Within minutes, I was moving through the stone corridors of the palace, the guard’s words echoing in my mind. The Moon Temple... urgent... you and Lucas.
I rounded a corner and nearly ran into Lucas himself. He looked like he hadn’t even changed from the festival—hair still slightly tousled, lantern charm still tied around his wrist. His golden eyes sharpened the mont they t mine.
"There you are," he said, straightening. "You got the summons too?"
I nodded. "Just now. Apparently, we’re both needed in the Moon Temple."
Lucas’s expression darkened, a flicker of unease passing through his gaze. "That place has been sealed for years. Why open it now?"
"I don’t know." I started walking, and he fell in step beside . "But I don’t like the way it feels. Sothing’s... off."
His hand brushed mine as we turned into the corridor that led to the inner palace. "You’re tense."
I glanced at him. "I didn’t sleep well."
He didn’t press further. But he didn’t need to. Lucas was intuitive like that. He always had been.
As we approached the great doors of the throne room, two palace guards pushed them open without a word. The mont we stepped in, the air shifted.
The King sat on the throne. His look alone made my skin prickle.
He looked up, his regal posture as unmoving as the carved stone behind him. But his expression was different—sharper, heavier, like he was carrying a burden he wasn’t used to bearing.
"Co forward," he commanded.
Lucas and I walked together, stopping just a few feet from the throne.
"I’ve summoned you both because sothing has changed." The King stood. His robes, black and embroidered with celestial symbols, rippled slightly as he moved. "The Moon Temple beast has awakened."
My chest tightened. Lucas tensed beside .
"What do you an?" Lucas asked carefully.
"The protective barrier guarding the temple has crumbled. The altar inside began glowing two nights ago. I believe it’s also due to the moon goddess weakening."
"And you want us to investigate," I said.
The King nodded. "You’ve already dealt with matters the rest of the court cannot understand."
I swallowed hard, glancing briefly at Lucas.
"We’ll go," he said before I could.
I hesitated, then nodded. "We’ll leave at once."
The King’s eyes bore into mine. "Be careful, Athena."
Lucas frowned, but said nothing.
I bowed stiffly, and we turned to leave.
Whatever waited for us in the Moon Temple—it was no ordinary mission.
And sowhere deep down, I already knew... It was connected to my dream.
We stepped out of the throne room, the doors groaning shut behind us like a warning bell. The silence that followed wasn’t peaceful, it pressed down, thick and loaded with unsaid words.
Lucas walked beside , quiet at first, then his voice cut through the air.
"Athena... are you seriously angry that I was upset or sothing back at the festival?"
I stopped. Turned slowly to face him.
He looked exasperated, but not hostile. His golden eyes were fixed on , studying every twitch of my expression like he was trying to unravel a knot.
"It’s not about you, Lucas." My voice ca out cold, sharper than I intended. "Just... drop it, okay? Let’s focus on the mission."
He crossed his arms. "No. You’ve been distant ever since the festival. You barely looked at on the way here, and now you’re acting like I’m the problem."
I scoffed, stepping away from him, into the moonlit hallway. "Don’t forget where we are, Lucas. We’re the kings warriors. Discipline and duty co first."
"And feelings don’t?" he bit back, following . "Is that what you tell yourself so you don’t have to talk about them?"
I turned sharply, the soft pads of my boots scuffing against the floor. "Don’t do that."
"Do what?"
"Act like you know what’s going on in my head."
He ran a hand through his hair, frustration rolling off him like steam. "Maybe I would if you’d actually let in. You’ve been off since that night—don’t tell you’re fine when it’s written all over your face that you’re not."
I stiffened.
Lucas’s gaze softened slightly, though the tension remained. "Athena, I’m not trying to fight you. But don’t shut out."
"I’m not shutting you out. I’m focusing," I said quietly. "We’re being sent to the Moon Temple. That’s what matters."
He stepped closer, voice lower now. "You don’t have to go through this alone. Whatever it is you’re hiding..I’ll help you. Just say the word."
I didn’t answer.
Couldn’t answer.
Because if I said one more word, the walls would crack, and I wasn’t ready to be that exposed.
So instead, I gave him a small nod—barely a motion—and walked ahead.
After a beat, I heard his footsteps behind . Steady. Close.
We might not see eye to eye right now.
But we still moved in sync.
And for now, that would have to be enough.
The wind had picked up, sharp and restless, as though it knew sothing was happening. I adjusted the strap of the leather pack slung over my shoulder, tightening the belt that held my dagger at my hip. The guards had given us a small satchel of supplies—so dried food, a potion or two, and a glowing shard that supposedly responded to the magic of the Moon Temple.
Lucas walked silently beside . We hadn’t spoken since our little exchange outside the throne room. But his presence was steady, dependable, even if tension clung between us like a second skin.
We passed under the outer gates of the palace, where two armored sentries bowed low. "The Moon Temple lies beyond the Whispering Pines," one said, avoiding eye contact. "A full day if we shift. The forest is... unpredictable."
Understatent of the century.
We began the journey through the woods in silence. Leaves rustled like whispers, as though the trees were trying to speak a language I had once known but forgotten. The moonlight filtered through the branches in broken patterns, lighting the worn path like a puzzle of silver.
