LOGINChapter Ninety-SevenThe Queen Who DiedAriana couldn't move.The older woman stood inside the palace doorway, holding the original First Blade.Her face was Ariana's.Her eyes were Ariana's.Even the small scar near her eyebrow was the same.But there was something different about her.Something heavier and ancient.Ariana stared at her.“Who are you?”The older Ariana smiled.“You already know.”“No.”“You just don't remember.”Kael stepped in front of Ariana.“Stay away from her.”The older Ariana looked at him.For a moment, sadness crossed her face.“You always did that.”Kael frowned.“What?”“Stand between her and danger.”Ariana's eyes widened.“You knew him?”The older Ariana looked back at her.“I knew everyone.”Her eyes moved toward Lyra.“I knew her too.”Lyra stepped closer to Ariana.“How?”The older Ariana lowered the First Blade.“Because I was there when this kingdom almost ended.”The Star King suddenly spoke.“This is impossible.”The older Ariana turned toward hi
Chapter Ninety-SixThe Kingdom in FlamesThe portal flickered.Ariana could see the Moon Kingdom through it.The palace, the towers.The courtyard where she had once stood with Kael.Everything was still there.But it didn't look like home anymore.Golden flames crawled across the palace walls. Black stars filled the sky, hanging unnaturally close to the kingdom as if they were watching.And at the center of it all stood the Star King.Beside him stood the Primordial Darkness.Ariana's hand tightened around the Balance Blade.“My daughter.”The words still echoed in her mind.She stepped toward the portal.Kael caught her arm.“Wait.”Ariana looked at him.“We don't know what we're walking into.”“We know enough.”The Keeper stepped forward.“If the Star King has reached the first doorway, then we are already late.”Ariana looked at him.“What happens if he opens it?”The Keeper's face became grim.“The Veil will no longer be separated from your world.”“And then?”“Everything trapped
Chapter Ninety-FiveThe Daughter in the Dar, the chamber disappeared.Ariana couldn't see Kael.She couldn't see the Keeper, she couldn't even see the First Blade.There was only darkness.Then footsteps coming toward her.Ariana turned.A figure emerged from the shadows.It had her face, her silver hair, her eyes.Even the small mark on her palm.But the eyes were crimson.Ariana stared at herself."Who are you?"The other Ariana smiled."You.""No.""You've spent your whole life trying to understand why the darkness follows you."She stepped closer."You never asked where it came from."Ariana raised her hands."I don't need to know."The other Ariana laughed."That's where you're wrong."Ariana looked around."Where is Kael?""Safe.""Lyra?""Safe.""My mother?""Safe.""Then let them go."The creature tilted its head."They were never mine to keep."Ariana narrowed her eyes."Then why are you here?"The creature's smile disappeared."Because you opened the heart."---Ariana stepp
Chapter Ninety-FourThe Heart of the VeilThe door slammed shut behind Ariana and Kael.For a moment, neither of them moved.The chamber ahead was enormous.There was no ceiling.No floor that Ariana could see clearly.They seemed to be standing in the middle of an endless space filled with pale mist.Kael reached for her hand."Still with me?"Ariana nodded."I'm here."A deep sound rolled through the chamber.It wasn't a roar this time.It sounded like a heartbeat.Ariana looked around."Do you hear that?"Kael nodded."Yes."Another beat followed.Boom.The mist moved.Boom.The First Blade began glowing in Ariana's hand.Then she saw it.Far ahead, suspended in the middle of the chamber, was a massive crystal.It was larger than the palace itself.Silver light moved through it like veins.Darkness surrounded its edges.And at its center...something was moving.Ariana stared."Is that the heart?"Kael looked at it."I think so."Ariana took a step forward.The heartbeat became lou
Chapter Ninety-ThreeThree ArianasAriana stared at the three figures standing at the end of the three paths.They looked exactly like her.Same face, same eyes, same silver hair.But there was something different about each one.The Ariana on the left wore a dark crown.Her clothes were black, and a strange shadow moved around her feet.The Ariana in the middle wore the white and silver robes of the Moon Kingdom.She looked calm, almost peaceful.The Ariana on the right carried a sword covered in dried darkness.Her eyes were cold.Kael stepped closer to Ariana."Stay behind me."The three figures laughed.All at once.The sound echoed through the Veil.The dark crowned Ariana smiled."You still think you can protect her."Kael raised his sword."I don't need to think."He pointed it at them."I know."Ariana touched his arm."Wait."She studied the three versions of herself."Which one is real?"The middle Ariana answered."All of us."---Ariana's eyes narrowed."Why do you look li
Chapter Ninety-TwoThe Memory of a FatherEryndor couldn't move.He stood on the other side of the broken valley, staring at Ariana's mother.The silver light surrounding her reflected in his eyes.Then he whispered,"Elara."Ariana froze.That name.She had never heard him say it before.Her mother looked at him."Eryndor."The old Keeper stumbled backward.Memories were rushing through his mind.A small village beneath the Moon Kingdom.A young woman with silver hair.A newborn baby wrapped in white cloth.A promise made beneath the stars.Then came the darkness.The Veil, the screams.The Keeper taking the child.Eryndor remembered running after them.He remembered fighting.He remembered losing.And most painfully...He remembered Ariana.His daughter."No..."He covered his face.Ariana slowly approached him."Eryndor?"He looked up.Tears were running down his face."I'm sorry."Ariana stopped."For what?""For forgetting you."She stared at him."You knew me?""I knew you befor
Chapter NineThe Wolf Who KneltThe gunshot echoed through the forest.For one terrifying second, everything stood still.Then chaos exploded.The silver wolf staggered backward as blood stained its pale fur.Ariana screamed."No!"The surrounding wolves immediately sprang into action, growling and
Chapter EightBlood on the Council Floor“The council is dead.”The words slammed into Ariana hard enough to steal her breath.Martha stood immediately. “What?”Kael’s expression remained cold, but tension radiated from him heavily.“All five members.”Ariana stared at him in horror. “How?”“We don
Chapter SevenAriana LunarethSilence swallowed the council chamber whole.Ariana stood frozen in the center of the room, her own words echoing loudly inside her head.My last name isn’t Vale.The realization felt unreal.Like speaking someone else’s life aloud.Kael stared at her carefully. “What
Chapter SixThe Girl With Silver EyesNobody in the room moved.The storm outside rumbled violently, shaking the windows as silence swallowed the bedroom whole.Kael stared at Ariana.Silver eyes.Ancient fear crawled through the servants instantly. One woman near the door quietly whispered a praye







