chapter 7: The Moon Temple
766 Words
Chapter 7: The Moon Temple
A cold silence settled over the lake.
Lyra stared at Seraphine, her mind struggling to process everything she had learned.
"The Shadow King..." she whispered. "If he destroyed my family... why didn't he find me?"
Seraphine's spirit smiled sadly.
"Because your mother was willing to sacrifice everything to protect you."
She stretched out her hand, and the surface of the lake shimmered once again.
Another vision appeared.
Lyra saw her mother, Elara, running through a burning palace with a baby wrapped in a silver blanket. Explosions echoed behind her as warriors fought desperately to hold back dark-cloaked enemies.
At the edge of a forest, Elara knelt before Elder Celeste.
"Take her," Elara pleaded, tears streaming down her face. "Hide her among ordinary wolves. Let her grow up believing she is one of them."
Celeste hesitated.
"But Your Majesty—"
"There is no queen anymore," Elara interrupted. "Only a mother."
She kissed the baby's forehead.
"When the moon calls her home... tell her she was always loved."
The vision dissolved.
Lyra wiped away her tears.
"My mother... she never abandoned me."
"Never," Seraphine said gently. "She gave up her kingdom so you could have a future."
A deep rumble shook the ground beneath them.
The stone arch began to glow with brilliant silver light.
Seraphine smiled.
"The temple has accepted you."
The ancient doors hidden within the arch slowly opened with a thunderous groan.
Beyond them lay a breathtaking sanctuary.
Towering marble pillars stretched toward the sky.
Moonlight poured through an open crystal dome, though the sun still shone outside.
Gardens filled with glowing white flowers surrounded sparkling fountains.
At the center stood a magnificent palace carved entirely from silver stone.
Lyra could barely breathe.
"It's beautiful."
"It has waited eighteen years for its princess."
As she crossed the entrance, every torch along the pathway burst into silver flames.
Statues lining the courtyard bowed their heads.
A gentle wind carried hundreds of glowing petals through the air.
Her pendant floated slightly above her chest before settling back into place.
The temple itself seemed alive.
Then another voice echoed through the courtyard.
"Welcome home... Princess."
Lyra spun around.
No one was there.
Seraphine chuckled softly.
"The temple remembers its royal family."
They entered the palace.
Inside, everything remained untouched, as though time itself had stood still.
Ancient paintings covered the walls.
One portrait immediately caught Lyra's attention.
A woman with silver eyes smiled proudly while wearing a moon-shaped crown.
Beside her stood a tall warrior with dark hair and piercing blue eyes.
Between them was a little girl with curly black hair.
Lyra stepped closer.
"That's..."
"You," Seraphine finished.
Lyra gently touched the painting.
"I don't remember any of this."
"You were too young."
Before she could ask another question, a loud metallic clang echoed through the palace.
Lyra instinctively stepped back.
"What was that?"
A pair of enormous doors slowly swung open.
From the darkness emerged four towering figures clad in gleaming silver armor.
Each carried a long spear.
Their faces were hidden behind wolf-shaped helmets.
They stopped before Lyra and knelt on one knee.
"The Royal Guardians," Seraphine explained.
"They have protected this temple for centuries."
One of the armored warriors stood.
Unlike the others, his armor carried golden markings.
His voice echoed from behind his helmet.
"Identity confirmed."
He removed his helmet.
Beneath it was not a human face—but one carved from smooth white stone, glowing with faint blue light.
Lyra gasped.
"You're..."
"A Guardian Golem," he replied with a respectful bow.
"My name is Orion."
"We have awaited your return, Princess."
Lyra smiled nervously.
"I... don't really know how to be a princess."
Orion's glowing eyes softened.
"Then we shall teach you."
For the first time since leaving Blackwood Pack, Lyra felt something she hadn't felt in years.
She belonged somewhere.
Suddenly, one of the crystal windows shattered.
An arrow wrapped in black flames shot into the throne room and embedded itself in the floor.
The silver flames around the palace flickered violently.
Orion's expression darkened.
He pulled the arrow free.
Tied to it was a strip of black parchment.
Seraphine read it aloud.
«"To the last Moonborn:
I know where you are.
Enjoy your sanctuary while you can.
Soon, the Moon Temple will fall, just as your kingdom did.
—The Shadow King."»
The room fell silent.
Outside, thunder rolled across the mountains.
Far beyond the temple walls, hundreds of red eyes glowed in the darkness of the forest.
The enemy had found her.
And the siege of the Moon Temple was about to begin.
- Writer
