The wolf and the flame
The night stretched eternally over the Frozen Wastes, and nevertheless Yna was warm.
She stood next to a circle that was sacred, her feet anchored in runes carved into ice. Silver fire played around her fingertips, and it was unstable, imperfect.
The Forgotten Ones remained in silence, with empty luminescent eyes.
She had three days.
Three days to master how to use her power.
Three days to be strong enough to stand against Selene.
Because if she wasn't prepared when Selene came back, the world would burn into ashes.
Day One: The Breaking Point
Yna collapsed onto the ice, she was unable to breathe.
Her body ached, her mind was broken.
The leader of the Forgotten Ones towered over her, his serene, calm, silver eyes.
“You are fighting against power,” he stated.
Yna gritted her teeth. "I'm trying to put it into perspective."
“That is your mistake.”
He knelt next to her, resting his hand against the ice.
The ground beneath them shifted.
Silver light blazed forth and engulfed them in a wave of ancient magic.
“Magic is not a command you issue,” he explained. “It's a state you enter into.”
Yna clenched her fists. "Make me stronger then."
The Forgotten One gazed at her for a very long time.
Then he raised his hand—
And Yna’s world shattered.
She wasn’t in the Frozen Wastes.
She was in fire.
A battlefield.
Bodies lay scattered across what remained of a great city.
The sky was red.
And at the very centre, standing on a pyramid of corpses, was she.
But not her.
A version of herself who had lost everything.
A version of herself with golden eyes shining like a god's.
A version of herself who had accepted darkness.
She turned, gazing into Yna's eyes.
“You know how it ends,” another Yna whispered.
A blade appeared in her hand.
“You either join me or you'll be dead.”
Yna’s pulse raced.
The other attacked Yna.
Yna barely dodged in time, her golden flames colliding with the golden fire of her opponent.
But the second one was faster.
Stronger.
Merciless.
“You can’t halt what’s coming," sneered her darker side, shoving her away.
“You don’t have what it's requesting.”
The next blow sent Yna to the ground.
She couldn’t breathe.
She couldn’t move.
And her second self smiled.
“Wake up, small wolf," she murmured.
And then she stabbed Yna in her chest.
Yna woke up screaming.
She bolted upright in bed, chest heaving, sweat beading from her skin.
The Forgotten Ones remained standing there, unshaken.
Yna clutched at her heart, anticipating blood.
There was none.
But the pain was still there.
She turned to address the leader.
“What the hell was that?”
He simply said, "A warning."
Yna gritted her teeth.
Because she finally understood.
The real challenge was not with Selene.
It was against her.
And if she lost.
She wouldn’t just die, she would be even worse.
Day Two: The Trial of the Flame
Yna stood in the middle of a circle of flames.
Silver flames engulfed her, and a huge wall was formed, heat was pushed against her skin and didn't burn.
This was what came next.
She had to wade through it.
The Forgotten One's words echoed in her mind.
“Fire is not your enemy, It's a reflection. It will burn you to ashes if you detest it, It will become part of you, if you love it.”
Yna clenched her fists.
Then she moved forward.
The flames edged in her direction.
For a brief time, it was unbearable.
Her skin stung as it was being torn.
Her screams filled the air.
But she never ceased.
She kept walking.
She kept trying.
And then—
The flames engulfed her.
The pain eased.
The fire seared into her bones.
And when she opened them.
They weren’t just silver anymore.
They were golden and silvery.
She had taken the fire into herself.
And it had welcomed her.
The Forgotten Ones watched in approval.
“You are now ready to face the ultimate test,” stated the leader.
Yna exhaled.
She wasn’t scared anymore.
Day Three: The Total Test
Yna stood at the border of a frozen lake.
The surface was silky to touch, like a mirror.
She saw herself in reflection perfectly.
And then—
Her other version came back.
This time, she did not attack.
She simply looked.
“You understand now, don't you?” asked the second Yna.
Yna nodded. "You're not my enemy."
Her other side smiled.
And stepped into her.
The world exploded.
When the fading light—
Yna was whole.
She could feel it.
The balance in her.
Not just wolf.
Not just magic.
Both.
She turned to the Forgotten Ones.
They knelt.
“You have succeeded where everyone else has failed," said the chief. "You're no longer a wolf."
Yna felt it coursing in her bloodstream.
She had transformed into something new.
Something greater.
And just in time.
Because at that time—
A black tear cut across the sky.
And Selene returned.
Selene’s New Form
She descended from the abyss.
Her body had turned into non-human.
Her skin was parched with black streaks.
Her eyes were red.
And her voice wasn't her voice.
It was the Ancient One himself, talking through her.
She smiled at Yna.
“You’ve changed,” she whispered.
Yna’s magic flashed back in defiance.
“So have you.”
Selene laughed. "Let's see what's changed."
She lifted her hand.
And the war broke out.
The Ultimate Showdown
The sky tore apart.
Shadows poured out from the void.
Warlocks emerged out of darkness.
And in the distance, beyond frozen steppes—
The wolf packs were coming.
Marcus.
Leo.
Liora.
Every wolf who had survived was heading to war.
This was it.
The end to everything.
Yna clenched her fists.
It was time.
Time to finish what had been started centuries ago.
To be continued.