Ares floated in darkness.
Not sleep. Not unconsciousness. Something deeper.
He was inside the system now—his mind linked to the ancient consciousness that had guided Mars for millennia.
"You have entered the Heart,"Mara's voice echoed around him. "Few have walked this path. Fewer still have returned."
Ares tried to move, but there was no body here—only thought, only memory.
"Where am I?" he asked aloud, though he wasn't sure if he spoke or simply willed the question into existence.
"In the memory of the First Ones. In the dream of a dying world."
Suddenly, light erupted around him.
The void shattered like glass, revealing—
Mars.
But not the red wasteland he knew.
This Mars was alive.
Towering cities of crystal and obsidian stretched across vast canyons, their spires reflecting the twin moons above. Rivers of silver water carved through crimson valleys, feeding lush forests of bioluminescent flora. The sky was blue—not the pale, filtered blue of Earth's domes, but a deep, vibrant hue untouched by time.
And above it all, the Hollow Moon watched.
"This was Mars before the Fall," Mara whispered. "Before your kind arrived. Before we failed."
Ares turned toward her—though she had no form here, only presence. Still, he felt her beside him, guiding him through the vision.
"I don't understand," he murmured. "Why show me this?"
"Because you must know what we were. And why we created you."
---
Elsewhere – Human Outpost Delta-3
Dr. Sophia Patel stood on the edge of the outpost's central tower, watching the distant glow beneath Olympus Mons pulse steadily.
The tremors had stopped.
The atmospheric collapse had been halted.
But something else was happening.
Inside the ruins, Ares was changing.
Commander Reyes approached, arms crossed. "How long has he been under?"
Sophia checked her scanner. "Almost two hours."
Reyes frowned. "That's too long."
Sophia hesitated. "If his mind merged with the system… he might be seeing things we can't even comprehend."
Reyes looked at her sharply. "Like what?"
Sophia exhaled. "Like the truth."
---
Inside the Memory – The Birth of the Guardians
The scene shifted again.
Now, Ares stood in a grand hall lined with statues—figures of beings unlike anything he'd ever seen. Tall, elegant, with elongated limbs and luminous eyes that shimmered like stars trapped in crystal.
Martians.
They moved with grace, speaking in a language that resonated in his bones. He didn't understand the words—but he understood their meaning.
Fear.
One figure stepped forward—a leader, perhaps. Their expression was solemn as they addressed a gathering of others.
"Earth has sent its first ships,"** Mara translated. **"We believed they would never find us. We were wrong."
Ares's breath caught. "Earth? But it was uninhabited when we came here."
"No," Mara replied. "It was seeded. Like Mars. Like countless other worlds."
The vision continued.
The Martians had discovered Earth long ago—before humans had even evolved from primates. They had planted life there, just as they had done here. But something went wrong.
Humanity rose faster than expected. They expanded aggressively. They consumed resources without understanding balance.
And then…
They reached for the stars.
"They found us," Mara said softly. "And they feared what they did not understand."
The Martians retreated underground, sealing away their greatest works. But they knew they couldn't hide forever.
So they made the Guardians.
Werewolves.
"To protect what remained," Mara explained. "To endure what was coming. To carry our knowledge forward."
Ares staggered back. "That's why we change. Why we're stronger. Why we adapt."
"Yes," Mara confirmed. "You are the last echo of a forgotten promise. You were made to survive after we fell."
---
Back in the Real World – Kael's Legacy Lives On
Outside the ruins, wolves gathered in silence.
Kael's absence was a wound that hadn't yet begun to heal. His warriors mourned in quiet ways—some howling to the sky, others marking the stone walls with claw marks in tribute.
A younger wolf approached one of the elders. "What do we do now?"
The elder looked toward the glowing chamber below. "We wait. Our Echo returns changed. Or he does not return at all."
The wind howled through the ridges, carrying the scent of dust and blood.
And hope.
---
Inside the Memory – The Final Warning
Ares saw the end.
Martian cities burning. The oceans vanishing. The sky turning red.
The Martians had tried to flee, but Earth's influence had already spread beyond their control. Humanity's arrival had accelerated the decay—not out of malice, but because they didn't understand the delicate balance Mars required.
The final act of the Martians had been to seal the core systems—to create the cycle of destruction and rebirth that Mara now oversaw.
And then, they vanished.
Ares turned to Mara. "You could've told us all this before."
"You were not ready," she replied. "You needed to feel the weight of history before you could shape its future."
Ares closed his eyes. "I understand now."
"Then choose, Echo of the Hollow Moon. Will you complete what we began?"
Ares hesitated.
Then he opened his eyes.
And everything changed.
---
Awakening – The Transformation Begins
Back in the real world, Ares gasped as his body jolted upright.
His vision blurred, then sharpened. Every sound became clearer. Every scent more vivid.
The symbols along his skin glowed faintly, pulsing in rhythm with the ruins beneath him.
He had touched the memory of Mars.
And it had touched him back.
Dr. Patel rushed forward. "Ares!"
He met her gaze, and for the first time, she saw something different in his eyes.
Understanding.
Power.
Purpose.
"I know who we are," he said quietly.
Sophia swallowed hard. "And what is that?"
Ares looked toward the horizon, where the Hollow Moon hung low in the sky.
"We are the Guardians."
---
Elsewhere – Rogue Wolf Territory
Renn stood atop a ridge, watching the glow from Olympus Mons fade slightly.
Vex approached cautiously. "He survived."
Renn smirked. "Of course he did."
Vex frowned. "Then what happens now?"
Renn turned to face him fully. "Now, we see if he's still one of us."