Return of the Rejected Luna

The Unseen Threat

“Take this,” Matthias said, extending a crisp, black handkerchief towards Aerith.

She blinked, staring at it with a dazed confusion. Her tear-streaked eyes, puffy and rimmed with redness, must have been impossible to miss at this distance. 

Aerith took the cloth with hesitant fingers, dabbing it against her damp cheeks. 

She could sense the unspoken questions lingering in his gaze—the weight of it boring down on her, but Matthias did not push her for answers, and she had no strength to explain.

Aerith had sworn to never waste the second chance life had given her―to avenge every wrong committed against her. But now, the mere sight of her mate threatened to shatter her resolve.

Her wolf, silent for so long, roared to life—rage clawing at her chest as it witnessed its mate standing beside another woman.

‘I should not think so much, it’s all in the past now.’

But as Aerith heard the awed words from the crowd around her, an uneasiness settled in her heart. Arvis’ name carried weight. What would happen if her identity was revealed?

His enemies could make another move, putting the pack and Arvis both at risk.

The thought twisted inside her, and a bitter laugh bubbled, ‘How pathetic,’ 

Even after Arvis had abandoned her, she was still consumed by thoughts of him. 

“Let me help,” Matthias interrupted, snapping Aerith out of her trance. 

In one sudden motion, he took the handkerchief from her fingers, closing the distance.

“This wasn’t for wiping away your tears,” he murmured, his voice low and soothing. He securely tied it around her face like a veil, concealing her identity.

As his face slightly brushed against her ear, a shiver coursed through Aerith, ‘Does he know who I am?’ 

The tension in the air thickened as their eyes locked for a fleeting moment. Matthias pulled away slowly, his gaze steady and reassuring. 

Beside them, Melena silently observed the exchange, her expression inscrutable. 

Aerith felt a surge of gratitude. Even without mentioning it, Matthias helped shield her from prying eyes, sparing her the discomfort of unwanted questions. 

They soon approached the entrance of an abandoned underground tunnel, darkness inside was thick and oppressive, swallowing all the light.

“This is supposed to be a market?” Aerith whispered skeptically, “Looks more like a dump for bodies.”

“Or the birthplace of an apocalypse,” Melena quipped, a playful smirk curving her lips as she winked, “Who knows what treasures or terrors await us inside?”

Before Aerith could respond, Melena tugged her forward, her excitement infectious. “Come on! Adventures don’t wait for the hesitant,” she urged as Aerith allowed herself to be swept along, the group descending into the pitch-black tunnel. 

And as soon as the darkness faded, Aerith’s eyes widened in sheer amazement.

“My goodness!” she gasped.

It was as if a rainbow had burst forth from the depths of an abyss, flooding the space with vibrant life. Wolves from every race and pack thronged the area, lit like a bustling night market. 

But instead of colorful stalls offering lanterns or food, there were massive cages filled with mutants of every imaginable species and other stalls displaying items salvaged from hunts against the mutants.

Vendors barked out prices, their voices rising above the chaos like fishmongers. 

One huge stall, crammed with more cages than the others, caught Aerith’s gaze. 

Inside, talents wrestled a thrashing plant mutant inside a massive cellar built for the fighting. 

“Not this again,” she muttered, the memory of her battle with the C-grade mutant flashing through her mind. “Stay away from plants. Stay away from plants.”

Muttering under her breath, she quickly moved on, leaving the stall behind. The group’s excitement was palpable as they dispersed, each drawn to different spectacles. Eyes gleaming, Theodore drifted toward a stall, bidding on a mutant.

Matthias was on him instantly, a firm hand gripping his shoulder. “We are here to observe, remember?” he said, his tone calm but carrying an unmistakable edge. “Don’t get caught up in something we can’t walk away from.”

“Aye, aye, Captain,” Theodore replied, rolling his eyes.

As they neared the end of the bustling market, Aerith halted in front of a peculiar shop tucked between two larger stalls. 

The vibrant chaos of vendors and patrons faded away, drawing her focus to a dimly lit corner where a glowing orb pulsed softly under the warm yellow light of the stall. She moved closer, captivated by how the orb shimmered with iridescent hues. 

“Do you wish for this item, Lady?” The shopkeeper’s voice was low, cutting through the marketplace’s noise. He emerged from the shadows, a cloak draped over his shoulders. With deft fingers, he plucked the orb, bringing it close to her eyes. 

“You have an eye for rare items. As I see you love to hide behind masks, this might be useful.” He grinned, reaching towards the handkerchief she was wearing as a scarf.

Aerith quickly stepped back, but her curiosity was piqued, “How is it going to be of use?” 

