[The Next Day — Council Hut — Sah’Ruh Village]
The atmosphere inside the council hut was heavy, far heavier than before. The discovery regarding Ashkarath had changed everything. Outside...the village continued its daily routine; children played, and hunters sharpened their weapons.
Villagers carried on with their lives. Completely unaware that the fate of an entire empire was being decided inside this very hut.
Grand Duke Lior sat at the head of the table. Kael stood beside him. Several elders occupied the remaining seats. Opposite them sat Zerat; beside him stood Duke Aren. Levin remained beside Zerat, watching, listening, and judging.
Then Zerat finally spoke; his golden eyes settled upon Grand Duke Lior. "The Lunar Moon. We will request judgnt."
The words landed heavily. Imdiately several elders stiffened.
Grand Duke Lior frowned. "The Lunar Moon?"
Zerat nodded. "Yes."
Silence.
The Duke leaned back, his expression uncertain. "Malik...surely there are other thods. We can strengthen our defenses. We can increase patrols. We can continue fighting."
Zerat stared at him, silently and dangerously.
Then—
"Fighting?" His voice remained calm, far too calm. The room imdiately beca colder. "You speak of fighting? Do you truly believe your empire stands in a position to fight Ashkarath?"
Silence.
The question struck like a blade. Grand Duke Lior froze. Kael lowered his gaze. Several elders looked away because nobody could answer.
Nobody, Zerat leaned forward slightly, his golden eyes narrowed. "The beast has slaughtered your warriors. Destroyed your villages. Forced your people into fear and yet..."
His voice lowered.
"...you still speak as though victory belongs to you."
The hut fell silent. Grand Duke Lior clenched his jaw, then spoke. "We are Grey and Red Clan wolves. We do not surrender."
Imdiately—
"Surrender?" Zerat interrupted; a cold laugh escaped him. A dangerous laugh. The kind that made rulers nervous, the kind that preceded bloodshed.
"You misunderstand." His golden eyes sharpened. "I am not speaking about surrender. I am speaking about consequences."
The room froze, then Zerat stood, slowly and majestically like a king rising from his throne. "Ashkarath is not an ordinary beast. It is a Shadow Clan, a guardian clan. A clan that remained hidden for centuries."
The Pri Alpha’s gaze swept across every wolf present.
"And guardian clans do not suddenly wake up one morning and decide to slaughter kingdoms."
Silence, an absolute silence. Then his voice beca colder.
"You provoked them."
The accusation landed heavily. Several elders imdiately looked away. Grand Duke Lior’s expression hardened.
"You have no proof." The words ca quickly, almost defensively. "You cannot simply accuse us."
The Pri Alpha stared at him, unmoving, and then his lips curled faintly, not into a smile. Into sothing far worse, as he said, "No proof? A kingdom burns. Thousands have died. The Shadow Clan refuses every attempt at peace, and you wish to believe they attack because they are bored?"
Silence.
Nobody answered because nobody could. Then Zerat continued. "You provoked them, and now you wish to erase the consequences of your actions."
The room beca deathly silent. Even Grand Duke Lior had no answer, and then Duke Aren stepped forward. Imdiately drawing everyone’s attention. The Duke’s eyes swept across the room, calm, steady, and unforgiving.
"We are not here to assign bla." His voice echoed through the chamber. "We are here because your people saved my son and my son-in-law. And because of that...we will repay that debt."
The room remained quiet, and then the Duke continued. "My son will help. Malik Zerat will help, but this help cannot continue forever. So we agree with the judgnt. The matter ends before the spirits and the truth decides everything."
The room froze. Several elders exchanged uneasy looks, then finally Grand Duke Lior sighed. A long and tired sigh. The sigh of a man realizing he no longer had a choice.
"Very well." His voice sounded older and heavier. "We will request judgnt and end this matter before more lives are lost."
Several elders slowly nodded. Kael remained silent, but relief appeared in his eyes. Then Zerat asked, "When?"
Kael answered imdiately. "Three nights. The Lunar Moon begins in three nights."
Zerat nodded. "Good. Then send a ssage."
The room frowned.
"A ssage?" Kael asked.
Zerat’s eyes narrowed. "To the Shadow Clan King."
Silence, an absolute silence. The elders nearly choked; several imdiately stood. Grand Duke Lior looked horrified. "You wish to contact them?"
Zerat looked genuinely confused. "How else do you request judgnt? Send a ssage and summon their King."
The room froze completely. Even Duke Aren frowned, then Kael slowly spoke. "Malik...the Shadow King...is not a ruler people summon."
Silence.
