The morning after Damian’s departure was a blur of emotions. Selena’s mind felt foggy, as though the entire encounter in the woods had been a dream—until she saw the remnants of the magic that had still lingered in the air, the faint glow of moonlight that hadn’t quite dissipated from the forest clearing.
Her heart still raced from the encounter, each of Damian’s words replaying in her mind. Everything you think you know is a lie. The cryptic tone of his voice haunted her, twisting through her thoughts, making her second-guess everything she had ever been told about herself, about the power she now held.
She had always believed her strength came from within, from her own determination. But what if that wasn’t the whole truth? What if there was something darker, something more dangerous lurking in the shadows, waiting to reveal itself?
Selena couldn’t shake the feeling that she was standing at the edge of something enormous—something that would change her life forever.
At work that day, her usual routine felt like a distant memory. The mundane tasks of answering emails, organizing schedules, and meeting with clients seemed trivial compared to the weight of the revelations she had been forced to confront. She couldn’t focus on anything. Her mind kept drifting back to Damian and his cryptic words. What did he mean? And why did she feel like there was a truth just beyond her grasp, waiting for her to uncover it?
Her phone buzzed, snapping her out of her thoughts. It was a message from Elias, the one person who might be able to answer some of her questions. Meet me at the usual spot. We need to talk. Selena hesitated for only a moment before typing a quick reply. I’ll be there.
She knew Elias might hold the answers she sought, but part of her still didn’t trust him completely. There was something about him—something she couldn’t quite put her finger on—that made her wary. But she had no choice. She needed answers, and if Elias was the only one who could give them to her, then she would take the risk.
The meeting spot was an old café on the edge of town, a place she and Elias had frequented years ago before everything had changed. The dimly lit room, with its old wooden tables and worn leather booths, held a quiet charm. But today, it felt different. The air was thick with tension, and Selena couldn’t shake the feeling that something was about to shift.
She spotted Elias at their usual booth in the back, his tall figure slumped against the cushions, his eyes scanning the room as if waiting for something—or someone. As she approached, he looked up and gave her a brief nod.
"Selena," he greeted her softly, his voice carrying the weight of unspoken words. "I’m glad you came." She slid into the seat across from him, the familiar scent of coffee and old books filling her senses. "What is it, Elias? Why did you ask to meet me?"
Elias glanced around the room, as if checking to make sure no one was listening. When he was satisfied, he leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Damian isn’t what he seems, Selena. He’s not just some arrogant wolf who thinks he can control everything."
Selena’s breath caught in her throat. "What are you talking about? He is an arrogant wolf. He’s always been that way."
Elias shook his head, his expression grim. "No. He’s something much worse than that. And I’m afraid you’re too deeply involved now to back out." Selena leaned forward, her pulse quickening. "What do you mean? What’s going on, Elias?"
Elias hesitated, as though weighing his words carefully before continuing. "Damian is part of something much bigger, something far darker than anything you could imagine. There’s a reason he’s been watching you, why he’s been so intent on keeping you in his orbit. You’re not just some random girl, Selena. You’re tied to something ancient, something dangerous." Selena’s heart skipped a beat. "Tied to what?"
Elias’s eyes met hers, his gaze heavy with the burden of the truth he was about to reveal. "You’re a descendant of the Moonborn," he said softly. "A bloodline that has been hidden for centuries, a power that has been passed down through generations. The magic you’ve unlocked—it’s in your blood. It was always there, waiting to be awakened."
Selena sat back in her chair, her mind racing to process the words that had just left Elias’s mouth. Moonborn. It sounded like something out of a fantasy novel, not real life. And yet, something deep inside her stirred—a strange recognition, as though her very soul understood what he was saying.
"Wait," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "What do you mean, always there? How could I have this power and not known about it? Why didn’t anyone tell me?"
Elias’s gaze softened, a hint of regret flashing across his face. "Because the Moonborn bloodline is meant to stay hidden. It’s a curse, not a gift. The magic you possess is powerful, but it’s also dangerous. If it falls into the wrong hands, it could destroy everything. That’s why Damian has been watching you. He’s been trying to control you, to bend you to his will."
"Damian," Selena muttered, her mind reeling. "All this time, he’s been manipulating me?" Elias nodded, his face hardening. "Yes. But what he doesn’t realize is that you’re stronger than he thinks. Hu it."
