Umbra came closer, inspecting Kai. She could feel it; he was more powerful now. But she didn’t mind anymore; something had changed.

  She began recounting what had happened during the week she’d been gone.

  ***

  Two weeks ago.

  Umbra flew swiftly across the jungle. Even after catching up with Kai, it felt like he was already ahead of her. She needed a way to keep up.

  Following the remnants of her mana still lingering on the beetle’s body, she flew at top speed for half a day until she finally sensed him nearby.

  In an underground cave, the old beetle sat crunching on ore. His armor was slowly mending, the cracks sealing themselves.

  Umbra entered and approached him.

  “Well, I didn’t expect you so soon. Did you come to keep me company while I fix my broken body, or did you come to finish the job?” the beetle mused, unafraid.

  “I came to seek guidance. I need to grow stronger,” Umbra said solemnly.

  The beetle laughed, his voice echoing through the cave.

  “Do you know how long I’ve lived? And then a youngling like you comes and beats me senselessly. Do you think it’s easy to gain power and become unrivaled? I’ve spent countless years consuming ore, absorbing mana, building my body step by step, and I lost in the end.”

  He sighed.

  “You can’t demand power, and you can’t chase it; it’s not healthy. You need to grow slowly, build a foundation.

  I can sense many different inheritances and types of mana swirling inside you. You haven’t even adapted to this power, haven’t made it yours, yet you want more.”

  He stared her down, unsure what she was rushing toward.

  Umbra stared back, speechless. She knew this hunger for power could ruin her, but she couldn’t stop. She didn’t want to be weak.

  “I don’t want to be weak. I need to walk step by step with my brother,” she said.

  “You’re not weak. Not even close. You need to understand, not everyone grows fast. Even by our standards, you’re unbelievably strong at Tier 7.

  Do you understand how strong that is? So, what if your human brother is stronger? There’s nothing wrong with being the weaker one.

  As long as you’re alive, you can keep up. There will always be something you can help with.”

  Umbra’s claws dug into the ground. His words rang true. She and Kai were advancing quickly, but she couldn’t allow herself to breathe, to adapt. She wanted to be by his side always. But maybe that wasn’t possible?

  “What can I do then? I don’t want to be left behind.”

  “Do you believe your brother would leave you behind? If you do, then he’s no brother of yours!” the beetle thundered.

  “He wouldn’t. He’d risk his life to help his friends and family. That’s why I want to keep up. I can’t let him risk his life to save me over and over again,” she said, her eyes moist.

  “I understand, I do. But your body can’t handle more power. Even if I could help, I wouldn’t; it would kill you. What you need now is to adapt to your body. Grow with it. Make it your own.

  Stay with me while I recover. Focus on controlling your mana and fully merging your inheritances into your soul. Make them truly yours. If you do that, I promise you’ll grow stronger.”

  The beetle spoke gently. For some reason, his heart ached at the Tigerhawks' words.

  “Fine. I feel like you’re right,” she nodded.

  They spent their days in the cave. Umbra hunted occasionally, but mostly she listened to the beetle’s stories and followed his guidance on controlling her powers.

  After two weeks, she thanked him and left. Her mind was calmer now. She understood; she had been too rash. She would do what she could, and if needed, she would give her life to save Kai. But there was no point in rushing her growth. She was different, and Kai was different. As long as she could be by his side, that would be enough.

  She missed him deeply and sped toward Arcanum.

  ***

  In the Arcanum.

  Umbra told them about the beetle’s guidance, how she learned to control her new powers, and properly inherit the abilities of the panther and gryphon. She kept some things to herself; some truths were too embarrassing to say aloud.

  Kai felt her emotions and smiled gently. He could sense how much she cared for him, and he cared just as deeply for her.

  “So, do you still want to hunt the wolf?” Kai asked.

  “I do. But only to test my strength and to pay him back for the pain. But I don’t want to kill him; he spared me when I was weak. Will you come with me?” she asked.

  “I’ll follow you wherever you wish to go,” he replied.

  “I’ll go too,” Scry jumped in. “I want to see this mutated wolf. Could be a good source of new information on beasts.”

  Kai and Umbra laughed out loud.

  ***

  In the meantime.

  Lupus was not idle.

  Inside his cave, the magma rock and crystalline thunder tree were gone. No one knew what he had done with them, but he remained at Tier 9. He stood up abruptly and rushed out of the cave.

  I need more mana. It’s not enough. I need to hurry the fusion, or I’ll lose this opportunity, he thought frantically, lightning and embers scattering behind him.

  He sprinted west, seeking the nearest powerful enemy. What he needed now was a catalyst, a strong opponent to force the chaotic fire and lightning mana within him to merge. If he failed, his preparations would collapse, and he’d need another hundred years to absorb enough mana to break through.

  Then he sensed it, prey.

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  In the western jungle, a massive pond stretched across the terrain. Above it stood a towering Snowflake Birch tree, its branches shimmering with cold mana. Coiled among them, a huge black python slept, absorbing the tree’s energy.

