C8 The Secret Beneath the Moon

The stone beneath Aria's feet cracked open.

A violent wave of energy exploded through the chamber.

Everyone was thrown backward.

Aria stumbled, but before she could fall, strong arms caught her.

Kael.

He pulled her against his chest.

"Aria!"

She looked down.

The floor beneath them was glowing silver.

Ancient symbols were spreading across the stone like living veins.

"What is happening?"

Kael's expression was grim.

"The Moon Gate is awakening."

A deep rumble shook the chamber.

The masked warriors stopped fighting.

Even the woman in black stepped backward.

For the first time, fear appeared in her silver eyes.

"No..."

She stared at the glowing floor.

"It shouldn't be opening yet."

Aria looked at her.

"What does that mean?"

The woman didn't answer.

Instead, she turned toward the masked warriors.

"Get her!"

The warriors immediately charged.

Kael stepped in front of Aria.

"Stay behind me."

Aria shook her head.

"I can fight."

"I know."

His eyes remained fixed on the attackers.

"That's why I'm telling you to stay behind me."

The first warrior attacked.

Kael blocked the strike with his forearm.

The impact sent a shockwave through the chamber.

Another warrior lunged toward Aria.

She raised her hand.

Silver light burst from her palm.

The attacker was thrown across the room.

Aria stared at her own hand.

She could feel something moving through her veins.

Something powerful.

Something unfamiliar.

Lyra's voice echoed inside her mind.

"Don't resist it."

"What is it?"

"Your inheritance."

Aria's breath caught.

"My inheritance?"

"The blood remembers what you don't."

Another warrior attacked.

This time, Aria didn't hesitate.

She ducked beneath his blade and drove her palm into his chest.

Silver energy exploded outward.

The warrior crashed into the stone wall.

The entire room fell silent.

Kael looked at her.

There was pride in his eyes.

But there was something else too.

Concern.

"You need to control it."

"I'm trying."

"Don't force it."

"Then tell me how."

Kael opened his mouth.

Before he could answer, the woman in black stepped forward.

"You can't teach her."

Kael turned toward her.

"Who are you?"

She smiled.

"Someone who knew her mother."

Aria stepped forward.

"You said you were there when my parents died."

The woman's smile faded.

"Yes."

"Then tell me the truth."

"Not here."

"Why?"

"Because they are listening."

Aria frowned.

"Who?"

The woman looked toward the glowing floor.

"The ones beneath the gate."

A cold chill ran through Aria.

"What is beneath it?"

The woman took a slow step backward.

"You don't want to know."

The stone cracked again.

A burst of silver light erupted from the center of the chamber.

Everyone shielded their eyes.

When the light faded...

A staircase had appeared.

It descended beneath the floor.

Ancient symbols covered every step.

Aria stared into the darkness.

Something was calling her.

Not with words.

With instinct.

She took one step forward.

Kael caught her wrist.

"No."

Aria looked at him.

"You said you would let me choose."

"I will."

"Then let me go."

His grip loosened.

But he didn't release her completely.

"Whatever is down there has been sealed for centuries."

"Then why is it opening now?"

Kael looked at the pendant.

"Because of you."

Aria swallowed.

"I need to know why."

Kael's eyes searched hers.

"If you go down there, I go with you."

Aria nodded.

"Fine."

The woman in black suddenly laughed.

"You still don't understand."

Kael turned toward her.

"Understand what?"

"The gate doesn't open for the chosen."

Her gaze settled on Aria.

"It opens for the blood that created it."

Aria's heart pounded.

"What does that mean?"

The woman smiled.

"It means your ancestors didn't build the Moon Gate to protect the world."

"They built it to protect something from the world."

Kael's expression darkened.

"What?"

The woman stepped backward.

"Ask your king."

Aria immediately looked at Kael.

He said nothing.

Her eyes narrowed.

"You know."

Kael's jaw tightened.

"I know legends."

"That's not what I asked."

"I know what the gate was designed to contain."

Aria's heart raced.

"Then tell me."

Kael looked toward the staircase.

"Not here."

Aria's frustration grew.

"Everyone keeps saying that."

She pulled her wrist free.

"I'm going down."

Kael stepped beside her.

"Then I'm coming."

The two of them approached the staircase.

Behind them, the woman in black suddenly shouted.

"Stop!"

Aria turned.

The woman's expression had changed completely.

"Don't open the seventh door."

Aria froze.

"What seventh door?"

The woman stared at her.

"When you reach the bottom, you'll understand."

