Reborn as the Forsaken Moon Goddess

In my past life, I was Selene — the Empire's beloved Moon Priestess, betrayed and burned alive by the man I loved and the sister I trusted. The Crown Prince who promised me forever lit the fire himself. "Selene, do you confess to cursing the Empress with dark magic?" I knelt on the execution platform, my white priestess robes stained with blood, my silver hair cut off. Below, thousands who once worshipped me screamed "Burn the witch!" "Thalia, please tell him the truth..." I looked at my sister. My Thalia, whom I raised from the slums, whom I gave everything. She was wearing MY crown, MY moonstone necklace, clinging to my Crown Prince. "Sister, why did you try to kill me? I only tried to help you!" she sobbed, but when Rhys wasn't looking, she smiled at me. A cruel, victorious smile. It was she who poisoned the Empress. She who learned blood curses. I found her book and tried to save her, and she told Rhys I was the witch. Rhys looked at me with disgust. "I thought you were pure, Selene. Thalia is the true Moon Goddess. You are just a fake. Burn her." The flames rose. My skin melted. The pain was nothing compared to watching him hold her while I burned. "If there is a next life, I will never love you again! I will make you all kneel!" I screamed as my soul shattered. Then I heard a goddess's voice. [My child... they dared burn my chosen one? I will reverse fate. Be reborn and take back what is yours.] Darkness became silver. ... Cold water filled my lungs! I thrashed and sat up, coughing. I was in a broken temple pool full of dead leaves. "Look, the trash princess isn't dead!" Three noble girls stood by the pool. The leader was Elara Vance, daughter of the Prime Minister. Memories flooded my head that were not mine. This body is also Selene. Selene Lyra, the Empire's Forsaken Princess. Born on a Blood Moon, declared cursed. No moon power at eighteen. The Emperor threw her in the Cold Palace. Today is her final awakening test — if she fails, she will be thrown to the Beast Forest. And Elara and her friends just tried to drown her. "Selene Lyra, you should have died at birth! The Emperor doesn't want you, the Empire doesn't want you!" Elara kicked water at me. I stared at her face. That arrogant chin tilt. That cruel smile. It was Thalia. The soul was identical. My sister reborn. "Thalia..." I whispered, hatred freezing my blood. "What did you call me? My name is Elara! You dare insult me, trash?" She raised her hand to slap me. She never touched me. BOOM! A pillar of pure silver moonlight broke through the clouds and struck me. The abandoned temple that had been dark for a hundred years lit up. Moon flowers bloomed. Broken statues hummed. Elara was thrown back ten feet. "What is this?! Moonlight?!" I stood up from the pool. Water floated around me. My wet black hair turned to pure moon-silver. My dull brown eyes turned to glowing silver. On my back, a huge crescent moon mark burned through my rags. [MOON GODDESS SYSTEM BINDING SUCCESSFUL. HOST: SELENE LYRA. GIFTS: Divine Beast Egg x1, Moon Power x1000, Past Life Memory Restored.] I raised my hand. The pool water became a whip and wrapped around Elara's neck, lifting her. "You... you have no power! You are trash!" "In my past life I taught you to read, gave you everything, and you burned me wearing my crown. In this life, let me teach you the price of betraying a Goddess." I tightened the whip. "Stop." The air became freezing. Frost formed. From the shadows, a man walked out. Tall, black military cloak with silver wolves, long black hair, face like a god carved from ice. But his eyes were golden, like a wolf's, and filled with tears staring at me. Duke Cassian Night. The Empire's God of War. The immortal Duke who lived a thousand years. "Selene..." he whispered, voice trembling. "After 1327 years... you finally returned." He knelt in the muddy water before me, a trash princess in rags. The Duke who never knelt to the Emperor. "When you were six, you saved a white wolf pup from a trap, healed his leg, gave him half your bun, named him Cass. You told me, 'Grow up fast and protect me.' I grew up. I came back, and they had burned you. All I found was ash and your melted necklace. So I made a contract with the Moon Goddess to wait for you. I waited a thousand years." He took my scarred hand and pressed it to his cheek. A hot tear fell. My beast egg in my palm suddenly cracked. Outside, hundreds of guards shouted — they had seen the moonlight pillar and were coming. Elara, on the ground, screamed, "Guards! The cursed princess is using dark magic! Duke, save me! She is a witch!" I looked at the guards