My Moonlit Declaration

Chapter 9: Returning to the Human Race

His right hand pressed desperately against his heart. There should have been a silver thread connecting him to another soul. Now, only a torn, empty space remained.

Last night, even after the Holy Elder Herman had given him the last remaining Purple Lotus Flower—the Snow Moon Clan’s sacred medicine—it had not been enough to fully relieve his collapse.

In the end, the Holy Elder had burned ten years of his own lifespan to mend Kael’s meridians, then immersed his entire body in the Moon Spring. Only then had he barely managed to help Kael hold onto his sanity and prevent a complete mental breakdown.

The Purple Lotus Flower was the Snow Moon Clan’s holy medicine. It grew in the sacred spring and bloomed only once every ten years. There was only one such flower in the entire spring. Every part of it could be used as medicine, making it incredibly precious.

Even after taking the Purple Lotus Flower, Kael remained extremely weak. He kept his head lowered, his shoulders and back trembling slightly. After a long while, he slowly exhaled a breath stained with blood.

“Remember,” his voice was so low it was almost inaudible, “from today onward, she no longer has any mate bond with me! She has nothing to do with me anymore!”

His silver pupils slowly lifted, and killing intent surged forth like a freezing tide, instantly sweeping through the entire grand hall. “If anyone is found tracking her—kill without mercy!”

“Yes!” The shadow guards replied in perfect unison, their voices echoing through the hall.

Kael strode toward his mother’s courtyard. He recalled the Holy Elder’s final instructions before leaving:

“Severing the mate bond granted by the Moon will leave you unable to advance for the next 24 months. No matter what methods you use, it will be the same. This is the Moon God’s punishment for you!”

“As long as Elara is not in danger, 24 months without advancing is nothing. It will give me time to properly consolidate the inheritance power my father left me. Cultivation is the duty of every Snow Moon clansman. If you want to become stronger, you cannot fear setbacks!”

“Do not let your guard down. Always be mindful of your own safety! Also, during every full moon, you will become extremely weak, and your Witch God power will be sealed by the Moon God. This secret must never be known to a third person—not even those closest to you. Remember that well!!”

“Saint… Holy Elder, where are we going now?” Looking at Herman’s familiar back, Elara felt a little lost.

They were resting under a large tree. Elara sat across from him, watching him closely. His face was ashen, his lips completely bloodless, and fine beads of sweat covered his forehead. He looked to be in pain.

“Are you alright?” Elara asked worriedly.

“I’m fine,” the Holy Elder replied flatly, his voice showing no emotion.

She didn’t believe him and stared straight at him.

He closed his eyes, his lips moving slightly as he chanted a spell. Beads of sweat continued to form on his forehead, rolling down his cheeks one by one. His brows were tightly furrowed, as if he were enduring great pain.

A long time passed before he finally opened his eyes.

“Elara, whether I am the Holy Elder of the Snow Moon Clan or not, I am still your teacher!” His voice sounded a little stronger than before, but it was still laced with exhaustion.

“When the moon rises again, I will need to use moonlight to heal and restore my Witch God power.”

“Teacher Herman, you look very tired. Is it because you overexerted your Witch God power?” Elara knew nothing about what had happened after she lost consciousness last night.

“I’m okay. I only burned ten years of my lifespan. The lifespan of a Wolf Clan Holy Elder is extremely long—don’t worry!!” He spoke with a casual expression, but it deeply pained Elara. It was all because of her that her teacher had sacrificed ten years of his life.

At that moment, overwhelming guilt filled her heart.

“While we have time, I’ll briefly explain the situation of the Snow Moon Wolf Clan and some of the rules within the tribe. Then we’ll head home together.”

“Okay.” Elara nodded.

He spoke at length.

