(In this episode, Mael pushes Selona for the truth — and what she reveals changes everything he thought he knew about the curse, the enemy… and himself. Prepare to enter the Kingdom of Kael.)
The night was too quiet. Not even the wind dared to whisper. Mael stood motionless beneath a canopy of twisted branches, his heartbeat pounding like a war drum in his chest. Shadows rippled around him, restless — as if the forest knew something he didn't.
His claws had receded. His breath was calm, for now. But inside, the storm of his transformation boiled, waiting for the next trigger. He could feel it in his bones — the blood moon's curse evolving. Stronger. Wilder.
Behind him, Selona leaned against an old tree, silent, watching him like she always did — like she already knew the war he was about to walk into.
"Selona…" Mael broke the silence, his voice hoarse. "There are still people out there… not touched by this madness. Not cursed. I can feel them. I have to protect them before it's too late."
Her eyes narrowed. "And who do you think you're protecting them from?"
Mael turned to face her fully, eyes dark with purpose. "Them. The ones pulling the strings. The ones who started this. Where are they? How do I find them?"
For the first time, Selona looked away. Not in fear — but in remembrance.
"The Kingdom of Kael," she said, almost like a warning. "Once you search for it, Mael, there's no turning back."
"Good," he muttered. "I don't plan on turning back."
Selona stepped forward, her silver cloak catching faint moonlight. She reached for his face, pressing two fingers gently to his temple.
"Then see it. Not through my words, but through your soul. Let it carve itself into your mind."
---
Mael's vision twisted. The world spun into darkness, and suddenly—
He stood somewhere else.
A blood-red sky stretched endlessly above him. Obsidian towers clawed at the heavens. He stood on the edge of a cliff, overlooking a land smothered in thick crimson fog. Down below, dark figures marched in perfect silence — soldiers in black armor, their eyes glowing faintly with violet fire.
Selona's voice echoed, even though she was nowhere to be seen.
"Kael is hidden deep beyond the Ashen Forests… beyond the natural world. Only those cursed by the blood moon or invited by the old bloodlines ever find it."
Mael's breath caught in his throat as he saw prisoners — dozens of them — chained and led into massive underground vaults beneath a bone-carved temple. Strange symbols glowed along its walls. A ritual was underway.
"Every Blood Moon, they harvest," Selona said. "Not just flesh or blood… but potential. They drain the cursed to build an army of something worse than werewolves. Obedient. Merciless. Perfect."
A horn sounded from the tallest tower. The sky cracked. Mael looked up — a swirling hole tore through the clouds, spilling a sickening red light. From it descended a creature — winged, malformed, screaming like it remembered being human.
"They are trying to awaken the Ancients — things buried beneath their soil long before men or wolves ruled."
At the center of the city stood a woman — tall, veiled in silver, eyes glowing like stars. The crowd bowed to her in silence.
"Who is she?" Mael asked aloud, the vision still gripping him.
"Their prophet," Selona answered. "But not one of them. She once resisted… like I did. Now, she speaks for the old forces — claiming the blood moon is not a curse… but a calling."
---
The vision shattered like glass. Mael staggered, falling to his knees in the real world. Sweat soaked his brow. His heartbeat raced like a hunted beast.
He looked up at Selona, his voice raw. "It's real… all of it."
She nodded. "And it's already begun."
Mael's hands curled into fists. "Then I'll end it. I'll go to Kael and tear that place apart."
Selona didn't smile. She didn't stop him either. She simply said, "The Kingdom won't fear your strength, Mael. It will test your truth. And if you're not ready, it'll use your past against you."
Mael stood, his eyes burning with resolve. "Let them try."
But even as he said it, a shadow darker than night slithered across the trees —
and the wind carried with it a whisper that didn't sound human.