CHAPTER EIGHT:THE SHADOW THRONE
548 Words
The Night Crawlers fell from the sky like living nightmares.
Their giant wings blocked the moonlight while their screeches echoed across the burning forest. Black venom dripped from their claws, melting the ground wherever it touched.
Chaos erupted instantly.
“Protect Aria!” Kael roared.
The wolves rushed forward as the creatures attacked from every direction. One Night Crawler slammed into the earth beside Aria, its glowing blue eyes fixed hungrily on her.
“THE LUNA BELONGS TO THE SHADOW THRONE!” it shrieked.
Before it could strike, the Beast King tore the creature apart with a single swipe of its massive claws.
Black blood exploded across the trees.
But more creatures kept coming.
Dozens.
Maybe hundreds.
The sky itself seemed alive with shadows.
Darius appeared beside Aria instantly.
“They’re servants of the Void Realm,” he said sharply. “If they take you there, no one will ever bring you back.”
Aria’s breathing quickened. “What is the Shadow Throne?”
Darius hesitated.
Then the Beast King answered instead.
*The prison of dead kings.*
Lightning flashed violently overhead.
The Night Crawlers circled above them like vultures.
Kael fought savagely nearby, tearing through the creatures with brutal force, but even he was beginning to tire. Venom burned across his arm where one of the monsters had clawed him.
Aria saw him stumble.
Fear tightened inside her chest.
Without thinking, she ran toward him.
“Kael!”
A Night Crawler suddenly dropped from above.
Its claws aimed directly for her heart.
But before the creature touched her—
Silver light exploded from Aria’s body again.
This time the power felt different.
Older.
Stronger.
Moon symbols appeared across the ground beneath her feet, glowing with ancient energy.
The creatures screamed in terror.
The entire forest froze beneath the force of her magic.
Then a voice echoed through the sky.
A woman’s voice.
*Awaken, daughter of the moon.*
Aria gasped as silver flames surrounded her body without burning her. Her eyes began glowing completely white.
The Night Crawlers backed away fearfully.
Darius looked stunned.
“She’s entering the Celestial State…”
Kael stared at Aria in disbelief as the moonlight itself bent around her like flowing water.
Aria slowly lifted her hand.
Every creature in the sky suddenly stopped moving.
Then—
With a single motion—
They crashed violently into the ground.
The forest shook from the impact.
Silence followed.
The remaining Night Crawlers trembled before her.
For the first time in centuries, predators feared prey.
Aria looked at her own glowing hands in shock.
“What… am I becoming?”
Before anyone could answer, the air behind her suddenly split open.
A massive black portal appeared between the trees.
Cold whispers poured from inside it.
The Shadow Throne.
Everyone stepped backward uneasily.
Dark chains slowly emerged from the portal like living snakes.
And then—
A figure walked out.
Tall.
Elegant.
Terrifying.
He wore black armor crowned with silver thorns, and his pale eyes glowed like frozen stars.
Unlike the Beast King, this being carried no rage.
Only emptiness.
The Night Crawlers immediately bowed before him.
“Your Majesty,” they whispered.
The stranger’s eyes landed on Aria.
Then he smiled slowly.
“At last,” he said softly, “the Luna returns to her kingdom.”
- Writer
