The Blood Moon had changed everything.
The Nocturne Estate, usually a place of discipline and order, had transformed into something closer to a military fortress.
Every arena was occupied.
Every training ground was filled.
Every warrior was preparing.
Because everyone knew what was coming.
War.
And war waited for no one.
The sun had barely risen when the first sparring matches began.
Across the massive Nocturne training grounds, dozens of combat rings came alive.
Steel clashed.
Auras surged.
Commands echoed.
The Third Order was preparing for bloodshed.
Roran was currently being launched through the air.
Again.
And again.
And again.
BOOM!
He slammed into the dirt for what felt like the twentieth time.
Across from him stood a Nocturne captain casually spinning a spear.
"Again."
Roran groaned.
"I hate this family."
The captain smiled.
"Get up."
Nearby, Astra was engaged in a completely different kind of battle
Three instructors surrounded her.
One attacked from the front.
Another from the left.
The third from behind.
Yet Astra danced between them gracefully.
Moonlight energy flowed around her body.
A silver kick sent one flying.
A spinning strike knocked away another.
The third barely blocked before being forced backwards.
One instructor laughed.
"She's moving ridiculously fast."
Astra smirked.
"Your tactics are getting old."
Elsewhere, Nyss trained with Diana.
The difference in experience was obvious.
Nyss was powerful.
Diana was terrifyingly efficient.
Every attack Nyss launched was redirected.
Every opening was punished.
Every mistake was exposed.
THUD!
Nyss landed hard.
Diana offered her hand.
"You rely too much on instinct."
Nyss accepted it.
"And you don't rely on it enough."
Diana smiled.
"Fair.
Soren trained alongside several Third Order veterans.
For once...
He wasn't losing.
Not badly, anyway.
Which was already progress.
By midday, nearly the entire estate had gathered around the central arena.
Because the main event was about to begin.
Lira Moonshade stepped into the ring.
The Second Lieutenant of the Third.
One of the deadliest assassins in the entire Order.
She casually rested a blade over her shoulder.
Then pointed at Riven.
"You."
Riven sighed.
"Why do I suddenly feel like I'm about to suffer?"
"Because you are."
The crowd laughed.
Moments later both entered the arena.
A training blade materialized in Lira's hand.
Riven unsheathed his own.
The difference was immediate.
Lira stood relaxed.
Comfortable.
Effortless.
Riven stood ready.
Focused.
Alert.
Eryx raised one hand.
"Begin."
Riven exploded forward immediately.
Steel flashed.
A powerful downward slash.
Fast.
Precise.
Deadly.
CLANG!
Lira blocked with one hand.
One.
Hand.
The crowd winced.
"Oh no."
Roran immediately covered his face.
"He doesn't know."
Riven attacked again.
And again.
And again.
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
Every strike was blocked.
Not dodged.
Blocked.
Lira wasn't even moving her feet.
Riven's eyes widened.
Impossible.
The next second
TAP.
A wooden blade touched his throat.
Silence.
"Dead."
Lira smiled.
Riven blinked.
"What?"
The crowd burst into laughter.
"I didn't even see you move!"
"I know."
She vanished.
Riven spun.
Too late.
TAP.
The blade touched the back of his neck.
"Dead again."
The crowd laughed harder.
Riven growled.
For the next ten minutes...
It became a massacre
Every attack he launched was dismantled.
Every strategy countered.
Every opening exploited.
Lira wasn't stronger
She was better.
A lot better.
Eventually
TAP.
The blade touched his forehead
Again
Lira sighed dramatically.
"You swing like you're trying to kill a mountain
Riven glared.
"Is that bad?"
"Very.
The crowd laughed again
Lira stepped back.
"Power isn't everything."
She pointed at his sword.
"Your aura is impressive."
"Your instincts are impressive."
"Your blade work is terrible."
A pause.
"Fix it."
Riven sighed.
"I liked it better when people tried killing me"
"I am trying."
That somehow wasn't reassuring.
Later that afternoon.
The atmosphere changed.
Because Eryx stepped into the arena.
The laughter disappeared immediately.
Even Lira folded her arms
Now things were serious.
Eryx stood opposite Riven.
Aris watched from nearby.
"Ready?"
Riven rolled his shoulders.
"As I'll ever be."
Eryx nodded.
"Good."
Then
His aura exploded.
BOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The arena shook.
The sky itself seemed to tremble.
Blue shadows erupted around him.
The pressure was immediate.
Crushing.
Monstrous.
Nearby spectators stumbled backward.
Dust erupted into the air.
Trees bent violently..
Training equipment shattered.
Several younger wolves nearly collapsed.
The sheer force of Eryx's aura surged across the estate like a storm.
Everyone's eyes widened.
Near Alpha.
Not an Alpha Candidate in title alone.
This was the power that justified it.
Eryx's voice echoed calmly through the chaos.
"Go all out."
Riven stared.
Then grinned.
For the first time all day.
"Gladly."
He clenched both fists.
Deep inside him
His Night Wolf Core roared.
The Dark Shadow stirred.
And Riven screamed.
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"
The yell erupted across the estate.
Like a beast announcing its existence.
Black and purple energy exploded outward.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The ground shattered beneath his feet.
Shockwaves erupted in every direction.
Wind tore through the training grounds.
Dust filled the air.
Loose debris launched skyward.
Nearby banners ripped from their poles.
The spectators shielded their eyes.
Riven's aura surged higher.
And higher.
And higher.
Purple moonlight intertwined with endless darkness.
Night Wolf energy.
Pure.
Refined.
Powerful.
Months ago his aura had been wild.
Chaotic.
Unstable.
Now?
It flowed naturally.
Controlled.
Dense.
Dangerous.
The clash between his aura and Eryx's created a visible storm.
Winds howled.
The arena cracked.
Clouds above shifted violently.
Everyone stared.
Speechless.
Because they remembered.
The boy who had first arrived.
Weak.
Injured.
Lost.
And the young man standing before them now.
The difference was absurd.
Roran's mouth hung open.
"Since when was he this strong?"
Soren slowly shook his head.
"He wasn't."
Astra stared silently.
Even she looked impressed.
Nyss couldn't stop smiling.
Because she remembered every step.
Every battle.
Every scar.
Every near death experience.
Every impossible victory
And now everyone else could see it too.
Diana folded her arms.
"His aura is cleaner than before."
Lira nodded.
"Much cleaner."
Then she smirked.
"Still can't use a sword properly."
Diana laughed.
Across the estate.
Nobles.
Guards.
Servants.
Children.
Everyone had stopped to watch.
Because what stood inside that arena was no longer merely Tyrella's son.
Nor simply Eryx's nephew.
Nor even the Fracture.
It was a future powerhouse of the Orders.
Someone who might one day stand among the Alphas themselves.
Eryx looked directly at him.
And for the first time since meeting him...
The Shadow Fang smiled proudly.
"Good."
His aura intensified further.
"Now show me how far you've come."
And beneath the crimson light of the Blood Moon...
Uncle and nephew charged toward each other.
The resulting explosion shook the entire Nocturne Estate.