The Vale erupted into chaos.
The monstrous creature stood taller than any tree, its body forged of molten rock and living shadow, wolf-shaped yet burning with divine flame. Its growl was an earthquake. Its presence, a cosmic verdict. Runes danced across its skin—ancient, celestial—each one pulsing with a terrifying truth:
This was no mere beast.
It was Lunarkor, the Enforcer of the Moon's Will.
And it had been summoned by the breaking of the Oath.
Elara stumbled backward, her heart pounding so fiercely it felt like her ribs would crack. The creature's voice echoed through every fiber of her being.
"You have awakened the Oath... now face its judgment."
Aiden pulled her behind him, his claws extended, his teeth bared. "Stay close."
Kaelen stared in disbelief. "This isn't possible. She hasn't completed the Rite yet. The Oath isn't active—"
Lunarkor growled, and the sound seemed to bend the very air.
"The Oath always lives. When love is broken by betrayal, it awakens in wrath."
The shadow-wolves at Kaelen's side whimpered and bolted. Even they, born of blood magic and ancient curses, recognized the creature's authority.
Kaelen stood firm, jaw clenched. "This is a trick."
But Selene's voice whispered in his mind.
No, Kaelen. You broke the balance. Even I cannot silence this one.
Kaelen snarled. "Then I'll kill it."
With a savage cry, Kaelen hurled a spear of obsidian magic at Lunarkor. It struck the creature's flank—and shattered into dust.
Lunarkor didn't even flinch.
In a single motion, it leapt across the battlefield, landing with a force that cratered the ground. Its claws swept toward Kaelen like falling stars.
He barely evaded, twisting mid-air and launching a shockwave of dark energy. The blast hit the creature's chest, but it only staggered for a second before roaring again—this time aiming its gaze at Elara.
"You, Oracle. You were the heart of the Oath. You were its soul."
Elara stepped forward. "I didn't know. I didn't remember."
Lunarkor's eyes narrowed. "Ignorance does not absolve you."
And then—it attacked.
A beam of silvery fire erupted from the creature's mouth, aimed directly at Elara.
Aiden tackled her to the ground just in time, the beam scorching the earth where she had stood. The shockwave sent several warriors flying.
"Elara!" Aiden shouted. "We have to run!"
"No," she gasped. "I have to face this."
"You'll die!"
"Then I'll die with my eyes open."
Kaelen staggered to his feet, his robes smoldering, fury etched into his expression. "This wasn't how it was meant to go!"
He raised both hands to the sky, chanting in a tongue older than stone. A storm gathered—black clouds swirling above the Vale, lightning arcing between the rift stones.
The sky wept blood.
From the heavens, a hundred shadow-wolves descended like comets—his army reborn.
Aiden stood beside Elara now, panting. "We're outnumbered."
"No," she said, eyes glowing silver. "We have me."
She stepped forward, past Aiden, past the warriors, past even fear itself. Her body radiated raw energy. Her memories—fragments of a past life—bled into the present like watercolors in a storm.
She remembered the Oath now.
She remembered Kaelen's promise.
And her own.
We are soul-bound. And if fate should tear us apart, the stars will burn to bring us back together.
Lunarkor bared its fangs, preparing another attack.
Elara raised her hand—and the creature stopped.
The battlefield stilled.
Wind howled, but no one moved.
Even Kaelen hesitated.
The creature spoke once more.
"You still bear the mark."
A glowing crescent appeared on Elara's collarbone, where her heart pounded.
"You are the Moon's chosen. But you carry the Betrayer's bond. You must choose."
Kaelen stepped forward, his face torn between hope and torment. "You know the truth now. You remember. What we had—what they took from us."
Aiden spoke up, voice hard. "And what he became."
Elara looked between them.
Two halves of her soul. Two futures. One path.
"I won't choose violence," she said.
Lunarkor lowered its head. "Then the choice will be made for you."
Suddenly, the earth split again—and she emerged.
Selene.
Radiant, terrible, divine.
The Moon Goddess.
She hovered above the battlefield, arms outstretched, robes shimmering like the night sky.
"My children," she said, voice shaking stars loose from the sky. "You bring ruin to prophecy with your stubborn hearts."
Elara fell to her knees.
Aiden dropped his head.
Kaelen's mouth twisted. "You made us pawns."
Selene's expression hardened. "No. I made you guardians. And you have failed."
She raised her hand—and the sky turned red.
The ancient prophecy was activating.
Suddenly, Elara's body lifted off the ground.
Silver chains—spun from moonlight and sorrow—wrapped around her wrists and ankles, pulling her toward the center of the rift.
"No!" Aiden roared, lunging forward.
Kaelen also moved, faster than thought.
Together—enemy and ally—they reached her at the same time.
Each caught one of her hands.
And the Moon Goddess smiled.
"Only one of you may save her. Only one may break the chains."
"Only one."