The mountain remained silent after the stranger spoke.
Not peaceful.
Not calm.
Silent in the way a forest became silent when a predator entered it.
Kael stood in the snow with Mara unconscious in his arms.
Elara stood several steps away.
Lucien had not moved.
The enormous silver wolf stared at the stranger on the distant mountain.
Even the First Mother had disappeared.
The Blood Moon above them was completely black.
No silver.
No red.
No light.
Only darkness.
Kael stared at the figure.
“Your future?”
The stranger smiled.
“That’s what I said.”
Kael’s grip tightened around Mara.
“You expect me to believe that?”
“No.”
The stranger stepped forward.
He didn’t descend the mountain.
He simply walked across empty air.
One step.
Then another.
With every step, the snow beneath Kael’s feet trembled.
Elara drew her sword.
“Stay away from him.”
The stranger looked at her.
“Elara.”
Her face changed.
“You know my name.”
“I knew it before you were born.”
Lucien stepped forward.
“Who are you?”
The stranger looked at him.
Lucien’s confidence disappeared.
“You know.”
Lucien’s hand tightened around his sword.
“No.”
The stranger smiled.
“You always were the one who understood the truth last.”
Kael looked between them.
“You two know him?”
Lucien shook his head.
“No.”
The stranger laughed.
“You know me better than anyone.”
Then he looked directly at Kael.
“Because you created me.”
Kael’s blood ran cold.
“I created you?”
“Not yet.”
The stranger stopped several meters away.
Now Kael could see him clearly.
He looked almost exactly like Kael.
The same black hair.
The same sharp features.
The same silver eyes.
But there were differences.
The stranger’s face carried scars.
His left eye had a thin black line running from the corner down his cheek.
His clothing was made of black armor.
And around his neck hung a broken silver crown.
Kael stared at it.
“I’ve seen that crown.”
The stranger nodded.
“Of course you have.”
“In my visions.”
“Yes.”
“You were standing beside King Magnus.”
“I was.”
“Why?”
“Because Magnus served me.”
Kael’s expression hardened.
“You’re the one controlling the artificial werewolves.”
The stranger smiled.
“Partly.”
“Partly?”
“The army is only the beginning.”
Kael looked at Mara.
“What do you want?”
The stranger’s expression became serious.
“Her.”
Kael immediately shook his head.
“No.”
“You don’t understand.”
“I understand perfectly.”
“No.”
The stranger pointed toward Mara.
“You think she’s the person you love.”
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
“She is.”
“Then you don’t understand what she is.”
Kael stepped forward.
“Don’t speak about her as if she’s a thing.”
The stranger smiled faintly.
“That is exactly why I came.”
Kael stopped.
The stranger continued.
“Because you’re beginning to care about her.”
“And?”
“And that will destroy you.”
Kael’s voice became cold.
“I’ve survived worse.”
“No.”
The stranger shook his head.
“You haven’t.”
He pointed at Kael.
“You haven’t even reached the worst part yet.”
Elara stepped between them.
“You’ve talked enough.”
She raised her sword.
The blade began glowing with blue light.
“Whoever you are, you are standing in the territory of the Frozen Moon.”
The stranger looked at her sword.
“Your mother gave you that?”
Elara’s eyes narrowed.
“Yes.”
“Then she lied to you.”
Elara’s expression changed.
“What?”
The stranger smiled.
“She told you that sword belonged to your clan.”
“It does.”
“No.”
He looked at Kael.
“It belonged to him.”
Elara looked at Kael.
The stranger continued.
“Before his first death.”
Kael stared at the sword.
Something about it felt familiar.
A memory surfaced.
A battlefield covered in snow.
Kael stood beside a young woman.
Elara.
She was younger.
A sword was in Kael’s hand.
He handed it to her.
**Take this.**
She had shaken her head.
**I can’t.**
**You can.**
**Why?**
Kael had smiled.
**Because one day you’ll need to protect your brother.**
The memory disappeared.
Elara dropped her sword.
She stared at Kael.
“You gave it to me.”
Kael swallowed.
“I remember.”
Lucien stepped backward.
“No.”
Kael looked at him.
“What?”
Lucien’s eyes were fixed on the stranger.
“He shouldn’t be here.”
The stranger laughed.
“You still don’t understand.”
Lucien shook his head.
“You’re supposed to be dead.”
“I was.”
“Then how are you here?”
The stranger’s smile vanished.
“Because he brought me back.”
He pointed toward Kael.
Kael frowned.
“Who?”
The stranger answered:
“You.”
