Three weeks remained before the Lunar Trials.
The announcement had spread farther than anyone had imagined.
From the frozen mountains of the First Order...
To the silver forests of the Fourth...
From the bustling cities of the Third...
To the villages that once belonged to the Second...
Every werewolf spoke of only one thing.
The Moon had called.
And for the first time in generations...
The Four Orders would stand together beneath the same sky.
Not as allies.
Not as enemies.
But as children answering the summons of the Moon Goddess.
Within the Third Order, preparations intensified with each passing day. Every training ground overflowed with warriors. Veterans who had long since retired returned to mentor the younger generation. Blacksmiths worked from dawn until midnight, repairing weapons and reinforcing armor. Inns were filled with travelers eager to witness history, while merchants decorated the streets with silver banners bearing the ancient lunar crest. Even the children abandoned their usual games, pretending to challenge one another inside imaginary Lunar Trials.
At House Nocturne, however...
There was no excitement.
Only training.
BOOM!
Riven crashed through three wooden practice posts before rolling across the dirt.
He groaned as he stared at the clear blue sky.
"I didn't even see that one..."
A shadow appeared above him.
Eryx folded his arms.
"Exactly."
Riven sighed before dragging himself back to his feet.
"I blocked your first attack."
"You blocked what I wanted you to block."
Riven blinked.
"What?"
Eryx stepped closer.
"A true warrior never attacks only once."
"The first strike creates the opening."
"The second forces the reaction."
"The third ends the battle."
Before Riven could reply
Eryx vanished.
His instincts screamed.
Riven twisted sideways.
A fist brushed past his face.
He immediately countered with a right hook.
Eryx caught it effortlessly.
His elbow struck Riven's ribs.
A knee followed.
Then a shoulder tackle.
Riven barely managed to stay on his feet before another kick sent him sliding across the arena.
The surrounding Nocturne warriors winced.
"...That looked painful."
"It was."
Riven muttered while rubbing his side.
Nearby, Zoldick Velmora laughed loudly.
"You've survived battles against Alpha and Lords..."
"But Lord Eryx still treats you like a pup."
Riven shot him a glare.
"You want next?"
Zoldick grinned.
"I'd rather stay conscious today."
Several warriors burst into laughter.
Even Eryx's stern expression softened.
"Enough talking."
He looked directly at Riven.
"The Lunar Trials won't care how strong you've become."
"They'll care how quickly you adapt."
Riven's smile slowly disappeared.
Those words reminded him of his duel with Zoldick.
Strength alone hadn't won.
Technique hadn't won.
Adaptation...
Had.
He slowly clenched his fists.
"I understand."
"Good."
Eryx replied.
"Then come at me again."
This time...
Riven didn't rush.
He observed.
Every shift in Eryx's footing.
Every movement of his shoulders.
Every subtle change in breathing.
For the first time...
He wasn't looking at his fists.
He was studying the battle itself.
A faint smile appeared on Eryx's face.
"Now you're learning."
Elsewhere within the estate, Nyss continued her own preparation.
Unlike Riven's thunderous training...
Her surroundings were silent.
She stood alone beneath an enormous Moon Willow tree.
Silver leaves drifted gently around her.
She closed her eyes.
Moon Aura slowly flowed from her body.
Not violently.
Not overwhelmingly.
Peacefully.
The air itself seemed to calm.
The leaves stopped falling.
Birds landed nearby without fear.
Small woodland creatures cautiously approached before resting beside her.
It was as though nature itself recognized her presence.
Watching from a distance, Diana gently rocked Fenrick in her arms.
The baby reached excitedly toward Nyss.
Diana smiled.
"He always does that."
Beside her stood an elderly priestess from the Fourth Order, sent personally by Queen Selene to assist with preparations for the Trials.
She stared at Nyss in complete silence.
After several moments...
She whispered,
"Incredible..."
Diana looked toward her.
"What is?"
The priestess never took her eyes off Nyss.
"She isn't drawing Moon Aura from the world..."
"The world is responding to hers."
Diana frowned slightly.
"What does that mean?"
The old priestess remained silent.
She had served the Fourth Order for nearly two hundred years.
She had witnessed countless gifted warriors.
Yet never...
Had she seen Moon Aura this pure.
Not even from Queen Selene herself.
Far away, within House Duskryn, Lady Seraphine continued studying reports arriving from every border.
