Chapter 18: Bloodlines Awakened
The sky was bruised with deep purples and reds as the sun sank behind Moon Hollow like a jagged silhouette. A low wind stirred the branches, and for a moment, the world held its breath.
[SYSTEM MESSAGE]
Full Moon: 1 Day, 6 Hours Remaining
Blood Moon Approaches...
Tyler paced near the edge of the clearing behind Conny's cottage, energy twisting beneath his skin. He couldn't stop moving, couldn't sit still. Something inside him was clawing its way to the surface not the wild frenzy from his first transformation, but something deeper. The closer the Blood Moon drew, the louder the wolf within howled.
Selene stood nearby, eyes never leaving him.
"You okay?" she asked.
"No," Tyler said honestly. "But I think I know how to fix that."
She tilted her head. "Fix it how?"
"I need to shift. I'm sure I can control it this time. I need to know if I can be the werewolf and the man… without losing myself."
Selene nodded once. "I'll stay close by."
Tyler stepped back, closed his eyes, and breathed deeply.
The Meditation. The Calm. He found the place inside him that Master Kai had taught him to reach. The still point between rage and restraint. He could feel the difference between magic and instinct. Between the man… and the wolf.
And then he let go.
The transformation wasn't violent this time. It rolled over him like a wave. Bones shifted. Muscles reformed. Claws extended. Grey Fur erupted. But this time… his eyes stayed clear.
Glowing. Bright yellow almost gold. Aware.
Selene's breath caught in her throat. "Tyler…"
The back door slammed open. Conny and Sonique rushed out, sensing the energy spike. But they froze at the edge of the clearing.
Tyler stood tall, towering in his full werewolf form. Gray fur rippled in the breeze, muscles coiled with restrained power. His presence was commanding. Regal. Utterly inhuman. Saliva dripped from razor-sharp teeth as his golden yellow glowing eyes locked onto them.
He looked down at his monstrous clawed hands and felt it.
The Magic.
Fire surged from his palms, coating his claws in dancing flame. The blaze vanished a second later, but his claws remained red-hot smoldering with stored heat.
[SYSTEM MESSAGE]
New Ability Activated: Fire Claws (Passive)
Melee attacks now deal fire damage and leave lingering burn effects.
He raised his arms. Wind began swirling violently around him, reacting to his will.
[Inferno Surge: Ready]
Tyler slammed his fists into the dirt.
A vortex of fire and wind exploded outward—spiraling into the sky like a tornado of flame. Leaves were stripped from trees. Smoke scorched the edges of the clearing.
Conny stumbled back. "By all the Arcane Saints…"
[Wind Force Activated]
He swept one claw through the air, releasing a slicing gust that carved a deep groove through a tree trunk, cleaving bark clean off.
Then came the growl.
A low, guttural snarl that vibrated through the earth.
He reared back and howled.
[Ice Howl Activated]
A cone of frost erupted from his mouth, engulfing the area a head of him in a path of ice shards. Ice exploded across it, freezing it solid in seconds. The ground cracked under the sudden cold.
Conny's hands trembled.
"This… this isn't possible."
Sonique stood in stunned silence. For once, words failed her.
Conny stepped forward slowly, disbelief painted across her face. "Werewolves don't cast elemental magic. That's not illusion magic at least not anything ive seen before. That's real. And those abilities they're advanced. That howl, that fire… Tyler Graves, you shouldn't exist."
Tyler shifted back, panting, returning to his human form. Steam rose from his skin where fire had kissed it. His eyes still glowing faintly gold remained locked on Conny.
Selene stepped to his side, slipping her hand into his.
Sonique stared for a long moment, then stepped forward protectively. Her fists were clenched.
"We should… bind him," Conny said quietly. "Take him to the Mage Council. Let them decide. This could be"
"No." Sonique's voice cut like a blade. "You're not laying a hand on him."
Conny's jaw dropped. "You saw what he just did! That kind of magic, shouldnt be used by a werewolf. He's a threat to the mage world."
"I know what I saw," Sonique snapped. "And I saw him. Tyler Graves. The grandson of the man you helped disappear. The boy you promised to help. And now, just because he's powerful, you want to chain him up and hand him to people who would dissect him?"
Conny's face twisted. "That power could be weaponized. He could be used against mages. He is dangerous."
Sonique's tone dropped quiet and cold. "Maybe that's what we need."
Conny fell silent.
Sonique turned back to Tyler, her voice softer now.
"I've been feeling it for weeks," she said. "This… pull. Toward you. Toward Mason. Like something inside me knows you. Like I was born to protect you. I think it's your bloodline."
Tyler blinked. "You think we're the missing royal family?"
Sonique nodded slowly. "You wield elemental and illusion magic.. we cant practice blood magic but im sure you would be able to use that too. If anyone could unite the fractured mage factions… it's someone who bridges the divide. Blood. Illusion. Elemental magic."
She glanced at Conny. "You know elemental mages are protectors of the royal family? It's feeling we have when they around"
Conny said nothing. But her expression betrayed the truth.
Just then, Mason stepped out of the cottage. He'd heard it all. His gaze locked on his brother.
"I don't know if we're royalty," he said, "but I do know it was magic that made Tyler a werewolf."
Conny and Sonique both turned sharply.
Tyler exhaled. "It wasn't a bite. There was this orb. I touched it, blacked out… and when I woke up, I was changed."
He didn't mention the system. Not yet.but explained all the details of the first transformation and described the man that brought in the car.
Sonique absorbed the story slowly. Then nodded.
"That man sounds familiar but I'd need to see him to be sure. You're a mage by blood but you also a werewolf. You're both... A Hybrid"
But what she didn't say, what she couldn't say was that the bond she felt now, the instinct to stay near him, was only getting stronger.
She didn't want to leave him. She wasn't even sure if she could.
That night, the moon rose through the trees, pale and glowing a faint red almost teasing the blood moon was nearly upon them.
Tyler stood at the edge of the cottage roof, overlooking the dark forest.
"It's almost time," he whispered.
[SYSTEM MESSAGE]
Blood Moon in 24 Hours
Warning: Magical Instability Expected
+10 to All Stats
+100 Mana
+100 HP
Mason stepped up beside him, tapping his shoulder.
"Hey, bro," he said quietly. "We haven't had much time to ourselves lately."
Tyler smirked. "You okay?"
"There's something I've been meaning to ask but ive been waiting for the right time," Mason said. "Something big."
Tyler turned, eyebrows raised. "You don't need to wait for the right time. I'm always here."
A flash from the past hit him, from their dad's funeral. Gray skies. Light rain. Mason crying, and Tyler gripping his shoulder.
"It's just us now, Mas," Tyler had said. "I got your back. Whatever you need."
Mason met his brother's eyes now with quiet resolve.
"I want you to turn me."
Tyler blinked. "What?"
"I want you to make me a werewolf," Mason said firmly. "Before you say no... listen. It's my choice. I've thought about it. I want to understand it, feel it. And most of all, I want to make sure we have each other's backs. No matter what."
Far beyond the hills, in a hidden sanctum lit by flickering candles and runed stone, a figure cloaked in crimson with gold crest stared into a scrying flame.
"The Blood Moon is upon us," the mage whispered. "And we have failed to recover the orb."
He turned to a shadowy figure at his side.
"It might be time to forge a new one. But this time… we'll use different DNA, the blood moon will give us the power we need to create it."
The fire flared with unnatural light.