The wind had changed.
Not gently.
Not naturally.
But like something unseen had torn open the sky and let pressure seep through.
Lira felt it instantly.
Her steps slowed.
Beside her, Ronan noticed her shift.
"You felt that too?" he asked quietly.
Lira didn't answer at first.
Her silver eyes lifted toward the distant forest ahead.
"Yes," she said finally.
"Something is coming."
Far away, beyond the known territories…
A lone figure moved through the trees.
Silent.
Efficient.
No scent.
No hesitation.
The kind of presence that didn't belong to packs… but to execution.
This was not an Alpha.
Not a rogue.
Something worse.
A Council Hunter.
Sent directly by the Alpha Council.
Its mission was simple:
Eliminate the Moon Goddess before she fully awakens.
Back with Lira…
She stopped walking completely.
The rogues behind her froze.
Ronan stepped forward slightly.
"What is it?"
Lira's expression tightened.
"Don't move."
The air around them thickened instantly.
Even the forest seemed to hold its breath
Then
A whisper of movement.
Too fast for normal eyes.
A shadow flickered between the trees.
Gone.
Then again.
Closer.
Ronan's hand went to his weapon.
"I don't like this," he muttered.
Lira raised her hand slightly.
"No," she said calmly.
"Don't engage yet."
The rogues exchanged uneasy looks.
Because whatever was coming
Wasn't ordinary.
Then it appeared.
Not fully.
Just enough to be seen.
A tall figure stepped from the shadows of the trees.
Wearing dark armor that absorbed light.
Face half-covered.
Eyes completely emotionless.
Its presence felt… hollow.
Like something created for one purpose only.
Ronan narrowed his eyes.
"Who are you?" he demanded.
The figure did not respond.
It only looked at Lira.
Directly.
Like it already knew her name.
Then—
It spoke.
Cold.
Mechanical.
"Target confirmed."
The air dropped instantly in temperature.
Ronan stepped forward. "Target?"
The figure tilted its head slightly.
"Lira. Moon-class anomaly."
Lira's expression didn't change.
But something inside her stirred.
Memory… fragments… pain she hadn't fully recovered.
The hunter raised its hand.
A weapon formed from condensed dark energy.
"Council verdict," it said.
"Erasure authorized."
In that moment
It moved.
Fast.
Deadly.
Straight for Lira's heart.
But Lira was faster.
She stepped sideways
The attack missed by inches and shattered a tree behind her instead.
BOOM.
Wood exploded.
Ronan shouted, "MOVE!"
The rogues scattered immediately.
But Lira stayed standing.
Calm.
Focused.
Her eyes narrowed.
"So they sent an executioner," she said softly.
The hunter turned slowly.
"Resistance detected."
It attacked again.
This time faster.
Stronger.
Ronan rushed in to intercept, but,
Lira raised her hand.
"Stop."
A single word.
And the air obeyed.
The hunter froze mid-motion.
Not fully stopped.
But restrained.
Like invisible chains wrapped around it.
The forest went silent.
Ronan blinked. "What did you just"
Lira stepped forward.
Her voice dropped.
"I don't run anymore."
The hunter struggled.
Its voice glitching slightly.
"Restraint… detected… increasing output"
It broke free suddenly.
Violently.
The pressure exploded outward.
Ronan was thrown back.
The rogues barely stayed standing.
But Lira,
Still didn't move.
The hunter appeared in front of her instantly.
Blade aimed directly at her chest.
This time,
No hesitation.
No warning.
But Lira's hand caught its wrist mid-strike.
And the entire forest seemed to freeze.
Her silver eyes glowed brighter than ever.
"You were sent to erase me," she said quietly.
The hunter responded.
"Affirmative."
Lira tilted her head slightly.
"Then tell me…"
Her grip tightened.
"…who gave you permission to exist near me?"
A flicker.
Just a flicker
In the hunter's system.
An unknown reaction.
Then
Lira released power.
Not explosive.
Not chaotic.
But absolute.
A wave of lunar energy erupted outward, wrapping around the hunter like a collapsing moonlight cage.
The figure trembled.
Systems failing.
Armor cracking.
Voice distorting.
"ERROR,ERROR,ANOMALY"
Ronan stared.
"This isn't just power…"
Lira stepped closer to the collapsing hunter.
"It's justice," she said.
With one final pulse
The hunter shattered into fading light fragments.
Silence returned.
Heavy.
Still.
The forest slowly returned to normal sound.
Birds distant.
Wind gentle.
But everything had changed.
Ronan slowly got up.
"You just killed a Council Hunter…" he said.
Lira looked at the fading particles.
"No," she replied softly.
"I just sent a message."
Behind them
Far beyond the forest.
The Alpha Council would feel it.
And they would understand something very clearly now.
She could no longer be erased easily.
In the council chamber…
The silence after the transmission was heavy.
Then High Alpha Darius spoke.
"…So it has begun."
No one responded.
Because now
It was no longer about control.
It was about survival.
Back with Lira…
She turned away from the fading battlefield.
Her voice calm.
"Tell them," she said.
Ronan frowned. "Tell who?"
Her eyes lifted toward the horizon.
"The ones hiding behind hunters."
A pause.
"I'm coming."