Luna woke up in a bed. Not her bed — a cold one, missing the furs she was used to back in her tipi. The only covering was a thin wool sheet… or maybe cotton? She wasn't sure. She only knew it failed to keep her warm.
She'd been here for what felt like a week, confined to the same four sterile walls and fed through a small slot every now and then. Three meals a day, every day — her only way to keep track of time. She didn't mind the food, though she couldn't recognize the fruits or grains she'd been given. Everything tasted alien. Strange.
And even though no one had treated her poorly, she felt increasingly trapped. She worried about her parents, about what they thought when they came home and found her gone. She worried about Gorchid, afraid he might wander off into another ruin and get ambushed by abominations. Mostly, she wondered how she had ended up here at all.
One moment she'd been in her tipi, drowning in regret — and the next, she was on the very moon she'd always dreamt of seeing…
just not like this.
"Subject Eighty-One?" a voice boomed from the ceiling.
Luna jumped instinctively, floating for a moment before touching the ground. This was the first time the man in the walls had spoken since she arrived.
"You have completed your observation phase and will now be moved to the socialization unit for the remainder of your stay. Stand in the center of the room to avoid the door."
Socialization? Luna thought. The word was strange, but she could guess what it meant.
I get to see other people?
A flutter of fear and excitement rose in her chest, though she made sure not to show it. She stepped to the center of the room as instructed.
Moments later, a door appeared and slid open seamlessly from the wall. Jorrsh the man she'd met before entered, the same smile on his face.
"Hello, Eighty-One how are you feeling?"
Luna didn't answer. She stared at him—unblinking, cautious—her fingers twitching near the point of summoning her blade if he made one wrong move.
"Still nothing? Hm." Jorrsh sighed, sounding genuinely disappointed. "Maybe you really are mute." He waved a hand lazily. "Well, come along. It's time you got acquainted with the others."
Luna followed, but every step felt wrong—lighter than it should've been. Her feet drifted just above the floor, rising with each movement.
"You're still floating," Jorrsh chuckled. "Don't worry, most people adapt in a couple of weeks. You'll get the hang of it."
They walked down a corridor of warm wood, lanterns lining the walls—soft, golden, and shockingly gentle compared to the sterile prison she'd just come from.
On her left, long windows looked out into the open world beyond.
Luna slowed.
Blue.
Not the cold, dying blue of Earth's ocean. A vivid, living blue—rich as paint, wild as a dream.
Waves collided violently against one another, spiraling and rising as if gravity here didn't matter.
Then something broke the surface.
A creature—vast, elegant—shot from the water like a spirit leaping free of its body.
Its scales shimmered a translucent blue, the organs beneath faintly lit like drifting lanterns.
Fish floated inside its belly, swimming lazily even as the creature digested them.
Its fins rotated in slow, hypnotic circles, keeping its enormous form suspended in the air like a living waterwheel.
Luna stood frozen, breath caught in her throat.
Jorrsh noticed and stopped beside her.
"It's something, isn't it?" he said softly. "The Shorr Isles… their creatures… Moedunn's domain never disappoints."
He smiled faintly. "Phenta may have my heart, but Moedunn—Moedunn always steals my breath."
Luna's eyes widened. Moedunn she thought, immediately recognizing it, Her mother prayed to him almost every night, for balance, namely, among other things.
"You know of him?" Jorrsh said, noticing her recognition. Luna gave a simple nod. "That's surprising, earthborn usually know little of the Akiri—your mouth may be absent but your mind certainly isn't"
He gave her a small smile before continuing down the hall, Luna following close behind.
They stopped at a wooden door banded with dark iron, a lock wedged beneath a slit so narrow even a child's fingers couldn't slip through.
"One moment," Jorrsh murmured. He raised his hand toward the crack.
A soft pink hue flared around his palm—familiar, unmistakable. Luna's breath hitched. It was the same light she'd seen from Dimitri, Tara, and Atreus.
Veil Manea.
From the narrow slit, something stirred. Metal scraped. A key slid out through the crack, floating, wrapped in that same shimmering pink aura.
Jorrsh guided it with a lazy flick of his fingers, the key turning itself in the lock with a soft click. The door opened inward without him ever touching it.
