The moon Guardian

Chapter 11 — The Hidden Memory

The underground chamber had finally become silent.

Luna stood before the restored Moon Crystal, still thinking about Selene's words.

Her mother was alive.

After eighteen years of believing she had lost her forever, Luna finally had a reason to hope.

“Why didn't my mother come back?” Luna asked.

Selene lowered her gaze.

“Because she was protecting you.”

Luna's eyes filled with questions.

“Protecting me from what?”

Before Selene could answer, the Moon Crystal began to glow.

A soft silver light spread across the chamber.

Luna stepped closer.

“It's reacting to me again.”

“Then listen,” Selene said. “Your mother's message may finally be ready to reveal itself.”

Luna placed her hand against the Crystal.

The chamber disappeared.

She found herself standing in a beautiful garden.

White flowers covered the ground, and a young woman stood beneath a silver tree.

Luna immediately recognized her.

“Mom…”

Her mother turned.

Although Luna knew it was only a memory, seeing her face made her heart ache.

“My little Luna,” her mother said softly.

Luna couldn't speak.

Her mother smiled sadly.

“If you are seeing this message, then the Moon Guardian has awakened again.”

The scene changed.

Luna saw her mother carrying her as a small child through the halls of the Moon Palace.

Then the memory changed again.

The palace was surrounded by darkness.

Her mother stood before the Shadow King.

“You will never have the Moon Crystal,” she said.

The Shadow King answered, “Then I will take something more valuable.”

He reached toward young Luna.

Luna's mother immediately created a barrier around her daughter.

The vision suddenly became brighter.

Luna watched as her mother placed the silver pendant around her neck.

“You must hide her,” her mother told Luna's father.

“I will,” he answered.

The memory faded.

Luna opened her eyes.

Tears rolled down her cheeks.

“She protected me.”

Kael stood beside her.

“She did everything she could.”

Luna looked at him.

“Then we have to find her.”

Her father stepped forward.

“We will.”

Suddenly, the Moon Crystal displayed another image.

A map appeared in the air.

It showed the northern mountains.

At the center was a black fortress surrounded by dark clouds.

Kael recognized it immediately.

“The Shadow King's fortress.”

Luna studied the map.

“There.”

A small silver symbol appeared beneath the fortress.

“What does that mean?”

Selene answered quietly.

“Your mother left that symbol.”

Luna's eyes widened.

“She wants us to find her.”

The map suddenly disappeared.

Then a final message appeared.

Her mother's voice echoed through the chamber:

“Luna, do not come looking for me alone. Trust the people who stand beside you.”

The vision ended.

Luna looked at Kael.

He nodded.

“You won't go alone.”

Luna smiled.

“Then let's bring my mother home.”

Above them, the moon shone through the windows of Asteria.

But far away, in a fortress hidden among the northern mountains, someone was watching.

The Shadow King stood before a dark mirror.

He had seen everything.

And he smiled.

“Come to me, Moon Guardian.”

The journey to the Shadow King's fortress had begun.