  Its eyes snapped open, sensing the bloodthirsty beast approaching.

  “Who goes there?!” the python hissed, launching a barrage of ice spears toward the wolf.

  Lupus dodged effortlessly, melting several with his volcanic breath. He emerged unscathed, a smile cutting across his face, his canines sharp as daggers.

  “What are you doing here, wolf!? You dare thirst after me? You’re courting death!” the python roared.

  Light blue magic circles formed in the air, summoning icy whirlwinds that sliced trees in half. The temperature plummeted. The pond froze solid.

  Lupus could see his breath. The cold bit into his skin. A strong enemy, exactly what he needed.

  He dashed forward like lightning, leaping into the air to avoid the freezing winds. Mid-air, two red magic circles formed beneath his feet, launching him like a rocket toward the python.

  The python was stunned. This wasn’t beast-like combat; it was tactical, almost human.

  Just before impact, the python encased itself in an icy shell and summoned spikes across its surface like a frozen porcupine.

  Lupus struck and was impaled.

  He growled, melting the spikes and retreating. Two gaping wounds tore through his chest and shoulder. His arms were slashed in several places.

  “You’ll die today, wolf bastard!” the python roared.

  It rose like a dragon, unleashing its strongest ability, “Breath of the Ice Drake!” A beam of icy destruction tore across the pond, obliterating everything in its path.

  But Lupus didn’t panic.

  This pain, this pressure, was nothing compared to the fear he’d felt from the human fire mage so long ago. Nothing compared to the humiliation of losing to the mammoth and having his soul bound.

  He would not lose.

  “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!” he roared, forcing the fire and lightning mana to merge at the deepest level. He fused them with his soul.

  Then, his core exploded.

  Silver and red mana enveloped him like a shell. The blast shattered the icy breath.

  The python stared, stunned.

  “He detonated his core… Did he commit suicide? No… this is different.”

  The two mana types intertwined, tearing Lupus apart on an atomic level. His body shattered, his genes rewritten. In the chaos of mana, only a small gray wolf spirit remained, his true form.

  Before obsession and greed consumed him, he had been a simple Gray Wolf, an earth-element Spirit Beast. But after witnessing the battle between the mage and the generals, he changed. He began absorbing fire cores, then stumbled upon a magma stone and shifted from earth to fire. Over time, he discovered lightning cores enhanced his fire, and so he evolved into a Thunderfire Lupus.

  But his soul had always remained that of a Gray Wolf.

  Today was the day he had waited for.

  His mana transformed, lightning and fire became one. A true Thunderfire. The energy condensed into a Divine Core, and his soul evolved into a silver-and-red wolf pup, returning to the core.

  Then the core spun and rebuilt his body.

  He emerged with a human-like form. Long red hair flowed down his back. Two crystalline silver-blue horns grew from his forehead. His eyes, one red, one blue, glowed with power. A silver tail swayed behind him. His hands were human-like but tipped with feral claws. His ears, still canine, sat on the sides of his head.

  Gray fur armor materialized from the mana covering his now-human body.

  He had become a Thunderfire Ware Lupus, a true Divine beast.

  Power surged through him.

  He teleported beside the python.

  “No! Stop! I did nothing to you!” the python screamed.

  Too late.

  Lupus swiped his clawed fingers, severing the python’s head in a single strike. He crushed it like fruit.

  “This is power. This is what I dreamed of. Now is my time to rule this land!” he laughed, snatching the python’s core and vanishing into the wilderness.

  ***

  The mammoth roared, and his castle trembled.

  He had received a message from the Python: “Lupus had attacked.” Moments later, he felt the snake’s life vanish. The wolf had always been cunning, but this… this was madness.

  He had killed one of their own.

  And the mammoth could sense, he wasn’t going to stop.

  He sent a message to the other four generals:

  “The wolf has killed the python. Everyone, be careful and come to my castle immediately!”

  ***

  A day passed.

  The mammoth paced, stressed, and restless. Then he sensed movement; his generals were approaching, fast.

  Something was wrong.

  The turtle arrived first, floating inside a water bubble. His shell was cracked. The spider sprinted in, covered in wounds. The jaguar stumbled in, half his body scorched. The gorilla limped in, missing an arm.

  They collapsed into the castle, barely alive.

  “Hurry! Monkeys, bring healing fruits and mana crystals!” the mammoth commanded.

  His green monkeys scrambled, feeding and mending the wounded generals.

  “What happened?” the mammoth asked, his voice low and tense.

  The turtle sighed and said:

  “The wolf was waiting for us. He attacked the moment we gathered. Somehow… we survived. I don’t know how. He’s evolved into a Divine Beast.”

  “What? That’s impossible. He was Tier 8 not long ago!”

  “I don’t know how it happened. But he’s coming. We need help. And fast.”

