Will walked across the snow, each step accompanied by a faint, crisp crunch. He loved the feeling of treading on fresh snow, and at times like this, he would order his wolf guards to stand perfectly still, lest they disturb the satisfying sound. Just as they were doing now.
Wolf, Arken, Ali, and the other guards stood ten feet away, while the Wolf King and the white wolf pup wandered the snow at the base of the cliffs, Will slowly planting seeds of ideology in the cub’s mind.
“Our wolf clan has two ancestors. One is the Wolf God, the noble being with supreme, unmatched power—his fur and skin are silver-white, just like your white wolf kin. But our other ancestor was human.”
“You mean… humans are our ancestors too?” Ash stared at him, incredulous.
Will sighed softly. Old Watt never told you the true history of our clan… He didn’t forget; he was too obsessed with internal feuds. He only wanted to train you to fight, hoping one day you’d avenge him against me. Old Watt is unfit to be a Wolf King!
Will clasped his hands behind his back and walked slowly, his voice steady: “The other vein in our blood comes from humans. That ancestor was named ‘Demon Mountain,’ once a human king. He angered the Celestial Gods by showing them no respect during a ritual, so the gods cursed his entire family. From then on, every full moon, he was forced to endure the agony of transforming into a werewolf. Worse still, the curse was a chain that bound not only Demon Mountain but also his ten children and all their descendants. For generations, the family has suffered this unbearable fate every full moon.”
“Word of the king’s moonlit transformation spread across the kingdom, stirring rage and fear among the people. They saw their king as a monster and rose up in rebellion. In the end, Demon Mountain’s reign collapsed completely.”
“Even after his fall, the people didn’t spare his family. Everyone saw the Demon Mountain clan as a source of chaos, something to be eradicated root and branch. Human warriors and mages hunted them down relentlessly, attacking on sight. Trapped in this desperate situation, the Demon Mountain clan had no choice but to flee the kingdom and seek refuge in the distant northern snowfields.”
“The snowfields were uninhabited by humans, home only to a few demon clans who lived in peace with each other. When the Demon Mountain clan arrived in this pure land, they encountered the Wolf God. With his profound wisdom and compassion, the Wolf God saw their suffering and welcomed them with open arms. From then on, the wolf clan and the Demon Mountain clan lived together, intermingling, breeding, and building a home. That is how our wolf clan came to be.”
“So we, the descendants of the wolf clan, carry both the Wolf God’s blood and the Demon Mountain clan’s blood. And the Demon Mountain clan’s hatred for humans is etched into our very veins like a brand. Demon Mountain was the rightful ruler of the kingdom, yet he was cursed by the gods and exiled by mobs. We must never forget this searing hatred. Humans are nothing but cowardly, suspicious, weak scum who don’t deserve to rule this land. Only our noble wolf clan has the right to dominate the world. So crossing the natural barrier, returning to our ancestral home, conquering the kingdom, and wiping out the humans—that is our clan’s ultimate destiny!”
Will finished his rousing speech and gazed at the distant Frost Great Wall. The towering wall loomed like a sleeping dragon, half-hidden in white mist, winding endlessly into the horizon. Apostle of the Blood Moon… can I trust you?
Crunching footsteps sounded behind him. Ash walked up to stand beside the Wolf King, shoulder to shoulder.
“I understand now why those stone warriors in the Hero’s Tomb fought humans so fiercely, even sacrificing their lives without hesitation.”
Will felt a flicker of relief. For days, their conversations had felt awkward, but this was the first time Ash had said something that pleased him. Are you willing to sacrifice yourself for the clan? The words almost slipped out of his mouth.
“But I think their sacrifices were meaningless.” Ash crossed his arms. “A thousand years have passed, and the Great Wall still stands firm. Humans still thrive in the warm south, while we remain trapped in this bitter cold. We cause them some trouble sometimes, but we never shake the foundation of their kingdom! I don’t know—does revenge even matter anymore? Does sacrifice?”
Of course it does! Will’s face darkened: “Do you truly believe the Frost Great Wall is unshakable?”
Ash said: “Isn’t it? We’ve tried for a thousand years, hundreds of times, and we still can’t break through. Doesn’t that prove it?”
“We are not opportunists. Some things are not meaningless just because they haven’t succeeded yet. We do them because they matter!”
Ash was silent for a moment, then asked: “You plan to keep sacrificing our kin?”
Will snorted: “I won’t let our blood be spilled in vain. I’ve found a way to break through the Frost Great Wall.”
“My father mentioned you plan to declare war on humans during the Blood Moon. It’s true—on that night, the latent power in our werewolf blood will fully awaken…” Ash frowned in confusion. “But humans always hide behind their walls. If they don’t come out to fight, how will you use that awakened power to destroy the wall?”
Will said calmly: “I will channel that awakened werewolf power into the Great Wall’s weakest point.”
“The Great Wall has a weak point?”
Ash’s eyes widened in shock, just as Will had expected. This is the Great Wall’s greatest secret! Our clan failed for a thousand years because we never found this flaw.
“The wall stretches hundreds of miles, and its weakest point is at its very center.”
“Shield Fort?”
“Exactly.”
“How is that possible? Shield Fort is supposed to be the strongest part of the wall!” Ash’s eyes bulged.
Shield Fort is like an unbreakable shield! That’s what you’ve always believed, isn’t it?
Will’s voice turned deep and grave: “For a thousand years, humans have claimed Shield Fort is indestructible, but the truth is the opposite. When the Oracle built the Great Wall, he wove ancient magic into its stones. But for some unknown reason, the center of the wall could not be infused with that ancient magic. In desperation, the Oracle used the ‘Eternal Holy Light’ as a substitute. While it still strengthens the wall, its power is only one-tenth that of the ancient magic. To make up for this flaw, the Oracle built the formidable Shield Fort to reinforce the defenses, and spread rumors of its invincibility to mislead the world.”
Our clan was fooled by that lie for a thousand years… Will sighed inwardly.
“My strategy targets this weakness. Our clan’s most powerful ability is your white wolves’ sacrificial self-detonation. On the night the Blood Moon is full, the power of a white wolf’s detonation will surge tenfold. If we unleash that cataclysmic explosion on the wall’s weakest point, we will surely create a breach, and the Great Wall will crumble!”
Ash’s body jolted: “You mean… you want our white wolves to detonate themselves to break the wall?”
Can’t you see that? Are you really that dense?
Will spoke with feigned sincerity: “For the glory and future of our clan, some wolves must sacrifice themselves. The blood of every warrior who dies for the clan will not be in vain. The Wolf God will use his supreme power to guide their spirits to the Celestial Garden—a paradise far more beautiful than Winter Snow Valley. There, rivers of honey flow through it, trees hang heavy with sweet fruit, and the air is thick with the scent of roasted meat… It is the home our clan has always dreamed of, an eternal realm without hunger or cold, only joy and peace.”
I’m getting better at making this up, Will thought, impressed by his own lies. He placed his hands on Ash’s shoulders and turned him to face the night sky.
“Ash, look at that crimson crescent moon. It foretells our clan’s future. When the moon is full, we will fulfill our thousand-year wish, cross the Great Wall, and take back our ancestral home. And that will be the glorious moment when you, little white wolf, are crowned the ruler of both the wolf clan and the human kingdom.”
As the Wolf King spoke, glistening tears welled up in Ash’s eyes.