✨ Chapter 40 – The Moonbeast's Shadow
The morning after discovering the ritual field, the academy tasted like fear and determination.
Students sprinted across the grounds carrying rune charts.
Professors glowed with overworked magic.
Wards hummed audibly—too loudly.
And Ariana felt the weight of every heartbeat like a countdown.
Three days.
No—two now.
Two days until the full moon.
Two days until the attack.
Ariana forced herself out of bed, dressed, and went straight to Hybrid training.
Kai was already waiting outside her dorm.
Arms crossed.
Expression dark.
Eyes shadowed from lack of sleep.
"You didn't rest," Ariana said softly.
Kai shrugged.
"I don't need to."
Ariana raised an eyebrow.
"You look like you wrestled a tree."
"I did wrestle a tree."
Kai pointed to a bruise on his arm.
"It fought back."
Ariana tried not to laugh.
She failed.
Then she sobered.
"Kai… we need to talk about the Moonbeast."
"No," Kai said instantly.
"I don't want to talk about anything that could hurt you."
Ariana stared at him.
"Kai… it's tied to lunar magic. That means it might be tied to me."
Kai's jaw tensed.
"I know," he whispered.
"That's what scares me."
Ariana felt warmth swell in her chest.
But before she could speak—
Seraphina jogged toward them across the field, blond curls bouncing.
"Ariana! Kai! Thank the stars. You're both here."
Ariana smiled.
"Seraphina. Morning."
Kai grunted.
Seraphina ignored him.
"I looked deeper into the ritual field we found," Seraphina said breathlessly.
"And I think… I think they're trying to unseal the Moonbeast before the full moon."
Ariana's stomach dropped.
Kai growled.
"How?"
Seraphina reached into her satchel, pulling out glowing silver thread.
"Charm-mapping," she explained. "I traced the aura path of the runes."
Ariana leaned in.
"Show me."
Seraphina held up the thread—
and Ariana saw it knot into a shape that twisted like a claw.
"Part of the seal has already weakened," Seraphina said.
"It didn't fall apart naturally. Someone accelerated the breakdown."
Ariana inhaled sharply.
"Myrra."
Seraphina nodded.
"And the reconstruction… is incredibly advanced. This isn't student-level."
Ariana shivered.
"They're building a battlefield," she whispered.
"Not just for us… but for a monster."
Seraphina bit her lip.
"Headmaster Solarin wants us in the archive hall for a briefing. He said Ariana especially."
Kai frowned instantly.
"Why Ariana?"
Seraphina gave him a look like he was being slow.
"Because she's connected to the Moonbeast, obviously."
Kai stiffened.
Ariana touched his arm gently.
"Let's go."
The Archive Hall – Moonbeast Lore
The archive hall was filled with books, glowing symbols, and stressed professors.
Headmaster Solarin stood beside an enormous wooden board etched with an ancient illustration.
The Moonbeast.
A creature the size of a carriage, wolf-shaped but twisted—
horns like branches, ribs exposed, glowing veins.
Ariana felt a chill crawl down her back.
Aster had seen it in her dreams.
Solarin gestured to the image.
"This," he said, "is the Moonbeast. A guardian creature from the age before the academy."
Ariana felt her wolf recoil.
Kai stepped closer to her.
Solarin continued:
"Long ago, when lunar magic was wild and uncontrolled, the Moonbeast served as a protector. But something tainted it. Corrupted it."
Professor Vayne added:
"It wandered the land attacking anything with lunar signatures. Pure lunar energy fueled it."
Ariana froze.
"That means…"
Her voice trembled.
"It would sense me."
Solarin nodded gravely.
"Yes."
Kai growled, low and dangerous.
"If that thing comes near Ariana, I'll tear it apart."
Solarin sighed.
"Kai… anger will not save you. The Moonbeast cannot be killed easily."
Rylan, Calen, and Zane slipped into the hall then.
Rylan whistled low.
"Okay but… that thing is horrifying."
Calen crossed his arms.
"It's basically a nightmare wolf."
Zane studied the runes thoughtfully.
"It reacts to lunar power. Ariana's presence would provoke it."
Kai stiffened more.
Ariana's wolf whispered a low warning in her head:
"Kin twisted. Not enemy. Not friend. Dangerous."
Ariana whispered:
"My wolf says… the Moonbeast is tied to me somehow. Not as an ally, but… it recognizes my magic."
Solarin nodded.
"That is why Rebirth wants you."
Above them, thunder cracked.
Solarin gestured for silence.
"Two nights remain," he said calmly.
"One before the full moon."
He looked to Ariana.
"You must grow stronger. You must learn to project your light magic fully without collapsing."
Ariana nodded firmly.
"I'll do it."
Kai's hand found hers under the table.
Back on the Training Field
Later that afternoon, Ariana practiced stabilizing magic towers with hybrid students.
Her wolf was restless.
Her bracelet hummed.
"Kyle, anchor the left!" Ariana called.
He obeyed.
"Mirin, push your mana forward, not down!"
"Yes, Coordinator!"
Ariana exhaled.
She was actually… good at this.
Seraphina called from nearby.
"Ariana! How does this look?"
She'd constructed a charm barrier shaped like a dome made of golden threads.
Ariana's eyes widened.
"Seraphina… that's gorgeous."
Seraphina beamed.
"Oh good. I made it to reinforce your hybrids if they get overwhelmed."
Ariana hugged her impulsively.
Seraphina squeaked.
"A-Aria—!"
They both laughed.
Kai watched from a distance.
He did not laugh.
Zane walked up behind him.
"You're jealous again."
Kai glared.
"No I'm not."
Rylan shouted, "You absolutely are!"
Kai snapped, "I'm not jealous of Seraphina!"
Rylan grinned.
"Not her. Ariana hugging her."
Kai froze.
Then muttered:
"…shut up."
Ariana glanced over at him—
and her entire face warmed.
She could feel his jealousy across the field like a sunburn.
Her wolf wagged her tail inside.
"Mate upset. Cute."
Ariana nearly tripped.
The Early Activation
Just as training wrapped up, the ground trembled.
A faint vibration.
Barely there—
but enough to send Ariana's wolf bristling.
"Ariana?" Kai asked.
"Shh—wait—"
Ariana placed her hand on the soil.
Her wolf whispered:
"Rune waking."
Ariana's eyes snapped open.
"Kai. It's starting."
Kai stiffened.
"What?"
"The ritual runes," Ariana said urgently.
"The ones in the forest. They're waking up early."
Zane and Calen rushed to her side.
Rylan cursed.
"How early?"
Ariana hesitated.
"Hours. Maybe less."
Seraphina clasped Ariana's arm.
"We have to warn Solarin."
Ariana nodded—
But then the ground pulsed again.
A soft red glow shimmered through the trees.
A horrible realization hit Ariana's chest.
"It's not starting," she whispered.
"It's testing."
Kai's jaw clenched.
"Rebirth is checking how much time they need."
Ariana nodded.
"And if they can accelerate the ritual…
they might try to unleash the Moonbeast tomorrow night…"
Everyone went still.
Not full moon night.
Not battle night.
Tomorrow.
A day early.
Kai grabbed Ariana's shoulders gently but firmly.
"Ariana. Tell me… do you sense the Moonbeast now?"
Ariana closed her eyes.
Her wolf rose inside her like a silver tide.
A pulse.
A distant heartbeat.
A sleeping monster.
She gasped.
"It's dreaming," she whispered.
"Already. It's… half awake."
Kai's hand tightened around hers.
"We don't have days, Ariana."
Ariana nodded, fear crawling up her spine.
"We have one night left."