Red Moon

Prologue

The veil of the night had just been drawn over a lake with peaceful waters.

Time remained suspended, frozen by the divines' presence in this sacred place.

The sound of a cart pulled by two silver-white horses made the two goddesses look up as they sat near a lake with translucent waters.

One of them, Artemis with red hair, Goddess of the Crescent Moon, fierce hunter armed with her quiver of arrows and great golden bow, finally uncrossed her arms from under her chest.

The other, Hecate, with hair as black as darkness, Goddess of the New Moon with ageless beauty, let her fingers run through the fur of a dog and a skunk. On her vaporous white dress, green runes and alchemy symbols turned continuously.

The last one to arrive finally took off the large veil that masked her face.

The silver-haired and silver-eyed Selene, Goddess of the full moon, approached her allies with a hurried step.

The lunar trinity was thus united in the same sacred place. Torches lit up around them, appearing as if by magic by the sole will of the magician, Hecate.

"Why so much haste, O Selene?" asked Artemis.

Hecate kept silent and just listened.

"I need you," whispered Selene as she took her place on the cool, soft grass.

A doe with golden horns came forward to place her head under the hand of the warrior goddess before closing her eyes.

"One of the soul mates I have created is always killed before she can meet her match," Selene began.

Artemis shrugged dismissively. "I don't care. I helped you create these creatures in the past. What glory would I get today from helping you again?

"Mercy, Artemis. It took us an immeasurable amount of time to be able to give birth to Magnus' soul mate," pleaded Selene.

Hecate raised an eyebrow at the full moon goddess' statement.

"Magnus. Are you talking about the son of the wolf and the Wind Tribe?"

"The very one, O Hecate."

Artemis laughed contemptuously and immediately stood up. She dusted off the dirt on the leather strips that made up the skirt of her hunting outfit and turned her back on them.

"I don't care about soul mates and have taken a vow of chastity. It pleases me to know that males need their females, and it displeases me that you have made them their equals by splitting their souls. This fight is not mine. The soul that keeps perishing should have been strong, but you chose to give it a half."

And so the Goddess with the quiver disappeared into the darkness.

Hecate laughed in turn, her green eyes glowing mysteriously after the disappearance of their third ally.

"Magnus is a son of the Wind Tribe through his mother. I will help you, O Selene, for in his blood flows the ancient magic of the first people."

Selene nodded gratefully, glad to have the support of the Goddess of the new moon.

"Thus, wolves and witches will be united to protect her in the next cycle of rebirths."

"Wolves and witches are mortals, no matter what anyone says," said a voice from above.

The two goddesses looked up to the sky and saw a titanic form descending from the vault of heaven, wrapped in black gauze.

Both bowed their heads to the presence of the star-sprinkled, black-skinned primordial deity.

"We greet you, O Nyx, daughter of Chaos, you who live in the Netherworld where all is darkness," the goddesses greeted with the same voice.

The Goddess of the night contemplated the two deities in front of her.

"I am tired of these constant, though distracting, quarrels. I am tired of hearing the tears and sighs filled with remorse and sorrow for the same soul. I have heard your concern, O Selene, so I put my creations to the service of this martyred soul."

"Vampires and wolves do not get along," Hecate gritted between her teeth.

"We modeled the wolves to contain the sons of the night, O Nyx. Your creatures were far too voracious."

"And yours have done much harm to my creations. Only a few of them now tread the domain of men," Nyx noted imperiously.

"What do you wish in exchange?" asked Hecate in a tone of distrust.

"More unions. Allow my creatures to bond with yours. Allow them to grow. Allow them to..."

"Your creatures feed on blood, O Nyx. Life and death cannot unite. Vampires must take life to form their other half, and sadly, this is often met with failure," Selene cut in.

"My creatures have changed over the centuries, O Moon Goddesses. They are nobler now, more soulful than they have ever been. Allow the most deserving of finding their beloved among you. I will thus cover with a veil of the night the soul that keeps perishing until it is finally ready to receive its half soul."

Hecate and Selene remained silent. They both knew that Magnus had waited far too long and that the lunar madness was eating away at him every day a little more, separated from his soul mate.

Selene raised her head towards the Goddess of the night, making her long silver hair wave gracefully.

"I allow it," she said in a firm tone.

"May the world have the goodness of heart to welcome these children of enemy blood," Hecate replied while bowing her head.

Nyx stared into the abysmal eyes of the Goddess of the Shadow and the Dead.

Hecate opened her palm, making her eyes glow with a mysterious green halo. A flame immediately appeared in it.

"That child should never have died. So this is the soul responsible for the complaints of the Fates," said Nyx, frowning. She, in turn, held out her hand for the flame to slip through. "We will birth you in the realm of men this time. The night will cover you with a veil, the night will guide your steps to your promised one, and the children of the night will watch over you until the time comes for you to retake your form."

"The handmaidens of Hecate will support her when the time comes. My two most beautiful and powerful followers will cross her path at the Crossroads," the Goddess of the new moon declared.

"We name you, White, so the light continues illuminating your path in the darkness of the night. And, I grace the child of the night who will guard you with a soulmate among my creatures. May the world have the goodness of heart to welcome these children of enemy blood," Selene murmured, repeating Hecate's last words before closing her eyes.