The night after Yueyao's death, the Crimson Howl territory fell into silence. No wolves howled... No wind stirred and even the moon seemed dimmer, as if mourning her.
Everywhere became somber, and all souls looked saddened.
Huo Tingxuan stood alone at the ruins of the ritual platform.
The circle was blackened with only ashes, the woman he had loved and lived with for years was now ashes.
Nothing of her remained, there was no body, no scent, not even a trace of warmth. Only her silver hairpin lay near the steps, half-buried in the dust.
He hadn't expected her to be this ruthless because of this moonbeast... He hadn't thought she would really choose to depart with the moonbeast.
He picked up the silver hairpin with trembling hands, his chest feeling hollow, and his breath was ragged, coming in shallow bursts. The pain etching deeper into his heart was heart-wrenching and unbearable.
"She's gone," he whispered as his eyes glistened with tears, "She's really gone."
For the first time in his life, the Alpha of the Crimson Howl knelt on his knees, defeated. His bloodstained cloak dragged through the ash as he bowed before the empty circle that no longer held anything.
He had killed enemies, betrayed kingdoms, and commanded the storms, yet he could not change her mind! What was so important about the moonbeast that she had to choose it over him? Yes, he had wronged her, but what else can he do? The curse was there, he had the clan to protect.
"Yueyao…" His voice broke, into cracks as he whispered to himself, "You were right. I failed you."
The elders stood at a distance, feeling uneasy as they saw him in that state. None dared approach him. They saw it, the madness in his eyes, and the grief twisting his features.
When the others finally left him alone, he stayed there for hours, staring at the place where she had vanished. And then, as the first light of dawn touched the horizon, he rose with a decision that would defy heaven itself.
He would do any forbidden magic to bring her back, he would defy everything for her.
He had to find, *The Soul Recollection Torch*
Deep beneath the temple lies a hidden chamber, sealed for generations. Inside, it burned a faint silver flame, it was the Soul Recollection Torch, a sacred relic said to hold the power to summon a lost soul back from the cycle of rebirth.
Only the Alpha had the right to awaken it.
Huo Tingxuan entered the chamber, his steps echoing in the hollow dark. The air was heavy with the scent of incense and old blood.
He knelt before the torch, unwrapping the silver hairpin from his hand, "She gave everything for this clan," he said quietly like he was comforting himself, "If there's even one chance to bring her back… I'll take it."
He sliced his palm open and let his blood drip into the flame. The torch hissed, flaring with sudden light and the air trembled.
The world around him blurred as shadows twisted into faces, whispers filled the dark. And then he saw her, Yueyao, floating in the faint light of the torch, her eyes closed, her body weightless like mist.
"Yueyao!" he reached toward her, desperate. " Come back to me… please…"
"Come back...."
Her soul flickered, faint but aware. Slowly, her eyes opened and she looked at him, sadness in her gaze.
"You shouldn't have come," her voice echoed softly. She no longer felt burdened but just vengeance burning in her soul. "It's too late."
"No! I can save you!" His blood dripped faster onto the torch. "I'll give everything, my power, my life, and whatever you want, just come back! I will fix everything..."
Her hand lifted, barely touching the light between them, "You can't change what you have done... My soul is already bound to the moon, as I offered it to the moon."
The flame pulsed violently, and the chamber trembled.
"You said you loved me," he whispered, his voice breaking, " Why did you leave me like this?"
Tears glimmered on her spectral face feeling the unbearable grief, "Because love isn't enough to change fate. Because, love isn't enough to protect what I want, and above all, with whatever you have done, we can't coexist..."
The light immediately shattered.
The torch went dark and the link between them snapped.
Huo Tingxuan fell to his knees, the room spinning around him. His blood continued to drip, forming small pools across the cold floor.
He laughed weakly, producing a hollow, broken sound, "So this is my punishment… to live knowing I destroyed you."
He slumped forward beside the extinguished torch, his hand still clutching her hairpin. The last words he spoke were almost a whisper:
"Yueyao… forgive me."
Then, the flame of his life faded.