MARKED BY THE MOONFIRE

. Aria stood at the edge of the woods, the cool breeze ruffling her dark hair. The transformation had taken its toll,

ad been broken, and now the world was different. Sharper, clearer. She could hear every rustle of a leaf, eve

had not wavered, but there was an undeniable tension in his posture. The moment had arrived for her

and steady, though there was an edge of some

. "It doesn't feel like I did well," she confessed. "I feel... like I'm j

nside you is ancient, and it takes time to master. You're not supp

know when I'm not just-" she paused, the weight of her own wo

dle her; he was here to guide her. "You will know when you can control it, when you can bend it to your will

uld still feel the lingering power in her bones, a simmering heat that threatened to boil over. What had

t herself further. If she didn't, the fear of he

ination filling her voice. "I want to se

Aria, you must not lose yourself in this. It is a test of your mind and heart, not

ttle comfort as she prepared herself mentally. This time, she would not allow herself to be afra

curled at the base of her spine, the raw power that surged like a curren

d softly in the distance. "Focus on what you can con

center. The transformation began, just as it had bef

s digging into the earth beneath her. Pain flared as her bones shifted, reshaping her bo

ven the distant scent of prey. Her hearing sharpened, and she could hear the sounds of animals moving through the woods, their heartbeats quicken

m her. She kept her mind steady, focusing on the sensation of the power insi

erocity of the change calmed. When she opened her eyes again, she was no longer fully human, but not fully wolf either. She stood in

she could wield, not something that controlled her. It was no longer a chaoti

ound, her claws gently grazing

orian's voice broke

from the effort. "Better," she said, her voice rough. "It f

tep forward, Aria. But this is only the beginning. The true test will come when you face a challenge that fo

he journey she had embarked upon was just starting, and there would be no easy answers,

ain: she was ready to