Kael’s mind filled with images.
A throne room.
Black flames.
Hundreds of wolves kneeling.
The world burning.
Mara standing before him.
Crying.
Kael wearing the black crown.
His hands covered in blood.
Lucien dead at his feet.
Elara screaming.
Aldren kneeling.
Seraphine gone.
The First Mother smiling.
Then Kael saw himself raising a sword.
The stranger stood before him.
Older.
Scarred.
Dying.
The older Kael whispered:
**I have to go back.**
The younger Kael asked:
**Why?**
The older one answered:
**Because you haven’t made the choice yet.**
Then the vision shattered.
Kael fell to one knee.
Mara stirred in his arms.
“Kael?”
He looked down.
Her eyes were open.
She stared at him.
“What happened?”
Kael looked toward the stranger.
“He’s me.”
Mara became completely still.
The stranger smiled.
“Finally.”
Mara looked at him.
“You’re the King of Ash.”
The stranger’s expression changed.
“You remember.”
Kael looked at Mara.
“What is the King of Ash?”
She slowly sat up.
“The name they gave him.”
“Who?”
“The wolves.”
She looked toward the stranger.
“After the world ended.”
Kael’s heart pounded.
“After the world ended?”
Mara nodded.
“He ruled what remained.”
Kael stared at the stranger.
“When?”
Mara looked at him.
“Three hundred years from now.”
Silence.
Kael shook his head.
“That’s impossible.”
Mara answered softly.
“Everything about us is impossible.”
The stranger smiled.
“She’s right.”
Kael stood.
“Why did you come back?”
The stranger’s expression became serious.
“To stop you.”
“From what?”
“From becoming me.”
Kael frowned.
“Then why are you attacking us?”
“Because you won’t listen.”
“You could explain.”
“I have.”
“No.”
Kael pointed at him.
“You’ve given me riddles.”
The stranger laughed.
“You think I have time for explanations?”
He looked toward the black moon.
“Look.”
Kael followed his gaze.
A thin line of silver appeared across the darkness.
The seventh crack.
Then the eighth.
Kael froze.
“There are more.”
The stranger nodded.
“There will be.”
“How many?”
“Enough to destroy the world.”
Mara stood.
“How long?”
The stranger looked at her.
“Six nights.”
Kael frowned.
“The prophecy said seven.”
“It changed.”
“Why?”
The stranger’s eyes moved toward Mara.
“Because she awakened.”
Mara’s face hardened.
“You knew this would happen.”
“Yes.”
“Then why didn’t you stop me?”
The stranger laughed.
“Because I couldn’t.”
“Why?”
“Because you were the only person who could awaken yourself.”
Mara stared.
The stranger looked at Kael.
“And you were the only person who could awaken her.”
Kael looked between them.
“I don’t understand.”
The stranger sighed.
“You still think this story is about the wolves.”
Kael frowned.
“It isn’t?”
“No.”
He pointed toward the sky.
“It’s about the moon.”
A deep sound rolled across the mountains.
Not thunder.
A howl.
Then another.
Thousands of wolves answered from the darkness.
Kael looked around.
“They’re coming.”
Elara raised her sword.
“Who?”
The stranger answered.
“The Ash Wolves.”
Lucien’s expression changed.
“How many?”
“Enough.”
Elara stepped forward.
“Can we defeat them?”
The stranger looked at her.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because they’re not here to fight.”
Kael frowned.
“Then what are they doing?”
The first wolf appeared at the top of the mountain.
Then another.
Then dozens.
Their fur was black.
Their eyes were silver.
Ash drifted from their bodies.
They descended silently.
Kael felt them through his connection to the wolves.
But something was wrong.
They weren’t connected to him.
They were connected to someone else.
The stranger.
Kael stared.
“They follow you.”
The stranger nodded.
“They follow what I became.”
“Why?”
“Because I was their king.”
Kael’s stomach tightened.
“Future king.”
“No.”
The stranger looked at him.
“Past king.”
Kael shook his head.
“I don’t understand.”
“You will.”
The Ash Wolves reached the valley.
Instead of attacking, they formed a circle.
The stranger walked into the center.
Then he removed the broken crown from his neck.
He placed it on the snow.
The ground immediately turned black.
Kael’s mark burned.
Mara gasped.
The First Wolf spoke inside Kael’s mind.
**Kill him.**
Kael froze.
It was the first time the creature had ever commanded him directly.
**Kill him now.**
Kael whispered:
“Why?”
