I didn't know how long I remained in the room.
The mirror was silent now, and my mother's voice had vanished, leaving behind a silence so thick, that it nearly pressed on my chest like stone. But in that quiet… I heard something else.
My blood.
Its pulse. Moving through my veins—not like normal blood, but like heated energy, threading through my bones.
I closed my eyes.
And then, I heard another voice. From inside me. Soft. Ancient.
"Rise, blood of Luna. Hear the call of your forgotten land."
My fingers trembled. A strange warmth spread from my palms up to my shoulders, as if my body was finally recognizing something it had long forgotten.
I looked down at my hands—and saw veins glowing violet, light pulsing beneath my skin, following the rhythm of my heartbeat.
Pain struck me.
"Argh!"
My body arched backward. It felt as though my bones were burning from within. Yet at the same time, something inside me opened—like a long-locked gate finally creaking ajar.
The violet glow crawled from my hands to the stone floor. The sigil of the crescent moon and blood began to blaze beneath my feet.
The mirror before me cracked.
Once…
Twice…
CRAACK!
The first shard fell. But from within the breaking glass, a burst of shadow emerged—then came a massive black wolf, its violet eyes glowing with fire.
I stumbled backward instinctively, still shaking—but I didn't run.
The wolf didn't attack. It only stared. And when I met its gaze… something ancient tethered between us.
"Young Luna…"
"You have unlocked your first seal."
The voice wasn't external. It echoed inside my head.
"Who are you?" I asked, my voice low.
"I am the guardian of your blood's legacy. The first. I represent your shadow—your power—your rage."
The wolf stepped closer. Its shadow stretched across the chamber, making the air colder.
"I don't want to be a Luna," I said truthfully.
"This is not a choice. It is a birthright."
"Then why now? Why is this happening only now?"
"Because only now are you strong enough to face it."
My eyes burned. Not from anger—but from the weight of it all.
"Will you teach me?"
"No. I will test you."
My heart dropped. But before I could speak again, the wolf lunged.
I hit the floor, its paw pressing against my chest—but no pain followed. Instead, violet light burst between us, and in that instant, I saw everything.
Memories.
War.
The hunted blood of the Lunas.
My mother, kneeling at the last altar… praying her daughter would live.
And then I saw myself. A child. Alone. And my mother leaned down, touching my cheek, whispering—
"Forgive me, Elara… but the world needs you."
When I opened my eyes, the wolf was gone.
The mirror lay shattered. In its place was a fading ring of violet light etched into the stone floor.
I was drenched in sweat. But something had changed.
I felt… different.
Not stronger. Not invincible. But whole.
For the first time since I arrived in this world, I didn't feel lost. I didn't feel small.
I knew one thing: I wouldn't run anymore.
**
Meanwhile, high atop the tower, Lucan stood still, his eyes locked on the horizon as a ripple of magic surged through his bones.
"She's awakened it…" he murmured. "And the shadow has chosen her."
He clenched his fists. His jaw tensed.
"I must be ready. This world… will not stay silent."
**
My steps were still shaky as I moved away from the fading circle of violet light. But my soul… felt stronger than ever.
I knew this was only the beginning. Whatever had awakened inside me wasn't fully in control yet. But something had changed—something that could no longer be silenced.
I raised my hand, studying my skin. The veins that once glowed now looked ordinary again. But when I flexed my fingers, a warm throb remained—like embers still glowing beneath the surface.
And then… the walls began to tremble.
Faint sounds echoed through the corridor beyond. The scraping of stone is low and guttural. My heart pounded harder.
Could it be Lucan?
"Hello?" I called out, voice cautious.
No answer. Just my own words bouncing back at me.
I searched the chamber's edges, running my fingers along the ancient stones, hoping for a lever or a crack. Nothing.
"Think, Elara. You've awakened your first seal. You can do this…"
I closed my eyes, focusing. I tried to feel the energy around me. And there it was—subtle, but present. A pulse of light flowed through the walls, down to the floor, converging on a small crescent-shaped carving.
I placed my hand over it.
Instantly, the carving glowed, and the ground beneath me shifted. Slowly, a passage revealed itself, spiraling downward into the dark.
I hesitated.
But something inside me urged me forward.
"You cannot return without facing what lies ahead, Elara."
I took a deep breath… and descended.
The air grew colder. The stones felt older—untouched, perhaps, for centuries. It felt like I was walking into the bones of the world.
At the bottom of the stairs, I found a small chamber, lit by only one source: a floating orb of violet light, suspended in the center of the room.
And beneath it… lay something unexpected.
A book.
Worn leather. Ancient. Its cover shimmered faintly in the orb's glow. Silver ink formed a title I could barely breathe upon reading:
"The Legacy of Luna"
My hands trembled as I reached for it.
The moment my fingers touched the cover, a wave of voices flooded my mind.
Crying. Screaming. Prayers. Oaths.
I nearly dropped the book—but held on.
"Is this… from my mother?"
I opened the first page. Not just spells. Not just incantations. There were handwritten notes—journal entries—emotional and raw.
"Today, I learned that my daughter will inherit the blood of both worlds. I'm terrified. But I believe in her. She will be stronger than I ever was because she will know both love and loss. Her blood will carry our final hope."
Tears welled in my eyes.
I never knew my mother left something so… intimate. I thought I was a burden. A remnant. But I was a choice. A hope.
Page after page revealed truths of the Luna bloodline—its bindings, its cost, its magic.
One name kept appearing, written in careful, reverent strokes:
Azhalra.
I paused on a full page dedicated to it.
"Azhalra was the last Luna to bind her power to her descendants. She was hunted by the High Council, and deemed too dangerous to live. But she escaped. And she vowed to guard the bloodline with her soul and her shadow."
The memory of the black wolf spirit from earlier surged through me.
Azhalra… she might've been the one watching me. Guiding me.
I closed the book gently, then looked up at my reflection in the glowing orb. My face… no longer looked the same.
My eyes were sharper. Deeper. As if fear had been replaced by something far more powerful—clarity.
I knew this path would not be easy. I didn't even know if I could control it.
But I knew who I was now.
I wasn't just Elara.
I was Luna-blooded.
I was the daughter of a buried power.
And I would find my answers—even if this world tried to bury them again.