Luna's eyes darted to his belt, his cloak, his boots—anywhere Korral might be hidden.
Nothing.
No crystal. No shard. Not even a faint glimmer.
Her stomach tightened.
Dimitri needed Korral to cast. Tara needed Korral to shape her blade. Even Atreus needed it to fuel his constructs.
But Jorrsh… Jorrsh summoned a key from thin air—Without any Korral at all.
Luna took a slow step back, her fingers grazing the invisible hilt of her tanto. Just in case.
Jorrsh didn't notice. He simply pushed the door open wider and gestured inside.
"Come," he said gently. "Your new life is waiting."
They walked through the door entering a courtyard full of people wearing the same clothes as her, but their faces were diverse.
"Make yourself at home, Eighty-One. This will be your family for the near future." Jorrsh smiled politely as if this were a courtesy rather than a sentence.
"I'll return shortly for your first test. Until then—socialize. Make friends. It'll make things easier." He slipped out and shut the door behind him.
Luna lunged for the handle, twisting hard— No movement. No give. Locked tight.
She cursed under her breath.
"Hey, new girl," a voice called behind her. "They lock the doors 'til they come get ya'. No use tuggin' at it."
She ignored him.
Her eyes were already on the courtyard walls. High. Rough. Textured. Scalable.
She remembered how Dimitri couldn't climb the old water tower without falling on his face. Tara nearly broke her ankle trying. Atreus didn't even try.
Moonies can't climb. But I can.
Luna drifted toward the wall, each step slow from the weak gravity. The boy followed, a grin spreading like he'd been waiting for this.
"Oi'. I wouldn't climb those walls if I were ya'."
She ignored him again, placing her fingers into a faint crevice—one only an Oldlander would even notice. The gravity helped her. Made her lighter. Faster.
This'll be easier than I thought.
She climbed, body moving with practiced instinct. Higher. Higher. Almost—
ZAP!
A shock ran through every muscle. Her body launched backward—She hit the ground with a hard thud.
Behind her came a loud, obnoxious cackle.
"Ha! I told ya', didn' I? Don't climb it! But did ya' listen?" He leaned over her with an outstretched hand. She slapped it away.
"Don't be pissy now," he snorted. "Ain't my fault ya' chose not to 'ear."
Luna stood, jaw clenched. He wasn't wrong. Still annoying though. As she finally looked at him closely, she realized—He wasn't human.
Stripes across his neck. Long pointed ears. An elf.
"You're an elf," she said flatly.
"You're a human," he shot back in the same tone. "And ya' talk—good. Otha' one wit' ya', tattoos 'n all, only speaks in riddles 'n whatnot."
He pointed at her tribal markings.
Luna blinked. "Someone else here has tattoos like mine?"
"Yeah. A man." The boy shrugged. "Same stubborn 'tude you got, too."
"My uncle!" Luna blurted—too fast, too loud.
"Really? Don't resemble ya' none—'cept the tatts."
It's him. Of course it was him. She never looked like her father's side anyway. She was Pat'ul's face copy.
Her chest tightened. She looked around the courtyard but saw no sign of him.
"Do you know where he is?" she asked, panic creeping in.
"The scientists took 'im." The elf pointed at a blooming bruise on his arm. "Just to prod 'im a bit. Needles 'n pills—nothin' too painful. Not really."
His expression said otherwise.
Her heart began to race with worry.
"When will he be back?!" she asked, impatience breaking through her voice.
"Soon, soon. Don't worry—like I said, jus' a few tests."
Luna collapsed to the ground, everything finally catching up to her.
Then… she cried.
The tears came slow at first, then steadier, until she was openly sobbing in the middle of the yard. No one said a word; it was a normal sight for new arrivals.
"Hey now, none of that," the elf said gently. "Ya' were just a tough gal a moment ago."
She kept crying. Every second reminded her of what had happened, and the tears only grew heavier.
The elf sat down beside her, watching quietly.
"Oi', what's ya' name?" he asked. She didn't answer. "Well, mine is Hat."
Luna's crying faltered.
"Hat?"
"Yeah, Hat. Me' mum named me after me' father."
"You're Hat Jr.?" she sniffed, wiping her face.
"Yeah," he replied innocently.
Luna managed a faint smile. "So you come from a… line of Hats?"
