"The Replacement Luna..."

Identity...

Glare...

The sound of constantly dripping water echoed through the vast, darkened cavern. I floated in the midst of five mages that held lit torches to illuminate our unfamiliar surroundings. Guiding us in front of our small party were two giant Lycans, blinded and mute. Scarred, disfigured behemoths that towered over all of us. These were the immortal sentries that guarded the intricate labyrinth under the castle of the Alpha King. They were impartial, and unaffected by the constant wailings, and pleadings that went on around their darkened dominion. Theirs were the responsibility of ensuring that none of the prisoners ever got out... either dead or alive.

I was near, I could sense him. His holding cell was as barren as all the other prison cells around him. He stood at the center of his brightly lit space as if expecting me. The scepter of Zeus providing him a constant source of blinding light from outside his cell, out of his reach and impossible for him to touch.

"You have questions." I heard him speak with the same voice I possessed. "Questions that you already know the answers to."

"I can only assume." I answered as the two behemoths bowed lowly to me before leaving, their steps as silent as the dead of night.

"I've forgotten how weak you are at this stage in your development. Weak, trusting, and confused. It was no wonder they've tricked you. Why your powers were stolen. And how, much of your pain and sadness... is your own doing." He sneered at me, blaming me for something I had yet to understand.

"Then enlighten me so that I do not commit the same mistakes you did. Help me to avoid turning into you."

"If I do, then I endanger changing the good things that transpired as well. For make no mistake, though your pain will be great, the rewards for all your sacrifices will outweigh your loss and grief. In the end, undying love and happiness with the man who truly loves you will make everything bearable."

"Ares?" I asked, but his face remained unemotional. "If that were so, then why have you returned to gather the Lycans under your control?"

"Because they serve the wrong master."

"The Alpha King reigns with compassion and..."

"Use your power to see into the future. The present Alpha King will not be alive for long. He will be poisoned by the same person who has orchestrated this elaborate plan to put you in this position where your powers can be transferred to a new host!"

"Then how are you able to..."

"Because in this timeline your powers are still yours, that is how I can wield it as well and travel from different timeframes." He sighed, exasperated.

"I have much to learn. I cannot control my powers yet. I can't see into the past nor future, and my healing..."

"It is all within you. There is no need to read an instruction manual. You simply need to find the switch that would grant you access to all your limitless powers. You must find it in your heart to pierce through the veil that blinds you to this reality, and understand you are being manipulated and lied to."

"By whom?"

"By someone you trust the most." Just then a portal appeared from the corner of his holding cell. He raised his hand, and the bars that separated him from my party and I, disappeared into thin air. The mages all held their staffs and recited incantations to protect me, but we were all rendered immobile. He stepped closer to take the scepter of Zeus, and held it before him.

"What are you doing!" I choked on my words.

"Insurance. Since I will no longer have any powers when I return to my timeline, I need an alternate source of magic. This is just to make sure I can still protect myself and the magical world against the threat that looms over us if you fail to correct your mistakes here. There isn't much time. Harness your powers, control your destiny, triumph over your enemy. You alone hold the answer to our salvation as magical creatures. I leave all the Lycans that I have gathered under my control to your leadership. Do not release your hold on them until you are sure that you have enough armies to aid you in your fight against the false Alpha King."

"Wait! I need more informa..." My sentence was never finished. From the open portal a face that I am familiar with appeared.

"We must go. The Temple is under attack." Atlas said, his face was older but more handsome than it was now.

"You didn't need to fetch me. You forget that I still have magical powers in this timeline."

"I wasn't going to take any chances. Not when I stand to lose the most impprtant person in my life... you." Atlas replied, and I saw future me smile warmly at him before they moved towards the closing portal.

"Good luck, Glare. Change both our future for the better." My future self waved, before they vanished without a trace.