Chapter 2: Back From Death
1215 Words
Pain.
It was the first thing Aria felt.
A sharp ache spread through her body as if she had been torn apart and stitched back together.
Her eyes flew open.
She gasped for air and sat upright.
Sunlight streamed through enormous windows draped with silver curtains.
The scent of lavender filled the room.
Aria froze.
This wasn't right.
The execution platform was gone.
The cliff was gone.
The storm.
The crowd.
The chains.
Everything had disappeared.
She looked around wildly.
The room was familiar.
Too familiar.
Her bedroom.
The royal Luna chamber.
"No..."
Her voice trembled.
This couldn't be happening.
She threw aside the blankets and stumbled toward the mirror.
The reflection staring back at her stole her breath.
Her face was younger.
Her eyes brighter.
No scars.
No exhaustion.
No grief.
Aria touched her cheek.
The reflection did the same.
Tears filled her eyes.
"It's real."
The words barely escaped her lips.
A sudden knock sounded on the door.
Her heart nearly stopped.
"Lady Aria?"
The voice belonged to her maid.
Elena.
Aria's knees almost gave out.
Elena had died during the war two years after Aria's execution.
Yet here she was.
Alive.
"Come in," Aria whispered.
The door opened.
A young woman carrying a tray stepped inside.
"Good morning, Lady Aria."
Elena smiled.
A genuine smile.
Not a memory.
Not a dream.
Alive.
Aria stared at her.
The maid frowned.
"Is something wrong?"
Before Elena could react, Aria rushed forward and hugged her.
The tray nearly crashed to the floor.
"My lady!"
Elena looked completely shocked.
Aria laughed through her tears.
"You are alive."
Elena blinked.
"Of course I'm alive."
The confusion on her face almost made Aria laugh harder.
Three years.
She had traveled back three years.
The realization hit like lightning.
Aria released the maid and rushed toward her desk.
A calendar rested on the wooden surface.
Her hands shook as she grabbed it.
The date confirmed everything.
Three years.
Exactly three years before her execution.
The Moon Goddess had truly given her a second chance.
A second life.
A second fate.
This time things would be different.
This time she wouldn't die.
This time she would uncover the truth.
A cold determination settled inside her.
The innocent Luna who trusted everyone had died at Blackthorn Peak.
The woman standing here was someone else.
Someone stronger.
Someone who knew what was coming.
Someone who would never be betrayed again.
"My lady?"
Elena looked worried.
"Should I call a healer?"
Aria took a deep breath.
"No."
She forced a smile.
"I'm fine."
A lie.
She wasn't fine.
She had memories of dying.
Memories of falling.
Memories of watching everyone she loved turn against her.
But now wasn't the time to break down.
She needed answers.
And she needed them quickly.
A second knock interrupted her thoughts.
This one was stronger.
More confident.
More familiar.
Aria's entire body went rigid.
She knew that knock.
She would recognize it anywhere.
Kael.
The room suddenly felt too small.
Too warm.
Too dangerous.
Elena smiled.
"The Alpha King is here."
Aria's heart pounded.
In her previous life, hearing those words would have filled her with joy.
Now they filled her with dread.
Kael Nightfang.
The man she loved.
The man who watched her die.
The man she couldn't stop thinking about.
Part of her wanted answers.
Part of her wanted revenge.
And part of her still remembered the pain in his eyes as she fell from the cliff.
"Send him away."
Elena nearly choked.
"What?"
"I said send him away."
"My lady, the Alpha King personally requested—"
"I don't care."
Silence filled the room.
Nobody refused Kael.
Nobody.
Yet Aria had already died once.
She wasn't afraid of a king anymore.
Another voice suddenly spoke from the doorway.
Deep.
Powerful.
Dangerously calm.
"That's not a very warm welcome."
Aria froze.
The air shifted.
Even Elena stepped aside immediately.
Kael entered the room.
For a moment, time stopped.
He looked exactly as she remembered.
Tall.
Broad-shouldered.
Golden eyes.
Dark hair.
A face capable of making an entire kingdom obey.
But seeing him alive after witnessing her execution felt surreal.
Kael smiled slightly.
"Good morning."
Aria stared.
Memories crashed through her mind.
The execution platform.
The cliff.
The scream.
No.
She wouldn't forget.
Not this time.
"What do you want?"
His eyebrows rose.
"That's a strange greeting."
"Answer the question."
Kael studied her carefully.
Something in his expression changed.
Confusion.
Concern.
Interest.
He was used to a softer Aria.
A warmer Aria.
This version caught him off guard.
"I came to invite you to tonight's celebration."
Aria remembered instantly.
The Moonlight Festival.
One of the most important events in the kingdom.
The same night Kael officially began courting her.
The same night she fell in love.
Not this time.
"I'm not interested."
Silence.
Elena looked horrified.
Kael blinked.
"You're not interested?"
"No."
For the first time in years, someone had managed to surprise the Alpha King.
Aria almost enjoyed it.
Almost.
Kael stepped closer.
"What happened?"
Nothing.
Everything.
A thousand answers fought inside her mind.
Instead she simply said:
"I changed."
His eyes narrowed.
He studied her for several long seconds.
Then something unexpected happened.
Kael smiled.
A genuine smile.
The sight caught her completely off guard.
"Interesting."
Aria frowned.
"What is?"
"You."
Without another word, he turned and walked toward the door.
Halfway out he stopped.
"Tonight. Moonlight Festival."
"I said no."
"I know."
His smile widened.
"That's why I'm curious."
Then he disappeared.
The door closed behind him.
Elena stared at Aria.
Aria stared at the door.
Her heart hammered against her chest.
This wasn't supposed to happen.
Kael was supposed to be distant.
Cold.
Unreachable.
Instead he seemed intrigued.
Interested.
The realization annoyed her.
Good.
Let him wonder.
Let him chase answers for once.
Because she had more important problems.
Vivienne Frost.
The thought immediately darkened her mood.
In her previous life, Vivienne had been her closest friend.
The person she trusted most.
The person she would have died for.
Now Aria knew better.
The memories of the execution returned.
The guilt in Vivienne's eyes.
The fear.
The lies.
She needed proof.
Not suspicions.
Proof.
A maid entered the room carrying a stack of letters.
"These arrived this morning."
Aria accepted them absentmindedly.
Then she froze.
One letter stood out.
A black seal.
A symbol she recognized instantly.
Her blood ran cold.
In her previous life, secret messages bearing that seal had appeared shortly before the accusations against her began.
Back then she ignored them.
Now she knew better.
Aria broke the seal.
Inside was a single piece of parchment.
Only one sentence was written.
The game has already begun.
Her pulse quickened.
She read it again.
And again.
Impossible.
Nobody should know.
Nobody should remember the future except her.
Yet this letter suggested otherwise.
A chill traveled down her spine.
Had someone else come back?
Was she truly the only person who remembered?
Or had another player entered the board?
For the first time since awakening, uncertainty crept into her mind.
The future wasn't changing.
The future had already changed.
Outside the palace window, dark clouds slowly gathered over the kingdom.
A storm was coming.
And this time, Aria intended to be ready for it.
No matter who stood in her way.
- Writer