Each parchment brought darker news.
Another village.
Gone.
Another caravan.
Missing.
No corpses.
No signs of struggle.
Only abandoned homes.
Meals left untouched.
Doors left open.
As though every living soul had simply vanished.
Seraphine slowly marked another location upon the enormous map.
Her fingers tightened.
"They're moving faster..."
One of her scouts stepped forward.
"My Lady."
She looked up.
"We found tracks."
Her eyes narrowed.
"What kind?"
The scout hesitated.
"...None."
Silence filled the room.
"There were no footprints entering."
"No footprints leaving."
Seraphine slowly looked back toward the map.
For the first time in years...
Even she felt uneasy.
Meanwhile, in the distant First Order, the atmosphere could not have been more different.
Thousands of warriors filled the Grand Crimson Arena.
Cheers echoed across the mountains.
Young elites from House Drakhar and House Vargan fought one another to determine who would represent the First Order.
At the highest platform...
Aurelion Kharos sat silently upon his throne.
His golden eyes watched every movement.
Not a single strike escaped his notice.
Below him, two young warriors clashed with terrifying speed.
One wielded a colossal axe.
The other fought barehanded.
The duel ended almost instantly.
The axe descended.
The barehanded warrior stepped inside its arc.
One elbow.
One punch.
One throw.
The arena shook.
The axe warrior crashed into the stone wall unconscious.
Silence lasted only a heartbeat before the crowd exploded.
"RAGNAR!"
"RAGNAR!"
"RAGNAR!"
The victorious young warrior knelt before Aurelion.
His long silver hair danced behind him.
His crimson eyes burned with confidence.
Aurelion slowly rose.
"Ragnar Vargan."
"You shall represent the First."
Ragnar bowed deeply.
"It is an honor, my Lord."
Aurelion looked down at him.
"Remember."
"The Lunar Trials are not won by the strongest."
"They are won by those the Moon finds worthy."
Ragnar smiled confidently.
"I'll prove I'm both."
For a brief moment...
Aurelion's gaze drifted south.
Toward the Third Order.
Toward one particular young wolf.
"...Riven."
"I hope you've continued growing."
Within the Fourth Order, preparations had already begun inside the Sacred Moon Palace.
Young nobles from every great house gathered beneath Queen Selene's watchful eyes.
House Astrae.
House Silverfang.
House Nightveil.
House Lunaris.
The strongest youths demonstrated swordsmanship, lunar magic and spiritual control before the royal family.
When the demonstrations ended, Selene calmly stepped forward.
"The representatives of the Fourth Order have been decided."
The courtyard immediately fell silent.
"Lunaria Silverfang."
The young woman stepped forward confidently.
"Cassian Nightveil."
A masked young warrior bowed respectfully.
Finally...
Selene smiled softly.
"And..."
"...Nyss Astrae."
A wave of murmurs spread across the courtyard.
Many younger nobles had never even met the missing princess.
Yet none dared question the Queen.
Only Caelum quietly smiled beside his wife.
He understood.
The Moon had begun moving.
As night descended across the world, one Moon illuminated every kingdom equally.
Riven stood alone atop the roof of House Nocturne.
He watched the silver light spread across the horizon.
Footsteps approached behind him.
"You always end up here."
He smiled.
"I like the view."
Nyss sat beside him.
Neither spoke for several minutes.
The silence between them had become comfortable.
Eventually, Riven broke it.
"Do you think we'll meet people stronger than us?"
Nyss looked toward the Moon.
"I think..."
"...we'll meet people who'll change us."
Riven chuckled softly.
"I guess that's even scarier."
She laughed.
Far beyond the knowledge of every kingdom...
Beneath the Sacred Lunar Sanctuary...
Ancient mechanisms groaned to life for the first time in thousands of years.
Massive stone gates slowly shifted.
Dust poured from forgotten ceilings.
Silver runes awakened one after another, illuminating endless underground ruins.
At the center of those ruins rested an enormous circular arena surrounded by towering statues of the first werewolves who had survived the First Cataclysm.
Their empty stone eyes slowly began glowing.
The Lunar Trials...
Were awakening.
And somewhere in the deepest chamber...
Hidden behind countless ancient seals...
A pair of crimson eyes slowly opened.
Watching.
Waiting.
Smiling.
The children of the Moon were coming.
And destiny was ready to judge.