Kael's eyes narrowed.

"Why warn her?"

The woman looked at him.

"Because if she opens it..."

Her voice dropped.

"...the thing inside will wake."

A heavy silence filled the chamber.

Aria looked at the staircase.

Then back at Kael.

"What thing?"

The woman whispered,

"The first Lycan."

Kael's expression changed.

Aria felt the blood drain from her face.

"You said the first Lycan was your ancestor."

Kael slowly nodded.

"Yes."

"Then why would you be afraid of him?"

Kael didn't answer.

That frightened Aria more than anything.

***

The staircase seemed endless.

Aria and Kael descended in silence.

The sounds of battle above slowly disappeared.

The deeper they went, the colder the air became.

Aria wrapped her arms around herself.

"How far down does this go?"

"Far."

"That's helpful."

A faint smile touched Kael's lips.

"I'm sorry."

Aria glanced at him.

"Did the terrifying Lycan King just apologize?"

"Occasionally."

She almost smiled.

Almost.

Then the pendant around her neck pulsed.

A silver light spread across the walls.

Aria stopped.

"What is that?"

Kael looked around.

Ancient carvings were appearing beneath the darkness.

Aria moved closer.

There were figures carved into the stone.

Wolves.

Lycans.

And humans.

They stood together beneath a massive silver moon.

At the center was a woman holding a newborn child.

Aria touched the carving.

The moment her fingers made contact...

The world disappeared.

She was standing in a forest.

Snow covered the ground.

A woman was running.

She was carrying a baby.

Aria recognized her immediately.

Her mother.

"Mom..."

The woman looked over her shoulder.

Someone was chasing her.

A man wearing black armor.

He carried a curved blade.

The woman ran faster.

Then another figure appeared ahead of her.

A man with golden eyes.

Aria couldn't see his face clearly.

But she knew him.

Kael.

No.

Not Kael.

Someone who looked like him.

The vision shifted.

Her mother stopped.

The golden-eyed man approached.

"Take her."

Aria's mother shook her head.

"She is yours too."

The man looked at the baby.

"I cannot protect her."

"You must."

"They will come for her."

"They already have."

The man reached for the baby.

Then the vision shattered.

Aria gasped.

She fell backward.

Kael caught her.

"What did you see?"

Aria looked up at him.

"My mother."

His expression changed.

"What about her?"

"She was running."

"From whom?"

"I don't know."

Aria's breathing became uneven.

"There was a man."

"What man?"

"He looked like you."

Kael went completely still.

Aria stared at him.

"Who was he?"

Kael didn't answer.

"Kael."

His jaw tightened.

"My father."

Aria's heart stopped.

"Your father?"

"The last Lycan King before me."

She stared at him.

"Why was he with my mother?"

Kael looked away.

"I don't know."

"You do."

"I know they knew each other."

"How?"

Kael's voice became quiet.

"Because my father left records."

Aria stepped closer.

"What did they say?"

"He never spoke her name."

"Why?"

"He believed saying it would put her in danger."

Aria's eyes filled with tears.

"Then my mother knew your family."

"Yes."

"And you knew nothing about me."

"Not until your awakening."

She looked away.

For the first time, she believed him.

But that didn't make the questions disappear.

They continued down the staircase.

Eventually, they reached a massive stone door.

A crescent moon was carved into its center.

Seven smaller symbols surrounded it.

Aria counted them.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

Six.

Seven.

Her heart began pounding.

"The seventh door."

Kael nodded.

"Yes."

Aria stepped closer.

A voice whispered from behind the door.

"Aria..."

She froze.

"Did you hear that?"

Kael's expression became deadly serious.

"Yes."

The voice came again.

"Come closer."

Aria felt the pendant pulling toward the door.

She reached for it.

Kael caught her hand.

"Don't."

"It's calling me."

"I know."

"What if it has answers?"

"What if it has a trap?"

Aria stared at the door.

For eighteen years, she had lived without answers.

She had accepted rejection.

Loneliness.

Humiliation.

She had survived believing she was nobody.

Now, for the first time...

The truth was within reach.

"I need to know who I am."

Kael looked at her.

"And you will."

He slowly released her hand.

"But not alone."

Aria nodded.

She placed her palm against the crescent.

The door immediately began to glow.

One symbol after another lit up.

The first.

The second.

The third.

The fourth.

The fifth.

The sixth.

Aria stopped breathing.

The seventh symbol remained dark.

Then the pendant floated from her neck.

It moved toward the door.

