chapter 18
1066 Words
The moment the creature moved—
Everything slowed.
Not in reality…
But in Luna’s mind.
Her senses sharpened to an unnatural level. She could hear every shift of air, every step, every breath—even Kael’s heartbeat behind her.
Fast.
Steady.
Ready.
The enemy lunged forward, its speed monstrous, tearing through the ground with every step.
“Now!” Kael shouted.
Luna didn’t hesitate.
She moved at the same time.
Not behind him.
Not after him.
With him.
Their movements aligned perfectly as Kael clashed head-on with the creature, blades meeting claws in a violent explosion of force.
The shockwave rippled through the clearing.
Luna stepped to the side, her hand lifting, focusing—not on power… but on precision.
She watched.
Analyzed.
Waited.
The creature twisted mid-fight, faster than expected, breaking Kael’s defense and striking him hard across the side.
“Kael!”
He staggered—but didn’t fall.
“I’m fine!” he snapped. “Focus!”
Her jaw tightened.
Right.
Focus.
Not emotions.
Not fear.
Control.
The creature turned toward her now.
Its smile widened.
“Yes… show me.”
Luna inhaled slowly.
Then moved.
This time, she didn’t release a burst of energy blindly.
She compressed it.
Condensed it into a thin, sharp force in her palm.
When the creature lunged—
She struck.
The impact hit precisely at its chest.
Not enough to destroy it…
But enough to disrupt its movement.
It staggered.
Just slightly.
Kael saw the opening instantly.
He moved in—fast, brutal—driving his blade deep into the creature’s side.
A roar tore from its throat.
But instead of weakening…
It laughed.
The sound was wrong.
Distorted.
“You’re learning,” it said, gripping Kael’s arm tightly.
Too tightly.
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
“Let go.”
The creature’s grip tightened further.
“You fight well together…”
Its gaze flicked to Luna.
“But you still don’t understand.”
Luna’s heart pounded.
“Understand what?”
The creature’s smile twisted.
“This isn’t your power.”
Silence.
Sharp.
Cold.
Her breath caught.
“What…?”
Kael’s grip on his weapon tightened.
“Don’t listen—”
But the creature cut him off.
“It’s ours.”
The words echoed.
Heavy.
Wrong.
Luna’s chest tightened painfully.
“No… that’s not true.”
The creature laughed again.
“The curse doesn’t choose randomly,” it said. “It recognizes its own.”
Her heart skipped.
“What do you mean?”
A pause.
Then—
“You’re not just connected to it…”
Its eyes glowed brighter.
“You were born from it.”
Everything stopped.
Luna froze.
“No…”
Her voice shook.
“That’s not possible…”
Kael’s voice cut through instantly.
“Enough!”
He twisted his arm sharply, breaking free and slashing across the creature’s chest. Dark energy spilled out like smoke.
But it didn’t fall.
It stepped back instead.
Still smiling.
“Deny it all you want,” it said softly. “But you felt it, didn’t you?”
Luna’s breathing became uneven.
Because…
She had.
The power didn’t feel foreign anymore.
It felt… familiar.
Natural.
Like it had always been there.
Waiting.
“No…” she whispered again, shaking her head.
Kael stepped in front of her.
“Don’t let it get into your head,” he said firmly.
But she grabbed his arm.
Her grip trembling.
“Kael…”
Her voice was fragile now.
“What if it’s right?”
His expression hardened instantly.
“It’s not.”
“But I can feel it,” she said. “The power… it doesn’t feel like something I’m borrowing. It feels like something that belongs to me.”
Silence.
Dangerous silence.
Kael didn’t respond immediately.
Because deep down…
He had felt it too.
The way her power resonated with the curse…
Too perfectly.
Too naturally.
The creature chuckled softly.
“You see?”
It took a step forward.
“She’s already questioning herself.”
Kael’s aura flared dangerously.
“That’s your last step.”
The creature stopped.
For a moment.
Then smiled again.
“Then stop me.”
And just like that—
It attacked again.
Faster.
Stronger.
More aggressive than before.
Kael met it head-on, their clash shaking the ground beneath them.
But Luna—
She didn’t move this time.
Not immediately.
Her mind was racing.
Born from it.
It belongs to you.
The words echoed again and again.
Her chest tightened.
Her breathing grew uneven.
The mark on her arm flickered.
Stronger.
Responding.
Calling.
“Luna!” Kael shouted, blocking another heavy strike.
“Don’t freeze now!”
His voice snapped her back.
Her eyes widened.
Right.
This wasn’t the time.
She clenched her fists tightly.
“I decide who I am…” she whispered.
The energy surged again.
But this time—
It didn’t feel chaotic.
It felt… aligned.
Focused.
Her gaze sharpened.
“No one else.”
She moved.
Fast.
Precise.
This time, she didn’t just attack—
She coordinated.
“Kael, move left!”
He reacted instantly.
The moment he shifted—
Luna released a concentrated blast directly at the creature’s exposed side.
The impact hit perfectly.
The creature staggered hard this time.
A crack forming across its body.
Kael didn’t hesitate.
He stepped in and drove his weapon straight through its core.
Silence.
A long… heavy silence.
Then—
The creature’s body began to break apart.
Slowly.
Its smile remained until the end.
“Run from it all you want…” it whispered.
“But the truth… will always catch you.”
And then—
It shattered.
Gone.
The forest fell silent again.
No movement.
No enemies.
Just them.
Breathing heavily.
Alive.
Luna stood still, staring at where the creature had been.
Her heart was still racing.
But not from the fight.
From the words.
Kael approached her slowly.
“Luna…”
She didn’t look at him.
“Do you think it’s true?”
Her voice was quiet.
Too quiet.
He stopped just behind her.
A pause.
Then—
“I think…”
His voice softened slightly.
“…it doesn’t matter where your power comes from.”
She turned slowly.
Her eyes searching his.
“Then what matters?”
He stepped closer.
“Who you choose to be.”
Her breath caught slightly.
The tension eased… just a little.
But not completely.
Because deep down—
The doubt was still there.
And the truth…
Was getting closer.
- Writer
