The old man sat by the fire, his gnarled hands wrapped around a weathered mug, staring into the flames. His name was Elias, and though his face was lined with years and his bones ached with age, there was a glimmer of something in his eyes—a spark that refused to fade with time.
It had been a long life, full of loss, love, and secrets. But tonight, as the moon rose high above the forest, something called to him, something he could not ignore.
He stood slowly, his joints protesting, and made his way outside. The air was cool, the stars twinkling overhead, and the ground beneath his feet felt solid, familiar. The woods around him seemed to hold their breath, as if waiting.
The moonlight bathed him, and for a moment, Elias closed his eyes. His voice, rough and deep, whispered into the night, “It’s time.”
A strange warmth spread through him. His body began to tingle, his skin tightening and shifting. His fingers shrank, becoming smaller and smoother. His back straightened, and the aches in his old bones disappeared as his muscles grew firm and strong. His hair, once silver and thin, thickened, turning dark, and his face softened, shedding decades with each passing second.
Within moments, the hunched old man was gone, replaced by a young boy, no older than sixteen. Elias, now as youthful as the day he’d first walked these woods, breathed deeply, marveling at the unfamiliar energy coursing through him.
But that wasn’t all.
The air around him seemed to hum with power, a pulse he couldn’t resist. His body began to change again, this time far more violently. His face twisted, his mouth stretching into a snout, his teeth sharpening into fangs. His limbs grew longer, covered in thick fur, and his senses sharpened beyond human comprehension. His bones cracked and reformed, his hands turning into massive claws.
With a howl that echoed through the forest, Elias fully transformed into a werewolf. The boy’s form, now unrecognizable, was a creature of the night, powerful and wild, yet filled with the same spark he had carried throughout his many lives.
The moonlight bathed him, and for the first time in years, Elias felt truly alive—not just as an old man, nor as a boy, but as something beyond, something ancient and untamed.
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