Selena felt the weight of his words settle over her like a heavy blanket. A prophecy? A world-changing power? It was too much to comprehend, and yet, she couldn’t deny the deep, gnawing feeling in her gut that told her it was all true.
"How do you know all of this?" she asked, her voice trembling. Elias stared at her for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then, with a heavy sigh, he spoke the words that sent a chill through her very bones.
"Because I’m not just a friend, Selena. I’m part of the prophecy too." Selena’s breath caught in her throat. "What? What do you mean?"
Elias leaned forward, his voice dropping to a low whisper. "I’m the one who’s been sent to guide you. To help you unlock your full potential. But there’s one thing I need to tell you before it’s too late."
Selena’s heart raced, her mind spinning with a hundred questions, but the one question that burned the brightest was the one she had to ask.
"What’s the one thing, Elias?" she demanded, her voice cracking with urgency. "What is it?" Elias looked at her with a mixture of sorrow and resolve. "You can’t trust anyone, Selena. Not even me."
With Elias’s cryptic warning hanging in the air, Selena faces the terrifying reality that everyone around her may have their own hidden agendas. Can she trust Elias
, or is he just another player in a dangerous game?
Selena stared at the sigil, its words still seared behind her eyes. The lock must break. Not a plea. Not a warning. A command, spoken with the weight of something older than language. She could feel it now—the lock the Spiral had buried so deep even she had never glimpsed it before. It pulsed beneath her skin like a second heartbeat, coiled in the space between her soul and the Spiral’s core.Lucien approached, careful not to touch her. “Selena, talk to me. What does it mean—the lock?” His voice was steady, but she heard the hesitation, the quiet fear of knowing too much. She closed her eyes, searching within. There, beneath layers of flame and memory, was a sealed threshold. A boundary carved in truth and forged in sacrifice. “It’s something the Spiral was never supposed to open,” she whispered. “Something it bound with its last breath before the cycle began.”The others were summoned before the hour ended. Elias stood rigid at the edge of the altar while Maera, her face pale, examin
The sigil burned brighter as the last echo of the wardens faded into the horizon. Its light was no longer passive—it pulsed with intention, each flare sending ripples across the temple floor like silent bells tolling in reverse. Selena stumbled backward, clutching her chest as the Spiral inside her responded with a flicker of heat and dread. The mark hovered midair now, turning slowly, casting fractured reflections across every surface as if reality itself bent in reverence—or fear. A whisper threaded into her mind: Thirty days.Lucien moved to her side instantly, catching her elbow. "What is it doing?" he asked, though his own gaze was locked on the sigil’s rhythmic glow. Selena didn't answer at first. Her voice caught on a vision flashing behind her eyes—Lucien kneeling on scorched ground, his body broken, the skies bleeding red above him. Her breath hitched as the Spiral surged, not in anger, but in desperate defense. "It’s a countdown," she finally said, each word carved from the
The world beyond the gate was neither sky nor earth—only a boundless expanse of shifting echoes and flickering memories, suspended like glass shards in a storm. Selena stepped through first, the Spiral flaring violently in her chest as her body fought to orient itself in a realm without gravity, light, or time. Her feet touched nothing and everything at once, and the only constant was the pressure of presence—an overwhelming awareness pressing against her soul. Lucien’s hand reached for hers, but a violent current of fragmented light tore through them, ripping his image into smoke. Selena screamed his name, but the sound dissolved into silence, eaten by the void.Shapes moved in the haze, not of beasts or men, but of selves—reflections of her from paths never walked. One stood cloaked in fire, her eyes black with grief; another wore a crown of bone, her expression void of empathy. Each version bore the Spiral, corrupted or refined, showing her what could have been had her choices twis
The wound in the sky widened, bleeding cold, silver light across the torn horizon. Selena staggered a step forward, shielding her eyes as the unnatural glow pulsed against her skin like fire and frost entwined. The wind screamed through the temple’s bones, carrying with it the mournful cry of something vast and imprisoned no longer. The air had changed—thicker now, as if laced with memory and despair, as though the world itself had stopped breathing. Behind her, Lucien’s fingers grazed her back, anchoring her to the moment while everything else threatened to unravel.The crystal in her hand flared sharply, reacting to the chaos beyond the temple's threshold. A vision—not her own—rushed into her mind, blinding in its clarity. She saw a circle of ancients cloaked in flame and shadow, standing around a chasm that pulsed with a living darkness. One by one, they lowered their weapons and pressed their hands to the earth, sealing something beneath with blood and sacrifice. Selena gasped as
