Lunaris Ascending

The Moon Sees All. The Moon Remembers. *** Smoke and blood taint the air. The Sanctum of Selene, once a place of peace and devotion and the first home I had truly felt safe in, is burning. Sacred Silverwood beams crack and splinter, sending embers spiraling into the night like dying stars. The marble floors, once pristine, are slick with the blood of the goddess's faithful. Their cries echo around me, each one a dagger through my heart. This is my fault. They chose to protect me, and now, they are paying the ultimate price. Above, the moon watches in silence, her light fractured by the rising smoke. And in the heart of the ruin, I stand, bound, beaten, but unbowed. Every breath is agony, fire lancing through my ribs. My blood runs hot over my hands from a wound that my regenerative healing cannot fix. My knees threaten to buckle, but I refuse to kneel. Not before him. Not before the man who betrayed us all. At the top of the temple steps, King Valerius of Ortheos watches me, his abyss-black eyes unreadable. His crimson royal cloak ripples in the heat of the flames, and the jagged onyx gems of his Imperial Crown pulse with an eerie glow. The darkness at his feet shifts and writhes- alive. Hungry. “You shouldn’t have pried, our precious 'Celestial Rose'.” The nickname turns my stomach, but I keep my gaze locked onto his. I won’t give him the satisfaction of knowing how much I despise it. His voice is smooth, almost bored, as if the surrounding destruction is nothing more than a mild inconvenience. The scent of burning flesh mingles with something worse- the cloying, unnatural rot of the darkness that clings to him. Steel your resolve, Astraea…this isn’t over yet… I lift my chin despite the weight of my exhaustion and blood loss. My family’s sword– Moonreaver – lies discarded in the rubble, its silver blade stained with the blood of our enemies… and my own. Regret burns through me. I had not wielded it to its full potential. I had failed House Dain and every ancestor who had held it before me. In another life, maybe…maybe we will be reunited. I promise to be a wielder worthy of the power you hold. Thank you for protecting me, even though I was sorely lacking in every way… “Thank you, Father, for trusting me with it. Forgive me for letting you down…” “You’re mistaken, Your Majesty.” My voice is raw but unwavering. “I did not pry.” I straighten my spine, ignoring the sharp protests of my battered body. Channeling the pride of House Dain, I meet the King’s gaze head-on. His soldiers shift at my defiance, their hands tightening on their weapons, ready for anything. “I uncovered the truth,” I continue. “The truth you murdered your daughter to keep hidden.” A flicker of something crosses his expression. Annoyance? Amusement? Fear? Yes. Fear. Because he knows I speak the truth. Kira had found it first. She left me the clues. And for that, she was murdered. Silenced. Now, it seems like it's my turn. Valerius descends the steps, slow and deliberate, savoring his victory. His guards move like shadows behind him, their golden eyes gleaming with something unnatural. "You could have lived a quiet life, Astraea," he muses. "You could have stood by my son’s side, playing the role of the dutiful, obedient Luna Crown Princess- a jewel to be seen, never heard. I am aware my foolish son has been cruel to you, but you were strong enough to endure it. That’s why I chose you for him." He stops just feet away, his lips curling in mock pity. "But instead, you fought the future I laid out for you. Just like my dear Kira. And now, you are doomed by your defiance. Just like she was.” The darkness at his feet surges forward, coiling around my wrists and throat. It yanks me to my knees. Pain explodes through me, sharp and unrelenting, but I bite down on my lip hard to stifle the scream. Blood drips down my chin. Valerius watches, amusement flickering beneath his cold, hollow gaze. He will not break me. He will not feed off of my despair. Above us, the moon burns bright - angry. Watching. Valerius tilts his head, lifting his gaze to the sky as if addressing the goddess herself. "Do you feel it, Astraea? The last light of your goddess slipping away? And to think you believed she would save you…tell me, where is your goddess now, oh child of Lunaris?" Lunaris. He spits the word like an insult, as if the blood in my veins- the power I have yet to claim- is something to be mocked. But I do feel her. Not fading. Waiting. Promising. This is not the end. Valerius lifts his hand, black mist curling around his fingers like ink dissolving in water. The time has come, and I accept it with resolve burning in my veins. “Curse her now," he commands, his voice thick with dark delight. "Renounce your goddess, and perhaps I will find some use for you yet.” His lips curve into a wicked smile, waiting for words I will never say. I take a breath, and when I speak, my voice is strong. “I am Astraea Leonora Dain, daughter of Lord Enzo and Lady Ayla Dain. Heiress to the Great House Dain—blood of the First Moon, descendant of the Lunaris of old. We do not bow to the unworthy. We do not beg for mercy. We do not break. We do not yield. With light, with blade, and with blood, we carve our own fate. And until my dying breath, I will bear the name of my House with honor, with pride, and with power.” The King’s rage ignites like oil meeting flame as I recite my family's motto. The shadows tighten around my throat, and pain-blinding, unbearable- floods every nerve in my body. Still, I smile. Because I know I have wounded him. He wanted me broken. But I would not bow. "Die knowing history will forget you and your ‘Great House’ forever," he whispers. But even as the darkness swallows me whole, I know the truth. No one could ever erase the Blood of the First Moon. ** I do not remember dying. But I remember the pain- the betrayal. The sting of love twisted into ruin. The darkness swallowing me whole. And now, there’s only the cold. Only the feeling of falling. And then- light. It seeps into the abyss, soft at first, like silver mist curling around my body. Then, a presence- warmth in the endless cold. A voice, neither spoken nor heard, but felt deep within my bones. "Your story is far from over, Astraea. The stars have written your fate, and their light still calls to you." "Arise. Fulfill your Destiny." The light surges. My body burns- not with pain, but with something ancient, knowing, eternal. And then I fall. Back into breath. Back into my body. Back into the life I should no longer have. ***