The First Wolf answered:
**Because he is what I fear.**
Kael’s eyes widened.
The First Wolf feared something?
Something that wasn’t the First Mother?
The creature continued.
**He killed me.**
Kael stared at the stranger.
“You killed the First Wolf.”
The stranger nodded.
“Yes.”
“How?”
The stranger smiled.
“Because I became worse than it.”
Kael felt a chill.
“How?”
The stranger’s eyes turned black.
“I stopped fighting the monster.”
He looked directly at Kael.
“I became it.”
Mara stepped closer.
“Then why warn him?”
The stranger looked at her.
“Because I learned something.”
“What?”
“Power doesn’t make you evil.”
Mara waited.
“Choice does.”
He looked at Kael.
“I chose.”
Kael stared.
“What did you choose?”
The stranger pointed toward Mara.
“I chose to save her.”
Mara froze.
Kael looked at her.
“From what?”
The stranger answered:
“From herself.”
Mara’s face went pale.
“No.”
The stranger nodded.
“You know what happens when you awaken completely.”
Mara shook her head.
“That’s not possible.”
“It is.”
“You’re lying.”
“I’m not.”
The stranger looked at Kael.
“She will remember everything.”
Kael frowned.
“And?”
“She will remember why the First Mother fears her.”
Mara whispered:
“Stop.”
The stranger continued.
“She will remember the first world.”
“Stop.”
“She will remember creating the first moon.”
“Stop!”
“And then she will remember why she destroyed it.”
Mara screamed.
A wave of silver energy exploded from her body.
Kael grabbed her.
“Mara!”
She pushed him away.
“Don’t touch me!”
Kael froze.
Her eyes were glowing.
“I don’t want to remember.”
The stranger stepped forward.
“That’s why you asked him to erase your memory.”
Kael stared.
“You asked me?”
Mara looked at him.
Tears ran down her face.
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Before your first death.”
Kael remembered.
A room beneath the old kingdom.
Mara kneeling before him.
She was crying.
**Please.**
Kael had touched her face.
**What do you want me to do?**
**Make me forget.**
**Why?**
**Because if I remember, I’ll become her.**
The memory vanished.
Kael stared at Mara.
“You knew.”
She nodded.
“I knew.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because you forgot too.”
Kael stepped closer.
“Who am I supposed to believe?”
Mara looked at him.
“Nobody.”
Kael frowned.
“What?”
“Not me.”
She pointed toward the stranger.
“Not him.”
Then toward herself.
“Not even yourself.”
Kael stood silently.
Mara whispered:
“Because memories can lie.”
A horn sounded from the fortress.
Everyone turned.
Queen Seraphine appeared at the broken gates.
She was no longer wearing her crown.
Her hair was loose.
Her eyes were cold.
Behind her stood hundreds of warriors.
Elara raised her sword.
“Mother.”
The queen looked at her.
“You should have died.”
Elara stepped forward.
“You tried to kill me.”
“I succeeded.”
“No.”
Elara’s voice trembled.
“You failed.”
The queen smiled.
“Then let us correct that mistake.”
She raised her hand.
The warriors behind her transformed.
They became enormous white wolves.
Kael stepped forward.
“Wait.”
The queen looked at him.
“Why?”
“You said welcome home.”
“I did.”
“You knew I was coming.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
She smiled.
“Because I was the one who sent the message.”
Kael frowned.
“What message?”
“The prophecy.”
His expression changed.
“You created the seven-night prophecy.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
The queen looked toward Mara.
“Because I needed you to come north.”
Mara stepped forward.
“Why?”
The queen smiled.
“To bring you to me.”
Mara’s eyes narrowed.
“You want me.”
“I need you.”
“For what?”
The queen looked at Kael.
“To open the First Kingdom.”
Kael’s blood ran cold.
“What is inside?”
The queen’s smile disappeared.
“Your first throne.”
Kael stared.
“My first throne?”
“Before your first death, you ruled from a kingdom beyond the moon.”
Kael shook his head.
“I don’t remember.”
“You weren’t supposed to.”
The queen looked toward the stranger.
“He remembers.”
Kael turned.
The stranger nodded.
“She is telling the truth.”
Kael looked at him.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I wanted you to discover it yourself.”
“Why?”
“Because if I told you everything…”
The stranger’s expression became grim.
“…you would make the same choices I did.”
Kael looked at the queen.
“What happens if we open the First Kingdom?”
She answered:
“The First Mother dies.”
Kael frowned.
“That sounds good.”
“No.”
The queen’s eyes became cold.
