Prologue

Many years ago, in a time long forgotten, there used to be a king whose bottomless greed and boundless arrogance drew the ire of the Gods. The deities were not known for their mercy – the God of Gods least of all.

The mortal king's punishment was severe. Not only he, but all of his people were to pay the price for having offended the Gods.

Thus, the curse of the moon was born and the first werewolves, men by day and beasts by night, were created.

Bound by the pull of the moon, the king and his people would unwillingly turn into wolves on every full moon. Enchanted by the soft glow of the heavenly body, the cursed ones would lose all reason, becoming pitiful creatures of impulse and bloodlust.

Appalled by the fate of the king and his people, the neighbouring nations banded together to put an end to the cursed ones, hoping to concur the favour of the Gods.

This time period which lasted over a century was later called the "Wolf Hunt". It resulted in the annihilation of a centuries-old kingdom and an entire civilisation.

After the "Wolf Hunt", there were hardly any cursed ones left, and those who survived fled their former kingdom, going deep into hiding. Among them, there was the vain king's great-grandson who led his remaining people over the sea and towards the unknown.

In the new land, the cursed ones established a new kingdom called Arkadia. As they guarded their identities seriously, no one ever discovered their secret.

Thus, Arkadia was able to prosper, eventually becoming the current Arkadia dukedom of the Nesos Empire, a duchy infamously known for its military achievements.

Over the years, while the cursed ones were able to settle and begin anew, they never forgot- and could not forget, the calamity which befell them. The curse was still as strong as it was when it was first created and no matter how much research the cursed ones did, they never came close to dispelling it.

It was as though all hope was lost when a wandering priestess of the Gods of Old happened to pass by Arkadia.

Upon meeting its lord, the priestess foretold that the last direct descendant of the foolish king whose verdant eyes shined brighter than the most beautiful emerald would break the curse with the help of the daughter of the Moon.

Many tried to decipher the priestess' cryptic words but sadly, there was not much to dissect. Thereafter, the Dukes of Arkadia chose green-eyed spouses in the hope they'd give birth to the child that was promised.

Generation after generation, failure after failure, the Dukes of Arkadia never gave up and were eventually driven mad by their obsession.

When Aethulwulf Deucalion Lupini was born with wolf-like iridescent green eyes, the ancestral wish was finally fulfilled and the people of Arkadia celebrated their freedom from the curse.

However, it was too early an endeavour as merely half of the prophecy was fulfilled. Sadly, with the flow of time, many details had been forgotten.

As the curse did not break, the people of Arkadia rioted in discontent, claiming they had served the Duke's family faithfully and ought to be given their due.

The Duke of Arkadia, Aethelred, attempted to placate them as well as he could, but he was unsuccessful. In a rage, he who had long not been of a sound mind attempted to kill his son. The Duke was stopped by his maternal half-brother, Aethelwold, and maimed him in the eye.

With the help of loyal soldiers of the duchy, Aethelwold was able to put down the rebellion while Aethelred ended up his life in confinement for having lost his mind, dying less than a year after.

Thus, Aethelwulf's inauspicious life began in war and blood.

Little did they know, three years later, a pair of twins would be born across the sea, each bearing a half-crescent birthmark on their foreheads – also known as the symbol of Séléné, the moon goddess.