The moment the Spiral flared again, sharp and urgent, Selena knew the calm was a fragile illusion. The temple’s walls, once steady and ancient, now pulsed faintly with a restless energy that whispered of something deeper and darker lurking beneath. Lucien’s grip tightened around her waist, his eyes scanning every shadow, every crack as if expecting the world itself to tear open. Selena’s breath caught—she could feel it, a presence moving through the earth, older than the gods, waiting patiently for her. This was no longer just a test of power, but a reckoning with forces she barely understood.Her merged Spiral throbbed against her ribs like a second heartbeat, pulsing with both strength and vulnerability. The twin’s essence that had once been her enemy now nestled quietly within, a fragile harmony forged from pain and survival. But harmony was a fragile thing, especially when the dark beneath the temple stirred like a beast waking from slumber. Selena’s eyes narrowed as the weight of
The temple held its breath. The air, once thick with Spiral energy, now felt unnaturally thin—as though something vast had exhaled and left a void behind. Selena clung to Lucien, her legs trembling, but it wasn’t exhaustion that made her falter. It was the feeling beneath the stone, the subtle quake that wasn’t a sound but a sensation crawling up from the earth’s marrow. Her Spiral, whole and steady just moments before, now coiled with tension—not in pain, but in anticipation.Lucien sensed it too. He pulled back just enough to study her eyes, still glowing faintly. “Selena, talk to me,” he urged, voice tight. But her attention was far away, locked on the ground that had once offered light and healing. Now, it thrummed with something colder. Not hate. Not rage. Something far more terrifying—curiosity. As if the world beneath the world had turned its gaze upward for the first time in millennia.She stepped from his arms, slow and reluctant, like one walking into a storm they couldn’t s
The light faded slowly, leaving only the flicker of starlight overhead and the glow of the Spiral coiled within Selena’s chest. Lucien’s arms stayed tight around her, grounding her to this moment, but her mind had already slipped beyond the temple’s fractured floor. Her senses stretched, brushing against something buried far beneath the stone—something vast and slumberless. It wasn’t the Spiral. It wasn’t even a god.It was deeper.“I feel it,” Selena whispered, her fingers curling against Lucien’s tunic. Her voice was distant, like an echo pulled from a forgotten dream. “It’s not gone. The Spiral is calm, but something else… something older is moving.” She pulled away, standing unsteadily as her feet skimmed the cracked floor. The stillness of the temple had turned heavy, almost watchful, as if the walls were listening—and waiting.Lucien’s eyes swept the shadows, hand on the hilt of his blade. “Where is it coming from?” he asked. His voice tried for calm, but Selena heard the tensio
The temple had gone still—not with peace, but with tension so sharp it could slice through bone. The twin stood across from Selena, Spiral energy arcing in jagged breaths around her like a storm caged within skin. Selena’s heart thundered in her chest, but her limbs stayed steady, even as her Spiral flickered beneath her ribs like a candle facing the wind. They were no longer hurling power. No longer colliding like gods. Now, they watched each other, frozen in the thin breath between decision and destruction.Lucien leaned against a fractured column, blood trailing down his cheek, eyes never leaving Selena. He didn’t call out again—didn’t interrupt. He knew better. This wasn’t a fight he could end with a sword or with love. This was something ancient, primal, carved deep within the bones of the Spiral itself. A battle of identity, of memory. And it would demand more than light or flame. It would demand the truth. The whole truth.Selena's breath came ragged, her lungs pulling in the t
The two Spirals pulsed in unrelenting opposition—one brilliant and deliberate, the other unstable, unraveling like a wound torn open too soon. Beneath Selena’s feet, the temple vibrated, as though the world itself were unsure which thread of fate to follow. Her Spiral burned golden, steady, forged from every choice she had bled for. But the other surged with chaos and memory, a twisted echo of her regrets. It wasn’t just a parasite. It was her.Lucien stood rigid beside her, his expression taut with fear and awe. He looked at both Spirals, but his gaze returned always to her, the real her, the one he believed in. “They’re both from you,” he said, voice quiet but heavy with knowing. “One you made. The other… you survived.” He stepped forward, but his hands trembled.Selena nodded, her throat dry as ash. “It’s the part of me I buried,” she murmured. “The guilt. The grief. The rage I never let out.” The second Spiral writhed behind the reflection that now emerged from its core—her twin,