Centuries ago, long before the curse took hold, a disease plagued the werewolf and lycan kind. No one knew where it came from or why it spread, but it became a devastating epidemic among their kind. Some were born with a fatal flaw: they were not compatible with their wolves.
When these individuals reached their eighteenth birthday, they found themselves fighting a battle within their own bodies. The wolf's instinct clashed violently with the human mind, causing an internal struggle for dominance. Their minds descended into madness, losing all control as they were overtaken by raw, unbridled rage. Even those wolves who were once logical—who could think and reason like humans—were no longer able to maintain their calm. They were consumed by instinct.
This disease caused a great dilemma across the werewolf and lycan communities. Clans and families were at a loss for how to help their loved ones, who were slowly driven to madness. The sickness spread, and no cure was in sight. The chaos was overwhelming.
Then, out of nowhere, a figure appeared to the Alphas. This was the first time the hidden healer clan, the Shinrei Mikazuki, came to light. The Shaman, an enigmatic figure, spoke of an ancient remedy—one that had been gifted to him by the Moon Goddess herself. The Shaman and his people were the true moon oracles, able to speak directly with the Moon Goddess. Their healing power was unmatched, stronger than any other known clan.
The Shaman explained that, through divine teachings, the Moon Goddess had instructed him to help her other children—those who were suffering. And so, he had come to the Alphas with a solution.
The Shaman's words were simple yet profound. By bathing in the moonlight, pregnant women would ensure that their children would be immune to the disease when they turned eighteen. The cure would strengthen the bond between the unborn child and their wolf, allowing them to live in harmony, free from the illness.
But the nature of the cure was more complicated for those already infected. The Shaman's solution was even more intricate. He introduced the technique known as Moonlight Palm. Through this method, the afflicted were put into a deep trance, allowing the man and the wolf to harmonize. The trance helped balance the raw instincts with human reason, easing the inner turmoil.
However, the Shaman understood the risks. The cure was not easily trusted. Once someone underwent the Moonlight Palm, it was difficult for others to tell if the individual had truly harmonized with their wolf or if they were still under the influence of the Shaman's spell. This doubt made it hard for the clans to accept the cure fully. No one could be sure that the person hadn't been manipulated or controlled.
In light of this, the Shaman made a bold suggestion. He proposed that anyone cured through Moonlight Palm would be welcomed into the Shinrei Mikazuki clan. Those who were cured would become a part of their domain, living among the healer clan as members, fully embraced as family. This way, the Shaman reasoned, the cured individuals would be far from suspicion. Their loyalty to the clan would be clear—they would belong to a place that had shown them trust and compassion.
At first, the clans were hesitant. The Shinrei Mikazuki clan's methods were unfamiliar, and they were skeptical of anyone who could cure such a devastating disease. But as the years went by, the Shaman and his followers proved their sincerity. They lived simple, pacifist lives, never asking for much in return for their services. Whenever someone came to them for a cure, they healed without asking for anything but food or basic supplies. Nothing extravagant.
This humility and willingness to help without seeking payment slowly endeared the Shinrei Mikazuki clan to the other werewolf and lycan clans. Over time, the clans began to trust them, and the Moonlight Palm became widely accepted as a legitimate cure for the afflicted.
But not all were pleased by this growing popularity.
The Ookaze clan, once the revered medicine wolf clan, began to grow envious. Before the Shaman's arrival, they had been the go-to source for healing and remedies, but the Shinrei Mikazuki's rise to prominence overshadowed them. The Ookaze clan, unable to accept this shift in power, began to harbor resentment toward the newcomers.
And it wasn't long before that jealousy took a more dangerous turn, as the Ookaze clan's influence sought to undermine the trust the other clans had in the Shinrei Mikazuki.
It was an unspoken but widely known fact that during the Great War, only the Shinrei Mikazuki clan refrained from joining the conflict—but they were ultimately annihilated. Who was responsible? Everyone had their suspicions, but no one could speak openly about it, especially since the hidden healer clan was no more. Only the Wind Pack remained, providing healers, though their abilities were subpar.
Previously, the clans had no proof that the Ookaze clan was involved in the annihilation of the Shinrei Mikazuki, but the resurfacing of the Moonlight Palm provided evidence that they had a hand in it. There was no other explanation, as only the Shaman and the heir of the healer clan knew how to use it.
Well, aside from the primordial wolves who knew that technique—and other techniques that had become extinct over time—it was the reason they were immune to mind control.
"Boy, I should've made you wrap those heads up like a gift before sending them to the hag," Kagerou grumbled, chomping on a barbecue stick, sauce dripping down his chin. The messy way he ate made Jushin—who had been assigned by Iori to accompany the ancestor (which, in reality, meant "babysit")—have to bite his lip to keep from laughing. He almost considered taking photos or videos to show Hizuki when he woke up, but then thought better of it. He wasn't sure the ancestor would find that as amusing as he did.
"Progenitor, your humor is wicked. Isn't it enough to hear her scream until she loses her voice?" Jushin teased. Earlier, after they found the heads as instructed, they'd taken the bodies and Rei Ookaze back to the guest house. Kagerou had stayed behind in the manor, but the sound of Rina Ookaze's shrill screams had carried clearly to him. She'd been utterly beside herself at the state of her wards and Rei. The audacity of her demanding to know what had happened—only for Iori to sneer and hand her a phone that played the footage. They hadn't even needed to edit it, since Hizuki's face hadn't been visible.
"Ha! I wish I'd seen that hag's face when you told them we knew about the Moonlight Palm," Kagerou smirked, taking another bite.
"Well, she was as pale as a ghost. I think Rina Ookaze realized she couldn't complain. With their devious nature and proven attempt to use the Moonlight Palm to usurp another clan, the other clans won't protect them. They'll destroy them instead, to prevent them from using the technique to take over more clans."