ASHES OF THE LUNA QUEEN
He stepped into the gate, And the world folded Inside, he was nowhere, A starless sky above, Black water below, In the distance an altar, And lying atop it, A sword.
The blade pulsed with silver and ember light, Auren reached for it, But a voice stopped him: “If you touch it, you claim it And if you claim it… she will bleed for you.” He turned.
A figure stood behind him tall, sexless, faceless, Wrapped in torn banners of both sun and moon, It continued: “You are not her shield, You are her counterweight, Her test. Her tether, Her Undoing, if need be.”
Auren hesitated, Then wrapped his fingers around the hilt, The sword whispered his name “Aurenvai.” And the world snapped.
Bab Populer