The northern winds were merciless.
Each gust sliced through Arka's torn cloak like a blade, carrying shards of ice that bit deep into his skin. Yet the pain didn't stop him it reminded him he was still alive.
Days had passed since the fall of Arvion.
He hadn't spoken to another soul. Only the endless whisper of the mountains kept him company, along with the low hum of the Star Wolf's presence inside his blood.
"Do you feel it, child?" the voice murmured within his mind.
"This land remembers me. It remembers our kind."
Arka exhaled, his breath turning into mist. "Then why does it feel like it hates me?"
The wolf chuckled a sound ancient and deep.
"Because power always leaves scars. Even mountains bleed where I once walked."
✦ The Valley of Bones
The trail led him into a wide ravine littered with the remains of colossal beasts bones taller than trees, skulls that still shimmered faintly with mana.
Each step echoed through the silence, and for a moment, Arka felt small like an intruder in a forgotten graveyard.
He reached out and touched one of the rib bones. It was warm.
Not from sunlight but from energy still trapped within.
"These were the Sovereign Beasts," the wolf's voice whispered.
"Creatures who ruled before the Age of Men. When your blood is complete, their strength will answer your call."
Arka frowned. "Complete?"
"You are still half-awake, Arka. Your bloodline fights itself human restraint against beast instinct. Until you reconcile them, you will remain fragile."
"Then tell me how."
The voice fell silent for a long moment. Then
"Survive. That is the first lesson."
✦ The Hunt Begins
Snow began to fall. Softly at first, then thicker, heavier.
Arka wrapped his cloak tighter, but the cold gnawed at him relentlessly.
Suddenly, the wolf's voice snapped sharp.
"Move!"
Arka rolled aside just as a massive claw slammed into the ground where he stood.
A beast half bear, half serpent emerged from the snow, its scales glittering with frost. Its breath steamed with venom.
It roared, shaking the ravine walls.
Arka's instincts surged. The mark on his arm ignited in silver fire. His vision sharpened—time itself seemed to slow.
"Focus, boy. Do not fight with anger. Feel the rhythm of the hunt."
The creature lunged again. Arka ducked beneath the strike, his hand glowing as he channeled raw mana through his arm.
The wolf's voice guided his heartbeat steady, deliberate, primal.
"Now."
Arka drove his palm forward, striking the beast's chest. A pulse of silver light erupted, freezing the creature mid-motion. It howled once before collapsing into the snow, steam rising from its body.
✦ The First Kill
Arka stood still, chest heaving.
The beast's eyes dimmed, and its energy began to dissolve into motes of silver mist flowing into his body like streams of starlight.
He felt it: warmth spreading through his veins, his mark glowing brighter.
But along with the power came something else an emotion, raw and heavy.
Hunger.
"This is the essence of the beasts," the wolf said. "You have consumed its soul. Do not lose yourself to the taste of strength."
Arka clenched his fists. "I can handle it."
"Every hunter believes that until the hunger becomes all they are."
The voice faded again, leaving only the whispering wind and the sound of Arka's pulse.
He gazed at his reflection in the ice a boy no longer human, but not yet beast.
His eyes shimmered like stars devouring the night.
✦ The Path Forward
By twilight, he found shelter inside a frozen cave.
He built a small fire, though the cold still lingered in his bones.
Outside, the storm raged on.
Inside, he stared at the flame its light reflecting in his silver eyes.
"You said this land remembers you," he murmured. "Then where do I find those memories?"
The wolf's voice answered faintly, distant yet resolute.
"Deep in these mountains lies a temple carved from starlight. There, the blood of beasts and gods once mingled. That is where your true journey begins."
Arka leaned back against the cold stone, exhaustion finally catching up to him.
As his eyes drifted shut, the last thing he saw was the fire dimming and a faint, glowing paw print forming on the cave wall.