“Because when she dies, everything connected to her dies too.”
Kael understood.
“The wolves.”
“Yes.”
“The Moon-Born.”
“Yes.”
Mara whispered:
“Everyone.”
The queen nodded.
“The world will become human.”
Kael stared.
“No.”
“Exactly.”
The queen smiled.
“Which is why you cannot allow her to die.”
Kael looked toward the sky.
The black moon was cracking.
Again.
And again.
The stranger’s voice became quiet.
“Six nights.”
Kael looked at him.
“Until what?”
“Until the First Mother dies.”
“And if she dies?”
The stranger answered:
“Every wolf on Earth dies with her.”
Kael’s heart pounded.
“So the First Mother is the source of everything.”
“Yes.”
“Then why does she want the Moon power?”
“Because she wants to escape death.”
Kael understood.
The war wasn’t simply between wolves and humans.
It wasn’t even between the Moon-Born and the First Mother.
It was a battle over the source of supernatural life itself.
The First Mother wanted to steal Mara’s original power.
The wolves wanted to survive.
The humans wanted the wolves destroyed.
And Kael’s future self wanted to prevent Kael from becoming him.
Six days.
That was all they had.
The stranger turned toward Kael.
“I need you to make a choice.”
Kael looked at him.
“What choice?”
“Come with me.”
Mara immediately shook her head.
“No.”
Kael ignored her.
“Where?”
“The First Kingdom.”
“Why?”
“Because that’s where the First Mother keeps the original Moon.”
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
“You can get us there?”
“Yes.”
“Why would you help us?”
The stranger smiled.
“Because I already failed once.”
Kael stared.
“You went back in time to change your future.”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you simply kill the First Mother?”
“I tried.”
“And?”
“She killed me.”
Kael frowned.
“Then why am I still alive?”
The stranger’s smile disappeared.
“Because she couldn’t kill you.”
Kael felt the mark on his chest burn.
“Why?”
The stranger answered:
“Because you are the only thing in existence that she cannot control.”
Kael looked at Mara.
“And her?”
“She is the only thing she cannot destroy.”
Mara’s expression changed.
Kael understood.
The two of them were connected.
One couldn’t be controlled.
The other couldn’t be destroyed.
Together, they were the First Mother’s greatest threat.
The stranger extended his hand.
“Come with me.”
Kael stared at it.
“What if I refuse?”
“I kill you.”
Mara stepped forward.
“You’ll have to go through me.”
The stranger smiled sadly.
“I know.”
Kael looked at Mara.
Then at Elara.
Then Lucien.
Then the silver wolf.
He finally looked at the stranger.
“One condition.”
“What?”
“You don’t touch them.”
The stranger nodded.
“Agreed.”
“Especially Mara.”
The stranger looked at her.
“I would never hurt her.”
Kael’s expression hardened.
“You did in the future.”
The stranger’s eyes darkened.
“I know.”
He lowered his head.
“And that’s why I came back.”
Kael stepped forward.
But before he could take the stranger’s hand, Lucien spoke.
“Wait.”
Kael turned.
Lucien walked toward them.
“I am coming.”
The stranger frowned.
“No.”
Lucien raised his sword.
“You don’t get to decide.”
The stranger’s eyes flashed.
“You know what happens if you come.”
Lucien nodded.
“I do.”
Kael looked between them.
“What happens?”
Lucien smiled sadly.
“I die.”
The stranger said nothing.
Kael frowned.
“Why?”
Lucien looked at him.
“Because in every version of this story, I die.”
Kael shook his head.
“Not this time.”
Lucien smiled.
“That’s what you said last time.”
Then he stepped beside Kael.
Elara followed.
“If he’s going, I’m going.”
Kael looked at her.
“Why?”
“Because he’s my brother.”
Lucien smiled.
“And because she still wants to kill me.”
Elara glared.
“Very much.”
Mara stood beside them.
Kael looked at the group.
His future self.
His brother.
His sister.
Mara.
A strange family built from ancient secrets.
He almost laughed.
“This is going to be a disaster.”
The stranger smiled.
“It already is.”
They left the Frozen Moon before dawn.
The journey began beneath a black sky.
The Ash Wolves followed.
The Moon Eaters were gone.
The fortress burned behind them.
Kael walked beside his future self.
For hours, neither spoke.
Eventually Kael broke the silence.
“Tell me something.”
“What?”
“Do I become you?”
The stranger stopped.
Kael stopped too.
The stranger looked at him.
“That depends.”
“On what?”
“Whether you make the same choices.”