Zerat furrowed, asking, "Explain."
Kael swallowed, then answered. "The Shadow King is considered the darkest ruler in Wolf history. It is said he has never forgiven a single enemy. Never withdrawn a single punishnt and never shown rcy."
Even the elders looked uncomfortable, then Kael lowered his voice. "When he appears...he demands one of two things, destruction or sacrifice."
The words echoed through the hut like a death sentence; nobody spoke and nobody moved. Then Zerat simply nodded, as though discussing the weather. As though Kael had ntioned nothing important.
"Then prepare yourselves." The room stared; Zerat turned toward the door, holding Levin’s hand. His robes are flowing behind him, majestic, terrifying, and unshaken. Then his final words echoed through the chamber.
"If your empire has committed a sin...then be prepared to pay for it because after three nights..." His golden eyes glead. "...your fate will no longer belong to kings."
Silence.
The door opened, and as Zerat stepped outside...his final words lingered behind him. "It will belong to Judgnt."
The council hut remained frozen because for the first ti...everyone understood. The battle against Ashkarath was ending, and sothing far more terrifying was about to begin.
***
[Deep Within The Ashkarath Forest—The Sa Ti]
The forest was silent, too silent. No birds sang, no insects chirped. Even the winds seed afraid to enter. Ancient trees towered toward the heavens like forgotten pillars from an age before kingdoms existed.
Their branches twisted together above the forest floor, blocking the sun, swallowing the light. Turning the world beneath into endless twilight.
And through that darkness...a lone grey wolf moved, swiftly, quietly, and purposefully. The captain of the Imperial Palace. His paws barely made a sound against the dead leaves; his eyes remained fixed ahead.
Yet despite his calm appearance...his heart was heavy...very heavy. As he continued deeper into the forbidden forest, he lowered his head and whispered—
"I hope...everyone survives this." The words vanished into the darkness, then a bitter smile appeared as his eyes darkened. "I have no choice. I must obey His Majesty."
The grey wolf continued forward, past ancient stones, past forgotten shrines, and past trees marked with claw scars older than entire dynasties, deeper...and deeper until finally he arrived.
A valley hidden from the world, a valley untouched by mortals. The sacred territory of Ashkarath.
The Shadow Clan.
Silence. There was an absolute silence. Then a movent. Black figures erged between the trees.
One, three, ten, and twenty. Shadow wolves. Their fur is darker than midnight; their eyes glead like embers within the darkness, watching, waiting, and guarding.
The ancient protectors of the Wolf Clan. The captain slowly stepped forward, and then light erupted; his wolf form disappeared. Monts later...a human stood in its place. His sword rested in his hand, his face hidden beneath a dark cloak.
The Shadow Wolves observed him silently and curiously because no mortal willingly entered this forest. No mortal willingly approached Ashkarath territory.
For a brief mont...the captain hesitated. His grip tightened; regret flickered across his face. Then he rembered the emperor’s command, and his expression hardened.
"I apologize, but I have no choice either. I have to obey my king."
The whisper escaped him and then—
SHING!
The sword left its sheath; silver flashed through the darkness. A single movent, fast, precise, and rciless. Two nearby Shadow Wolves collapsed before they even understood what had happened.
Silence.
For one heartbeat...the entire forest froze, and then a howl erupted. A terrible howl. Ancient, furious, and heartbreaking. The cry echoed through every corner of the forest, then another answered.
And another...and another. Until the entire wilderness scread, the captain’s face paled because suddenly...the shadows moved.
Hundreds of eyes opened within the darkness, hundreds, perhaps thousands, watching him. Watching the fallen wolves. Watching the blood upon his sword.
The forest itself seed to awaken, the earth trembled, and the trees shook.
Then—
AAAAAWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
A monstrous howl split the heavens; the captain froze, and his blood ran cold because this howl did not belong to an ordinary Ashkarath.
It belonged to sothing older, sothing greater and sothing that ruled. Far beyond the valley...across the mountains...across the forests...
The howl continued, a declaration, a summons, a call to war. The Shadow Wolves began changing; their bodies expanded.
Muscles swelled. Bones cracked. Dark mist erupted around them; their eyes burned with murderous fury. The guardians were gone.
Only beasts remained, only vengeance remained. The captain stumbled backward, his face drained of color because he imdiately understood.
This was no longer retaliation, no longer punishnt, and no longer justice; this was war, and sowhere deep within the heart of the forest...two enormous black eyes slowly opened, ancient and terrifying, filled with endless hatred.
The King of Ashkarath had heard the cry, and the Shadow King was awake, and now the real war between wolves has begun.
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