That night, the moon bled red over the Crimson Howl territory.
No one knew why, since the appearance of the red moon was rare, unless something important was happening. However, there had been no ritual, no festival, no call for war, and yet, the sky itself trembled as if the heavens had awoken in anger.
From the highest peaks to the shadowed valleys, wolves raised their heads and howled, their cries carried by a wind that sounded almost human, a cry of fear and warning.
The crimson light seeped through every crevice of the mountains, spilling into the sacred lake that mirrored the heavens. Its waters shimmered dark and heavy, reflecting a moon that looked more like an open wound than a blessing.
From the towers of the palace, the priests had begun to chant, low, frantic, and uneven. The rhythm wasn't holy; it was desperate, the sound of a people trying to steady a world unraveling before them.
The courtyard was bathed in a sickly crimson glow. The air itself trembled, rippling with a power that didn't belong to mortals.
Li Yueyao stumbled across the marble tiles, her bare feet slapping against the cold stone, making her shiver. The heavy wind breezed past her hair, sending loose strands whipping across her face and eyes.
But this didn't deter her from rushing forward, it was really urgent.
Her scarlet robe, which was once elegant and ceremonial, was now clung to her in rags, its hem heavy with mud and stained with dirt.
No matter what, she couldn't stop her feet and heart from racing forward.
That call was a call for help, a call for her interference, and to calm the masses.
"Hold the barrier! Hurry up... Be prudent!" a priest shouted somewhere just behind her. The sound of metal clashing against scales followed, the beast's pained roar splitting the night.
"Nooooo!"
"Please don't!" Yueyao's voice cracked as she reached the circle's edge. Silver runes glowed faintly under her feet, it was the Alpha's seal. One step further, and she'd be branded as a traitor.
But the creature inside the circle, the moon-beast, guardian of their sacred bloodline, lay writhing in pain, arrows piercing its luminous hide. Its single golden eye met hers, not with rage, but with fear and sadness...
And deep down, you could see the yearning and pain; it lacked the power to protect itself, and above all, it couldn't protect the woman it deemed to be important. You could see regret oozing out of its eyes.
"No.... Please....!" No one could understand her anguish! It wasn't just a beast, but a guardian who had accompanied her, almost her entire life, he was like a family, like the only person closest to her.
They have gone through thick and thin together, they have seen the world together, and she always treated it like a family, like her big brother. The only family she ever had.
Looking at the beast, she couldn't breathe, or stand still and watch everything unfold in front of her. She felt like her heart was being torn into pieces.
"Don't kill it!"
"Please don't!" she screamed her lungs out, tearing past the guards, but suddenly someone grabbed her arm, and she shoved them off, stumbling into the circle's light. The moment her foot crossed the boundary, every rune flared red and the air immediately cracked.
"Li Yueyao!" Huo Tingxuan's voice cut through the chaos. It was sharp, commanding, and furious. He definitely wasn't going to listen otherwise: "Step back! You'll break the seal...."
"Step back...."
"You...."
Too late.
It was already too late...
She was a step too late, and the moon beast was at its last breath. She dropped to her knees beside the beast, defeated, pressing her trembling hands to its fur. The warmth was fading faster than she could hold it back... She couldn't believe it... How could this happen?
"You'll be alright," she whispered, voice shaking and her tears mingling with the blood-stained furs, "Just hold on… all right?"
Her palms glowed faintly, threads of her life force bleeding into the creature's dying form. The mark of her lineage.... the Crescent Sigil, flared across her wrist.
A heartbeat later, the world convulsed.
The sacred lake exploded into waves of crimson light. The sky split open with thunder. Power, be it ancient and wild, surged through her, filling her veins with fire. She screamed as the seal beneath her cracked, light spilling upward like molten gold.
In that moment, Yueyao felt something break, deep, silent, and endless. In that moment, she realised, there was no going back.
"Hold on..."
"Please, find a healer..."
"Please..."
"I beg of you..."
The beast's breathing grew faint, and uneven. Its single golden eye met hers again, glowing weakly. Then, for the first time, she heard it, not through sound, but within her mind.
"Yueyao…"