Dawn felt hollow. The sky was pale, washed out—as if morning had come too soon. Ayana woke to the cold stones beneath her, Kael's arm across her shoulders, Nova's hand pressed to her side where a faint glow of healing magic lingered. The air smelled of damp earth and smoke, of ruin and effort.
She sat up slowly, wincing. Every muscle screamed. But she forced herself to move. The chamber was quiet now, broken. Pillars lay toppled. Obsidian shards glittered like black stars. The altar was gone—erased, shattered, consumed.
Kael cleared his throat. "You're awake," he said. There was awe in his voice, exhaustion too.
Ayana nodded, pressing a hand to her chest. The pendant was dim, as if spent. She could feel its echo, but not the roar.
Nova rose from beside her. Her eyes—usually so fierce—were soft with relief. "You tremble."
Ayana looked at her hands. They were cut, bruised, stained. "So do you."
Silence stretched between them. Outside the chamber, the forest held its breath.
At length, Ayana stood. She stretched, testing joints and limbs. Pain flared, but determination coursed stronger. She walked between the wreckage of the chamber. "He's gone."
Kael joined her. "We don't know that for certain."
She looked at him. "Then we'll find out."
---
They climbed the stairway back to daylight, stepping past ruins and vines and memory. Outside, the forest was quiet in a new way—a stunned hush, as though it too was recovering from the shock of what had happened.
Their camp had moved upward, closer to the old ridge, to be safe from surprise attacks. When they returned, the sight of the survivors—tired, bruised, hopeful—stirred something in Ayana's chest. She walked among them, offering words, helping tend wounds, offering quiet smiles when she could.
Elira approached her, eyes sharp. "You broke the altar. But the curse... it's not over."
Ayana nodded. "I know." She touched her throat, where the pendant rested. "It is weaker now. But he's wounded, not destroyed."
Elira's expression was grave. "He'll lash out harder."
Kael stepped beside Ayana. "We'll be ready."
---
That night, the moon was full and bright, its silver light bathing the forest in pale clarity. Ayana stood apart from the camp, staring up. She thought of her mother, of Selene's last words: choice, will, blood. The path had been long, treacherous. The fight harder than she ever imagined. But she had come this far.
A sudden rustle behind her made her spin. Nova emerged, cloak drawn tight, eyes shining. She approached cautiously, then extended both hands in apology. "I'm sorry I dragged you into this."
Ayana shook her head. "Don't apologize. You saved us."
Nova's voice was soft. "I was supposed to be stronger."
"You are," Ayana said firmly. "You're here."
They stood side by side, silence speaking between them.
Then, from the forest's edge, a howl — low and terrible. Not a beast's howl, but something deeper. Called from pain. From hunger.
They exchanged looks. Kael came walking up, sword drawn. "They're coming."
Ayana placed a hand on the hilt of her dagger. The forest around them trembled.
Shapes moved between trees—figures half-shadow, moving too fast to clearly see. Weapons glinted. The fight began.
Ayana moved with muscle memory, magic flaring beneath her skin. Light and energy streaked across the forest like broken stars. Nova added her incantations; Kael's steel struck true. But the enemy pressed in. They were stronger, more desperate, fueled by the dark alpha's wrath.
At one point, Ayana felt her strength falter. Pain bit through her ribs. She gripped the pendant, willing it to burn, to help, but it flickered faintly.
Just then, Nova's voice cut through the chaos. She laid her hands on Ayana's shoulders, eyes glowing. A wave of healing energy pulsed outward. Pain receded; strength returned.
Ayana roared, pushing forward. She struck. Light met shadow. One enemy fell. Another rose.
The forest echoed with screams, with clashing steel, with thunder from the sky.
Then a creature leapt—a warped wolf-beast, larger than any they had faced. Fangs dripping, eyes like molten silver. It lunged at Nova.
Without hesitation, Ayana dove between them. Magic flared, energy cracked. The beast howled. It staggered. Ayana's dagger found its heart. Nova collapsed to her knees, shaken but alive.
The forest cleared. The enemy retreated into darkness.
Silence fell again.
Kael limped over, pulling Nova upright. He looked toward Ayana, pride and awe in his eyes. "You saved her."
Ayana swallowed. "We saved each other."
---
They returned to camp battered, but breathing. Hope lit faces. Gratitude in eyes. The night had been won — but the war, far from over.
Elira met them at the entrance. She studied Nova's wounds, then Ayana's. "You faced the beast and stood firm. You are becoming more than MoonBound — a beacon."
Ayana felt the weight of those words. She touched her pendant, now dim, but alive. "The beacon must burn bright."
Later, she sat alone under the moon, thinking. She thought of what was lost and what was gained. Of allies she'd found and sacrifices made. The path ahead would be darker. But she would not walk it alone.
She whispered into the night: "I choose this. Every day. No matter how hard."
Above, the moon shone silver, its light steady—and the forest listened.