The guardian who forgot

Chapter 29 – The Guardian Who Forgot

The Heart of the Moon glowed brighter.

Once.

Twice.

Then again.

With every pulse of silver light, the ground beneath Mooncrest trembled.

Lia couldn't move.

She could barely breathe.

Elena's words echoed inside her head.

"You were there."

Beside the ancient king.

The man standing before them.

The first Alpha.

The first king.

Whatever he truly was.

Lia stared at him.

"No."

Her voice came out weak.

"I've never seen you before."

The ancient king smiled.

"That is what forgetting feels like."

Liam immediately stepped in front of her.

"Stop."

The king's eyes shifted toward him.

There was no anger in them.

Only curiosity.

"You still protect her."

"She's my wife."

The king tilted his head.

And you believe that is enough to protect her from what she is?"

Liam's jaw tightened.

"I don't care what she was."

He glanced behind him at Lia.

I know who she is now."

Something changed in the ancient king's expression.

For the first time, his amusement disappeared.

"You sound like him."

Liam frowned.

"Who?"

The king didn't answer.

Instead, his gaze moved to Ethan.

Then Elena.

The twins stood together, their hands clasped tightly.

"You were never supposed to exist."

Ethan's expression hardened.

"Well, we do."

A faint smile returned to the king's face.

"Yes."

His eyes narrowed.

"And that is precisely why the balance has broken."

Suddenly, Elena screamed.

Lia spun around.

"Elena!"

The girl fell to her knees.

Silver light burst from her eyes.

Images flooded through her mind.A vast ancient kingdom.

A magnificent palace beneath a silver moon.

Thousands of wolves gathered in a great courtyard.

At the center stood a young woman.

Lia.

But not the Lia standing in Mooncrest.

This woman wore a silver crown.

A long white cloak flowed behind her.

Beside her stood the ancient king.

Younger.

Powerful.

And smiling.

Elena gasped.

"They were happy."

Everyone froze.

The vision changed.

The palace was burning.

Warriors were running.

The young Lia stood before a massive crystal—the Heart of the Moon.

The ancient king stood opposite her.

He was shouting something.

But Elena couldn't hear him.

Then Lia raised her hands.

A wall of silver light appeared.

The Heart exploded.

The ancient king disappeared.

And the young Guardian screamed"Take me with it!"

Elena's eyes snapped open.

She collapsed against Ethan.

"Ethan..."

He caught her.

"What did you see?"

She stared at Lia.

"Mom wasn't his prisoner."

Lia's heart stopped.

"What?"

Elena shook her head.

"You knew him."

The ancient king spoke softly.

"She did."

Lia looked at him.

"Then tell me the truth."

The king's eyes darkened.

"You were my Guardian."

Silence.

"My Guardian?"

You were the only person capable of controlling the Heart."

He looked toward the shattered crystal.

"You protected this world from my power."

Liam stepped forward.

"And what happened?"

The king smiled bitterly.

"You betrayed me."

Lia stared at him in disbelief.

"I would never."

"You did."

His voice remained calm.

"And then you erased yourself."

Victor suddenly spoke.

"That's impossible."

The ancient king turned.

"You were taught that Guardians did not exist."

Victor said nothing.

Your ancestors made certain of it."

Noctis slowly stepped forward.

His face had gone pale.

"I remember."

Everyone turned toward him.

Liam stared.

"What do you remember?"

Noctis looked at Lia.

"Your mother."

Lia froze.

"My mother?"

"She wasn't ordinary."

Lia's heart began pounding.

"What are you talking about?"

Noctis swallowed.

"She was a descendant of the Guardian line."

Lia stared at him.

"Then why didn't she tell me?"

"Because she was protecting you."

"From what?"

Noctis looked toward the ancient king.

"From him."

The king laughed softly.

She feared me."

"No," Noctis said.

"She feared what you would remember."

The king's expression hardened.

That single reaction told Lia more than words could.

There was something between them.

Something buried beneath centuries of lies.

Something even Noctis didn't completely understand.

Suddenly a deep crack echoed through the courtyard.

Everyone looked toward the Heart.

The crystal had begun rebuilding itself.

