The explosion shook the mountain.
A shockwave of blinding silver light burst from Aria's chest, ripping through the sanctuary like a star detonating—
crystals shattering
runes flickering
tunnels collapsing
and shadows screaming as they were torn apart.
Ronan was thrown backward, slamming into the stone wall with enough force to crack it. Pain shredded his bones and lungs, but he forced himself up instantly, gasping, vision unfocused.
"Aria—"
He staggered forward, coughing.
The sanctuary glowed white—too bright to see anything clearly.
"ARIA!"
No answer.
Panic clawed through him.
The stranger rose shakily to his feet, one arm shielding his eyes. "Don't move! The transformation wave isn't done—"
Ronan ignored him and stumbled toward the light.
"I don't care! She needs me!"
"You'll die if you go near her now," the stranger hissed.
Ronan turned on him with a snarl. "Then I'll die."
He pushed forward just as the white light fractured—splitting into strands of silver that swirled upward like glowing ribbons, twisting into a cocoon shape.
Inside it…
A silhouette.
A girl's silhouette.
Aria.
Her body trembled violently inside the cocoon of light, suspended above the ground, hair floating like she was underwater. Silver veins pulsed across her skin like living constellations.
Ronan froze, breath stolen.
"Aria…"
Her back arched painfully within the cocoon, as though invisible hands tugged her in two directions. Her mouth opened—
A scream tore out of her, though muffled by the cocoon.
The Devourer's whisper slithered through the air:
Yes… break. Become.
Ronan roared, "GET AWAY FROM HER!"
He lunged—
The stranger yanked him backward. "NO! If you break the cocoon, you could kill her!"
Ronan whipped around, rage flashing in his eyes. "LET ME GO!"
"You don't understand!" the stranger yelled. "The cocoon is not trapping her—it's keeping her alive. Her body can't handle the final phase raw."
Ronan panted, eyes wild.
Inside the cocoon, Aria convulsed again.
Her bones shifted under her skin—
not breaking
but re-aligning
reshaping
becoming something more.
Her fingers curled involuntarily, glowing like molten silver.
Ronan choked on a breath. "Aria…"
She whimpered weakly, voice shaking. "It hurts… please… make it stop…"
Ronan's legs nearly collapsed underneath him.
He pressed a hand to the cocoon's surface. "I'm here, Aria. Listen to me. You're not alone."
The cocoon pulsed where his palm touched—
as if recognizing him
as if responding to the bond.
The stranger froze. "Wait… that shouldn't be happening."
Ronan ignored him. "Aria, breathe with me. Slow. Like before."
Her breathing inside the cocoon hitched—
then matched his rhythm.
Barely.
Weakly.
But she matched it.
The stranger whispered in awe, "She's anchoring to him again. The bond is stabilizing the shift."
Ronan pressed both hands to the cocoon now, voice shaking. "You come back to me, Aria Hale. Do you hear me? Come back."
⸻
Inside the Transformation
Aria drifted in darkness mixed with light, like floating between two worlds.
Everything hurt.
Everything tore.
Everything burned.
Her bones twisted like roots searching for new earth. Her ribs expanded. Her lungs filled with cold fire.
"I can't…" she whispered into the void. "I can't do this…"
A dark laugh echoed around her.
You were never meant to survive.
"No—no—stop—"
Die, Moonbreaker.
Make room for me.
The Devourer's shadow coiled around her spirit, tightening like a serpent.
Aria cried out. "RON—Ronan—please—"
The shadow laughed again.
He cannot reach you here.
But I can.
Something cold pierced her heart.
She screamed.
⸻
The Devourer Breaches the Cocoon
Outside, the cocoon flickered—
silver
then black
then silver again.
Ronan cursed under his breath. "What's happening?!"
The stranger's voice dropped. "The Devourer is trying to possess her while she's vulnerable."
Ronan's blood turned to ice. "Over my dead body."
Dark tendrils pushed through the cocoon's surface like cracks in glass. They crawled around Aria's suspended form, swirling toward her heart.
She writhed, screaming silently.
Ronan slammed his fists against the cocoon. "LEAVE HER ALONE!"
The stranger shouted, "DON'T BREAK IT!"
"I HAVE TO GET TO HER!"
"YOU'LL KILL HER!"
