Kevin blinked a few times, trying to adjust his vision.
The white room around him felt bigger than it should, too silent — as if the place itself were waiting for something from him.
And that only made everything stranger.
— Where am I…? — he muttered, confused. Then he froze, eyes widening. — No, wait… how did I end up here…?
His hand shot to his mouth the moment he heard his own voice.
That wasn't him.
It couldn't be him.
It was thinner.
Softer.
Almost delicate.
"That voice isn't mine…"
The thought exploded into panic.
Luna, sitting near the wall, opened a crooked smile — a smile that clearly said "I'm enjoying this show."
— Relax, champ. Breathe a bit and I'll explain everything.
Kevin adjusted himself on the bed, swallowing hard. Even the sound of his own breathing felt wrong.
Luna crossed her arms, leaned her hips against the metal table, and began:
— When you finished that little fight with your uncle, he dragged you himself to the Second Sentinel and Julian. — She waved her hand in the air as if it was the most casual thing in the world. — Left you there, alive, handed a letter to Luís… and then vanished into the darkness of that Dungeon.
Kevin frowned. — Okay, but… what was in the letter?
— Information — she answered dryly.
— What kind of information? — Kevin insisted, his thin voice sounding strangely irritated.
Luna stepped forward. This time, without smiles.
Without jokes.
— In the letter, he explains that those idiots who tried to summon the "beast" wanted to destroy the kingdom and then rule over the chaos. Except the ritual went wrong… or worked a little too well. — She fixed her hair, taking a breath. — Your uncle was close enough to the summoning to pull the energy and return in the creature's place. In exchange… he killed everyone there.
The floor seemed to shift beneath Kevin's feet.
Luna continued, offering him no softness:
— Now he's hunting everyone who took part in his death and his brother's death. But he made it clear: he doesn't give a damn about the kingdom. After finishing his list, he'll see his son — you and your sister — one last time. After that… he'll rest for real.
The silence thickened.
Kevin lowered his head.
Shame burned inside him like a glowing coal.
"How could a man who doesn't even use enchantments… defeat me like that…?"
"Like this… I'll never protect anyone."
The whisper escaped before he could stop it:
— What do I do now…?
Luna sat on the edge of the bed, elbow resting on her knee.
— What you do? — she repeated. — Well… normally we write the mission report. But in your case, the angel inside you already did the job.
— Melissa…? — Kevin lifted his face, surprised.
— The one and only. — Luna smiled. — Oh, and she said something else: when you push past your limit, your body pulls part of her aura. You two mix… and you change forms. That's probably why you're like this now.
Kevin took a deep breath. — I see… I just wanna know when I'm going back to normal. I'm not sad or anything… but… it's not exactly comfortable to look like a girl.
Luna let out a short laugh and stood up.
— Stop being dramatic, Kevin. You look delicious, honestly.
She licked her lips on purpose and walked away.
Kevin froze.
His cheeks instantly turned red.
— S-s-she really said that…? — he stammered, climbing off the bed, completely flustered.
Blushing, he ran after her down the hallway.
Luna walked a few steps, then turned around as if remembering something crucial.
— Oh, right — she said. — Congrats on becoming a bearer of the light.
Kevin widened his eyes. — Melissa got the ceremony in my place, right?
He inhaled slowly. — How long was I out?
— Exactly one month — Luna answered plainly.
Kevin went stiff. — One month…? So where are Ryane, Luís, Julian, Ruby… everyone?
Luna approached slowly.
She ran her fingers through Kevin's black hair — now long, smooth, silky.
The gesture was soft, almost affectionate. Almost intimate.
— Not happy with me being here? — she asked with a sly smile. — And before you start thinking nonsense: they're on a mission. They'll show up when they can.
Kevin crossed his arms, making a teasing face.
— You're taller than me now… but from down here I can see all your drama perfectly.
Before she could respond, a nurse appeared.
— I see you're doing well, Kevin — she said kindly.
Kevin blushed again.
— Ah… yeah… kinda.
— Your body will return to normal in a few hours — she explained. — Just wait.
— Thank you… for everything. — Kevin replied sincerely.
The nurse left, and Luna extended her hand.
— Come on, Kevin. Let's eat.
He raised an eyebrow.
— What about your missions?
She laughed, tilting her head.
