pine or the bite of cold, it carried something heavier. An expectation. The kind that made your bones hum.
[SYSTEM MESSAGE]
Full Moon Approaches: 5 Days, 14 Hours Remaining.
Blood Moon Imminent…
Tyler's jaw tightened. Blood Moon, he thought to himself, and dismissed the screen.
He was no longer the shattered boy bleeding in a forest. The system might still call him "Omega," but that word was starting to feel more like a challenge than a rank.
Each morning since Master Kai taught him to meditate, Tyler had followed the breathing exercises slowly, focused, and patient.
But this morning felt different.
He felt it. The energy coiling beneath his skin. The magic. The wolf. And a third kind of force that is deeper, older. It wasn't new; it had always been there. But now it pulsed stronger, as if it were waking up.
Mason wandered out, yawning and stretching.
"You're up early. Again."
Tyler brushed frost off his pants. "Didn't sleep. Too much on my mind."
Mason grinned. "Same. Want to run a few rounds?"
Tyler cracked his neck. "Let's go."
They sparred in the clearing and they didn't use magic. Just movement. Fists, footwork, takedowns. Tyler was faster now, more precise and controlled. Mason was coming along nicely getting better at Karate.
Selene showed up a few minutes later, stretching without a word before stepping into the ring.
"You boys better not go easy."
They didn't.
Later that day, Sonique waved them inside. Her spellbooks were thicker now, the margins full of notes, doodles, and scribbles.
"You're not students anymore," she said. "You're practitioners. So here's what I need."
She tossed them enchanted stones, one glowing red-hot, another pulsing with liquid blue energy, and a third humming with wind.
"Use elemental channeling. On command. Don't show any hesitation."
Mason conjured a twisting flame and funneled it through the red stone, forming a spinning disc of fire. Smooth. Controlled.
Tyler frowned, gripping the blue stone. He closed his eyes and focused, not just on the cold, but the idea of stillness.
A sudden whip of icy wind burst from his hands, freezing the bucket beside him solid.
Sonique blinked. "Okay, damn. That's better."
[SYSTEM MESSAGE]
New Tier II Abilities Unlocked:
Glacier Spike (Tier II)
Inferno Surge (Tier II – Locked, requires dual casting)
Wind Step (Tier I)
Tyler continued to experiment. Through meditation and focused effort, he managed to trigger both fire and ice at once briefly, but it was real.
Sonique folded her arms, watching. "Most Elemental mages can barely handle one element at a time. You're bending two. That's really impressive."
His control was rising and fast.
Later, Tyler asked, "What do you know about this Blood Moon thing?"
Sonique raised a brow. "Blood Moon?"
"I saw online that the next full moon will be one," Tyler said.
Mason added, "What happens to mages during it?"
"For us Elementals, our powers increase," Sonique replied, tapping her chin. "But for blood mages... it's said to be their peak. That night they can perform spells far beyond normal limits."
Tyler frowned. "And werewolves?"
Sonique looked genuinely surprised. "They're magical beings too, shapeshifters of a sort. If their strength grows under a full moon... then a Blood Moon might make them unstoppable."
Tyler fell quiet.
"I'd love to pick your brain sometime," Mason said quickly, trying to change the subject.
Sonique narrowed her eyes. "Why so interested in werewolves?"
"I saw something in Conny's library labeled Werewolves. Thought I'd ask," Tyler replied smoothly.
She looked at them all, something on the tip of her tongue but didn't push further.
That evening, Conny worked with them under the fading sunset, her illusions rippling like water and flickers of light, echoing voices, shimmering doubles.
"This isn't parlor magic," she said. "True illusion bends reality. It can make people see what isn't there or ignore what is."
Mason mirrored her spells with surprising ease.
But Tyler… Tyler discovered something else.
His fingers lengthened. Fur crept along his arms. His eyes glowed faintly.
"Is this an illusion?" Conny asked, startled.
Mason exchanged a look with Selene, then said quietly, "It's... complicated."
Selene stepped forward. "Let's just say... it's not a trick."
Conny stared at Tyler. "You're not just a mage. You're very powerful if you can already do shapeshifting."
Then she whispered almost to herself: "There's an old tale... that werewolves came from us. That a powerful illusion mage once pushed himself too far and became a beast... part man, part wolf, unable to return."
Two days before the full moon, Sonique gathered them around a worktable. "Time to learn how to make your gear better."
They inscribed protective runes on bracers, boots, and blades. Powdered crystal, elemental ink it was delicate work.
Tyler enchanted his jacket with flame resistance. He also added impact absorption to Selene's knives.
Selene whistled, admiring the faint magical shimmer. "This mage stuff? It's really kinda badass."
That night, Selene pulled Tyler aside. It had been too long since they were alone. Selene had set up a blanket in a clearing near by where they could see the stars
They walked under the stars. It was quiet, close. No more awkwardness. No more fear.
"I see you," she said, brushing her fingers along his sleeve. "Not just the wolf. Not just the mage. You."
He leaned in. "You're not afraid?"
"I should be. But no."
Their kiss deepened with no hesitation, slow at first, then hungry. Tyler's hands found her waist, her curves familiar now, electric under his touch. She melted into him, her arms winding around his neck, fingers threading through his hair like she'd done it a hundred times before.
He lifted her effortlessly. Selene's legs wrapped around his waist, breath catching as her back met the rough bark of the pine. Moonlight danced in strands of her hair while he kissed down her neck, lips brushing soft skin. She gasped then moaned, the sound pulling a growl from deep in his chest. His heart rate shot up triggering his glowing eyes
For a moment, the forest fell away. Tyler remained in control, keeping the beast at bay.
It was just them, heat and heartbeat, soul and skin.
Selene's fingers slipped under his shirt, nails skimming muscle. He responded with equal need, his hands sliding over her thighs, her hips, grounding her to him like she might disappear.
They didn't speak. They didn't have to.
They moved with instinct like something primal had always been waiting for this moment to surface.
Later, they lay wrapped in a blanket beneath the stars. Clothes scattered in the grass, her head resting on his chest, fingers drawing slow circles across his ribs.
His arm held her close like she was something precious, something real he couldn't risk losing.
"You okay?" he whispered, voice rough and warm.
She looked up at him, eyes soft. "Better than okay."
Tyler smiled, brushing a kiss to her forehead. The moonlight bathed them in pale silver, but it was the warmth between them that held the night.
"Whatever happens on that full moon," she whispered, "I've got your back."
[SYSTEM MESSAGE]
Full Moon: 1 Days, 20 Hours Remaining
Blood Moon Imminent...
Tyler stood alone on the rooftop of Conny's cottage, watching the dark tree line.
He could feel them coming.
Ralf. Jacob. And others.
The forest itself seemed to hold its breath.
He clenched his fists. Fire flickered across his knuckles.
"I won't submit," he whispered.