Eight thousand years ago, when the world had just been stabilized, the Snow Moon Wolf Clan was born in the farthest northern lands. At that time, the Moon God took pity on this struggling race and made a mysterious pact with the Snow Moon Clan: Every seven days and nights, the werewolves of the Snow Moon Clan could bathe in moonlight for one night within the tribe, absorbing the essence of the moon to increase their Witch God power. This was known as the “Moon Oath.”

Through this method, even the most ordinary clansman could increase their Witch God power by two shuttles each year.

From then on, relying on this power, the Snow Moon Wolf Clan expanded their territory across the ice plains and shook the surrounding regions with their might.

Later, civil war broke out.

Some radical clansmen, dissatisfied with the status quo and tempted by power and strength, launched a bloody rebellion.

Foreign clans also coveted the mysterious power of the Snow Moon Wolf Clan and launched a joint extermination campaign. The Frost Shadow Wolf Clan and the Blood Devourer Wolf Clan were the most ruthless.

The war lasted for several centuries. Blood dyed the snow red, and all wolf clans struggled in agony.

In the end, under the leadership of Chief Agula, the Snow Moon Clan allied with the Iron Bone Wolf Clan to quell the rebellion. However, they suffered heavy losses, and the Snow Moon Wolf Clan eventually split into three groups: the Snow Moon Clan, the Frost Shadow Clan, and the Moon Ember Clan.

He calmly recounted this piece of history while Elara listened attentively.

Later, Agula formed an alliance with the Iron Bone Wolf Clan through marriage. He took Ashley Taylor, the younger sister of the Iron Bone Clan’s leader, as his wife.

Kael was their first child.

Elara’s eyes widened. It seemed that Chief Agula had very few offspring.

“Teacher Herman,” she asked, “why did you come find me when I was eight years old and become my teacher?”

Herman paused and glanced at her.

“Think back carefully to how we met. To be honest, even I don’t know why I appeared in front of you at that time,” he said, pausing for a moment. “I found you under the guidance of the Moon.”

She remembered that night when she was eight years old. She had been curled up in a corner of an abandoned construction site, wrapping herself tightly in a ragged blanket.

A man had emerged from the shadows, squatted down in front of her, and asked, “Little beggar, what’s your name?”

Her name was Elara Lewis.

She didn’t know who her father was. Her mother had run off with another man when she was only three.

She had been living alone in this city for five years, with no home, no friends, and no future.

She thought she would continue living like that until she grew old and died.

“The Moon God guided me to you. From now on, I will be your teacher. Are you willing?”

It was the first time in her life someone had asked her, “Are you willing?” Not out of charity, not as an order.

She was willing. She answered as quickly as she could, “I am.”

When she opened her eyes again, her teacher had resumed chanting spells. Fine beads of sweat kept forming on his forehead. As sunlight fell on him, Elara noticed several new strands of white hair at his temples. Suddenly, she felt that her teacher had aged.

It was a sudden aging, without any warning.

Elara opened her mouth, wanting to ask something, but Herman spoke first.

“The previous Holy Elder’s wife and daughter still haven’t been found.”

He didn’t look at her, only gazed distantly at the forest ahead. “When the Moon guided me to you, I thought you were his daughter.”

There was a trace of exhaustion in his voice—the kind that came from searching for a long time, waiting for a long time, only to realize in the end that he had been looking for the wrong person. “But after you awakened your bloodline, you showed none of the expected traits.”

Elara didn’t know what to say. She simply sat there, staring at him without blinking.

Fifteen years ago, while the previous Holy Elder of the Snow Moon Clan was traveling in the human realm, he was assassinated by the Moon Ember Clan. His wife Melvin and their young daughter went missing.

Five years later, Chief Agula also passed away. During centuries of war, he had constantly burned his own lifespan to overuse his Witch God power, causing his life to shorten drastically. He had not even lived two-thirds of a normal werewolf’s lifespan before he left the world.

The current Holy Elder—Teacher Herman—out of gratitude for Chief Agula’s kindness and trust, had been protecting the young heir to the leadership, Kael Blackthorn, while guarding the Snow Moon Clan on his behalf.