The wind howled around Nova as she stood at the edge of the dense forest behind the estate. The world was quiet — too quiet. Only the distant rustle of leaves and the steady thrum of her heartbeat filled her ears. She glanced down at the strange crescent symbol etched faintly into her wrist — the one she had hidden for so long — now glowing with a soft silvery hue under the moonlight.
Max had slipped her the map that morning. "You'll find answers here," he had whispered, eyes unusually serious. "But you have to go alone. No one can follow — not even us."
Now, with her hoodie pulled up and a backpack slung over her shoulder, Nova took her first step into the trees.
Each step deeper into the forest felt like peeling back a layer of herself. The path wasn't easy — thorns caught her sleeves, tree roots nearly tripped her, and shadows danced like whispering spirits. But something in her bones urged her forward. Something old.
Hours passed. The moon shifted. And just when Nova thought she'd lost her way, she saw it — a stone arch buried in ivy, half-collapsed but pulsing with the same silvery light as her mark.
She stepped through it.
The shift was instant. The air shimmered. The sounds of the forest fell away. Before her stretched a vast underground valley — a hidden sanctuary carved into the mountain, glowing with pale light from bioluminescent moss and hanging lanterns that floated in the air.
A robed woman with white braids and gold tattoos stepped forward, her eyes landing on Nova's wrist. She bowed slightly. "Welcome, Moonborn child. We've waited for you."
Nova blinked, heart hammering. "What... what is this place?"
The woman smiled. "This is where your bloodline began — and where your truth must be remembered."
Meanwhile, far behind her, Kane stood on a cliffside, watching the forest below. His eyes gleamed silver in the dark. He could feel her through the bond — distant but not gone.
"She's awakened," he murmured.
Behind him, shadowed warriors stepped forward, cloaked in silence and moonlight.
"Prepare to move," Kane commanded. "She's closer to who she is than she knows. And I won't let them take her from me."