She vanished just as the year ended, but I still hated it. Without her I felt empty, helpless like a forgotten promise. I stayed put there, staring at that enigmatic painting in front of me. Those bewitching eyes locked with mine: deep ocean, blueish sea-green with tiny brown flecks in them. The owner of them majestically stood in the woods. The sunlight that broke through the leaves of the trees dimly flashed on its pitch black fur, its huge paws lightly rested on the ground.

My thoughts suddenly returned to her. From the second she disappeared, I couldn’t help, but I was waiting for the next New Year’s Eve. The only day when I could see her. She seemed more gorgeous year by year, although she had never changed: her sapphire blue eyes always gleamed like the sunlight reflected on the surface of the ocean, her unacceptably long eyelids flickered as she smiled and her jet-black hair fell about her dainty neck. She was inexpressibly beautiful.

I brushed my forefinger against my lips; they still tingled because of our hungry kisses. I grabbed my whiskey like dying man the last grass ending. After I had the last drop, I picked up my leather jacket from the chair back. Without her I could see this concealed, ill-reputed dance-hall for real: full with dubious chaps and starving hookers.

‘Hey, gallant’ said an experienced one. ‘Are you already leaving?’ she asked disappointedly. ‘I know many tricks that girl never heard about.’ she smiled shamelessly.

Her words turned my stomach. I couldn’t stay there. I glanced at her in disgust, then I turned away, storming out the door.


The air of the night filled with joyful sounds, cigarette smoke, smell of alcohol and with the promise of tomorrow. Well, not for me.

I walked the streets of the city with no destination, just wandering. It was cold, but I didn’t care. I didn’t care about anything anymore. I passed by a fortune teller’s tent. She was a woman with a massive Russian accent. She called out to me, but I ignored her. But she was persistent.

‘Young man, let me read your fortune. I see something strange about you. You are looking for someone, aren’t you?’ she said. I stopped and turned around. Maybe she had some answers.

Inside her tent, the smell of incense was heady. She sat at a small table with a crystal ball in front of her. She gestured for me to sit. I took a seat and she immediately took my hand in hers. Her eyes widened as she looked into my palm.

‘Ah, I see. You’re in love with a creature of the night. A werewolf, right?’ she said with firm conviction. I couldn’t believe it. How did she know?

The fortune teller closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She spoke in a low, eerie tone.

‘She’s from another realm. A mystical world where the Black Moon rules. The curse is strong, but not unbreakable. If you wish to see her again, you must find the source of this curse and destroy it before the next New Year’s Eve, or she’ll be lost to you forever.’

I felt a jolt of hope and fear. Another year without her seemed unbearable. But how was I supposed to find and destroy a curse that existed in another realm?

I decided to visit the local library, searching for any book or scroll that could give me insight into the mystic world. The librarian, a kind-hearted old man looked at me with curiosity.

‘Werewolf curses?’ he murmured, stroking his white beard. ‘You’re talking about ancient folklore, my dear boy. But I do have something for you. It’s not much, but it might help.’

He handed me a dusty, leather-bound book titled “The Lore of the Black Moon.”

As I flipped through the pages, the words blurred together, but one line caught my eye: “To break the curse of the Black Moon, one must find the heart of the eclipse and speak the words of the ancients.”

What the hell did that mean? I had no idea, but it was the only lead I had.

The librarian noticed my confusion and offered a gentle smile. ‘The heart of the eclipse is said to be a place where the boundaries between worlds are thinnest. It’s not a physical location, but a moment in time. You’ll find it during a solar eclipse. It’s rare and powerful.’

I nodded, trying to take in the information. ‘And the words of the ancients?’

The librarian’s smile grew sad. ‘Those are lost, I’m afraid. The only way to find them is to journey into the mystic realm yourself.’

Determined, I decided to heed her advice. The next solar eclipse was in six months, and I had no time to waste. I spent my days researching ancient rituals and spells, preparing myself for the trip ahead. I studied the patterns of the stars and the whispers of the wind, hoping they’d reveal some hidden truth about the mystic world she came from. The months passed in a blur of anticipation and dread. The closer the eclipse grew, the more restless I became. I had no idea what to expect when I would cross over, but the thought of her, trapped by that curse, kept me going.

Finally, the day arrived. I stood at the edge of the city, where the urban sprawl gave way to the dense, dark woods that mirrored the painting of her on that corridor’s wall. The sky grew darker, the air thicker with the approaching eclipse. I set up a makeshift altar with candles and herbs, reciting the incantation I had painstakingly pieced together from the book.

The earth beneath me trembled, and a vortex of swirling blackness opened up. My heart pounded in my chest as I stepped through the tear in reality. The mystic world was unlike anything I had ever seen: trees with leaves made of silver, a moon hanging low and red, casting an eerie glow. I could feel the magic riotously powerfully in the air, humming with energy that made the hair on my arms stand on end.

I wandered through the mystical land, asking every creature I encountered for information about the heart of the eclipse. Some were friendly, offering me cryptic advice with a knowing smile, while others hissed and scurried away at the mention of the curse.

Days turned into weeks as I trekked deeper into the forest. The flora and fauna grew stranger, and the whispers of the wind grew clearer, guiding me to a place where the trees parted to reveal a clearing. In the centre stood a monolith, ancient and pulsating with power. The air was charged with the energy of the eclipse, which grew closer every day.

I approached the stone, feeling its vibrations resonate through me. It was the heart of the eclipse. I could feel it calling to her, and I knew she had to be nearby. I closed my eyes and focused on the love I had for her, willing it to break through the barrier between our worlds.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of twigs snapping, and the earth trembled beneath me. A pack of werewolves emerged from the shadows, their fur as dark as the night sky. They were unlike any I had ever seen in her world – these were not the majestic creatures of beauty and grace, but battle-hardened rebels with eyes full of anger and desperation.

Their leader, a burly creature with a scar running down its left eye, stepped forward and snarled. ‘You’re human, and you dare to trespass in the lands of the moon’s children? State your business or I shall tear you apart!’

My voice was firm as I met his gaze. ‘I seek the heart of the eclipse to break a curse placed on the one I love.’

The burly werewolf’s snarl softened into curiosity. ‘The curse of the Black Moon, you mean?’ He nodded to his pack. ‘We know it well. It is the doing of the Wolf-Queen.’

The rebels explained that the Wolf-Queen, once a benevolent ruler, had turned tyrannical with the power of the eclipse. She had cast a curse that bound the most beautiful among them to the human world, forced to live out their lives as humans until the end of the year. Only by reciting the lost words of the ancients at the heart of the eclipse could the curse be broken.

The burly leader, whose name was revealed to be Alaric, eyed me with a mix of suspicion and hope. ‘If you truly wish to help, join us in our fight’ he said. ‘The Wolf-Queen will not give up her power easily. But perhaps together we can end her reign and free your love.’