✨ Chapter 48 – When the Moon Turns Red
Nightfall did not come gently.
It crashed down like a blade.
The sky erupted into crimson, the clouds dragged into spiraling rings above the academy. The full moon had not risen yet, but the world looked like it was already bleeding.
Ariana stood at the western defense line with Kai, the Pillars, Seraphina, and the entire Hybrid Division at her back.
Her heart raced.
Her moon-fire thrummed.
Her wolf growled low inside:
"War rises."
Kai glanced at her, jaw tight.
"You ready?" he asked.
Ariana nodded.
Not confidently—
but truthfully.
"I have to be."
Kai's golden wolf-eyes softened.
"You're more than ready."
He squeezed her hand once before pulling away to take formation.
Ariana inhaled deeply.
Let this work.
Let me protect them.
Headmaster Solarin's voice boomed from the front spire:
"Students of Starfell!
Tonight, you fight not for glory—
but for your lives.
Hold the western line.
Protect the academy at all costs!"
A deafening roar rolled across the courtyard.
Rylan shouted, "LET'S BURN SOME DEMONS!"
Calen muttered, "Let's freeze them, idiot—"
Zane sighed, "Both of you stop embarrassing us—"
Seraphina tightened her charm ribbons.
Ariana smiled weakly.
Then—
The ground trembled.
A deep, grinding crack echoed from the forest edge.
Kai stiffened.
"They're coming."
Ariana's wolf whispered:
"Prepare."
Ariana lifted her hands.
Silver light flared.
The First Strike
A scream ripped through the sky.
Not human.
Not anything natural.
A corrupted beast burst from the tree line—
then another—
then dozens.
Twisted wolves with root-thorns jutting from their backs.
Shadow panthers with glowing red fangs.
Crawling vine-creatures pulsing with corrupt light.
The barrier shimmered—
cracked—
and shattered.
"Breach!" Zane shouted.
"Positions!" Seraphina yelled.
Kai shifted partially, claws glowing gold.
"ARIANA!" he barked.
She raised her arms—
And moon-fire erupted.
A wave of silver-white light blasted outward, forming a vast dome of pure lunar energy.
The beasts slammed into it—
and screeched, recoiling.
Students gasped.
"You protected the WHOLE FRONT!" Rylan shouted.
Ariana staggered slightly—Kai was instantly at her side.
"Don't overextend!" he growled.
"I'm fine—"
Another wave of beasts slammed into the barrier.
Ariana braced.
Kai's arms circled her waist from behind, steadying her.
"Focus on the center," he murmured.
"I'll reinforce your edges."
Ariana nodded.
Their aura locked together—
Silver and gold intertwining.
Her moon-fire stabilized.
Her wolf murmured:
"Mate steadies.
Good."
Ariana flushed but held the barrier.
More beasts crashed against it.
The line trembled.
Students screamed.
Ariana screamed back:
"Hold the line! I'm strengthening the shield!"
Her moon-fire surged—
Brighter—
Hotter—
A blazing wall of lunar energy.
Students cheered.
For a moment—
They almost felt hopeful.
The Traitor Reveals Themself
Then—
A flash of red cut through the battlefield.
Ariana's eyes widened.
"No…"
A figure stepped out from the shadows near the back lines.
A student.
A familiar student.
A Hybrid.
Tyrien Hale.
Quiet. Soft-spoken.
Always reading.
Never raising his voice.
Ariana gasped.
"A sleeper agent—"
Kai snarled, "Not on my watch—"
But Tyrien's eyes glowed red.
He lifted a glowing charm crystal—
and hurled it at Ariana's barrier.
"NO!" Seraphina screamed.
The crystal detonated—
BOOM.
A crack tore through Ariana's moon-fire shield.
Students stumbled backward.
Ariana lost her balance—her head spun.
Kai caught her before she hit the ground.
"Ariana! Ariana breathe!"
She gasped, clutching her chest.
The moon-fire flickered.
Her wolf whimpered:
"Shield weak.
Pain."
Ariana forced herself up.
"We have to stop Tyrien—"
But he was already moving, launching another corruption crystal—
Straight at Seraphina.
"SERAPHINA!" Ariana shrieked.
