The storm had passed, but the world it left behind was silent.
Snow blanketed everything jagged cliffs, black trees, even the bones of fallen beasts. The air was too still, as if holding its breath.
Arka walked alone through the frost, guided only by the faint silver glow pulsing from his palm. Each heartbeat drew him closer to the presence that haunted his dreams: the Temple of Starlight.
"The temple was built before mortals learned fear,"
the wolf's voice murmured within him.
"It was where I was born… and where I was betrayed."
Arka frowned. "Betrayed by who?"
"By those who wanted power without paying the price."
He didn't ask further. He could feel the memories pressing at the edge of the wolf's voice raw, ancient, and angry.
✦ The Mountain's Heart
The path narrowed until it became little more than a knife-edge of ice. Below, a thousand feet of white mist hid the abyss. Above, the sky shimmered faintly, as if stars themselves were watching.
Then he saw it.
A colossal structure carved directly into the mountain face the Temple of Starlight.
Its pillars glowed with faint constellations, shifting like living patterns of the night sky.
Arka's breath caught. The place felt alive.
He stepped forward, and the moment his boots touched the frozen floor, runes across the temple walls flickered awake.
"It recognizes my blood," the wolf said, its tone unreadable.
"And yours."
The grand doors opened with a sound like thunder rolling through stone.
✦ The Echo of a Thousand Souls
Inside, time felt wrong.
Light poured from the ceiling like liquid stars, dripping into a pool at the center of the temple. The air thrummed with energy so dense it made his bones vibrate.
Then—he heard them.
Whispers.
Thousands of overlapping voices, chanting in an ancient tongue.
"Blood of the Beast King…"
"The child of the moon returns…"
"Let the mark awaken…"
Arka fell to one knee as his mark blazed. Silver light erupted from his arm, weaving symbols into the air. He gasped as visions flooded his mind
a wolf howling beneath a shattered moon, warriors kneeling before a throne of fangs, a crown burning with starlight.
He screamed.
"Hold on," the wolf's voice roared inside him.
"Do not let the memory consume you!"
But it was too late.
For a heartbeat, Arka was the Star Wolf.
He felt claws sink into the earth, tasted the metallic tang of divine blood on his tongue.
He saw himself standing before gods and beasts alike not as a boy, but as a sovereign.
Then, as suddenly as it began, it was gone.
Arka collapsed, trembling. His breath came ragged, his eyes glowing faintly silver-blue.
✦ The Voice of the Temple
A single rune detached from the wall, floating before him.
It spun slowly, then spoke in a voice neither male nor female ancient and distant.
"Bearer of the Star Blood.
The First Seal has been broken.
Three remain before you stand where he once fell."
Arka forced himself upright. "Three seals? What happens when they're gone?"
"Then you will remember who you were… and what you must become."
The rune dissolved into mist, seeping into his skin.
Suddenly, his surroundings dimmed. The temple lights faded until only one star burned above the altar.
"This power is not a gift," the wolf warned.
"It is a burden. Once you accept it, there is no return to peace."
Arka clenched his fists. "Then I'll move forward. Even if peace was never meant for me."
The wolf was silent for a long moment then laughed softly, proud and sorrowful.
"Spoken like a true heir."
✦ The Awakening
The light descended from the ceiling, wrapping around Arka's body.
His mark expanded across his arm and chest, becoming a constellation of glowing symbols.
The power didn't feel wild this time it felt alive. Balanced.
"You have claimed the first seal," the wolf said.
"Now you are bound to the beasts that dwell in starlight."
Arka exhaled slowly, a mist of light escaping his lips. "What comes next?"
"The Second Seal sleeps beneath the Crimson Sea, where the blood of gods still burns.
But before that, you must learn to wield what you've awakened."
As the temple began to fade behind him, Arka turned back once.
The stars carved into the walls shone faintly, forming the outline of a massive wolf looking down upon him.
It wasn't just a temple.
It was a grave and a promise.