Kael realized I was gone before the shadows even faded.
One second, I was in front of him.
The next—empty air.
"AURA!"
His voice cracked across the hallway like thunder.
Guards ran toward him, startled.
"Prince Kael, is something—"
"FIND HER!" he roared, grabbing the nearest guard by his collar. "NOW!"
"Y-Yes, Your Highness!"
Kael's pulse hammered against his throat.
Lysander.
It had to be him.
The way the shadows moved. The sudden cold. The silence that followed.
He didn't know where Lysander took me—
only that he would tear the entire palace apart stone by stone until he found me.
When Arcelia's door opened, he nearly ripped it off its hinges.
She flinched, pale and fragile under her blankets.
"Kael?" she whispered. "What—"
"Where is Aura?" he demanded.
Her lips trembled.
"I—I don't know—"
"Don't lie to me."
She winced at the sharpness in his tone.
He softened. Barely.
"Arcelia… please. You know things. You remember the god's voice. You've heard its secrets. If you know where Lysander took her—tell me."
Arcelia's eyes flickered with something—fear, guilt, memory.
"He's showing her something," she whispered. "Something the Sanctum doesn't want anyone to see."
"What?" Kael asked, breathless.
Arcelia swallowed hard.
"Not all monsters live outside the palace," she said weakly. "Some are underneath it."
Kael froze.
"What do you mean?"
Arcelia looked toward the floor—
toward the depths.
"The Primordial is not the only thing buried in this kingdom."
Kael's blood ran cold.
"Aura's in danger," he whispered.
He turned on his heel and ran.
Deep Beneath the Palace
The cavern was colder than the ruins.
As if something ancient breathed slowly through the walls.
Lysander released my cheek, but his fingers lingered.
"We don't have much time," he murmured.
"Time for what?" I whispered, stepping toward the chained crescent symbol carved into the stone. "What is this place?"
"A ritual chamber," Lysander said. "Built centuries ago by the Sanctum. This was their first temple… before they learned to hide behind prayers."
I traced the chained moon with my fingertips.
It pulsed faintly beneath the stone.
"Why chains?" I asked. "What were they trying to bind?"
Lysander's jaw tightened.
"The moon," he said.
I blinked at him. "You can't bind the moon."
"You can bind its magic," he replied. "You can bind its chosen. You can bind the Moon-Born."
My breath caught.
"They built this for me."
"No," Lysander said. "They built it for your mother."
My heart stopped.
"What?"
Lysander's shadow wrapped around my wrist, turning it palm-up.
A faint silver glow pulsed from my veins.
"She came here once," he said gently. "Dragged. Injured. Dying."
He pressed my palm lightly against the stone.
"She tried to fight this."
I swallowed hard. "How do you know?"
His eyes softened.
"Because I found her here."
A sharp ache stabbed my chest.
"You—you were there?"
"Yes."
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"Because you were not ready," he said. "And because knowing how she died… would have broken you before your strength awakened."
I took a shaky breath.
"Tell me now," I whispered.
Lysander stood close, shadows curling protectively around us.
"The Sanctum believed your mother was the chosen vessel," he said. "They thought the Primordial would awaken through her. But she resisted. Fought. Refused."
"And they punished her," I whispered.
He didn't answer.
Which was answer enough.
My fists shook.
"They killed her."
"Not directly," he said softly. "But they weakened her. They bled her moonfire. They hoped a weakened vessel would submit more easily."
My stomach turned.
"Did the Primordial want her too?"
"Yes. But she was not the door they wanted."
His eyes met mine.
"You were."
A chill ran up my spine.
"They tried to sacrifice her," Lysander murmured, "to force you into awakening early."
My breath caught.
"Me? But I was just a baby—"
"Yes," he said. "A baby with the mark. A baby born wrong."
My knees nearly buckled.
Lysander caught me before I fell, shadows steady around my waist.
"Aura," he whispered, "you were not wrong. You were simply… more."
I leaned into him, shaking.
"And now," he continued, "the Sanctum wants you back. Not to protect you—but to finish what they started."
I looked up at him, eyes stinging.
"Why are you telling me this now?"
"Because," he said quietly, "you must not let them take you. Not ever."
"And if they try?"
He leaned close, voice dark and soft.
"I will tear the Sanctum stone by stone until their last prayer turns to dust."
My breath hitched.
Before I could respond—
a tremor rippled through the cavern floor.
Dust drifted from the ceiling.
The chained moon on the wall glowed brighter.
Lysander stiffened.
"No," he whispered.
"What's happening?"
His voice was low and urgent.
"They heard us."
"Who?"
"The Sanctum," he said. "And the Primordial."
The temperature dropped.
A deep, guttural growl echoed from the far tunnel.
Not human.
Not demon.
Something older.
Something that had waited in darkness too long.
A shape slithered through the shadows—
massive
distorted
wrong—
Eyes blinking open one by one in the dark.
"What is THAT?!" I gasped.
"A sentinel," Lysander said. "One of the creatures they sealed here to guard the ritual chamber."
"It's waking," I whispered.
"No," he said grimly.
"It's hungry."
The monster lunged.
Lysander shoved me behind him, shadows erupting around his arms like living armor.
"Stay back," he snapped. "Do NOT use your mark. It will sense it."
"I'm not leaving you!"
"Aura—LISTEN!"
But the creature barreled forward, stone cracking beneath its weight.
Lysander cursed.
The shadows hardened.
He prepared to strike—
And then—
A voice echoed through the cavern.
"AURA!"
Kael.
He appeared at the entrance—torch in hand, sword drawn, panic carved into every line of his face.
He saw the monster.
He saw Lysander bleeding.
He saw me.
And he ran straight toward us.
"KAEL, STOP!" I screamed.
Too late.
The sentinel turned its many eyes toward the new heartbeat in the room.
Kael.
"No, no, NO—" I lunged forward.
Lysander tried to intercept him—
But Kael slid past.
Straight into the monster's path.
"AURA, GET BACK!" he shouted.
The creature reared up, massive jaws opening—
Kael lifted his sword—
Lysander reached for him—
I reached for magic—
And the cavern exploded with moonlight.
Not mine.
Not Lysander's.
Something else.
Something old.
Something calling my name.
Everything went white.