rushing in, at Elara using the SAME trick as Thalia did, and at the Duke kneeling before me. In my past life I would have cried that I was innocent. In this life, I stood straight, silver hair flying, and smiled coldly. "Good. Let them come. Let them see how the the trash they despised becomes the Goddess they must kneel to." necklace, clinging to my Crown Prince. "Sister, why did you try to kill me? I only tried to help you!" she sobbed, but when Rhys wasn't looking, she smiled at me. A cruel, victorious smile. It was she who poisoned the Empress. She who learned blood curses. I found her book and tried to save her, and she told Rhys I was the witch. Rhys looked at me with disgust. "I thought you were pure, Selene. Thalia is the true Moon Goddess. You are just a fake. Burn her." The flames rose. My skin melted. The pain was nothing compared to watching him hold her while I burned. "If there is a next life, I will never love you again! I will make you all kneel!" I screamed as my soul shattered. Then I heard a goddess's voice. [My child... they dared burn my chosen one? I will reverse fate. Be reborn and take back what is yours.] Darkness became silver. Cold water filled my lungs! I thrashed and sat up, coughing. I was in a broken temple pool full of dead leaves. "Look, the trash princess isn't dead!" Three noble girls stood by the pool. The leader was Elara Vance, daughter of the Prime Minister. Memories flooded my head that were not mine. This body is also Selene. Selene Lyra, the Empire's Forsaken Princess. Born on a Blood Moon, declared cursed. No moon power at eighteen. The Emperor threw her in the Cold Palace. Today is her final awakening test — if she fails, she will be thrown to the Beast Forest. And Elara and her friends just tried to drown her. "Selene Lyra, you should have died at birth! The Emperor doesn't want you, the Empire doesn't want you!" Elara kicked water at me. I stared at her face. That arrogant chin tilt. That cruel smile. It was Thalia. The soul was identical. My sister reborn. "Thalia..." I whispered, hatred freezing my blood. "What did you call me? My name is Elara! You dare insult me, trash?" She raised her hand to slap me. She never touched me. BOOM! A pillar of pure silver moonlight broke through the clouds and struck me. The abandoned temple that had been dark for a hundred years lit up. Moon flowers bloomed. Broken statues hummed. Elara was thrown back ten feet. "What is this?! Moonlight?!" I stood up from the pool. Water floated around me. My wet black hair turned to pure moon-silver. My dull brown eyes turned to glowing silver. On my back, a huge crescent moon mark burned through my rags. [MOON GODDESS SYSTEM BINDING SUCCESSFUL. HOST: SELENE LYRA. GIFTS: Divine Beast Egg x1, Moon Power x1000, Past Life Memory Restored.] I raised my hand. The pool water became a whip and wrapped around Elara's neck, lifting her. "You... you have no power! You are trash!" "In my past life I taught you to read, gave you everything, and you burned me wearing my crown. In this life, let me teach you the price of betraying a Goddess." I tightened the whip. "Stop." The air became freezing. Frost formed. From the shadows, a man walked out. Tall, black military cloak with silver wolves, long black hair, face like a god carved from ice. But his eyes were golden, like a wolf's, and filled with tears staring at me. Duke Cassian Night. The Empire's God of War. The immortal Duke who lived a thousand years. "Selene..." he whispered, voice trembling. "After 1327 years... you finally returned." He knelt in the muddy water before me, a trash princess in rags. The Duke who never knelt to the Emperor. "When you were six, you saved a white wolf pup from a trap, healed his leg, gave him half your bun, named him Cass. You told me, 'Grow up fast and protect me.' I grew up. I came back, and they had burned you. All I found was ash and your melted necklace. So I made a contract with the Moon Goddess to wait for you. I waited a thousand years." He took my scarred hand and pressed it to his cheek. A hot tear fell. My beast egg in my palm suddenly cracked. Outside, hundreds of guards shouted — they had seen the moonlight pillar and were coming. Elara, on the ground, screamed, "Guards! The cursed princess is using dark magic! Duke, save me! She is a witch!" I looked at the guards rushing in, at Elara using the SAME trick as Thalia did, and at the Duke kneeling before me. In my past life I would have cried that I was innocent. In this life, I stood straight, silver hair flying, and smiled coldly. "Good. Let them come. Let them see how the trash they despised becomes the Goddess they must kneel to."