Rain tapped gently against the old chapel's stone roof, like quiet footsteps. The air smelled of wet moss and burned wood. Aria sat alone near the broken altar, wrapped in silence.
Her fingers brushed over the smooth surface of her pendant — warm, glowing faintly beneath her cloak. It pulsed like a heartbeat, steady and soft.
She wasn't sure if it was responding to her emotions…Or warning her.
Rael's voice broke the quiet.Always running from everyone, aren't you?
He stepped inside, wet strands of hair sticking to his face. He didn't wear his usual smirk this time. He looked… cautious.
Aria didn't look up,not running just thinking.
Rael crouched beside her, close enough to touch you think too much sometimes it gets you stuck.
"I'd rather be stuck than blind his brows rose that was sharp.
She turned toward him, tired eyes meeting his may I ask you something?Always.
She reached for her pendant but paused. You want to touch it, don't you?
Rael chuckled.Curious, yeah. That thing's been glowing ever since you woke up.
She unfastened the chain slowly then go ahead he reached out, fingertips brushing the moonstone the glow shifted to warm silver to a strange… cold gray then dim and almost dead
Rael jerked his hand back.What the—?
The pendant pulsed again, this time like it was pushing his presence away.
Aria stared at it,It didn't like you she said
Maybe it's broken,no she whispered It knows something
---
That night, Aria couldn't sleep shee wrapped the pendant tightly in a cloth and laid it beside her not out of fear but out of instinct.
The fire burned low. Lysander had fallen asleep against the far wall. Rael muttered something in his sleep, turning once and then going still the forest outside was quiet but her heart wasn't
---
The dream came fast
💤 Flashback Dream 💤
She stood in a courtyard filled with red banners and torn flags. Aria wore silver armor, her blade drawn smoke rose from nearby towers. The sky burned orange with fire two figures stood beside her — Rael and Lysander — younger, laughing, unaware of what was coming a voice echoed in her ears, low and sad One will stay and One will run.
Suddenly, she was alone. Wind screamed through the hallway. She raced toward the tallest tower, calling out a name she couldn't remember
There — a figure at the top. Cloak fluttering, sword stained red.
He turned halfway pale skin,a deep scar along the jaw
Aria reached out, her voice cracking,Don't leave me—please—
The man whispered,forgive me and turned his back
---
🌙 Back to the present
Aria woke with a gasp, sitting upright. Her chest felt tight, like the dream had stolen the air from her lungs.
The pendant still pulsed beneath the cloth. She didn't unwrap it but she could feel it glowing through the fabric.
Across the room, Lysander stirred you saw something again,he said his voice low.
She didn't lie this time Yes.
He sat up slowly what did you see?I saw… both of you. Younger. In a memory. But when everything fell apart… someone left,he didn't ask who he just said,We leave tomorrow.
She blinked them whisper slowly where?
There's a seer deep in the eastern woods. She's old, strange… but powerful. She may help you remember what you were made to forget Aria nodded slowly alright she said
But inside, her trust thinned like mist.
Why would he know someone like that?
Why didn't he mention her earlier?
---
The next morning, the sky was pale and heavy with clouds. Aria dressed slowly, pulling on her boots, her gloves, her cloak.
She tied the pendant tightly around her neck, under two layers of fabric.
Rael watched her from the other side of the room. He didn't smile.
Lysander fastened his sword nobody spoke for once, even Rael had no jokes to offer Aria moved past them like wind — silent, sure they followed
But now… something had changed she was no longer waiting to be protected,she was no longer following,she was now leading herself.
---
They walked quietly through the forest. Branches swayed overhead, casting moving shadows on the trail. Rael walked a step behind her now. Lysander beside her, but not too close they noticed the way she didn't look at either of them the same the way her hand never left the pendant the way she asked no questions she was watching, listening and remembering.
And though neither of them said it out loud but they were afraid of what she'd find.
💫 Author's Note:
> Chapter 17 is a slow unraveling of truth 🌘
Aria's magic is no longer just reacting — it's warning. Protecting. And showing her the one thing no one else dares say:
Someone turned their back on her.
💬 Question for you:
Do you think the man who left her behind truly loved her… or was he hiding something all along?
📚 Add this story to your collection if you're here for the slow-burn love, betrayal, and rebirth!🌚