Kael stepped forward.

"Aria."

The seventh symbol suddenly ignited.

The entire mountain shook.

A deep roar came from behind the door.

Aria stumbled backward.

The voice whispered again.

This time, it was no longer gentle.

"Finally..."

The stone door began to open.

And from the darkness beyond it...

Two enormous golden eyes opened.

The golden eyes stared at Aria from the darkness.

For several seconds, she couldn't breathe.

Kael stepped in front of her.

"Stay behind me."

The creature didn't move.

It simply watched them.

Then a deep growl rolled through the chamber.

The sound was so powerful that the stone beneath Aria's feet trembled.

Kael's claws emerged.

His eyes burned gold.

"Identify yourself."

The creature slowly stepped forward.

Its enormous body emerged from the shadows.

It looked like a wolf.

But no ordinary wolf could have been that large.

Its fur was silver-black, its shoulders towering above Kael, and ancient symbols covered its body.

Aria stared at it.

Lyra suddenly whimpered inside her mind.

"Don't attack."

Aria's heart raced.

"Why?"

"Because it isn't our enemy."

The creature lowered its head.

Its golden eyes moved from Kael to Aria.

Then it spoke.

Not with its mouth.

Inside Aria's mind.

"Daughter of the Moon."

Aria froze.

"Who are you?"

The creature's gaze softened.

"The question is not who I am."

"The question is who you are."

Kael stepped forward.

"Enough riddles."

The creature's eyes narrowed.

"You carry the blood of my blood."

Kael went still.

Aria looked at him.

"What does that mean?"

Kael didn't answer.

The creature continued.

"Your mother came here eighteen years ago."

Aria's breath caught.

"You knew her?"

"I knew the woman who carried the last key."

Aria took a step forward.

"What happened to her?"

The creature lowered its head.

"She died protecting you."

Aria's eyes filled with tears.

"I know."

"No."

The creature's voice became softer.

"You do not."

A strange pressure filled the chamber.

The creature lifted one enormous paw.

The symbols covering its body began glowing.

Suddenly, the wall behind it changed.

A vision appeared.

Aria saw her mother standing in the same chamber.

She was younger.

Terrified.

But determined.

In her arms was a baby.

Aria.

Her mother looked toward someone standing across from her.

A man with golden eyes.

Kael's father.

"I can't take her with me," the man said.

"You promised."

"I promised to protect her."

"Then protect her."

"If the Council discovers what she is, they will kill her."

Aria's mother tightened her arms around the baby.

"They will never find her."

The vision changed.

Her mother placed the crescent pendant around the baby's neck.

Then she kissed her forehead.

"I am sorry, little moon."

Aria's heart broke.

The vision shifted again.

Her mother handed the baby to another woman.

An older wolf.

Aria recognized her immediately.

Elder Rowan.

No.

Not Rowan.

A younger version of him.

"Take her far from the kingdoms," Aria's mother pleaded.

"Raise her as an ordinary wolf."

"And when she awakens?"

"Tell her the truth."

The woman hesitated.

"What if you don't return?"

Aria's mother smiled sadly.

"Then tell her I loved her."

The vision disappeared.

Aria stood frozen.

Tears rolled silently down her cheeks.

"She knew."

Kael looked at her.

"She knew she might die."

Aria wiped her face.

"She left me."

"To save you."

"I know."

She looked toward the creature.

"Why did she hide me?"

The creature's voice echoed through her mind.

"Because there were those who wanted your blood."

"Who?"

"Kings."

"Why?"

"Because your blood can command what no king can control."

Aria's heart pounded.

"What?"

The creature turned toward the darkness behind it.

"The Moon Gate."

Aria stared at the ancient chamber.

"You mean this gate?"

"This is only the entrance."

Kael's expression hardened.

"Then what lies beyond it?"

The creature looked at him.

"The First Kingdom."

Kael's face changed.

Aria noticed immediately.

"You know what that is."

Kael nodded slowly.

"Only from ancient records."

"What do they say?"

His eyes remained fixed on the creature.

"The First Kingdom was believed to be the birthplace of the Lycan bloodline."

Aria swallowed.

"And the First Blood?"

Kael looked at her.

"They were its guardians."

The creature gave a low growl.

"Not guardians."

Kael frowned.

The creature's golden eyes returned to Aria.

"Rulers."

Silence filled the chamber.

Aria stared at the creature.

"Then why did the kingdom disappear?"

The creature turned toward the open gate.

"Because someone betrayed the Moon."

