The Lycan Hunter

Prologue

Narn paused along a pathway among the roots of Liflasir, the world tree, to marvel at the full and radiant moon. Othion, God of the Sky, claimed no one appreciated the beauty of his creation, but on this unusually bright night in Gardas, the realm of the gods, her father’s luminous orb would serve as her inspiration. 

Silvered tendrils of light stretched deep under the tree, leading the way to Nunginn, the sacred grove where all life energy returned once it was fit to be reborn. Hidden in the depths of the grove, under the transformative glow of the moon, Narn gave birth to her creations.

She called them Lycans, as they were a marriage of human and beast forms, yet they were neither man nor beast. Only after their First Shift, which was tied to their inborn strength and their ability to resist the power of the moon on the eve of their creation, did they gain the ability to shift at will. 

Narn also bestowed each of them with a true mate, their Soul’s Mate, so that they would never know loneliness. When she was finally done, her Lycans, a total of six species, became her mortal guardians of the wilderness. Their existence was to be a secret, as creation was not her domain. 

Centuries passed, and the time went unnoticed by Narn, who had quickly lost interest in the Lycans. That was until a day came when Ethus–creator of mankind and Oblivia, the realm of dreams in which Ethus called home–revealed the existence of dual-natured abominations that were slaughtering a small sect of Ethus’ human charges.

Nivar, God of Gods, Creator of the Universe and of Time itself, eventually discovered Narn's brief foray into his domain of creation. Among the gods, few things were more offensive than an overreaching god.

For Narn’s crimes, Nivar stripped her access to Nunginn. Furthermore, he stipulated that only when the last of her creatures ceased to exist could her access to the holy grove be restored. Narn had momentarily rejoiced, but Nivar, wise as he was, stated that the Lycans must perish by mortal means only. Through it all, Othion had stood helplessly by while she was regulated to merely a figurehead of her domain. 

However, Othion’s hands didn’t remain idle long. In his rage, he cursed her creations to die by the silver of the moon, an apt punishment in his mind as they were born into creation on the eve of a brilliant moon. To further aid in her quest for redemption, Othion found it fitting to create a prophecy into being that stated: When the Lycan and the Hunter come to an accord, the fallen goddess will be restored. That way, should all else fail, his daughter would be restored by other means. He also brought together other gods and goddesses who sympathized with Narn’s plight. In secret, they crafted a plan that would allow for her restoration in the most expeditious fashion. 

Together, Vili, the God of Wisdom; Jordis, the Goddess of Weaponry; Tuyir, God of War; and Lelah, the Goddess of Life and Death imbued humans with Gardinian essence, elevated senses, and the skills they would need in order to hunt down and eradicate all Lycans. At that moment, the Hunters were born.

The Hunters had an impressive start of ten thousand soldiers to combat the ever-expanding force of Lycans. The Forever War bloomed in secret, a seemingly eternal crusade that paid homage to Lelah with ribboned flesh and rivers of blood. The goddess welcomed both sides into her timeless grasp. Death, like Life, chose no sides.

More than eight thousand years later, the war continues. To Narn’s constant dismay, the Lycans are winning.