The forest was alive that night — not with the whispers of wind, but with the hungry breath of beasts. The Moonforest had always been strange, but under the silver glow of a full moon, it was something else entirely. Lian moved carefully through the mist, drawn by that familiar, impossible pulse that had been pulling at him since the storm.
Every few steps, the world seemed to shift — the air grew heavy, the trees older, their bark etched with veins of faint blue light. When he looked up, the stars no longer matched the ones he knew. He should have been afraid. Instead, he felt… home.
Then he heard it.
A scream.
High and desperate, echoing through the mist. Followed by the sound of snarling — low, guttural, primal. Without a thought, Lian ran toward it, branches whipping against his face. The smell of iron filled the air — blood, old and fresh.
He burst into a clearing illuminated by moonlight.
Three girls stood back-to-back, their forms surrounded by shadows shaped like wolves. Their eyes gleamed red, their bodies nothing but smoke and claws. The girls fought with luminous energy — blue and silver streams that coiled from their palms like spirit fire.
Two of them were identical — twin faces, one fierce and calm, the other wild and sharp. The third girl was different — smaller, with bright, mischievous eyes, yet fear sparked within her. Her blade of condensed spirit-light trembled in her grasp.
"Stay close!" the calm twin shouted, spinning her hand to create a crescent barrier of silver mist. The beasts slammed into it, hissing, their bodies twisting into new forms.
The other twin — her aura darker, sharper — sneered. "They're regenerating. Someone's feeding them."
"Then we cut off their source!" the third girl shouted back, lunging forward — too fast, too bold.
The shadows caught her leg mid-strike and yanked her down.
Lian didn't think. He moved.
He leapt into the fray with nothing but his bare hands. The nearest beast turned on him, claws like obsidian daggers. Lian grabbed its throat — and light exploded.
Golden veins flared across his skin, burning through his clothes. The creature screamed, its form unraveling like smoke under sunlight.
The twins froze. "What—what is he?" the calmer one whispered.
The darker twin's eyes widened in hunger. "That power…"
Lian didn't hear them. His heart pounded in rhythm with the light inside him, each beat pushing the darkness back. The beasts recoiled, but more poured from the forest — dozens now, their howls shaking the ground.
The earth trembled beneath his feet. Instinct took over — something ancient, something buried. His hand touched the blood dripping from his wound, and he slammed it into the ground.
The soil pulsed golden. Sigils — thousands of them — erupted outward like ripples in a pond.
The beasts stopped.
Then they screamed.
Each shadow split apart, shredded by invisible force. The air reeked of burnt ozone and spirit ash. When the light faded, silence fell — heavy and absolute.
The girls stared at him, their breathing ragged. The calm twin lowered her weapon. "You… you banished them."
The mischievous one grinned, awe shining in her eyes. "Whoa, that was awesome! Who are you?"
Lian looked down at his hands. The golden light slowly dimmed, sinking beneath his skin until only faint traces remained. His pulse still glowed faintly in his veins — like molten metal refusing to cool.
"I… don't know," he said softly.
The darker twin's expression shifted — not awe, not fear, but calculation. "You're not from here," she murmured. "Your aura doesn't belong to the Spirit Realm. And yet…"
Her gaze fell to the blood on the ground — still glowing where it had touched the soil. "It calls to the forest. To power."
The other twin stepped in front of her, wary. "Sister, enough. He just saved us."
The playful girl brushed off her knees and gave Lian a crooked smile. "Whatever you are, Moon Boy, you've just earned a free meal."
Lian blinked. "Moon Boy?"
"Yep," she said cheerfully. "You glowed like one. Besides, it suits you."
The calm twin — still watching him closely — nodded slowly. "I am Lyra, Princess of the Wolf Spirit Clan. This is my sister, Selene."
Selene tilted her head, smirking. "And I'm the one you should stay away from… unless you want trouble."
"And I'm Nivra!" the third girl added brightly. "Spirit cultivator extraordinaire—well, almost!"
Lian nodded slowly, still trying to breathe normally. "I'm… Lian. Just Lian."
The three exchanged looks. Lyra's expression softened. "Lian, this forest isn't safe. Not tonight. You should come with us."
Selene's smile curved in the moonlight — beautiful, dangerous. "Yes. Come with us. I'd like to… learn more about that blood of yours."
The air between them shifted — something old and fateful stirring beneath the stars.
Lian glanced back at the forest. The sigils he'd summoned were already fading, swallowed by mist. Yet in his chest, the same golden pulse continued to burn, stronger than before.
Whatever he was, the forest knew it. And so did these girls.
Somewhere deep within the trees, unseen eyes opened — the true masters of the Moonforest, watching the boy whose veins defied death.
Cliffhanger:As they turn to leave, a final shadow stirs in the darkness — larger, older, hungrier. Its whisper carries through the mist:"The immortal's blood has awakened."