Chapter 5:The Tale Of The Moon's Cursed
516 Words
The sun had begun to dip low in the sky by the time Liora and Kael returned to Roselake. Though their journey through the woods had ended, the real path—the one paved with secrets and forgotten memories—was only just beginning.
Liora guided Kael to her grandmother’s cottage, nestled at the edge of the village. The old woman, Naiya, was once a healer and a keeper of old tales. If anyone knew about strange magic and ancient curses, it was her.
Naiya looked up from her knitting as the pair entered.
“You brought a stranger to my door, child,” she said, eyes sharp despite her age.
“He saved me,” Liora replied. “And I think he’s cursed.”
Naiya’s gaze shifted to Kael. Her expression changed. Slower. More serious.
“Sit,” she said. “Tell me everything.”
---
As the fire crackled in the hearth, Liora told her everything — the shadowbeast, the Soulmark, Kael’s memory loss after the full moon. Naiya listened in silence, her wrinkled hands tightening slightly over her cane.
When the tale ended, she leaned back and closed her eyes.
“There is an old story,” she said finally. “One most have forgotten. Long ago, in the kingdom of Elyria, a prince was born under a cursed moon. A jealous sorcerer, wronged by the royal bloodline, cast a spell: the boy would grow strong and wise… but would forget love every full moon.”
Liora’s breath caught.
“A prince?” she echoed. “Elyria?”
Kael sat rigid. “I don’t remember anything before waking in the forest. But Elyria… that name. It feels like something I’ve lost.”
Naiya opened her eyes, fixing him with a piercing stare. “If your soul bears the weight of that curse, boy, then your story is not just yours — it is the kingdom’s.”
“What happened to the prince?” Liora asked.
“No one knows,” Naiya said. “Some say he disappeared. Others say he was hidden away, kept from falling in love, so the curse would never activate. But magic like that… it leaves scars on the world.”
Kael stood abruptly, pacing. “So I really am cursed. And whoever cast it didn’t just take my memories — they took myself.”
Liora rose and gently touched his arm. “Then we’ll find a way to break it.”
Naiya’s eyes softened. “It won’t be easy. The curse was bound in royal blood, ancient magic, and heartbreak. You’ll need to find the sorcerer… or someone who carries his magic. And be warned — breaking it may come with a price.”
Kael looked at Liora. “Would you still help me… knowing that?”
Liora didn’t hesitate. “I’d rather fight for someone who forgets me, than live never knowing what it meant to be chosen.”
And in that quiet moment, though Kael couldn’t remember her past… a tiny thread of something warm tugged at his heart.
Something that felt… like the beginning
---
- Writer
