Reborn In Moonlight

The Whispering stone

The scent of burned sage lingered in Aerin's room long after the dream had ended. It carried the air of confusion and tension.

She sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the journal glowing softly in her lap. The silver light emitting from the page pulsed like a heartbeat, alongside the crescent mark on her wrist.

"Why now?" she whispered aloud, her voice barely audible ."Why I'm i just remembering now?"

The name echoed through her mind like a curse: *Maeron.*

She didn't know who he was or the connection he had with her, the journal or the curse. But her gut told her this: the dreams weren't mere dreams but warnings instead. Bits of something ancient pushing to the surface of her memory, trying to prepare her for what was coming. The future ahead.

Is he monitoring me? Has he always been doing so? What is his business with Kyre? ...or me? Her thoughts raced.

She reached for the pen she kept in her drawer and wrote in margins:

_Who is Maeron? Why does he want Kyre? What does this curse mean for me?_

Immediately she raised her pen, the journal reacted.

The ink on the page shimmered, then rearranged itself, forming into words that had not been present before:

He was once the guardian of the forest and an ally to the werewolf pack. He was betrayed. Now he wants vengeance, not justice. He hunts the cursed and those who bind them.

Aerin exhaled sharply. "So... he was betrayed. And now he hunts people like Kyre. And... me".

Her fingers trembled as she flipped the page, but the the journal had gone still again.

She rose, pacing the room. "I'm not prepared for this. I'm not some..

powerful reborn witch. I'm just me, Aerin. Aerin who works at the library. Aerin who drinks too much tea and talks to her dog when no one's looking".

Her fingers lingered on the window. The moon stared back at her through the glass. But there was something awkward about the night air.

The following day, Aerin woke up and got dressed. She stepped into the cool streets of Velgrave. The cold air wrapped around her as she walked, but she didn't shiver. She had more things on her head than worrying about the cold weather.

She passed familiar buildings like the flower shop, the baker's shop, the abandoned well. But everything felt weird. Like she was living the life of someone else.

At Whispers & Ink library, Aerin couldn't feel the usual comfort of chamomile and old paper. She was lost.The place which was once her abode had become a place that harboured dark secrets and mysteries which she was yet to uncover. She attended to customers giving a fake smile but her mind was elsewhere. She was present but traveled long distances with her thoughts.

Then came Mara.

The herbalist entered quickly, her boots stomping on the wooden floors. She rarely left her herbal shop, and never walked into the library with so much urgency.

Aerin blinked. "Mara, what's up?"

"We need to talk," she said simply. Her tone carried a sense of urgency.

Aerin glanced around, heart fluttering. "Any issues?"

"We can't talk here. Come to my shop. Now". She said seriously and left.

"What the hell is going on?" she muttered pulling off her apron. "First glowy scars, then talking journals. Now cryptic herbalist. Next, I might just start hearing voices in my cereals".

She sighed and grabbed her coat.

Mara's shop, Moonroot Remedies was as strange as she recalled. Dried herbs and bottles of oil hung from the ceiling. The shop smelled like lavender, rosemary, Chamomile, cloves and something sharper. Something she could not name.

Mara locked the door behind them.

"I've known for weeks that something was different," she said taking out dried herbs from a high shelf and dropping them in a bowl.

"The trees have stopped speaking. The air is too quiet. And the moon... she weeps at night".

Aerin folded her arms. "Okay now. I mean no offense but you sound like my journal".

Mara turned to her slowly. "Ohh, you found it?"

Aerin nodded but she found it strange that Mara knew about the journal despite not disclosing it to her.

"I... didn't know it possessed magic or something. It just showed up on my doorstep."

"And the mark? " Mara asked, already aware of the answer.

Already speechless, Aerin rolled up her sleeve.

"You're Teresa's reborn", she said quietly. "I knew it the moment I saw you, but I wasn't quite sure".

"Then why didn't you say something before?" Aerin asked in a frustrated tone. " All these months, you've been bringing me tea, and you never saw it important to tell me that I was a reincarnation of some ancient witch?"

Mara sighed softly, "Rebirth is delicate, love. If I had spoken too soon, you might have broken before your soul had a chance to remember. You had to experience it naturally".

