The Fractures Between Us
1030 Words
The silence after the battle lingered like a wound that refused to close.
No one spoke as we left the Lion Clan’s territory.
Not even Solren.
That alone told me everything I needed to know.
I glanced at him from the corner of my eye. His golden aura—once blinding, almost untouchable—had dimmed into something faint. Still proud. Still standing tall.
But no longer invincible.
“…We should keep moving,” Aeris said quietly, his voice carried by the wind.
“For what?” Taika muttered.
His tone was rough, edged with frustration.
“So we can watch another clan fall?”
No one answered.
Because no one could deny it.
“That’s enough,” Solren said.
Calm. Controlled.
But empty.
Taika scoffed, the ground beneath his feet trembling ever so slightly.
“We’re losing,” he continued. “One by one.”
“We are not defeated,” Solren replied.
“Not yet,” Taika shot back.
The air shifted.
Heavy.
Tense.
“…Stop.”
My voice came out before I could stop it.
Six pairs of eyes turned toward me.
I froze.
“…Fighting each other won’t fix anything,” I added, quieter this time.
Taika clicked his tongue and looked away.
Solren said nothing.
But the argument died there—not resolved, just buried beneath something deeper.
This isn’t good…
We weren’t united
Not really.
“…They’re targeting the stones,” Kael said after a moment. “Strategically.”
“Then the Tiger Clan is next,” Aeris added.
All eyes shifted to Taika.
He didn’t react immediately.
But I saw it—the subtle tightening of his jaw.
“…Let them come,” he said.
Confident.
But not entirely.
My chest tightened.
He got hurt because of me before…
The memory flashed in my mind—
Blood.
His body shielding mine.
The way he looked pale.
Weak.
“…Taika,” I called.
He glanced at me. “…What?”
I hesitated.
Why was this so hard?
“I just…” I looked away briefly before forcing myself to continue. “…Don’t do anything reckless.”
There was a pause.
“…You’re worried?” he asked.
My heart skipped.
“I’m being practical,” I replied quickly.
Too quickly.
Smooth.
Very convincing.
Taika stared at me for a moment.
Then—
“…Right.”
But something in his tone had changed.
Before I could figure out what—
My hand brushed against his.
It was brief.
Accidental.
But—
A sudden warmth spread through my chest.
“…What—?”
My breath hitched.
The sensation wasn’t painful.
But it wasn’t normal either.
It felt like something had awakened.
“…Luna?” Taika’s voice sharpened.
“I—I don’t know—”
The ground beneath us trembled.
Crack.
A thin line split across the earth.
Everything went still.
“…Did you do that?” Taika asked.
“I didn’t—”
The energy surged again.
Stronger this time.
My chest tightened as something. unfamiliar flowed through me.
And suddenly—
I moved.
I didn’t think.
I just… acted.
My hand lifted slightly—
And the ground responded.
A chunk of earth rose from the surface—hovering for a brief second before crashing back down.
Silence.
Heavy.
Unreal.
“…That’s my power,” Taika said quietly.
I turned to him slowly.
“…What?”
“That’s Tiger Clan earth manipulation,”
he continued. “…But you’re the one using it.”
“I didn’t do anything!” I snapped, panic rising.
The ground trembled again.
Stop—stop—STOP—
I clenched my fists, forcing myself to breathe.
Slowly…
The trembling faded.
Silence returned.
But it wasn’t the same.
“…What did I just do?” I whispered.
Taika didn’t answer right away.
When I looked at him—
He was staring at me.
Not angry.
Not afraid.
Just… confused.
“…This shouldn’t be possible,” he said.
“Yeah, no kidding,” I muttered.
My mind raced.
You’re not supposed to have that.
You’re not supposed to be here.
You’re not supposed to be—
“I didn’t steal anything,” I blurted out.
Taika blinked. “…I didn’t say you did.”
“…Right.”
Great. Now I sound insane.
“…This is bad,” I muttered.
“That we can agree on,” he replied.
I ran a hand through my hair, pacing slightly.
“…There has to be a reason.”
“…There is,” Taika said.
I stopped.
“…What?”
“…You touched me.”
I froze.
“…That’s your explanation?”
“I’m stating what happened,” he said.
“You weren’t using any power before that.”
“…That doesn’t mean anything.”
“…Maybe,” he admitted.
But neither of us sounded convinced.
“…We should go back,” I said quickly.
Before this got any more complicated.
Before I thought too much.
Before I started connecting things I
didn’t want to connect.
You already are.
Shut up.
We returned to the others in silence.
Of course, they noticed.
Kael spoke first.
“…What happened?”
“Nothing,” I said immediately.
Taika didn’t answer.
“…You’re both terrible liars,” Kael muttered.
“Drop it,” Solren said.
But his eyes lingered on us.
He noticed.
They all did.
Great.
“…We move at dawn,” Solren added.
No one argued.
That night—
No one truly rested.
And neither did I.
I lay awake, staring into the darkness.
My chest still felt… strange.
That warmth.
That power.
It didn’t make sense.
But there was one thing that bothered me more than anything else.
“…It happened when I touched him,” I whispered.
Silence answered.
Coincidence.
“…Yeah. Probably.”
But what if it’s not?
I turned to my side, pulling the blanket tighter.
“…Don’t overthink it.”
But deep down—
I already was.
Because if something so simple—
So small—
Could trigger that kind of power…
Then what else could?
“…This is bad,” I muttered.
And for the first time—
I wasn’t just afraid of the war.
I was afraid of the unknown.
- Writer