Seraphina froze—too slow—
Kai lunged—
Too far—
Ariana acted.
She threw moon-fire across the battlefield—
a searing ribbon of silver light.
It struck the crystal mid-air—
shattering it into harmless dust.
Seraphina collapsed in relief.
Ariana turned toward Tyrien—
eyes blazing.
"Why?" she whispered.
Tyrien smiled sadly.
"It's not me, Ariana. I woke up… and I was already gone."
Red corruption twisted across his arms.
Ariana stepped forward.
"I can save you."
Tyrien shook his head.
"No one can save me."
He lifted another crystal—
But Kai tackled him before he could throw it.
They rolled across the dirt—Kai's claws scraping stone.
Kai roared:
"You were in our division! You trained beside us!"
Tyrien choked out:
"I'm sorry."
Then he tried to stab Kai with a corrupted shard.
Kai flicked his wrist—
And knocked Tyrien unconscious.
Kai staggered back, shaking.
Ariana rushed to him.
"Kai! Are you hurt?"
"No," he breathed.
"But he almost—"
Ariana threw her arms around him.
He froze.
Then held her tightly.
Kai Loses Control
But the battle wasn't stopping.
More beasts poured in.
Ariana released Kai reluctantly.
"We have to get back to the front—"
Kai nodded sharply.
They sprinted to the barrier line—
But something was wrong.
Kai descended into the battlefield with feral fury.
Too much fury.
Golden aura erupted around him—
Not controlled.
Not careful.
Wild.
"Kai—!" Ariana yelled.
But he didn't hear.
His wolf fully surfaced—
eyes glowing bright gold, fangs elongated, claws tearing through corrupted creatures like paper.
He moved too fast.
Too violently.
He wasn't fighting just to protect.
He was fighting to kill.
Ariana's heart stopped.
"Kai! KAI—LOOK AT ME!"
He didn't.
A massive corrupted bear lunged—
Kai tore through it with a roar that didn't sound human anymore.
Ariana ran to him.
"Kai STOP!"
No response.
Her wolf whispered urgently:
"He is lost.
Call him back."
"How?!"
"Touch.
Voice.
Name."
Ariana sprinted through the battlefield, dodging claws and teeth.
"Kai! Kai look at me!"
He spun, snarling—
eyes empty, wild.
Ariana didn't flinch.
She grabbed his face between her hands.
"KAI SORIN!"
His body jerked.
She leaned forward until their foreheads touched.
Her voice broke.
"Kai… come back to me."
For a moment—
the world held its breath.
Then—
The gold in his eyes softened.
His claws retracted.
His breath steadied.
He whispered hoarsely:
"…Ariana?"
Ariana exhaled shakily.
"Yes. I'm here."
Kai slumped to his knees, grabbing her arms like she was the only thing keeping him grounded.
"I almost hurt you—" he choked.
Ariana cupped his cheek gently.
"You didn't. You wouldn't."
His chest rose unevenly.
"You're the only thing that brought me back."
Ariana blushed despite the chaos.
"Then stay with me. Don't lose yourself."
Kai nodded, breath trembling.
"I won't. Not again."
She helped him up.
The Moonbeast Shifts
The ground trembled violently.
A massive groan echoed beneath the earth—
like a mountain stirring.
Students froze.
"What was THAT?!"
"Is that—no—no way—"
"Look at the forest!"
Ariana looked.
The trees parted.
Literally parted—
as roots ripped upward, soil lifting like waves.
A deep, massive pulse moved beneath the forest floor.
Ariana's knees buckled.
Kai steadied her quickly.
"Ariana—?!"
She clutched her chest.
"The Moonbeast," she whispered.
"It's shifting. It's trying to stand."
Kai's eyes widened.
"That big?!"
Ariana nodded.
Her wolf howled:
"It rises soon.
Very soon."
Ariana whispered:
"The final battle is coming faster than we thought."
Kai gripped her hand.
"Then we fight harder."
Ariana nodded.
But her wolf trembled:
"Not ready.
Bracelet must break.
Soon."
Ariana swallowed hard.
Would she have to unleash everything… sooner than the final moment?
She didn't know.
But the forest shook again.
And Ariana realized…
Time was almost up.