The ruins were silent, but the forest beyond trembled with a presence that Maria could feel in her bones.
The Moon pulsed through her chest, silver fire coiling along her veins, warning her of approaching danger.
"He's coming," Kael murmured, voice low and tense. "The Ashen King, he knows we survived the Corrupted Lands."
Maria's eyes narrowed, scanning the treeline.
Shadows shifted unnaturally at the edge of her vision, the ground whispering of movement.
"He's testing us," she said. "Waiting for us to falter."
Kael's hand brushed hers, the bond flaring in response.
Silver fire intertwined with the shadow coursing beneath him.
"Then we won't falter. Not while we stand together."
From the darkness, a ripple of energy pulsed through the trees deliberate, patient, and malevolent.
The Ashen King was no longer distant, his will spread like poison through the corrupted land.
The forest itself seemed to shiver under his presence, and even the Moon's glow above flickered, uneasy.
Maria's fur bristled. "He's gathering strength," she whispered. "Not just to strike us,but to break the packs, the lands, everything we protect."
Kael's shadow-tainted fur rippled, tension coiling in his muscles.
"Then we strike first," he said, jaw set. "If he thinks he can catch us unprepared, he underestimates us."
Suddenly, movement flitted across the ruins' edge.
Corrupted wolves, skeletal creatures, and shadowy figures stirred, lurking in the corners of the forest.
Maria's claws glowed with Moon fire as she crouched low, eyes blazing silver.
"The Ashen King is coming," she said, voice firm and unwavering. "And when he arrives, he will find that the Luna and her King are no prey. We are hunters."
Kael's hand tightened around hers. The bond flared, threading through the shadows like a blade of light.
The forest seemed to respond, shadows hesitating, corrupted creatures faltering under their combined presence.
Then, a hollow, echoing laugh rolled across the Ridge, carrying with it the weight of centuries.
"So bold," the Ashen King murmured, voice dripping malice. "The Luna and her Lycan King together.
Let us see if you survive the night."
Maria growled, teeth bared, fur bristling. "We don't just survive," she snapped, silver light arcing around her. "We rise.
And your darkness will burn in our light."
The first wave of shadows surged forward, and the battle for the Ridge began.
The Ashen King was moving, and the war was no longer distant it had arrived.