Chapter 8 — The First Guardian
697 Words
The staircase beneath the Moon Crystal seemed to have no end.
Luna followed Kael down the ancient stone steps while her father remained above, guarding the entrance to the hidden chamber.
The deeper they went, the colder the air became.
Blue light from the Moon Crystal slowly disappeared behind them until only the faint glow from Luna’s pendant remained.
“Kael,” Luna whispered, “what exactly is the First Guardian?”
Kael stopped.
“I don’t know.”
Luna frowned. “You said you served Asteria.”
“I did. But some secrets were forbidden even to the royal guards.”
A low sound echoed through the darkness.
Boom.
Luna froze.
“What was that?”
Kael placed a hand near his sword.
“I think we’re about to find out.”
They continued.
At the bottom of the staircase stood an enormous circular door covered in ancient symbols. In its center was a carving of a crescent moon surrounded by seven stars.
Luna touched it.
The moment her fingers reached the stone, her pendant began to glow.
The symbols lit up one by one.
Then the door opened.
A vast underground chamber appeared before them.
In the center was a black stone platform. Above it floated a strange sphere of silver light.
Luna stepped closer.
Inside the sphere was a figure.
A woman.
She appeared to be sleeping.
Her long silver hair floated around her, and an ancient moon-shaped mark glowed on her forehead.
Kael stared at her.
“Impossible…”
Luna looked at him. “You know her?”
Before Kael could answer, the woman opened her eyes.
They shone like moonlight.
“The blood of Asteria has returned.”
Luna took a step backward.
“Who are you?”
The woman looked directly at her.
“I am Selene, the First Moon Guardian.”
The chamber suddenly trembled.
Luna felt something inside her respond to the woman's presence.
A wave of memories flashed through her mind.
She saw Asteria centuries ago.
She saw the first Moon Guardians standing beneath a full moon.
Then she saw something terrifying.
A dark figure standing before them.
The Shadow King.
But he looked different.
Younger.
Human.
Luna gasped.
“He was there…”
Selene nodded.
“He was once a guardian of Asteria.”
Kael's expression changed.
“The Shadow King was a Moon Guardian?”
“He was once called Aric,” Selene explained. “He believed the power of the Moon Crystal should belong to those strong enough to control it.”
Luna looked at the glowing sphere.
“What happened to him?”
“He tried to take the Crystal's power by force.”
The chamber shook again.
A c***k appeared across the floor.
Selene's expression became serious.
“He failed. But his hatred survived.”
Suddenly, a dark voice echoed throughout the chamber.
“And now it is time for me to finish what I started.”
Luna turned.
Black mist began spreading across the walls.
Kael drew his sword.
“He found us.”
The Shadow King's voice grew louder.
“Luna, you carry the blood of those who defeated me. Give me the Moon Crystal, and perhaps I will spare Asteria.”
Luna clenched her fists.
“You won't hurt anyone.”
A dark figure appeared within the mist.
The Shadow King.
But this time, he wasn't attacking.
He simply smiled.
“You still don't understand, Princess.”
Luna's pendant suddenly burned with silver light.
Selene raised her hand.
“Luna, listen carefully. The Moon Crystal is not merely a source of power.”
“What is it?”
“It is a seal.”
Luna's eyes widened.
“A seal for what?”
Selene looked toward the floor.
“For the darkness beneath Asteria.”
A deep rumble shook the chamber.
Something enormous moved beneath them.
Kael stared at the ground.
“What did you awaken?”
Selene looked at Luna.
“Not her.”
She pointed toward the Moon Crystal.
“You did.”
The silver sphere suddenly cracked.
A brilliant light filled the chamber.
Luna reached toward it instinctively.
And somewhere beneath Asteria, something ancient opened its eyes.
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