The Lunar Bound

shadows of the trees. The ground beneath her feet seemed to tremble with an ominous energy, and her fingers tig

ife, his eyes narrowing as he surveyed the figure. But the look

as though he were trying to keep calm in the f

ness, the way the air seemed to thicken, making it harder for her to breathe. She could feel the weight of it pressing do

rounded by an unsettling aura that seemed to blur the edges of reality. It had no distinct face, only a swirling mass o

nst her skin like a trapped animal desperate to be freed. But there was something else too-a deep, oppressive

growl, as though it came from deep within the earth itself. It rever

answers. But answers are no

knew instinctively that this wasn't just another Moonbor

e barely above a whisper, the weight of

its presence suffocating, pressing in on her from all sides. She could feel its gaze-if it had one-penetrating

eep, ancient, and filled with the promise of something far older than the world itself. *"I am the curse that ru

ned around the pendant as if it could somehow shield

aunted her, was not just something that had been t

ng her head in disbelief. "T

through your blood, child. You are the key, the vessel through which the power of the Moonborn will awaken on

ng anymore. The curse, the Moonborn-they were not isolated forces. They were part

and filled with challenge. "What do y

ly as if it were reacting to his presence. *"The child knows more than you

th her skin. It was connected to the Moonborn, to the ancient curse, to the very fabric of the world's magic. She

y, his voice low, "we need

speaking again, its voice a constant hum in her mind, urging her to ac

here is no escaping it. You are a part of the

d through her skull. The power-the darkness-was inside her, tugging at her, pulling her toward th

A glimpse of something in her grandfat

t the pendant. It wasn't just the pow

he swirling figure in the clearing. She knew now what she ha

tepped forward. "I refuse to let you use me. I'm not

sed by her defiance. *"You cannot fight what you are. The darkne

ngers brushing against the magic in the air. The sigil-her grandfather's sigil-glowed faintly o

er voice gaining strength.

oding the clearing. The power inside her surged out in a wave, a blast of energy that pushed th

the fabric of her very being. The energy was overwhelming, burning through her veins, and for a moment, she

ugh the haze of power. "Lana!

was too strong, too ancient.

her as the darkness clawed at her mind. She cou

he power collapsed inward, sucked back into

ith exhaustion. The figure had disappeared, vanishing into the shado

instant, his eyes wide wit

dant still warm in her hand, but the sensation of the curse had

ined-how much longer

u're not fine. That... thing, whatever it was-it

The darkness was a part of her now, something she couldn't es

if she didn't, there was no telling what