Chapter 59: Escape Under the Moon
644 Words
The forest fell into a heavy silence.
Aria stood frozen in the clearing, her glowing crescent mark lighting the darkness around her.
Darius watched her calmly, his blue eyes sharp and calculating.
The hooded man beside him chuckled softly.
“So this is the famous Moon’s Chosen,” he said, stepping forward.
Aria raised her glowing hands immediately.
Silver light began forming around her fingers.
“Stay where you are,” she warned.
The hooded man only laughed.
“Bold for someone surrounded by enemies.”
Darius sighed slightly.
“You always rush to violence,” he said to the hooded man.
The man shrugged.
“It solves problems quickly.”
Aria’s heart pounded in her chest.
She glanced around the clearing.
Two enemies.
Dark magic.
And no warriors nearby.
She needed to escape.
The hooded man suddenly lifted his hand.
Dark smoke began swirling around his fingers.
“Let me deal with her,” he said.
Before the spell could form—
Aria struck first.
A blast of silver moonlight exploded from her hands.
BOOM!
The powerful energy slammed into the ground between them, forcing both men to jump back.
The clearing filled with dust and glowing particles.
Aria didn’t wait.
She turned and ran into the forest.
Branches whipped past her face as she sprinted through the trees.
Behind her, the hooded man growled.
“She’s escaping!”
Darius’s calm voice followed.
“Let her run.”
The hooded man looked at him in confusion.
“You’re letting her go?”
Darius smiled faintly.
“Yes.”
His eyes followed Aria’s disappearing figure through the trees.
“She’ll go straight to my brother.”
The hooded man slowly understood.
“And that’s what you want.”
Darius nodded.
“The game becomes more interesting when all players know the rules.”
---
Aria ran as fast as she could.
Her lungs burned and her heart pounded wildly.
The castle lights finally appeared ahead through the trees.
Relief flooded through her chest.
Guards standing at the gate looked surprised as she rushed toward them.
“My Lady!” one guard exclaimed.
“Open the gate!” she shouted.
The guards quickly obeyed.
As soon as she passed inside the walls, she didn’t slow down.
She ran straight into the castle.
Servants moved aside in shock as she hurried through the halls.
Finally she reached the throne room doors.
She pushed them open.
Kael stood inside with Commander Roran, studying a map spread across the large table.
Both men looked up immediately.
“Aria?” Kael said.
She was breathing heavily.
“I followed Darius.”
Kael’s eyes darkened instantly.
“And?”
Aria stepped closer.
“He met someone in the forest.”
Roran frowned.
“The hooded mage?”
Aria nodded.
“They’re working together.”
The room fell silent.
Kael’s hands slowly clenched into fists.
“Did you hear anything else?”
Aria took a deep breath.
“Yes.”
Her voice dropped slightly.
“They serve Dravoryx.”
The torches along the walls flickered in the sudden tension.
Roran cursed under his breath.
Kael’s expression became colder than Aria had ever seen.
“My own brother,” he said quietly.
Aria hesitated before adding the final piece.
“Kael… he said something else.”
Kael looked at her.
“What?”
Aria swallowed.
“He said Dravoryx will awaken soon.”
At that exact moment—
A distant roar echoed across the night sky.
A sound so deep and powerful it made the castle walls tremble.
Every torch in the room flickered violently.
Aria’s blood ran cold.
Kael slowly turned toward the window overlooking the dark forest.
His golden eyes narrowed.
“That,” he said quietly…
“…was not a servant.”
Somewhere deep in the forest, something ancient had awakened.
And for the first time…
Dravoryx was stirring.
- Writer
