Blood and Moonlight
1049 Words
The sky darkened unnaturally above the Kwenzi mansion as the Eclipse began its slow crawl across the moon. Shadows twisted through the trees like snakes. The wind stopped.
And before them stood the impossible.
“Eliana…” the woman’s voice echoed, soft and commanding, “I am your mother.”
Eliana’s lips parted, but no words came.
Mrs. Kwenzi stepped forward. “Cora Cruz died in the Great Okaru War. The records were sealed—her light extinguished.”
The woman chuckled bitterly. “No. My light was taken. The Shadowbound kept me alive for one reason—to return and claim the child born from my final vision.”
Lucas moved protectively in front of Eliana. “You’re with them.”
“I am them,” Cora said, her silver eyes glowing. “But not by choice. And now… my daughter must choose.”
The ground trembled beneath their feet.
Eliana’s chest tightened. “Choose what?”
“To join me—or to die like the rest of the Okaru line.”
Inside the Mansion – Chaos Builds
Guards scrambled through the corridors, weapons drawn, blocking the doors with silver wards and chants. Mrs. Kwenzi shouted orders while the Elders formed a protective ring.
But none of it mattered.
Cora wasn’t here to fight.
She was here to break.
Outside – Eclipse Pressure
Lucas’s breathing turned uneven.
His hands trembled.
The mark on his wrist pulsed violently, reacting to the moon’s alignment.
Eliana turned to him. “Lucas, what’s happening?”
“I’m fighting it,” he growled. “The curse… it’s waking again. The Eclipse strengthens it.”
Cora smiled coldly. “Of course it does. The Barbarian Alpha was born from moonblood and rage. If you don’t control him now, he will destroy you both.”
Eliana clutched his hand. “You’re stronger than it, Lucas. Stay with me.”
But Lucas’s pupils dilated. His skin began to shift, his jaw tightening as the beast inside clawed to get free.
He dropped to his knees, clutching his head. “Get back,” he rasped. “Eliana, go—”
“No,” she said, voice shaking. “I’m not leaving you again.”
Cora stepped closer. “You can save him, Eliana. But only if you choose.”
“Choose what?” Eliana screamed, wind whipping her hair.
“To break the bond. Let him go. Let the curse consume him. And I’ll protect you.”
Eliana’s heart cracked.
Break the bond? Let Lucas become a monster?
“I’d rather die,” she said.
Then the sky exploded.
A Flash of Light
It wasn’t the moon—it was Eliana.
The pendant around her neck shattered into pieces, sending a wave of light through the air. The ground lit up with Okaru runes. The bond between her and Lucas surged.
Cora stumbled back, shielding her eyes.
“No,” she hissed. “She wasn’t supposed to awaken yet.”
Eliana turned, her skin glowing with moonlight, her hair whipping in the wind.
“I may not know everything about who I am,” she said, “but I know what I won’t do. I won’t leave him.”
She knelt beside Lucas, cupped his face, and pressed her forehead to his.
“You’re not a monster,” she whispered. “You’re mine.”
And for a moment—the trembling stopped.
Lucas’s breathing calmed.
His claws retracted.
And his eyes, though golden, returned to focus.
“Eliana,” he rasped. “You called me back.”
She smiled, tears shining in her eyes. “Always.”
But the Calm Didn't Last
A sudden growl rose from the mansion gates.
Dre had returned—with five Shadowbound beasts behind him, half-wolf, half-shadow, eyes like melted coal.
“This ends tonight,” he hissed. “With her blood.”
Cora turned sharply. “No! She is not to be harmed!”
Dre sneered. “You’ve grown soft. The Eclipse waits for no mother.”
Before anyone could stop him, Dre lunged—claws aimed for Eliana.
Lucas rose with a roar and tackled him mid-air.
They crashed into the courtyard wall, claws tearing through stone and air.
Eliana turned, ready to fight—but Cora stepped in front of her.
“Eliana,” she said softly, “I lied.”
Eliana blinked. “About what?”
“I didn’t just survive the war. I caused it.”
Shock. Betrayal. Truth.
“I gave your grandmother’s location to the Shadowbound in exchange for a chance to rewrite fate,” Cora confessed. “I wanted to reshape the world where Okaru would rule—but they twisted my vision.”
Eliana’s hands trembled.
“You… betrayed your blood?”
“For power,” Cora whispered. “And now… I see that you are stronger than I ever was. Your light is pure. And that means you must do what I couldn’t.”
Eliana’s voice cracked. “What?”
“End me. End this.”
“No…”
Cora stepped closer and placed something in her palm—a stone etched with the same mark on Eliana’s wrist.
“It’s called the Seal of Return. Use it on me… and the Okaru curse ends.”
Eliana shook her head. “I won’t kill you.”
“You won’t be killing me,” Cora said, smiling through tears. “You’ll be saving everyone else.”
A thunderous crash behind them—Lucas and Dre still fought fiercely, blood painting the stone.
Eliana turned back to her mother, torn between duty and heartbreak.
At That Moment – A Final Twist
A blinding spear of light shot from the clouds and struck the ground between Lucas and Dre, knocking them both apart.
From the dust… another figure rose.
Not Shadowbound. Not Okaru.
A third force.
A man with silver eyes, dark robes, and a crown made of bones.
“The Eclipse is mine,” he said in a voice that made the ground quake. “And the Seer… belongs to me.”
Eliana stumbled back, her mother gasped, and Lucas rose, bleeding and furious.
“Who the hell are you?” he growled.
The man smiled.
“I am the Forgotten King. And I’ve come to claim what the moon owes me.”
- Writer