Aerin shook her head. "I'm not ready for any of this. I don't feel strong. I feel like... like I'm falling apart".

"You're not baby. You're on the right track. It takes sometime. Power doesn't just come that way ".

There was a wave of silence between them for a moment.

"Kyre came to me". Aerin said breaking the silence. "Last night. In my dream. And then... in my room. I think he's real now".

Mara's breath caught. "He's cursed. It's getting stronger. And you're the only one who can help him".

"He said that too. He said that Maeron is getting close and that the curse is worsening with every passing day".

Mara turned away, busying her hands with a bundle of herbs. " Then you need to go to the Whispering Stones".

"The what now? Oh God, I've heard so many strange things today".

"It's a place in the forest, older than Velgrave. Than Maeron's vengeance and the curse too. In that place, magic speaks truth."

Aerin's heart skipped. " Will it help me understand? And is it safe?" she asked curiously.

"Yes and no"

"Meaning? I don't understand. Speak clearly please."

" Yes it'll help you understand but I can't assure you if safety but I know you won't be harmed. It will just help you remember. Whether you can handle it... Is what I don't know of. You just have to be strong".

"Alright then" Aerin muttered in a tone mixed with fear, uncertainty and desperation.

Aerin stood at the forest's edge by dusk.

The journal was placed under her arm. A small pouch of herbs Mara had given her was tied to her waist. It contained protective charms, lavender and other herbs.

"This is insane" she whispered to herself. "What am I even doing here? I should be at home reading books or resting, not walking into a cursed wood guided by some journal and crazy dreams".

But she continued moving.

As she walked, the trees murmured secrets to her, their branches groaning like old bones. The forest grew darker with each step she took, yet she felt no fear, only a strange sense of belonging. it felt like the forest was calling out to her.

After walking for nearly an hour, she found it.

The Whispering Stones.

Twelve massive stones stood forming a ring in a clearing left for a long while. They were covered by moss and ivy. At the middle was a flat altar stone.

She stepped into the circle and silence enveloped her.

The moment her foot touched the center, everything changed.

The forest became silent. And then... there came pain.

Pain ripped through her wrist, spreading up her arms like flames. She cried out, falling to her knees as the crescent mark radiated with silver light. The journal flew from her hand and burst open.

Pages turned roughly, then stopped.

The wind echoed voices and whispers in a language she didn't know but somehow understood.

" *Child of flame... bearer of mercy... the cursed one calls..."*

A shadow crept across her figure.

She looked up to see Kyre standing at the edge of the circle, but it wasn't completely him.

His eyes gleamed, shifting between silver and black. His skin was pale and his veins were dark. His teeth were unnaturally sharp. He stood growling.

The curse was overpowering him.

"Aerin ", he rasped, dropping to his knees. "I can't stop it".

Feeling concerned, she moved towards him. "Kyre... what's happening?"

"He's close. The curse... Maeron is using it to tear me apart. I can't stand it much longer".

Aerin stood, the pain on her wrist throbbing and her heart racing.

"What should I do? Please speak".

Kyre bowed his head. "You have to bind me with the mark. Use it to connect me to you. You're the only one who can".

"I don't know how!" Aerin exclaimed with fear.

"You do" , he whispered. "It's inside you. Let her speak".

"Okay", she whispered to herself. "It's time. Come on Teresa".

Aerin closed her eyes. A memory flashed of Teresa hands aflame, her voice chanting words she didn't recognize but some how knew. Aerin opened her eyes .

They were glowing green.

Power surged through her veins. She stepped to Kyre and pressed her hand to his chest and the light from her crescent scar exploded. Shadows screamed as there were thorn out from his body. The curse fought but her resolve was stronger.

When it was done, Kyre collapsed and his humanity was restored.

Aerin fell beside him, breathless, heart beating. It felt like all the magic was drained from her. But it wasn't.

The journal drifted gently to the ground beside her and it's page opened with a new message burned in gold:

*One bond restored. Two remaining. He knows you're awake.*

Far from the forest, in a ruined temple wrapped in thorns, a figure stood before a cracked mirror.

His eyes were widened and as black as charcoal, a cruel smile lingered on his lips.

"So the witch recalls," he whispered evilly. "Let the games begin".

He let out an evil laugh and a sly smirk landed in his cheeks.