“The item was salvaged from a chameleon dragon,” the man replied, his gaze holding hers intently. “This mutant could change colors and blend seamlessly into its surroundings. The orb holds a fragment of that.”

As he spoke, Aerith noticed how the light within it shifted, reflecting shades reminiscent of leaves, earth, and the soft twilight sky. 

“The power within can enhance your own abilities, allowing you to change your appearance,” the man added.

Aerith’s heart raced as she considered the possibilities. She gently took the orb from the man’s hand without fully thinking it through. 

“How much is—” Aerith’s words were abruptly cut off by a commotion rippling through the market, drawing her gaze to a nearby mutant stall.

A group of Talents, reckless and bored, had surrounded a stall, tossing stuff and using their talents to rattle the mutant’s cage. Aerith’s attention was fixed on the creature inside, which lay deathly still, barely discernible in the dim light. Its scales shimmered faintly as they caught brief glimmers. A deep unease prickled through her.

‘Too still. Too quiet.’

“What thrill is there in killing something that’s half-dead?” one of the Talents sneered, to which the others laughed in agreement.

Melena returned to Aerith’s side as she murmured in displeasure, “The vendor claims it’s a snake mutant captured mid-hibernation.”

The taunts of the Talents surrounding the cage turned crueler, and they began hurling sharper objects, causing tiny wounds on the mutant’s armored body.

“Careful, morons! You will kill it before it even wakes up,” another Talent yawned. 

Aerith’s anxiety deepened as she watched the scene unfold. Beside her, Melena suddenly winced, her face paling as she clutched her shoulder, her breath coming in uneven gasps.

“Are you alright?” Aerith asked, her voice heavy with concern. 

“I... don’t know,” Melena muttered, her breath labored. “It feels like my wound is reacting to something...”

“Maybe it’s the energy—too many mutants and talents all in one place,” Aerith suggested, her arm slipping around Melena to support her weight. “We need to get you out of here.”

She turned to the vendor to finalize her purchase, but the man was gone. Aerith scanned the crowd, perplexed. He was just there. Where did he go? She hadn’t seen him leave.

Before she could dwell on the mystery, Melena’s body began to shiver. The tension in the air thickened. A sudden, collective gasp rippled through the crowd as one of the Talents, emboldened by bravado, slipped into the mutant’s cage.

“Hey, old man!” he shouted mockingly at the vendor, his voice reverberating in the cage’s hollow space. “Is this some kind of scam? This thing’s deader than—”

His words died in his throat as the creature stirred behind him. Two eyes flared in the shadows, glowing with an eerie light and a predatory intensity. The Talents outside the cage froze, their faces drained of color.

“W-What’s this?” the man stammered, eyes wide in terror as he found himself face to face with the creature’s bared fangs, glistening in the dim light.

“RUN! It’s a Shadow Serpent! An A-grade mutant!” someone screamed.

Chaos erupted at once. 

The serpent uncoiled in one fluid motion, its obsidian scales rippling as it moved. The Talent inside the cage stumbled, his arrogance melting into raw fear as the serpent’s massive shadow engulfed him.

Before he could react, the creature struck with lightning speed. 

Its fangs sank deep into his shoulder, a sickening crunch resounding through the market as the crowd erupted in screams.

Aerith pulled Melena back with a sharp tug, her pulse pounding in her ears. “We have to move. Now!”

The scream of metal tearing and flesh breaking echoed loudly. 

Talents were unleashing their powers in every direction, some trying in vain to restrain the serpent while others scrambled for an escape. The serpent, unrelenting, moved like a blur, striking again, its monstrous form a shadow of death amid the panic.

Aerith felt her breath constrict as the memories of the mutant invasion surged back. The scent of blood and flesh engulfed her, drowning out the present with echoes of screams and chaos from the past. 

‘No… stop… Melena’s safety depends on me now!’

She could not allow herself to be consumed by fear, but the deafening screams made it all the harder.

“Aerith!” Matthias shouted, his voice cutting through the haze, “Take Melena and get out of here! I’ll keep the mutant occupied!”

“That’s suicidal! If you want to die, just say the word—I will help!” Theodore’s voice cracked with urgency as he joined the others, anxiety radiating from him.

Aerith’s heart raced, torn between the haunting past and the desperate present. She stared at Matthias, wishing he would reconsider his reckless choice.

Before she could protest, someone gripped her arm, pulling her and Melena into the seething crowd. They all knew once Matthias made up his mind, there was no changing it. 

But as they were swept away, Aerith’s gaze lingered on Matthias. The marketplace had descended into chaos, but the image of him standing firm against the serpent burned into her mind as the streets were stained red.