Piece by piece.

Silver fragments floated through the air, slowly returning to their original positions.

Ethan stared.

"Wasn't it destroyed?"

Noctis shook his head.

"No."

"Then what is happening?"

"The Heart is Choosing."

Elena whispered,

"Choosing what?"

Noctis looked at the twins.

"You."

The twins exchanged a glance.

"No," Liam said immediately.

The king smiled.

"They cannot refuse."

Liam's eyes flashed gold.

"Watch me."

His Alpha power exploded across the courtyard.

Several warriors stumbled backward.

The ancient king didn't move.

He simply looked at Liam.

Then he lifted one finger.

The entire force of Liam's Alpha power vanished.

Liam froze.

Shock crossed his face.

Lia grabbed his arm.

"Liam!"

"I'm fine."

But he wasn't.

For the first time, Lia saw something she had never seen in her husband.

Fear.

Not for himself.

For them.

The ancient king looked at Lia.

"You see now."

He lowered his hand.

"I am not here to hurt your family."

"Then why are you here?"

"To finish what you started."

Lia's brow furrowed.

"What did I start with?"

The king pointed toward the Heart.

"You sealed me away."

A pause.

"You imprisoned my people."

Another pause.

"And then you erased your own memory so you could be reborn."

Lia stared at him.

"Why would I do that?"

The ancient king's voice softened.

"Because you loved this world more than you loved yourself."

Those words struck her strangely.

For a moment, something inside her stirred.

A memory.

A voice.

A promise.

If I forget, let me forget everything.

Lia grabbed her head.

A sharp pain rushed through her.

"Lia!"

Liam caught her.

She clung to him.

"I remember..."

"What?"

She looked up.

"I said something."

The ancient king watched silently.

Lia closed her eyes.

The memory became clearer.

A burning kingdom.

The Heart.

The ancient king kneeling before her.

And herself crying.

Then her own voice:

"If I cannot stop you, I will go to prison."

Lia opened her eyes.

She looked directly at the king.

"You weren't imprisoned in the Heart."

The king smiled.

"No."

"You were imprisoned..."

Her voice trembled.

"...inside me."

The entire courtyard fell silent.

Noctis closed his eyes.

"Oh, Moon above..."

Lia stepped backward.

"What does that mean?"

The ancient king answered.

"It means that when you erased yourself..."

He looked toward her.

"...you took my power with you."

The Heart suddenly exploded with light.

Ethan cried out.

Elena grabbed his hand.

The silver energy rushed toward the twins.

Liam pulled Lia closer.

"No!"

But the energy stopped inches from them.

It is divided.

Half entered Ethan.

Half entered Elena.

The twins stood frozen.

Their eyes began glowing.

Not silver.

Not gold.

Something deeper.

Something ancient.

The ancient king stared at them.

For the first time—

He looked afraid.

"No."

Lia stared at him.

"What?"

He took one step backward.

"The Heart has chosen."

"What does that mean?"

His eyes remained fixed on the twins.

"It means the prophecy was wrong."

A terrible silence followed.

"What prophecy?"

The king looked at Lia.

Then at Liam.

Then at the twins.

And finally whispered….

"The twins were never meant to inherit the Guardian's power."

His expression changed.

"They were meant to replace it."

The Heart gave one final pulse.

The entire sky above Mooncrest turned silver.

And somewhere beneath the ancient ruins

something answered.

A second heartbeat.

Then a third.

Lia looked toward the mountains.

"What was that?"

The ancient king's face became grim.

The kingdom you thought was destroyed.He looked toward the distant horizon.

"It is waking up."

Ethan tightened his grip on Elena's hand.

"Then we'll face it."

The king stared at him.

"You still don't understand."

His voice dropped to a whisper.

"Your enemy isn't waking up."

He looked directly at Lia.

"Your home is."

Lia's blood ran cold.

Because deep inside her memory

for the first time she remembered the name.

A name she had never learned in this life.

Yet somehow I knew.

Moonhaven.

And somewhere beyond the mountains, thousands of wolves lifted their heads beneath the silver sky.

Waiting for their Guardian to come home.