— Spending time with someone important to me comes first.
Her words hit him like a punch to the chest.
His eyes instantly filled with tears.
— I-important to you…?
Luna touched his shoulder.
— Very.
You're important to my master… so you're important to me too.
Kevin broke.
He cried quietly, letting it all spill out.
Luna didn't hesitate: she lifted him by the waist as if he weighed nothing.
He rested his head on her shoulder as she carried him down the hallway.
Outside, the cool city air soothed his soul.
Inside Luna, everything was chaos.
"I'm loving being with him… I thought it'd be boring, but… damn, I was wrong."
"And this body… all cute and curvy… exactly my type…"
Her cheeks burned.
Kevin moved his legs.
— I can walk, you know? You've been carrying me forever…
— Relax. — She gave a gentle tap to his leg. — We're almost there.
— I trust you… — he murmured, shy.
Luna smiled, confident.
— You can trust me.
And she kept carrying him down the street like it was the most natural thing in the world.
The hill was quiet, except for the wind that tugged at Julian's coat. He and Sebastian watched the city ahead, restless, as if waiting for bad news.
Julian:
— Why is she taking so long?
Sebastian:
— My question is different: where is she? Did she remember we have a mission or did she decide to take a vacation?
Julian sighed impatiently, but his expression changed the moment he spotted a silhouette crossing the street. Luna walked calmly — and beside her… a guy casually devouring a pastry. Kevin, of course.
The four finally reunited.
Julian:
— Decided to wake up, huh?
Sebastian:
— Too much drama for someone this short.
Kevin:
— If none of you does the drama, someone has to represent.
The three laughed, but the light mood evaporated when they realized Luna had simply walked down the hill without telling anyone.
Kevin (shouting):
— Hey, Luna! Wait up!
They ran after her until they caught up. Now they walked side by side along the dirt road.
Julian:
— You already know the objective, right?
Kevin:
— Luna explained. The rings Luís gave the higher-ups carry an entity inside… something so insane they had to split its soul into eight pieces and seal each one in a ring. That's crazy.
Julian:
— The mission is to retrieve three of those rings from a village. When we get close to one, we'll feel the heavy aura. People say it even makes you dizzy.
Kevin:
— Okay, I get the ring part… but what happens after?
Sebastian:
— Their plan is to hide them somewhere so secret nobody will ever find them. That way there's no risk of that thing walking the earth again.
Luna:
— We'll reach the village at night. We sleep, and tomorrow morning we start the search.
---
When they arrived at the village, they rented a simple but comfortable apartment.
Hours later, inside one of the rooms, Kevin sighed as he shut the door.
Kevin:
— Luna, I know this is the biggest apartment and it has three bedrooms, but I could've slept on the couch. I didn't want to invade your privacy, you know?
Luna crossed her arms, leaning her shoulder against the wall.
Luna:
— Relax. I'm glad you're here. And honestly… instead of the couch, you could sleep with me. How about it?
Kevin swallowed hard, clearly uncomfortable.
Kevin:
— I'm not complaining about the company… but, I don't know. We've known each other for what? A few months? Isn't that… too fast?
Luna sat on the edge of the bed.
Her eyes lost their shine, sinking into a strange shadow — as if something inside her shut down for a moment.
Luna (murmuring):
— Too fast… maybe you're right.
Kevin (thinking):
"Damn… I said too much. But man, everything seems too easy. When a girl is this easy, I learned to be suspicious — there's always some intention behind it. I don't know… my radar's on."
Kevin approached and simply collapsed face down on her lap.
Luna smiled softly, almost relieved, and began running her fingers through his hair — gentle, like someone petting a sleepy cat.
Kevin (thinking):
"She's so… different from Natasha. Natasha didn't even know me and already went all-in. And yeah, part of it was my fault… but she was on top of me like I was a trophy. And what if I really had been dead? What kind of person does that? Weird…"
His eyes grew heavy, his breathing slower.
Kevin (murmuring):
— The dream will… quiet…
Luna:
— Did you say some—
She stopped when she realized he had already knocked out completely.
Luna leaned over, positioned the boy more comfortably, and placed a soft kiss on his forehead.
Then she laid him on the bed, covered him with a warm blanket, turned off the light, and lay down quietly at the edge of the mattress.