A crimson moon hung in the deep, dark sky, a delicate curved bow forged from shadow and blood.

The Thousand-Crag Cliffs rose steeply, their faces sheared smooth as polished blades. Their peaks pierced the clouds, while mist coiled around their waists like silk, transforming the range into a celestial sword thrust into the snowfield below.

Wolf King Will stood at the base of the cliffs, gazing up at the awe-inspiring ice peak. He remembered the three times he’d scaled these cliffs to sneak into the human kingdom for training. Those harrowing adventures felt like they’d happened only yesterday. How time flies—more than a decade has passed, Will sighed inwardly.

“Is this the legendary Thousand-Crag Cliffs?” the white wolf pup asked.

Will’s brow furrowed slightly. He wasn’t a wolf who liked answering questions, but he was stuck with this “question machine” by his side. When he’d first met the white wolf Ash, he’d thought the pup was a fearless warrior. But after days of traveling together, he’d realized that couldn’t be further from the truth. Ash looked tall and fierce—taller even than Will—but his temperament was still that of a curious cub.

“This is the westernmost edge of the Frost Great Wall. The wall stretches five hundred miles east to Swordspire Peak, forming an impenetrable barrier that blocks our path south.” Will answered patiently.

Though he was annoyed by this “nominal brother,” he couldn’t show any irritation right now. The old white wolf had sent Ash to discuss a potential alliance, but this fragile truce could shatter at any moment. Will knew the old wolf wanted details, but the most critical part was something he could barely bring himself to say. He’d brought Ash to this corner of the wall to lay everything bare. For the future of the wolf clan, for the honor of my family! The Wolf King must be patient.

“Did our clan sneak into human territory through these cliffs?” Ash pressed on.

“There are two ‘weak points’ in the human defenses—here, and Swordspire Peak to the east. But the Thousand-Crag Cliffs are less steep than Swordspire, so it’s easier to cross here.” Will said.

Ash stared at the cliffs for a long moment, then asked: “Big brother, have you ever climbed this peak?”

Insolent cub! How dare you call me that! Will’s voice turned deep and gruff: “Yes. Three times.”

“But I don’t think I can do it…”

“Most wolves can’t. Only the absolute elite of our clan dare to challenge the Thousand-Crag Cliffs…” Will noticed Ash’s defiant expression and smiled faintly: “Even so, out of ten wolves who attempt the climb, only one survives. It’s a journey of nine deaths and one life.”

At that, a sharp pain lanced through Will’s heart. My pup fell to his death trying to cross these cliffs, he thought. He’d be your age now, if he’d lived.

“Why could you do it then?”

Will shot Ash a sidelong glance. In Wolf Fort, any wolf who spoke to me like this wouldn’t live to see the next sunrise!

“Because I learned the Leaping Charm.”

“Leaping Charm?” Ash’s eyes widened. “That’s a fox clan spell! How did you learn it?”

Will sneered inwardly. I know far more than you think, cub. Don’t assume your strength makes you unbeatable—you’re still just a pup!

“There are many ways to learn other demon clans’ spells. Trading with black market merchants is one.”

Ash looked confused: “Aren’t black market merchants humans? How would they know demon spells?”

“Human black merchants only know human magic, but our demon black merchants are different. If you’re interested, I’ll take you to the Curse Mausoleum. You’ll see all kinds of strange things there, and you can learn dark magic and spells.”

Ash’s eyes lit up: “I want to go! I want to learn the Leaping Charm!”

Will smiled: “Of course. But don’t say I didn’t warn you—even if you learn the charm, you might still fail to cross the cliffs.”

“Huh? Why?”

Are you a walking encyclopedia of questions? Will sighed: “If crossing this natural barrier was as simple as learning a fox spell, it wouldn’t have plagued our clan for a thousand years.”

Ash stared blankly at the snow peak, then suddenly shouted: “If it’s so hard to cross, then don’t go this way! Just destroy the Frost Great Wall directly!”

Will was startled by the pup’s sudden resolve. Well said, cub! As if the ninety-eight Wolf Kings before me never thought of that.

“The Frost Great Wall isn’t so easy to destroy. It was built by human Oracles, who wove ancient magic into its stones, making it as hard as steel. For a thousand years, our ancestors tried every trick in the book to break through—countless battles, countless strategies—but we never succeeded.”

Ash thought for a moment, then said: “What if we make a giant stone hammer, have a hundred wolf warriors carry it, and smash it into the wall? Could that destroy it?”

“According to wolf history, the first Wolf King tried that a thousand years ago. The hammer shattered, but the wall didn’t even scratch.”

“Um… What if we make long wooden ladders, lean them against the wall, and have wolves climb over?”

“The third Wolf King tried that. The human hunters’ archers shot down every single one of our troops. Later, several other Wolf Kings improved the ladders and attacked again, but we still suffered heavy losses.”

“Then… What if we dig a tunnel under the wall?”

“Starting with the tenth Wolf King, our clan tried digging tunnels dozens of miles away from the wall, hoping to create a passage beneath it. But the wall’s foundations go ten fathoms deep, and the stones are infused with ancient magic that prevents us from breaking them. Six hundred years ago, a group of tunnel diggers were discovered by human rangers. Their bodies were sealed into the wall itself. After that, our clan gave up on that idea.”

Ash fell silent, finally admitting defeat: “Is the Great Wall really indestructible?”

Not if the white wolf clan is willing to make a sacrifice… Will stared up at the crimson moon hanging over the peaks, wondering how to put it into words. For a moment, he thought of the man he’d met in the wolf woods that night. The Apostle of the Blood Moon is the emissary of the Wolf God. His guidance can’t be wrong. This is the only way…

“Why aren’t you talking?” Ash asked.

That’s your thousand-and-first question. Will said: “Ash, do you know why our clan must cross the Great Wall and go to the lands south of it?”

Ash paused: “Um… The north is cold and barren. The conditions are terrible, so we have to go south… to expand our territory.”

Not expand. Reclaim. Will shook his head.

“The north is cold and resource-poor, but the wolf clan and other demon clans have lived on this vast snowfield for a thousand years. We don’t have grand ambitions for huge territories. And there are warm places in the north, like Winter Snow Valley—more than one, enough for our clan to rest, enjoy, and multiply.”

Ash looked confused: “Then why do we have to go to the other side of the wall?”

Will lifted his head, his voice ringing with dignity: “Because the other side of the Great Wall is our ancestral home.”