Hat squinted at her sarcasm and stood up.
"I try ta cheer ya' up, and ya' shoot the shit at me' name?" he said, offended.
"You laughed at me getting shocked," she shot back.
"Yeah, but that was ya' fault I warned ya' of the enchantment" A small smile tugged at his lip again.
Luna exhaled shakily. "Look, I'm sorry. I guess we got off on the wrong foot. My name is Luna."
Hat sat back down and stuck out a hand for a shake.
"Nice to meet ya', Luna—which is also a weird name," he added. "So where ya' from? Can't say I've seen tatts like those before—'cept on ya' uncle."
She answered without thinking. "I'm from Wyoming."
Hat froze. "Where? Neva' 'eard of Wyomin'."
Luna remembered—she wasn't on Earth anymore. Places like Wyoming and Oregon meant nothing here.
"I mean… Earth," she corrected.
Hat's eyes widened. He just stared. The silence stretched until it felt unbearable.
Why is he staring? Did I say something wrong?
"Ya' from up there?" he finally asked, pointing toward the massive sphere hanging in the sky.
Only now did Luna notice it. Earth—her home, everything she'd ever known, crossed, survived, and run through—stared back at her in a single silent glance.
Now she was the one who fell silent.
"Me mum says me grandparents come from there," Hat continued. "I was born 'ere though — in the Isles."
Luna stared at him. "You were born in this place?"
"No, no," he corrected quickly. "I was born in the Isles — not New Athens exactly—"
Before he could finish, Jorrsh approached.
"Good to see you keeping her company, Hat," Jorrsh said. "But I'm afraid I must steal her away for a moment. We've set up the lab, Eighty-One. Follow me."
"I'll be 'ere when ya' get back," Hat assured her. "And you'll be fine in there. Don't worry."
Luna nodded, trying to steady herself as she followed Jorrsh toward the same wooden door she had entered from earlier.
They stepped into a room much like the one she'd been confined to before — cold, sterile, and quiet. A woman stood waiting inside, her greyish-black hair tied back, a pair of goggles resting on her forehead.
"Ahh, you must be Subject Eighty-One," she said with a confident smile. "A pleasure to meet you. My name is Doctor Hilda Lycan, and I'll be facilitating your experiments while you're with us. Please, take a seat."
Doctor Lycan gestured toward the cold metal sheet in the center of the room. Luna didn't move. Something about the woman felt… unsettling. The way she stood, eyes locked onto Luna with an almost hungry focus, made her skin crawl.
"You'll be okay, Eighty-One. Just take a seat," Jorrsh said gently.
Luna sat, though hesitation clenched her chest. Her heartbeat quickened as the doctor approached.
Lycan dragged an IV pole behind her, its wooden frame contrasting with the bag of swirling, glowing liquid hanging from the top.
"Give me your arm for just a moment," Lycan said pleasantly enough. Luna obeyed, mostly out of fear.
"This will hurt a bit, but you'll be fine. I assure you." Lycan pulled a syringe from her coat. Luna recognized it instantly — it looked exactly like the ones they'd used back on Earth when collecting samples from the Abominations.
Lycan drew the glowing liquid into the syringe, the swirl of pink and blue filling the glass. She took Luna's arm gently, pressing the needle against her skin.
Luna flinched back.
"Now, now. I told you this won't hurt. But if you pull away like that… it might."
Luna didn't like the tone. It didn't sound like a warning — it sounded like a threat.
Her hand twitched toward her tanto — still in the void — before she remembered the Abominations she'd seen killed effortlessly by moonies like Dimitri… and Jorrsh. Fighting was pointless.
Spirits be with me, she prayed, extending her arm again and abandoning the idea of resistance.
The needle pierced her skin, sliding into a vein.
"Perfect." Lycan injected the liquid. A cold, queasy rush crawled up Luna's arm as the syringe emptied. Lycan removed the needle and bandaged the spot with surprising care.
"See? Not so bad, was it?" she said, already cleaning the lab. "Jorrsh, keep track of her. Send me a status update with any symptoms."
"Yes, ma'am," Jorrsh replied.
Lycan gathered her equipment, muttering under her breath.
"You will be the one, Eighty-One… I can feel it."