  The mammoth’s heart sank. He could fight the wolf, maybe to a draw, but who would protect the rest?

  He needed help.

  The mammoth rushed to the underground chamber and activated the mirror.

  A draconic eye appeared in the shimmering glass.

  “What is it now?” the dragon asked, voice cold and ancient.

  “Lord… one of the generals, the wolf, has evolved into a Divine Beast. He’s slaughtering everyone. I need someone to help me defend the others,” the mammoth pleaded.

  The dragon sighed.

  “You disappoint me. You can’t even protect your own.”

  A pause.

  “Fine. I’ll send someone. But when they arrive, treat them as you would me. Understood?”

  “Yes, my lord,” the mammoth bowed deeply.

  The light faded. The mirror returned to its dormant state.

  ***

  Kai and the team were preparing to track down the wolf. Scry had unfurled the map, pointing out the wolf’s usual territory, when suddenly, the crystal orb inside Kai’s inner world began to glow.

  A voice echoed clearly in his mind.

  “Kai, I have a request. If you help me with this, I shall reward you.”

  The voice was unmistakable, draconic, ancient.

  “Hello, Lord Arthraxius. How can I help?” Kai asked, confused.

  “One of the Holy Tusks generals, the wolf, has evolved. He’s begun slaughtering the others. Go assist the mammoth. Help him fight and defeat the wolf. I believe this will be a valuable experience for you… a preparation for the outside world.”

  Kai froze. They had just been trying to locate the wolf, and now he was being sent to fight him.

  What a coincidence!

  “How strong is he?” Kai asked, uncertain.

  “He has evolved into a Divine Beast. Most Spirit Beasts won’t be able to touch him now; his existence is above theirs. That’s why I forbid Divine Beasts from remaining in the jungle. This is a place for training and growth, not meaningless slaughter.”

  Arthraxius paused, then continued.

  “A newly evolved Divine Beast is roughly equivalent to a high-tier Knight or a Three-Circle Magus. But the longer they train, the stronger they become. Some can rival Master Knights or even Grand Magi. As I said, this is a good opportunity for you to test yourself. Just be careful.”

  The voice faded. The orb dimmed.

  Kai stood still, absorbing the weight of the mission. The wolf wasn’t just a threat; it was a test and an opportunity.

  Scry flew up beside Kai, noticing the sudden shift in his expression.

  “What’s going on?” he asked, concerned.

  Kai’s eyes were focused, serious.

  “The Dragon King contacted me through the orb. He’s asked me, us, to fight the wolf. He’s evolved into a Divine Beast and is killing the other generals right now.”

  Umbra stood abruptly, her mana flaring.

  “How is that possible? He was Tier 8 just half a year ago!”

  Scry’s tone turned grave.

  “If he had found a powerful treasure, he could’ve forcefully broken through. His foundation won’t be stable for years, but even so… he’ll be able to kill anyone below Divine Beast level with ease.”

  Kai nodded, resolute.

  “I believe we can fight him and help the other generals. The Dragon wouldn’t ask me to go if it were a suicide mission.”

  Umbra fell silent, lost in thought. Then she looked up, her voice calm but firm.

  “I know my limits… but I still want to help.”

  “I want to help too!” Scry chimed in.

  Kai turned to him, stern.

  “Not you, Scry. I have nowhere to hide you. You might get hurt.”

  Scry grinned.

  “I’m not insane, don’t worry. There’s a way. Now that I’m your contracted spirit, I can enter your soul and hide there. Watch!”

  He shimmered with bright light and became transparent, then vanished into Kai’s core region.

  Inside, Kai watched in awe as Scry, now smaller than his core, floated above the Thunder Tree sapling.

  “And look at this,” Scry said inside Kai’s mind. “Since Umbra and you are soulbound, she’s connected to me too.”

  Umbra’s voice echoed in Kai’s mind, startled.

  “How the hell can I hear you in my head?!”

  Kai’s eyes lit up.

  “This is amazing. We can talk to each other mentally now, like a chat group. That means we can coordinate mid-battle and plan in real time. This changes everything.”

  Kai pulled his new armor from his bracelet and strapped it on. The black leather gleamed in the sunlight; he looked every bit the warrior he had become.

  Climbing onto Umbra’s back, he gave a final nod.

  A dark-armored warrior and a pitch-black flying Tigerhawk, together, they looked like fighters from the underworld as they soared into the sky.

  Their mission: save the generals and defeat the wolf.

  ?─??????─?

  Life isn’t some kind of grand destiny.

  It’s just a collection of decisions shaped by the moments that happen around us.

  Of Moon and Magic follows a silver-haired girl. Her mana was weak, but that never dulled her hunger for magic.

  We follow her steps. We weigh her choices. We sit with her loneliness. In a world where magic is everything, war is constant, and morality is little more than a neglected guideline.

  Will she become just another cog in the machine?

  Or will she be the one to end it all?

  Only one way to find out.

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  ?─??????─?