chapter 16
1028 Words
The forest had changed.
Not in appearance…
But in feeling.
Everything felt sharper now. Louder. Alive in a way Luna had never noticed before. The rustling of leaves, the distant movements of animals, even the wind brushing against her skin—it all felt amplified.
Overwhelming.
She stood still in the clearing, her breathing slow but controlled, her eyes focused on her own hands.
The faint glow beneath her skin flickered again.
The mark.
Still there.
Still alive.
“I can feel it…” she whispered.
Behind her, Kael watched carefully, his arms crossed but his entire body tense.
“Don’t let it take over,” he said calmly. “You control it. Not the other way around.”
Luna exhaled slowly.
“That’s easy for you to say…”
Her fingers curled slightly, and instantly, energy sparked between them—thin threads of light dancing across her skin.
“…you’ve lived with it for centuries.”
Kael’s gaze darkened slightly.
“And it almost destroyed me.”
Silence fell between them.
That wasn’t comforting.
Luna swallowed.
“Great… that really helps.”
A faint smirk appeared on his lips, brief but real.
“I’m not trying to comfort you,” he said. “I’m trying to keep you alive.”
Her heart skipped.
There it was again.
That intensity.
That way he looked at her like she was both fragile… and the most dangerous thing in the world.
“Then teach me,” she said, turning fully toward him. “Because I’m not going to survive this by guessing.”
Kael studied her for a moment.
Then nodded once.
“Alright.”
He stepped closer.
Slow.
Measured.
“First rule,” he said, stopping just in front of her. “Don’t fight the power.”
Her brows furrowed.
“That sounds like a terrible idea.”
“It is,” he replied. “But resisting it makes it stronger. You saw that yourself.”
She hesitated.
He wasn’t wrong.
“When you fought it… it hurt more,” he continued. “When you let it flow… you controlled it.”
Luna looked down at her hands again.
The memory flashed in her mind.
The power.
The control.
The feeling of being unstoppable.
Her chest tightened.
“It didn’t just feel like control…” she admitted quietly. “It felt… good.”
Kael’s expression hardened instantly.
“That’s the dangerous part.”
Her eyes lifted to meet his.
“The curse will make you crave that feeling,” he said. “It will make you want more… until you forget everything else.”
A chill ran down her spine.
“Everything?”
“Yourself,” he answered simply.
Silence.
Heavy.
Real.
Luna inhaled slowly.
“Then what do I do?”
Kael stepped even closer now.
Close enough that she could feel his presence, his warmth, the faint pulse of the curse inside him responding to hers.
“You focus on something stronger,” he said quietly.
Her breath caught.
“Stronger than power?”
His gaze softened slightly.
“Yes.”
A pause.
“Connection.”
Her heart skipped.
The air between them shifted again.
Different this time.
Not dangerous.
But intense.
“You mean… the bond?” she asked softly.
He nodded.
“It’s the only thing that can stabilize you.”
Her pulse quickened.
“And you?”
His eyes locked onto hers.
“I’m part of that bond.”
Silence.
The kind that said too much without words.
Luna swallowed.
“Then don’t move,” she whispered.
Before he could react—
She stepped closer.
Closing the distance between them completely.
Her hand lifted slowly…
And pressed against his chest.
Right over the mark.
The reaction was instant.
Both of them gasped.
The energy surged violently between them—
Not attacking.
Not destroying.
But connecting.
The glow beneath their skin intensified, their marks pulsing in perfect sync.
Kael’s hand moved to her wrist instinctively, gripping it gently but firmly.
“Careful…” he warned, his voice lower now.
But he didn’t pull away.
Luna’s breathing became uneven.
“I’m trying…”
Her eyes lifted to his.
“I can feel you.”
His jaw tightened slightly.
“I know.”
“No,” she whispered. “Not just your power… you.”
That…
Was new.
Kael’s control slipped for a second.
“Luna…”
The energy surged again.
Stronger this time.
Deeper.
And suddenly—
She saw something.
A flash.
Pain.
Chains.
Darkness.
A scream.
Kael’s.
She gasped and pulled back instantly.
“What was that?!”
Her heart raced wildly.
Kael looked shaken.
“That…”
He exhaled sharply.
“…was my past.”
Silence.
Her chest tightened.
“I saw it,” she whispered. “You were… suffering…”
His gaze darkened.
“Stay out of my memories.”
The sharpness in his tone made her flinch slightly.
“I didn’t do it on purpose!”
He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated.
“I know…”
But that didn’t make it better.
Because now—
The bond wasn’t just emotional.
It was deeper.
Too deep.
Before either of them could say anything else—
A sudden crack echoed through the forest.
Both of them froze instantly.
Kael’s expression turned deadly serious.
“They’re back.”
Luna’s stomach dropped.
Already?
But this time—
It felt different.
Worse.
Multiple presences.
Closing in.
Fast.
Kael stepped in front of her again, instinctively.
“Stay behind me.”
Luna shook her head immediately.
“No. Not this time.”
His jaw tightened.
“Luna—”
“I can fight now,” she said firmly. “You said it yourself.”
A pause.
Their eyes locked.
Then slowly…
He nodded.
“Fine.”
His voice dropped.
“But don’t lose control again.”
Her heart pounded.
“I won’t.”
The shadows shifted.
Figures emerged.
More than before.
Stronger.
Faster.
And this time—
They were ready.
Kael stepped forward.
Luna beside him.
Not behind.
The bond pulsed between them.
Alive.
Dangerous.
Unbreakable.
“Together,” he said.
She nodded.
“Together.”
And as the enemies lunged—
The real battle began.
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