The Moon Goddess
882 Words
Evelyn couldn't move.
Couldn't breathe.
Couldn't think.
The woman seated upon the silver throne smiled gently.
Moonlight flowed around her like a living river.
Her beauty was beyond anything Evelyn had ever seen.
Not because she was perfect.
But because she felt familiar.
Warm.
Safe.
Like home.
The Moon Goddess slowly stood.
The entire temple seemed to respond.
Ancient runes illuminated across the walls.
Silver flames danced higher.
And for a moment, Evelyn felt like a child standing before eternity itself.
"You've grown."
The Moon Goddess's voice was soft.
Almost motherly.
Tears filled Evelyn's eyes.
"You know me?"
The goddess smiled.
"I knew you before you were born."
Silence.
Evelyn's heart pounded.
The Moon Goddess descended from the throne.
Each step created silver flowers beneath her feet.
Ancient magic radiated from her presence.
Yet there was sadness in her eyes.
A sadness thousands of years old.
"You've suffered greatly."
Evelyn swallowed hard.
"So have a lot of people."
The goddess nodded.
"Because of my mistakes."
The answer stunned her.
Mistakes?
A goddess admitting mistakes?
The Moon Goddess walked toward a large crystal window overlooking the stars.
"The world believes I created perfection."
Her expression darkened.
"I did not."
Evelyn slowly approached.
The goddess touched the glass.
Images appeared.
The First Wolf.
Orion.
The Void King.
Ancient kingdoms.
Ancient wars.
"I loved this world."
The images shifted.
"I wanted to protect it."
Then the goddess looked away.
"But I was afraid."
Fear.
The word felt strange coming from a goddess.
The Moon Goddess continued.
"When I created the First Wolf, I believed I had created balance."
The First Wolf appeared within the vision.
Proud.
Loyal.
Noble.
Then another figure appeared.
Orion.
The First Alpha.
Young.
Brilliant.
Fearless.
The Moon Goddess smiled sadly.
"And I loved him."
Evelyn froze.
"What?"
The vision continued.
The goddess and Orion stood together.
Laughing.
Fighting side by side.
Building the first kingdoms.
For a moment, they looked happy.
Truly happy.
Then darkness appeared.
The Void King.
The ancient enemy.
The creature whispered promises.
Power.
Immortality.
Freedom from death.
The vision darkened.
The Moon Goddess closed her eyes.
"I thought love would be enough."
Her voice trembled.
"It wasn't."
Evelyn's heart hurt.
Because suddenly Orion's betrayal seemed far more tragic than she imagined.
The vision shattered.
The goddess turned back toward her.
"The world remembers him as a monster."
Silence.
"And perhaps it should."
Then her eyes softened.
"But monsters are not born."
The statement lingered.
Heavy.
Painful.
Evelyn thought about the Void King.
The High Elder.
Even Orion.
How much suffering had started with fear?
With grief?
With bad choices?
The Moon Goddess looked toward the temple ceiling.
"The Void King was never my greatest failure."
Evelyn frowned.
"Then what was?"
The goddess looked directly at her.
"My pride."
The answer surprised her.
The Moon Goddess stepped closer.
Silver light swirled around them.
"I believed only sacrifice could save the world."
A chill ran down Evelyn's spine.
The prophecy.
The Blood Moon Line.
The Heart of the Moon.
Everything suddenly connected.
The goddess nodded as though hearing her thoughts.
"So I created your bloodline."
Tears appeared in her eyes.
"Generation after generation."
The images returned.
Countless heirs.
Countless guardians.
Countless sacrifices.
People who lived and died for a duty they never chose.
Evelyn felt sick.
"You used them."
The goddess lowered her head.
"Yes."
Silence filled the temple.
The truth hurt.
More than any lie.
Then the Moon Goddess raised her eyes.
"But your mother changed everything."
Evelyn froze.
"My mother?"
A smile appeared.
The first genuine smile.
"Lyriana was extraordinary."
The crystal walls brightened.
A new vision appeared.
Lyriana standing inside this very temple.
Years ago.
Holding the Heart of the Moon.
Arguing with the goddess herself.
Evelyn's eyes widened.
Her mother had been here.
The vision continued.
"No."
Lyriana's voice echoed through the chamber.
"There has to be another way."
The goddess in the vision looked saddened.
"There isn't."
"Then we'll create one."
Silence.
The Moon Goddess laughed softly.
"That's exactly what she said."
Pride filled her voice.
The vision faded.
Then the goddess reached into the air.
A silver book appeared.
Ancient.
Beautiful.
Covered in moon symbols.
Evelyn's breath caught.
The journal.
Her mother's journal.
The Moon Goddess carefully placed it in Evelyn's hands.
The moment she touched it—
The journal opened by itself.
Pages flipped rapidly.
Words glowed.
Maps appeared.
Ancient spells.
Ancient secrets.
Then one final page revealed itself.
A hidden ritual.
A different ritual.
One never mentioned in the prophecy.
One never recorded by the Council.
The Moon Goddess smiled.
"Your mother found another path."
Hope surged through Evelyn.
A path without sacrifice.
A path without death.
Then the goddess's smile slowly faded.
"But there is a problem."
The temple suddenly shook.
BOOOOOM!
Dust fell from the ceiling.
Another explosion followed.
And another.
The Moon Goddess looked toward the entrance.
For the first time—
She looked worried.
Evelyn's stomach dropped.
"What happened?"
The goddess's expression darkened.
"Orion."
Silence.
A terrible silence.
Then the goddess spoke words that sent fear racing through Evelyn's veins.
"He remembers who he used to be."
The temple shook again.
This time much harder.
Cracks spread across the silver walls.
And somewhere beyond the sealed doors...
The immortal First Alpha had finally made his move.
- Writer
