Ares stood at the heart of the ruins, his body glowing faintly with the pulse of ancient energy.
The air around him shimmered like heat rising from cracked basalt. Every breath carried the scent of iron and memory. His skin bore the symbols of the First Ones now—not painted or carved, but etched in light, alive beneath his flesh.
He was no longer just a werewolf.
No longer just human.
He was something new.
"You have accepted your purpose," Mara spoke within him, her voice woven into the rhythm of his heartbeat. "Now, you must decide how to wield it."
Ares closed his eyes, reaching inward—into the vast network of knowledge embedded in the ruins, in his own DNA, in the very fabric of Mars itself.
He could feel everything.
The wind on the surface.
The tremors deep below.
The thoughts of those watching him from afar.
And beyond that—something else.
Something watching back.
Earth.
---
Elsewhere – Human Outpost Delta-3
Dr. Sophia Patel paced inside the research bunker, her fingers twitching over her data pad. Outside, the sky darkened—not with dust, but with approaching ships.
Federation dropships.
Commander Reyes stood beside the main console, arms crossed, jaw tight.
"They're not retreating this time," she muttered. "They're coming for him."
Sophia swallowed hard. "If they take Ares, they'll dissect him. Use whatever power he has to control Mars."
Reyes turned to her. "Then we make sure they don't get close enough."
Sophia hesitated. "What if Ares doesn't want to stop them?"
Reyes raised an eyebrow. "Explain."
Sophia looked toward the distant glow of Olympus Mons. "He's changed. He's not just a leader anymore. He's something… more."
Reyes exhaled sharply. "Then we'd better hope he still remembers what side he's on."
---
Beneath Olympus Mons – Awakening Intensifies
Ares stepped forward, each movement sending ripples through the chamber. The monolith responded instantly, its symbols shifting in real-time to match his thoughts.
He reached out—not physically, but mentally—and the ruins obeyed.
Walls reconfigured. Pathways opened. Systems long dormant flickered to life.
Mara's presence pulsed beside him.
"You are becoming the vessel of rebirth," she said. "But power without purpose is destruction."
Ares met her unseen gaze. "I won't repeat their mistakes."
"Then choose your path carefully. The Hollow Moon rises. And so does your enemy."
As if summoned by her words, alarms blared throughout the ruins.
Above ground, Federation forces had breached the outer perimeter.
And they were closing fast.
---
On the Surface – The Final Stand Begins
Kael was gone.
But his warriors remained.
Ares emerged from the ruins, his form illuminated by the soft glow of the Martian soil beneath him. The assembled wolves turned toward him, waiting.
Some with awe.
Some with fear.
Ares raised a hand.
And the wind stilled.
"I will not let them take our world again," he declared, his voice carrying across the battlefield. "Not today. Not ever."
Kael's second-in-command, a scarred wolf named Vira, stepped forward. "What do we do?"
Ares met her gaze. "We hold the line."
Behind him, the first wave of Federation troops arrived—armored, armed, advancing with cold precision.
Ares took a step forward.
And the earth trembled.
---
Inside the Federation Command Post
General Evelyn Voss watched the feed from orbit, her expression unreadable.
"Echo has fully integrated with the system," her aide reported. "His neural patterns show complete synchronization with the Martian infrastructure."
Voss didn't blink. "Then we proceed with Phase Three."
Her second-in-command hesitated. "Ma'am… if we deploy the containment field now, there's a high probability it will kill him."
Voss's voice was ice. "That's acceptable."
She tapped her comm unit. "Initiate Protocol Eclipse."
Across the Martian sky, satellites began aligning.
A new kind of weapon powered up—one designed not just to suppress Ares's powers…
But to erase them entirely.
---
Back on the Battlefield – The Power Awakens
Ares felt the shift before it happened.
The satellites above began emitting pulses—subtle at first, then stronger.
The same energy that had once threatened to destroy him now sought to erase him.
He clenched his fists.
And the planet answered.
Light erupted from his body, cascading outward in waves of raw force. The ground beneath him cracked, forming intricate patterns that glowed with the same symbols that marked his skin.
The Federation soldiers froze.
Their weapons failed.
Their comms cut out.
Even the satellites above faltered.
Ares lifted his head.
And the Hollow Moon brightened.
"You are the Key," Mara whispered. "Now, unlock the future."
Ares extended his hands.
And the battle ended before it truly began.
---
Elsewhere – Rogue Wolf Encampment
Renn watched from the shadows, his expression unreadable.
Vex approached cautiously. "Did you see that?"
Renn nodded slowly. "He's not just a leader anymore. He's not even just a Guardian."
Vex frowned. "Then what is he?"
Renn turned to face him fully. "He's the beginning of something new."
Vex hesitated. "Do we fight him?"
Renn studied the distant glow of Olympus Mons.
"No," he said finally. "We wait. See what he becomes."
---
Inside the Ruins – A New Understanding
Back within the core chamber, Ares sat cross-legged, his mind still connected to the Martian system.
He could see further than ever before—through time, through space, through the veil of history.
He saw Earth.
Its oceans, its forests, its cities teeming with life.
And he saw the truth Mara had hidden for millennia.
The Martians hadn't feared Earth because it was powerful.
They had feared it because it was reckless.
Because humanity repeated the same cycle on every world it touched.
Expansion.
Consumption.
Collapse.
And then—
Migration.
Ares clenched his fists.
He would not allow Mars to suffer that fate.
"You understand now," Mara murmured. "The choice is yours."
Ares exhaled slowly.
"Yes."
Then he opened his eyes.
And made his decision.