chapter 21
1019 Words
Darkness.
Cold.
Heavy silence.
That was the first thing Luna felt when consciousness slowly returned.
Her body ached. Every muscle felt stiff, drained, as if the energy had been forcefully pulled out of her.
Her fingers twitched slightly against the cold surface beneath her.
Stone.
Rough.
Unforgiving.
Her breathing grew uneven as memories came rushing back.
The attack.
The chains.
Kael.
Her eyes snapped open.
“Kael—!”
The word echoed sharply in the space around her.
But there was no answer.
Only silence.
Luna pushed herself up slowly, wincing as a sharp pain shot through her arms.
Her wrists were bound.
The same glowing chains.
Still suppressing her power.
Her chest tightened instantly.
“No…”
She tried to summon the energy again—
But nothing responded.
It was like something inside her had been locked away.
Cut off.
A hollow feeling spread through her.
“I hate this…” she whispered.
Her eyes lifted slowly, finally taking in her surroundings.
A large chamber.
Dark stone walls stretching high above her.
No windows.
No clear exit.
Only faint lights glowing along the edges of the room—cold, artificial, controlled.
A prison.
Not just physical.
Designed.
For her.
Footsteps echoed suddenly.
Slow.
Measured.
Luna’s head snapped toward the sound instantly.
Her heart started racing again.
The shadows shifted.
And then—
He appeared.
The same man.
Calm.
Composed.
Terrifying.
“You’re awake.”
His voice was smooth, almost gentle.
That made it worse.
Luna’s gaze hardened instantly.
“Let me go.”
He smiled faintly.
“No.”
Simple.
Cold.
Final.
Her jaw tightened.
“You think you can keep me here?”
He stepped closer, stopping just a few feet away from her.
“I know I can.”
Her heart pounded harder.
Because deep down…
She could feel it.
The chains.
The suppression.
He wasn’t lying.
“Why?” she demanded. “What do you want from me?”
A pause.
Then—
“The truth.”
Her brows furrowed.
“What are you talking about?”
He tilted his head slightly, studying her like she was something rare.
“Your power is unstable,” he said. “Uncontrolled. Dangerous.”
“I already know that,” she snapped.
“But you don’t know why.”
Silence.
Her chest tightened.
“I don’t need you to explain it.”
His smile didn’t fade.
“Yes, you do.”
He took another step closer.
“You’ve been told pieces of the truth,” he continued. “Fragments. Half-lies.”
Her heart skipped.
“No…”
“But not the full story.”
She shook her head.
“I’m not listening to you.”
“Then listen to yourself.”
Those words hit differently.
Her breath faltered slightly.
He stopped in front of her now.
Close enough that she could see every detail in his expression.
“You felt it, didn’t you?” he said quietly. “The power… how natural it feels.”
Her fingers tightened against the chains.
Silence.
Because she couldn’t deny it.
He leaned slightly closer.
“That’s because it is natural.”
Her heart pounded violently.
“No…”
“You were never meant to resist the curse,” he said.
A pause.
“You were meant to become it.”
Everything inside her froze.
“No!”
Her voice echoed sharply through the chamber.
“That’s not true!”
The chains rattled as she pulled against them.
Her breathing became uneven again.
“I’m not a curse!”
He watched her calmly.
Not reacting.
Not arguing.
Just observing.
“That anger…” he murmured. “That denial…”
A faint smile returned.
“It’s part of the process.”
Her eyes widened.
“What process?”
He straightened slightly.
“The awakening.”
Silence fell.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
Luna’s chest tightened painfully.
“What do you want from me?” she whispered.
This time—
He answered clearly.
“I want you to stop fighting it.”
Her breath caught.
“No.”
“Because the more you resist…” he continued, ignoring her, “…the more unstable you become.”
She shook her head violently.
“I don’t care!”
“You will.”
A pause.
“When it starts hurting the one you’re trying to protect.”
Her heart stopped.
Kael.
Her voice dropped instantly.
“…don’t bring him into this.”
The man’s gaze sharpened slightly.
“Everything you do affects him,” he said.
“And everything he does affects you.”
The bond.
Her chest tightened again.
“You felt it already,” he added. “Your powers… your connection… your emotions…”
Her breathing slowed slightly.
“…they’re merging.”
Her eyes widened.
“No…”
“If you lose control again,” he said calmly, “you won’t just lose yourself.”
A pause.
“You’ll destroy him too.”
Silence.
Total silence.
Luna froze.
Her mind went blank.
“That’s a lie…”
But her voice…
It wasn’t strong anymore.
Because fear had crept in.
Real fear.
The man stepped back slightly, giving her space.
“Think about it,” he said.
“Every time your power grows… his reacts.”
Her heart pounded harder.
“And next time…”
A pause.
“You might not be able to stop.”
He turned slightly, walking toward the shadows again.
“Rest,” he added calmly. “You’ll need it.”
“Wait!”
Her voice stopped him.
He paused—but didn’t turn.
“What are you going to do to me?”
A brief silence.
Then—
“Help you become what you were meant to be.”
And with that—
He disappeared into the darkness.
Gone.
Leaving her alone.
Again.
Luna’s body slowly went still.
Her breathing uneven.
Her mind racing.
You’ll destroy him too.
Her fingers tightened painfully against the chains.
“No…” she whispered.
Tears filled her eyes.
“I won’t…”
But deep down…
The doubt was growing.
Because now—
It wasn’t just about her anymore.
It was about Kael.
And what she might become.
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