A sudden wind swept through the chamber.

The torches along the walls extinguished one after another.

Darkness swallowed them.

Kael immediately grabbed Aria's hand.

"Stay close."

"I am."

Something moved beyond the doorway.

A whisper drifted through the darkness.

"She has returned."

Another voice answered.

"The blood has awakened."

Aria's heart raced.

"Who is speaking?"

No answer.

Then dozens of silver eyes appeared in the darkness.

Aria gasped.

Kael pulled her behind him.

"How many are there?"

The creature growled.

"Too many."

Kael's claws extended.

"We're leaving."

Aria shook her head.

"No."

He turned toward her.

"What?"

"I came here for answers."

"This place is becoming dangerous."

"It was dangerous before we arrived."

Kael stared at her.

Aria stepped forward.

"I can't keep running."

The creature watched her.

"Then walk forward."

Aria looked at the darkness.

"Toward them?"

"Toward your truth."

Kael moved beside her.

"If she goes forward, I go with her."

Aria looked at him.

"You don't have to."

"I know."

His gaze softened.

"I'm choosing to."

Something warm moved through Aria's chest.

She nodded.

"Then let's go."

Together, they stepped through the Moon Gate.

The moment they crossed the threshold...

Everything changed.

The cold disappeared.

The darkness vanished.

Aria found herself standing beneath a sky filled with two enormous moons.

One silver.

One blue.

A vast city stretched across the horizon.

Its towers were made of white stone.

Massive bridges connected buildings that seemed to float above the ground.

Hundreds of Lycans moved through the streets.

Some were dressed in royal clothing.

Others wore armor.

But all of them stopped when Aria appeared.

One by one...

They bowed.

Aria's mouth fell open.

"Why are they bowing?"

Kael stared at the city.

"I don't know."

The creature emerged behind them.

"They remember."

Aria turned.

"Remember what?"

"The last Moon Queen."

A woman approached from the city.

She was dressed in a long silver robe.

Her hair was white.

Her eyes were pale blue.

She stopped several feet away.

Then she dropped to one knee.

"Your Majesty."

Aria stared at her.

"You've mistaken me for someone else."

The woman shook her head.

"No."

She bowed her head lower.

"We have waited eighteen years for you."

Aria's heart stopped.

"Who are you?"

The woman looked up.

"My name is Seraphina."

She smiled sadly.

"I was your mother's closest friend."

Aria's breath caught.

"You knew my mother?"

"I loved her."

Aria stepped forward.

"Then tell me everything."

Seraphina's expression became sorrowful.

"Not here."

"Why?"

"Because the enemy has followed you."

Kael immediately looked around.

"What enemy?"

Seraphina stood.

"The Hollow Moon."

Kael's expression darkened.

"They crossed the gate?"

Seraphina nodded.

"Three of them."

Aria's blood ran cold.

"The hunters?"

"Yes."

Kael's eyes flashed.

"Where?"

Seraphina pointed toward the distant mountains.

"They are searching for the palace."

Aria looked toward the city.

"Then we need to warn them."

Seraphina shook her head.

"It's already too late."

A distant explosion shook the ground.

The city erupted into chaos.

Lycans began running through the streets.

Warriors rushed toward the palace.

Kael immediately drew his sword.

"Stay with me."

Aria nodded.

Seraphina looked at her.

"Your Majesty..."

"Don't call me that."

Seraphina smiled faintly.

"You'll get used to it."

Another explosion shook the city.

A black cloud rose beyond the eastern wall.

Then a scream echoed through the streets.

"They're here!"

Kael grabbed Aria's hand.

"We have to move."

They hurried toward the palace.

But Aria suddenly stopped.

Something was pulling her in another direction.

She turned toward the mountains.

"Wait."

Kael looked back.

"What?"

"I can feel something."

Seraphina's expression changed.

"What do you feel?"

Aria touched her chest.

"Someone is calling me."

The woman went pale.

"That's impossible."

"Why?"

"Because the only person who can call you from there..."

Seraphina looked toward the mountains.

"...is the one person who should never awaken."

Kael's face became grim.

"Who?"

Seraphina whispered,

"The Dark King."

A roar shook the entire kingdom.

Every Lycan in the city froze.

Aria felt the sound inside her bones.

Lyra suddenly screamed.

"Run!"

Aria turned toward the mountains.

Two enormous red eyes opened in the distance.

The silver moon disappeared behind a wall of black clouds.

And a voice thundered across the kingdom.

"My daughter has returned."