Kael stared.
“What was my first mistake?”
The stranger looked toward Mara.
“Trusting the wrong person.”
Kael frowned.
“Who?”
The stranger’s eyes darkened.
“Me.”
Kael’s expression changed.
“You?”
The stranger nodded.
“I was the person you trusted most.”
“And you betrayed me.”
“No.”
The stranger looked at him.
“You betrayed yourself.”
Kael didn’t understand.
The stranger continued walking.
“That’s the difference.”
Kael followed.
“What does that mean?”
The stranger answered without looking back.
“You thought you were saving the world.”
He stopped again.
“But you were really saving one person.”
Kael looked at Mara.
She was walking ahead with Elara.
“Who?”
The stranger pointed toward her.
“Her.”
Kael’s heart tightened.
“What happened?”
The stranger’s face became unreadable.
“You’ll remember.”
“How?”
“When you reach the First Kingdom.”
Kael frowned.
“How far?”
The stranger looked toward the horizon.
A massive mountain appeared.
At its peak floated a silver palace.
“The entrance is there.”
Kael stared.
“The First Kingdom.”
The stranger nodded.
But before they could move, the sky changed.
A red line appeared across the horizon.
Then another.
Then thousands.
The Blood Moon was rising again.
Kael stared.
“It isn’t night.”
The stranger looked at the moon.
“No.”
“Then why is it rising?”
The stranger’s expression became grim.
“Because time is breaking.”
Kael felt the ground tremble.
The silver wolf began growling.
Mara looked up.
“What is happening?”
The stranger answered:
“The future is catching up.”
A massive crack opened in the sky.
Through it, Kael saw another world.
A ruined city.
Burning buildings.
Dead wolves.
A black throne.
And someone sitting on it.
Kael.
His future self.
But not the man beside him.
Another Kael.
A darker one.
Wearing the black crown.
His eyes were completely black.
Mara whispered:
“There are two.”
The stranger nodded.
“That’s the problem.”
Kael stared at the second version.
The black-crowned Kael slowly raised his head.
He looked directly at them through the crack in time.
Then he smiled.
The stranger stepped backward.
“No.”
Kael turned toward him.
“What?”
The stranger’s face was filled with fear.
“That’s not supposed to happen.”
“What?”
The black-crowned Kael spoke.
His voice echoed across both worlds.
“You came back.”
The stranger’s hands began shaking.
The black-crowned Kael laughed.
“You actually thought you could change the future.”
The crack widened.
Kael’s future self stepped forward.
The black-crowned version pointed at him.
“You were never the hero.”
The stranger whispered:
“I know.”
“No.”
The black-crowned Kael smiled.
“You still don’t understand.”
He pointed at Kael.
“He is.”
Kael froze.
The black-crowned version continued.
“He’s the one who destroys everything.”
Mara grabbed Kael’s arm.
The sky shattered.
The crack closed.
Silence returned.
Kael stared at the empty sky.
The stranger looked at him.
For the first time, he seemed genuinely terrified.
Kael asked quietly:
“Is that true?”
The stranger didn’t answer.
“Tell me.”
Still nothing.
Kael grabbed him by the armor.
“Tell me!”
The stranger looked into his eyes.
“Yes.”
Kael released him.
His heart sank.
The stranger continued.
“That is why I came back.”
Kael stared.
“To stop me.”
“Yes.”
“And if you fail?”
The stranger looked toward the distant silver palace.
“Then everything dies.”
Kael looked at Mara.
She was staring at him.
Not with fear.
With sadness.
Kael whispered:
“What happens if I become him?”
Mara stepped closer.
She touched his hand.
“Then I’ll stop you.”
Kael looked at her.
“Even if it kills me?”
Mara’s eyes filled with tears.
“Especially then.”
The stranger turned away.
“Then we should hurry.”
Kael looked toward the First Kingdom.
Six nights remained.
Six kingdoms.
Six Moon-Born.
One First Mother.
And two versions of himself.
But now Kael understood the most terrifying truth of all.
His enemy wasn’t trying to change his destiny.
His enemy was trying to make sure Kael fulfilled it.
And somewhere beyond the broken sky, the black-crowned version of himself was waiting.
Waiting for Kael to become him.
Waiting for the final choice.
Waiting for the king who had not yet been born.
Kael tightened his grip on his sword.
“Let’s go.”
The group moved toward the silver palace.
Behind them, the black moon opened one more crack.
A voice whispered through the darkness.
**Five nights.**
And far away, something answered.
**Let the hunt begin.**