The ruins had barely settled when the night trembled with thunder.
From the ridge above, armored riders poured into the valley—priests and hunters of the Sun, their banners painted with holy fire. Their leader raised a golden staff that burned like dawn.
"There!" he roared. "The unholy child and her shadow! In the name of the Light, they must be erased!"
Adrian bared his fangs, pulling Luna behind him. "They will not take you."
Spears of light and chains of fire rained down, their chants shaking the air. Adrian fought like a storm, but their numbers were endless. Luna stumbled, memories of Elias and the villagers surging back.
Not again. Not again.
The priests closed in—until the night itself split open.
A figure descended in a blaze of silver brilliance, wings unfurling like radiant shields. Her armor gleamed like marble kissed by moonlight, her spear tipped with starlight. With a single strike, the holy fire shattered, scattering the hunters in terror.
The battlefield fell silent. The priests, blinded, fled into the hills without another word.
Luna stared, wide-eyed. "…Who are you?"
The woman's gaze softened as she knelt before her. Despite her overwhelming presence, her voice was warm. "You may call me Achradina."
The name rang strange and beautiful in the air.
"Ach…radina," Luna echoed carefully, like holding a fragile secret.
The woman smiled faintly, but her eyes carried an ancient sorrow. She brushed her fingers across Luna's cheek, cold and gentle. "Remember it. One day, it may mean more than you know."
Before Luna could ask more, the woman's radiance dimmed. Her wings faded, her figure dissolving into mist and moonlight.
Silence returned to the ruins, leaving only the faint shimmer of starlight where she had stood.
Adrian exhaled slowly, crimson eyes still locked on the vanishing glow. "Achradina…" he repeated under his breath, suspicion dark in his voice. "That was no ordinary savior."
Luna clutched her hands to her chest, the name whispering in her hollow heart. For the first time, she wondered if her path was not just survival… but destiny.