The moon hung low, red and swollen, as if the sky itself bled for what was coming.
Nyra stood before a cracked mirror in the rogue hideout, her reflection half-shadow, half-flame. Her fingers brushed over the scar above her collarbone—the mark left when Kael severed the bond.
It had never healed.
Iris leaned against the doorway, watching her. "You're quiet."
Nyra didn't look away from the mirror. "I'm remembering the last time I wore this."
Her armor—custom-forged obsidian leather laced with moonsteel. It had been made for her ceremony. The night Kael had promised her the world… then broke it beneath her feet.
"You sure you're ready to face him?" Iris asked.
Nyra smiled faintly. "I'm not here to face him."
She turned, her gaze cold.
"I'm here to destroy him."
⸻
The Nightveil Pack – Training Grounds
Kael moved through the arena, barking commands as warriors sparred beneath the cold sky. His tone was sharper than usual, his temper more volatile.
Lorien watched from the side, arms folded. "You're on edge."
Kael didn't stop moving. "She's out there."
"Of course she is. And she's watching. Waiting. Plotting."
Kael paused. "What would you do, Lorien? If you had to choose between protecting the pack and protecting someone you—"
"Don't," Lorien cut in. "You don't get to feel conflicted after what you did. You broke her. You let the Council tear her apart. Now you want sympathy?"
Kael turned, eyes darkening. "I didn't know the whole truth—"
"You knew enough," Lorien snapped. "You knew she trusted you. And you gave her to the wolves."
Kael's silence was heavy.
Because Lorien was right.
⸻
Meanwhile – Vale Ruins
Nyra stood over a half-buried vault door, her palm glowing as her magic unlocked the ancient seal. The ground groaned beneath her, revealing a long-forgotten chamber.
She stepped into the dark, torchlight flickering off the stone walls. Dust clung to the air like secrets.
Then she saw it.
A sarcophagus. Carved with her bloodline crest. Etched with warnings.
"The price of truth is always blood."
She opened the lid slowly.
Inside lay a skeleton—moonstone dagger in its ribcage, shattered crystals around its wrists. And in its hand, a scroll sealed in silver wax.
Nyra unrolled it carefully, eyes scanning the contents.
Her pulse quickened.
A list.
Of names.
Marked traitors to the Moonborne.
And at the very top… Kael Duskbane .
⸻
Nightfall – Nightveil Territory
Nyra stood at the edge of the border, cloak fluttering in the wind.
Beside her, Iris adjusted the blade strapped across her back. "You sure about this?"
"Positive," Nyra replied. "They took my trust. My name. My future."
She stepped forward, crossing the invisible wardline.
"It's time I take something back."
Moments later, the alarm bells rang through Blackthorn.
Wolves shifted. Guards moved.
And Kael? He stepped outside just in time to see the sky ignite in fire sigils—a blazing message carved across the clouds.
YOU MARKED ME FOR DEATH.
NOW I MARK YOU FOR WAR.
⸻
Council Hall – Emergency Conclave
Marek slammed his hand on the table. "She's declared open war."
"She's only one woman," scoffed Elder Vessa.
"She's a Moonborne," Marek growled. "She is worth a hundred wolves."
"But she's alone," Vessa countered.
"No," said the obsidian-masked stranger from the shadows. "She has allies."
The voice was calm, male.
And laced with something darker.
"She just doesn't know it yet."
⸻
Final Scene: Nightveil Pack Barracks
Kael stood on the balcony, watching the sky still burn with her sigils. He could still smell her magic in the air—wild, sharp, beautiful.
Lorien approached.
"She sent a message."
Kael nodded. "She sent a warning."
"What now?"
Kael's jaw clenched.
"Now… I send a reply."