Chapter 4 - Episode 4 Shadows That Remember

📖 Whispers of the Moon

By Rapwizzy Debaron

Episode 4: Shadows That Remember

Juvia's breath clouded in the cold air as she leaned into Ha-jun's embrace. For a moment, the world around them was still. Quiet. Almost peaceful.

But then… she felt it.

A chill.

A presence.

Behind them.

She turned her head quickly—eyes scanning the darkness—but nothing was there. Just the trees, the wind, and the hum of streetlights flickering in the distance.

Ha-jun stepped in front of her instinctively. "We're being watched," he muttered.

"By who?" she whispered, gripping his sleeve.

"Not who," he said, eyes sharp. "What."

Suddenly, a shadow darted across the street. Quick. Inhuman. Juvia gasped, clinging to Ha-jun as the air grew heavier.

And then—silence.

"Come with me," he said, taking her hand. "Now."

They ran.

Through the back alley, past the closed bakery, toward a locked gate. Ha-jun didn't stop. He raised his hand—and the gate creaked open on its own.

Juvia froze. "What… was that?"

He didn't answer. Just pulled her through and shut it behind them.

They entered an old courtyard—forgotten, overgrown with ivy and cracked stones. It felt… ancient. Sacred. Like it didn't belong in this world.

Like her dream.

"I've been hiding this place for years," Ha-jun said, glancing around. "It's one of the only places left untouched by the curse."

She looked up. The moonlight made the old statues glow faintly. Everything about this place screamed memory… but whose?

"Ha-jun," she said softly, "what exactly are we?"

He turned to her, his eyes glowing faintly under the moon.

"In our first life," he began, "you were a priestess of the Moon Temple. And I… I was born from its shadow."

She blinked. "Shadow?"

"I wasn't supposed to exist. I was created when the temple was cursed by the Eclipse Bloodline—beings of darkness, born from fallen stars. They wanted to destroy the moon's guardians. You were their target."

Juvia's pulse quickened.

"But we fell in love," he said, smiling bitterly. "And because of that… the curse was reborn again and again. Every lifetime, we find each other—and every time, you die because of me."

She took a shaky step back. "So you're saying… I've died over and over… because of love?"

Ha-jun nodded. "Because the curse doesn't just bind us—it punishes us."

Tears pricked her eyes. "Then why did you come back into my life? Why now?"

His voice cracked. "Because I couldn't stay away. Not this time."

Juvia's heart ached. Part of her wanted to run. To scream. To forget all of it.

But another part—the part that remembered moonlit kisses and blood-stained promises—knew she never could.

She reached out, touching his hand.

"I'm not afraid," she said.

"You should be," he replied. "Because the ones who cursed us… they know you remember now. They'll come for you."

As if summoned by his words, a gust of wind whipped through the courtyard—and a low, ghostly voice echoed from the shadows.

> "The moon cannot protect her, shadow-born."

Ha-jun's grip on her hand tightened. His eyes turned deadly.

"They've found us," he whispered.

Juvia turned.

And from the dark gate, a figure emerged—tall, pale, eyes glowing red.

A hunter of the Eclipse Bloodline.

---

To be continued…

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