Inside the cocoon, the shadows tightened around Aria's chest.
Her heartbeat faltered.
⸻
Ronan Breaks
Something in Ronan snapped.
He shifted halfway into wolf form—claws ripping from his fingers, fangs lengthening. His eyes sparked an unnatural ice-blue.
Not Alpha form.
Something older.
More primal.
Born only from desperation.
He pressed his forehead to the cocoon.
"Aria," he whispered, voice trembling, "don't let him take you. I can't— I can't lose you."
His breath fogged against the shimmering surface.
"I need you. Please… come back to me."
His voice cracked.
"I love—"
A shockwave blasted from the cocoon—silver and violent.
The stranger was thrown across the sanctuary. Ronan was slammed to the ground, breath knocked out of him.
The cocoon expanded.
Cracked.
Split down the center.
Ronan scrambled up instantly. "ARIA!"
⸻
The First Emergence
Silver shards burst outward like shattered moonlight.
Aria's form fell forward out of the cocoon—
Ronan caught her before she hit the ground.
Her body was limp, glowing faintly. Her hair shimmered with silver strands. Her skin was warm—not burning—but pulsing gently, like quiet embers.
But her eyes remained closed.
No movement.
No breath.
No heartbeat.
Ronan froze.
"No."
His voice broke.
"No, no, no—Aria, no—"
He shook her gently. "Open your eyes. Please. I'm right here. Open your eyes!"
Nothing.
The stranger forced himself up. "She's not dead—she's suspended between worlds—"
Ronan snapped, "Then bring her back!"
"I can't!"
The stranger staggered closer. "Only you can reach her through the bond."
Ronan swallowed sharply, tears burning his eyes.
He pulled her close, wrapping both arms around her, forehead pressed to hers.
Her body glowed faintly.
He whispered, voice trembling:
"Aria… come back."
Nothing.
He breathed shakily.
"I need you."
No response.
Ronan's voice cracked into a whisper.
"I love you."
Aria's fingers twitched.
Ronan gasped.
"Aria—"
Her chest rose faintly.
Then fell.
A faint whisper escaped her lips.
"R…on…an…"
Her eyes opened.
Silver.
Bright.
Alive.
Ronan exhaled a broken laugh and pulled her into a tight embrace. "Thank the Moon—Aria—I thought—"
But his relief froze in his throat.
Aria's eyes weren't just silver.
Her pupils had vanished.
Her irises glowed like molten moonlight.
Her skin illuminated the air around her.
She blinked slowly, confused.
"Ronan… it's so bright…"
"You're okay," he whispered. "I've got you."
She touched his face gently.
"You feel… different," she murmured. "Everything does."
Ronan swallowed. "You transformed."
She looked down at her glowing hands, trembling.
"I'm scared."
"I'm not," he whispered. "Because you're still you."
But the stranger stepped back, alarm spreading across his face.
"No… she's not. Not fully."
Ronan growled, "Explain."
The stranger pointed at Aria's chest—
the moon sigil now burned brighter
deeper
etched into her skin.
"The transformation didn't complete."
Aria blinked. "What does that mean?"
"It means," the stranger whispered, horrified,
"you're stuck between human and Moonborn.
And the Devourer will try again."
Aria trembled. "I can still hear it…"
Ronan lifted her chin.
"Let it come. I'll kill it."
But the stranger's voice was grave.
"No. If the Devourer reaches her now…"
Aria's heart stopped for a beat.
"…she will become its vessel."
Ronan bared his teeth. "Then we fight it."
The stranger shook his head.
"You don't understand."
He pointed at Aria—
At the glowing veins
the shimmering hair
the molten eyes.
"The Moonbreaker will soon lose her sense of who she is."
Aria's breath hitched. "No…"
Ronan wrapped an arm around her waist protectively. "She won't."
"She will," the stranger whispered.
"Unless someone anchors her…"
Aria looked up at Ronan, breath trembling. "Anchor me… how?"
The stranger's voice dropped.
"Through the bond. Fully."
Ronan stiffened.
Aria's heart skipped.
The stranger continued.
"You must complete the bond with her. Or she won't survive her final transformation."
Ronan froze.
Aria stared at him with wide, terrified eyes.
Outside—
The Devourer growled.
And the mountain trembled.