The Legacy of Royal Moon

POV: Damieon They always told me not to go beyond the eastern wall after sunset. They said the stars watched that place differently. So of course… that’s exactly where I went. The wind howled through the ruined stone like a living thing as I slipped through the narrow break in the wall, my cloak snapping behind me. The moon was high, fat and silver, painting the shattered valley in ghostly light. The world beyond the palace felt older—thicker with magic, heavier in the air. My heart pounded with excitement. And something else. Something pulling at me from deep inside my chest. I didn’t know why I felt it. I only knew I always had. Ever since I was little, the night spoke to me differently than it did to everyone else. Stars shimmered brighter when I looked at them. Fireflies gathered in my palms like I was a beacon. And sometimes… when I slept… The sky burned in my dreams. Footsteps crunched behind me. “Damieon!” I winced. So much for unnoticed escape. I turned just as Mason vaulted the fallen stone with effortless grace, his beta aura rolling ahead of him like a warning wave. His dark eyes scanned me from boots to hair, taking in the dirt on my knees and the moonlight in my eyes. “You’re grounded for the next century,” he growled. “I’m eleven,” I countered. “That’s not even mathematically possible.” His jaw tightened. Behind him, the outer sentries were already scrambling to seal the breach I’d slipped through. Somewhere in the palace above, I knew the alarms would be ringing. I sighed. “You’re going to tell them, aren’t you.” “I am literally paid to tell them,” he said flatly. I kicked a pebble. “I just wanted to see the stars from the valley. They look different from here.” “They look dangerous,” Mason snapped softly as he crouched to my level. “You’re not supposed to feel the pull yet.” That caught my attention. “Yet?” He stilled. Just for a second. But it was enough. Mason rose quickly and took my shoulder. “You scared the life out of the entire guard rotation. Let’s go before your aunts feel the wards drop.” Too late. The air shifted. Heat and frost collided behind us in a pulse of raw power that made the night snap with energy. Alex appeared in a flare of blue-white flame. Riley stepped through a veil of silver moonlight beside her. Twin queens. Twin storms. United wrath. “Damieon Alexander McKinnley,” Alex said slowly, her voice calm in the most terrifying way. “Explain.” Riley crossed her arms. “In great detail.” I swallowed. “I wanted to see the stars closer.” They stared at me. Long. Unblinking. Mason actually took a step backward. Finally, Riley exhaled and pinched the bridge of her nose. “You slipped through nine layered wards. Do you have any idea what that means?” “That your wards need updating?” I offered. Alex’s eyebrow twitched. Riley snorted despite herself. “Inside. Now,” Alex ordered. The walk back to the palace was silent. Which was worse. Once inside, Alex dismissed the guards and sealed the chamber with a flick of her wrist. The doors heavy with lunar sigils shut behind us. The towering windows overlooked the same valley I’d just escaped—now distant, unreachable. Alex turned slowly. The fire in her eyes was gone. Replaced by fear. “You felt it again, didn’t you,” she whispered. I hesitated. Then nodded. Riley stepped closer. “The pull?” “Yes,” I said quietly. “It’s getting stronger.” Silence filled the room. Heavy. Ancient. “Tonight wasn’t the first time,” I admitted. “It’s been happening in my dreams too. I see stars falling. Hear something calling my name. I wake up and my hands are glowing.” Alex’s breath hitched. Riley’s face went pale. Mason stiffened behind me. “She’s early,” Riley said hoarsely. “Too early,” Alex breathed. I looked between them. “Can someone please explain why everyone keeps talking about me like I’m a ticking bomb?” Alex knelt in front of me. Her hands framed my face. “Because, little star,” she whispered, “you are the last living heir of a bloodline that once bent the heavens.” My chest tightened. “You’re saying that like it’s bad.” “It’s saying the universe hasn’t finished with you,” Riley said softly. The window behind them darkened suddenly as a cloud smothered the moon. Then— A star flickered. And went out. All three of them felt it at the same time. Alex surged to her feet. “That was not natural.” Riley’s eyes burned silver. “The stars are dimming along the outer constellations.” Mason drew his blade on instinct. “Say the word.” They looked at each other. Then at me. “Damieon,” Alex said carefully, “if anything ever whispers to you—if the night speaks—if the stars call your name…” “I tell you,” I said quietly. “No,” Riley corrected gently. “You run.” The palace trembled faintly as distant thunder rolled across a sky that moments before had been clear. I felt it again. The pull. Stronger than ever. And for the first time… It felt like something was pulling back. Somewhere far beyond the stars, something ancient shifted in its sleep. And I… had just awakened it.