chapter 23
951 Words
Time…
Didn’t exist here.
At least, that’s what it felt like.
There was no sun.
No sound of life.
No movement beyond the slow flicker of dim lights embedded into the cold stone walls.
Only silence.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
Crushing.
Luna sat on the ground, her back resting against the rough wall, her wrists still bound by the glowing chains.
She had tried.
Again.
And again.
And again.
To break free.
To call her power.
To feel something.
Anything.
But every attempt ended the same way—
With nothing.
A hollow emptiness where her power used to respond.
Her breathing was slow now.
Too calm.
Too controlled.
Not because she wasn’t afraid…
But because she was exhausted.
Mentally.
Emotionally.
Physically.
Her head leaned back slightly, her eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.
“I can’t stay like this…” she whispered.
Her voice echoed softly in the chamber.
Weak.
Barely there.
But deep inside her…
Something stirred.
Not her power.
Something else.
Something darker.
Waiting.
Watching.
A sudden metallic sound echoed.
Click.
Her eyes snapped open instantly.
Footsteps followed.
Slow.
Measured.
Familiar.
Her body tensed immediately.
“No…”
He stepped into the light again.
The same man.
Calm as ever.
Unbothered.
Like nothing here could touch him.
“You’re still resisting,” he said, observing her carefully.
Luna’s gaze hardened despite her exhaustion.
“I told you…”
Her voice was hoarse.
“…I won’t become what you want.”
He didn’t react.
Didn’t argue.
He simply walked closer.
“That’s where you’re wrong.”
Her heart pounded weakly.
“You think this is about what I want?”
He stopped in front of her again.
Close.
Too close.
“This is about what you are.”
Silence.
Luna clenched her jaw.
“I’m not a curse.”
His gaze sharpened slightly.
“No.”
A pause.
“You’re worse.”
Her breath caught.
“What…?”
“You’re the origin.”
The words hit like a blade.
Sharp.
Cold.
Unavoidable.
Her chest tightened painfully.
“No…”
He crouched down slowly in front of her, bringing himself to her level.
“For centuries,” he continued, “we studied the curse.”
Her breathing became uneven.
“We thought it was a disease… a punishment… something external.”
A pause.
“But we were wrong.”
His eyes locked onto hers.
“It’s not something that infects.”
Her heart pounded louder.
“It’s something that returns.”
Silence.
Her mind struggled to process it.
“No…”
Her voice trembled now.
“That doesn’t make any sense…”
“It does,” he said calmly.
“You felt it.”
Her hands tightened against the chains.
“The familiarity.”
Her chest rose sharply.
“The control.”
Her eyes widened.
“The way it responds to you… not as a foreign force…”
A pause.
“…but as its source.”
“No!”
The word escaped her before she could stop it.
Her breathing broke.
“That’s not true!”
The chains rattled as she pulled against them, panic rising violently in her chest.
“I’m not—”
Pain.
Sudden.
Sharp.
Exploded through her body.
“Ah—!”
She gasped, her body jerking as a burning sensation spread through her veins.
The mark.
It was reacting.
The man watched calmly.
“There it is…”
Her vision blurred.
“What… are you doing…?”
“I’m not doing anything,” he replied.
A pause.
“I’m just helping you feel it.”
The pain intensified.
Not just physical—
Deeper.
Like something inside her was being forced awake.
Memories—
But not hers—
Flashed through her mind.
Darkness.
Screams.
Power exploding out of control.
Shadows consuming everything.
She gasped, her head dropping forward.
“Stop…”
Her voice broke.
“Please…”
The chains glowed brighter.
Suppressing her.
But also forcing the reaction.
Her body trembled violently.
“I said stop!”
Her voice cracked into a scream.
The energy inside her surged—
Wild.
Unstable.
Even suppressed, it tried to break free.
The man stood slowly, watching her carefully.
“You see?”
Her nails dug into her palms.
Tears streamed down her face.
“I don’t want this…”
“But it wants you.”
Her breath shattered.
“No…”
“It’s calling you back.”
The pain peaked—
Then suddenly—
It stopped.
Just like that.
Gone.
Luna collapsed forward slightly, gasping for air, her body shaking uncontrollably.
Silence filled the room again.
But it wasn’t the same.
Because now—
She had felt it.
Clearly.
Deeply.
And it terrified her.
The man turned away slowly.
“You’re close,” he said.
Her head lifted weakly.
“…to what?”
He paused.
Then spoke without turning.
“To accepting it.”
Her heart dropped.
“I never will…” she whispered.
A faint smile touched his lips.
“You say that now.”
A beat.
“But everyone breaks eventually.”
He stepped into the shadows again.
“And when you do…”
His voice echoed softly.
“You’ll understand why you were never meant to resist.”
And then—
He was gone.
Again.
Leaving her alone.
Broken.
Shaking.
Breathing unevenly.
Luna slowly lifted her head, her eyes unfocused.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly.
“I won’t…” she whispered.
Her voice weak.
Fragile.
“I won’t become that…”
But deep inside—
The darkness stirred again.
Stronger than before.
Closer.
Waiting.
And somewhere far away—
Kael’s presence flickered through the bond.
Faint.
Distant.
But still there.
Her eyes filled with tears again.
“Kael…”
Her fingers tightened weakly.
“Please… hurry…”
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