MasukShadows That Acknowledge MeThe forest felt changed tonight.Not threatening… just observant.Luna strolled between Rowan and Kai, their steps quiet over the moist leaves, but the air pressed in around them, heavy with a presence she hadn’t sensed since the Heartstone stirred within her. Every tree seemed to lean in closer, every shadow appeared to be etched with intent, as if the forest itself held its breath.A shiver coursed through her chest—not terror, but familiarity.“I feel like we are being… watched,” Kai said softly, glancing at the tree line.Rowan slowed, turning his head slightly toward Luna.“It’s not a foe,” he reassured. “Your aura is responding to something. I can sense it.”Luna swallowed hard and lifted her hand. A faint glow spiraled around her fingers—silver, gentle, like moonlight attempting to take shape. It pulsed once. Twice. Then drew her further into the woods.“It recognizes me,” she murmured before realizing she had voiced it.Rowan moved closer. “What rec
The Echoes That Refused to DieThe Moon Temple felt especially frigid that evening—more so than any gust of wind, more so than any tempest. Perhaps it wasn’t the chill in the air. Perhaps it was the stillness that enveloped the space following Rowan's last utterance. The kind of stillness that seeped deep into one's bones, filling every fissure the conflict had created.Luna hesitated initially. She remained rooted where Rowan had left her, gazing at the stone archway as if his silhouette still hovered there. Her heartbeat seemed overwhelmingly loud. Too burdensome. Even the Heartstone pulsing beneath her skin had unnaturally quieted, as if it were holding its breath alongside her.Kai entered cautiously, as though nearing an injured creature.“Luna…” he murmured.But she simply shook her head in a slow, tight gesture. Not yet. She couldn’t find her voice—not without it fracturing into pieces she didn’t possess the strength to piece back together.She sank down to the stone floor, her
The Pulse of the Moon’s JudgmentThe tremor struck the chamber so abruptly that dust cascaded from the intricately carved ceiling. Luna stumbled, her hand reflexively pressed against the frigid stone wall as the entire space throbbed with an unsettling silver illumination. Rowan rushed in, his arms already enveloping her before she could even ask for assistance.“Steady now,” he murmured, grounding her. “The Heartstone’s energy is surging again. It’s responding to something.”Kai’s keen gaze swept over the glowing runes that had flared to life around them. “No. Not something. Someone.”The runes pulsed once more—once, twice—before bursting into a blinding light that shot toward the doorway behind them. A deep hum resonated throughout the chamber, reminiscent of a heartbeat buried beneath ages of stone.Luna gasped sharply. “It’s summoning me.”Rowan tightened his hold. “Or forewarning you.”But the energy didn’t feel menacing. It felt… known. Like a long-lost memory she had forgotten
Shadows Collecting at DawnThe morning light offered little comfort against the lingering chill in the air. It was just before dawn, yet the Moon Temple felt as if the night still clung to its hold. Luna stood at the entrance to the inner chamber, her fingertips gliding over the stone archway that had been sealed for ages. Now it pulsed softly with a silver glow—matching the luminescence beneath her skin.Rowan approached silently, his boots crunching softly on the ancient dust. “You didn’t get any sleep,” he remarked.Luna offered a faint smile without turning to face him. “Neither did you.”“I was keeping watch to ensure nothing tried to break into the temple while we rested,” he replied, though his tone softened as he positioned himself beside her. “But that’s not really the reason you’re awake, is it?”She shook her head. “The Heartstone keeps humming. It feels like… it’s beckoning me somewhere. And I can’t shake the sense that something is approaching us.”Rowan’s jaw clenched. “
Echoes of the Moonblood ThroneThat morning, the Moon Temple felt transformed—more still, more suffocating, as though the ancient stones were collectively holding their breath. Luna felt it immediately upon entering the central corridor. The air buzzed softly, a delicate vibration that crept across her skin like an ungraspable warning.Rowan felt it too.He positioned himself beside her, ever watchful.“Your aura is reacting again,” he murmured.“I can tell.” Luna pressed a hand to her chest. The Heartstone throbbed beneath her skin—steady, rhythmic pulses like an additional heartbeat. “Ever since the visions, everything seems… more intense.”Kai appeared beside them, his jaw clenched and scanning the hallway. “The storm outside continues unrelenting. Something is drawing from it.”A chill ran through her. “Or… something is lurking within it.”They pushed deeper into the Temple, following the faint tug that only Luna could perceive. It pulled her like an unseen thread, each step weigh
Shadows the Heartstone Chose Not to ConcealThat morning, the temple felt altered—more silent, more oppressive, as if the very atmosphere recognized the burden Luna bore. A faint silver radiance throbbed beneath her skin, coursing through her veins like silvery flames. It ought to have felt empowering. Instead, it served as a reminder… a reminder of what the Heartstone had revealed to her and what it would not allow her to forget.She settled at the edge of the ancient reflecting pool, observing her distorted image ripple with each breath she took. Her eyes—once vibrant, once known—now sparkled with a hint of something timeless. Something stirred awake.Rowan came closer, his footsteps gentle against the stone floor. He had hardly rested; she could sense the fatigue in the cadence of his heartbeat, though he attempted to conceal it. He always tried to mask everything for her benefit.“You’re up early,” he said softly, pausing beside her.“I didn’t manage to sleep,” Luna replied. “The







