The Ones Who Remember
The stars burned brighter that night.
Lyra sat near the old fireplace, the mirror shard now dull and lifeless beside her. But she could feel it inside her chest — a pulse of energy that didn't belong to this world… or this lifetime.
Across from her, Caelum stood silent, his cloak dusted with moonlight.
> "What do you mean they'll come for me?" she finally asked.
His jaw clenched.
> "Because your return threatens the world they built after your death."
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Centuries ago…
after Queen Lyra died, her kingdom Elarion fell.
The throne was taken by shadowbloods—beings who used forbidden magic to erase her memory from the world. They cast a veil so deep, even time forgot her.
But some remembered.
Those bound by love.
By magic.
By betrayal.
Caelum was one of the few who had escaped the purge.
And now that Lyra had returned, so had the enemies who once feared her power.
> "They are called the Veyr," he said darkly.
"Shapeshifters, mind-binders, soul-burners. And they've already sensed your awakening."
Lyra tried to steady her breath.
> "I'm just… a village girl."
He looked at her sharply.
> "You are anything but."
---
Just then, the flames in the fireplace flickered blue.
Caelum's hand went to his blade.
A gust of cold wind swept through the room. The mirror shard pulsed again.
> "They found you," he whispered.
---
Without warning, the window shattered.
Smoke poured in—black and twisting like it had a will of its own.
From the darkness, a figure stepped through.
Not fully man. Not fully shadow.
Eyes like oil. A mouth that stretched too wide.
> "Found you… Moon Queen."
Lyra froze.
Caelum stepped in front of her.
> "She remembers nothing," he growled.
"You will not take her."
The shadow-creature laughed.
> "She doesn't need to remember to die."
---
The fight was swift.
Caelum drew a blade carved from starlight itself.
The creature hissed and retreated, but not before tossing something at Lyra.
A black feather. Still warm. Still alive.
It sank into her skin.
She screamed.
And in that moment—
Her eyes turned silver.
The same silver as the Second Moon.
---
Flash.
A memory.
Blood on marble. Screams. Her hand raised in fire. A betrayal. The taste of ashes.
Then she was back.
Caelum held her. His face pale.
> "Your power… it's starting to return."
> "What am I?" she whispered.
He looked at her like she was the storm and the stillness.
> "You were born under a rare moon, gifted with the ancient magic of rebirth.
You're not just a queen, Lyra.
You are a Second Soul—a wielder of fate."
---
Outside, the night grew still again.
But far beyond the forest, in a ruined citadel, others watched.
A woman in crimson robes smiled.
> "The Moon Queen awakens," she whispered.
"Let the hunt begin."
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To be continued...
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