Chapter One: The Eclipse Awakens
819 Words
The night sky was restless. Clouds shifted like whispers of forgotten secrets, and the crimson glow of the rising moon painted the earth in shades of shadow and fire.
It wasn’t an ordinary night. Everyone in Ravenhollow knew what the blood moon meant — stories of curses, of spirits who walked the earth, and of love that never ended well.
But for Selene, the blood moon wasn’t just a story. It was the night she had waited for her entire life.
She stood at the edge of the forest, her breath fogging in the cold air, her heart beating faster with each passing moment. Her grandmother had always warned her: “The blood moon doesn’t bring love, child… it brings danger. Promise me you won’t go looking for him.”
But how do you ignore a destiny that keeps calling your name?
Selene clutched the silver locket around her neck — the only relic left by her mother, who vanished mysteriously on the night of a blood moon eighteen years ago. Inside the locket was a name she could barely read, etched in faded letters: “Eryon.”
The forest was alive that night, humming with unseen energy. Owls cried out, branches swayed though the air was still, and the ground seemed to tremble with anticipation.
Selene’s lantern flickered as she stepped deeper into the woods. Her pulse quickened. She wasn’t sure if it was fear, or… something else. Something pulling her forward.
And then she saw him.
A figure stood beneath the blood moon’s glow, tall and still as stone. His hair shimmered silver like the light of the eclipse, his eyes glowing faintly — not red like the moon, but a haunting shade of midnight blue.
Her breath caught in her throat.
It was him. The man from her dreams.
“You shouldn’t be here,” his voice was low, carrying both warning and wonder.
Selene tightened her grip on the locket. “Neither should you.”
He stepped closer, and the shadows bent around him, like the night itself obeyed his presence.
“You don’t know what this night means,” he said.
Her chin lifted stubbornly. “I know enough. You’re Eryon, aren’t you?”
His eyes widened, and for the first time, his composure broke.
“Who told you that name?”
Selene’s heart pounded. “My mother… she disappeared the night of the eclipse. I think she was looking for you.”
Eryon’s expression shifted — pain, guilt, and something deeper. “Then she knew the truth. And now… so do you.”
The forest seemed to darken, the wind rising with his words.
“I am bound to this eclipse,” Eryon said, voice heavy with sorrow. “Every hundred years, I wake. I walk this world only under the blood moon. And when it fades…”
His gaze dropped, sorrow shadowing his features. “…so do I.”
Selene’s throat tightened. The thought of meeting him only to lose him felt unbearable. “That’s not fair.”
“Love never is,” he whispered.
She took a step closer. Despite the fear, despite the warnings, every part of her wanted to be near him. The pull was magnetic, undeniable — as if their hearts had known each other long before their eyes had.
Their hands brushed. It was a fleeting touch, but the impact was like lightning coursing through her veins. The air around them shimmered, the forest silent as though holding its breath.
Selene gasped, eyes wide. “What was that?”
Eryon’s lips curved into the faintest smile, though sadness lingered in his gaze. “The bond. It’s stronger than I imagined.”
She swallowed hard, her voice barely a whisper. “Bond?”
He looked at her as though she were both a miracle and a curse. “You and I… we are tethered by fate. But fate can be cruel.”
Suddenly, a low growl echoed through the trees. The air grew colder, darker, the blood moon pulsing like a heartbeat overhead.
Eryon’s expression hardened. “They’ve found us.”
Selene froze. “Who?”
Before he could answer, shadows began to slither across the ground, forming shapes — figures with hollow eyes and twisted limbs, born from the eclipse itself.
“The Eclipse Hunters,” Eryon said, pulling her behind him. “They come to sever the bond before it takes root.”
Selene’s heart raced. “What happens if they do?”
Eryon’s gaze locked with hers, fierce and unyielding. “Then you’ll forget me. Forever.”
The shadows closed in, their whispers filling the forest like a thousand voices in unison. Selene’s lantern went out, leaving only the glow of the blood moon above.
Eryon tightened his grip on her hand, his voice a desperate vow.
“Stay with me, Selene. No matter what happens… don’t let go.”
And then, the shadows lunged.
- Writer