My thoughts, unfortunately, refused to stay silent.
That dream—it wouldn’t leave . Not even now, when I should’ve been focusing on the terrain, on the subtle changes in the wind, the scents in the air.
But the dream’s mory clung to .
The temple carved from moonstone. The altar. The sensation of power crawling under my skin like it belonged there. And those eyes—my own, glowing like the Moon Goddess herself.
Was it a prophecy? A glimpse into the future?
I clenched my jaw and walked faster, as if I could outrun the mory.
Lucas noticed. "You okay?"
I gave a clipped nod. "Fine."
A lie. But one he didn’t press.
We crossed a narrow ridge where the trees grew thin and starlight bathed the path. For a mont, the world looked too calm. Deceptively peaceful.
Lucas broke the silence again. "We’ll reach the outer periter of the Moon Temple before dawn. We’ll need to be cautious."
I nodded. "I’m not expecting a warm welco."
He glanced at . "Neither am I."
We walked for a while in silence again before he added, almost too casually, "If sothing’s wrong... if you ever do want to talk—"
"I said I’m fine."
He sighed but didn’t push. Instead, he adjusted the glowing shard in his pocket and sniffed the air. "Magic’s getting stronger."
I felt it too. A low hum, just beneath my skin. Like the forest was responding to us. Or watching.
"We’re close," I murmured.
We finally stopped when the trees opened into a clearing. The moon hung high above, full and pale, casting a silvery glow over the entrance of what looked like ancient ruins. Columns broken with age, vines crawling up their sides. The air shifted, thicker here. Charged.
The Moon Temple.
My breath caught in my throat.
Sothing about it felt familiar.
Lucas stepped beside . "We should rest. We can go in at first light."
I nodded, but my mind was far from rest. As we set up camp just outside the temple’s gate, I stole one last glance at the stone entrance.
That dream hadn’t been a coincidence.
This temple held answers.
And I was going to find them no matter what they were.
Lucas had already dozed off, his back against the roots of an ancient tree, one hand still resting near the hilt of his blade. I envied how quickly he could fall asleep even when the air vibrated with unease.
I couldn’t close my eyes.
Not with the Moon Temple so close. Not with that dream still coiled in my mind like a serpent waiting to strike.
I sat on a large flat stone, cloak wrapped around my shoulders, listening to the wind. It howled low through the trees like it carried secrets too heavy to bear. Every now and then, the shard in Lucas’s pack gave off a faint pulse, reacting to the temple’s dormant power.
It was beautiful here, in a haunting sort of way. The silver light kissed the ruins like a lover, gentle and reverent. The forest was scarce of crickets, no owls, no rustle of fur in the underbrush.
A soft sound broke the silence.
I heard a voice.
Faint, female, and far away.
I stood imdiately, heart thudding. I glanced at Lucas—he was still asleep, breathing slow and even. My instincts told to wake him.
But the voice whispered again.
"...Athena..."
It ca from the temple.
My pulse raced, but my feet moved before I could stop them.
I walked toward the ruins, every step weighed with hesitation and curiosity. The mont I crossed the moss-covered threshold, the air shifted. It slled of old stone, starlight, and faint incense like soone had only just been here.
"Athena..."
It echoed softly through the crumbled hall, weaving between shattered columns and collapsed archways. My breath fogged in the air—why was it cold all of a sudden?
I reached what must have once been the central chamber. A large altar stood in the middle, cracked down the middle but still whole enough to recognize.
And then I saw her.
A woman.
Tall, cloaked in silver silk that moved without wind. Her hair was pale like moonlight, eyes glowing. She didn’t walk—she glided.
She looked like—
No.
She looked like .
I took a step back. My wolf stirred uneasily.
"You are not ready," she said in a voice like distant bells.
I swallowed hard. "What are you?"
She tilted her head. "You are not ready," she repeated, and then raised one hand.
Light erupted from her palm not blinding, but sharp. Like moonlight underwater. It wrapped around , warm and cold at the sa ti, like being seen by sothing ancient.
My knees buckled.
Visions flooded my mind, war, blood, wolves howling at a shattered sky. A crown made of bone and starlight. A wolf burning silver from within.
.
No. No. This isn’t real.
"Stop it!" I cried.
And suddenly the light vanished.
The temple was empty.
I stood alone, heart thundering in my ears.
Had I fallen asleep? Was this another dream?
Footsteps sounded behind —fast, rough. Lucas burst through the archway, eyes wide and glowing.
"Athena? What the hell are you doing here?" he barked. "Why didn’t you wake ?"
"I—I heard sothing," I managed, voice hoarse. "I thought..."
He grabbed my shoulders. "You thought it was smart to walk into the Moon Temple alone?"
I blinked at him.
But I couldn’t explain what I saw. What I felt.
The warmth from the vision still lingered on my skin.
Lucas exhaled hard. "Co on. We’re not doing this tonight."
He pulled out with him, back into the cold safety of the forest clearing.
I didn’t protest.
But as I sat beside the dying embers of our fire, I could still hear the woman’s voice echoing in my head.
You are not ready.
Then what am I?
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