Chapter 27
The mist lingered like a blanket across the hills as Dino and Luna continued their journey. The path stretched endlessly ahead, curving and folding into itself as if the world itself wished to test their patience. Luna's pale fingers brushed the hem of her black dress as she walked, her eyes darting occasionally to the edge of the road, half-expecting half-hoping not to see the shadows that had begun following them.
"They're still there," she whispered, her voice trembling slightly.
Dino did not turn to look. His black hair, glinting faintly under the muted light, remained perfectly still in the windless air. "Who?" he asked quietly, though he already knew the answer.
"People… watching us. Observing." Luna's red eyes glimmered with uncertainty, her fear hidden beneath the composure she always tried so hard to maintain.
"They're not important," Dino said, his voice as calm as the still world around them. "They are nothing compared to the life we carry."
For a long moment, Luna said nothing. She wanted to believe him, and yet, a part of her could not ignore the prickling sensation at the back of her neck. That invisible feeling, like eyes without faces, that had been with them ever since the moment they left the known world.
Dino walked beside her in complete silence. The steady rhythm of his steps was a quiet comfort, though his presence alone seemed almost unreal. How could someone so calm, so untouchable, inspire both fear and peace at the same time? Luna didn't know. She only knew that she felt safer with him than anywhere she had ever been.
Unseen by her, the moons the many moons that had accompanied her since her earliest memories gathered quietly. They shimmered faintly, their presence invisible to the naked eye, yet their attention focused on the princess with unwavering loyalty. They wrapped around her aura like a protective halo, responding to every tiny spike of her heartbeat, every flicker of emotion.
Dino noticed. He always noticed. He could feel the subtle pull of their energy, the almost imperceptible resonance of their grief, their worry, their devotion. Yet he did not speak. There was no need. Words were unnecessary when life itself spoke clearly enough.
The road stretched on, and the mists thickened, curling around their feet like ghostly fingers. Luna shivered, though not from the cold. She glanced at Dino, her voice barely audible. "Do you ever… get tired of walking like this? From place to place, never stopping, never staying?"
Dino's gaze finally met hers, black eyes deep and unreadable. "There is no exhaustion in doing what must be done," he said. "The road does not tire me. The life that walks it does not tire me. I only move to protect it."
Luna's lips parted, but no words came. Instead, her hand lifted almost unconsciously, brushing against the sleeve of his traveling robes. The touch was fleeting, delicate, and yet it carried the weight of a thousand unspoken emotions. Dino did not respond outwardly, but a faint awareness flickered within him.
For hours, they walked, their shadows stretching long and thin beneath the ghostly fog. Sometimes, Luna felt like the world had ceased to exist outside of them. Sometimes, the silence felt like a living thing, pressing against her ears, her heart, her mind. And yet, it was not oppressive it was comforting. Because beside her walked the man who had already faced everything and lost nothing, the man who did not even need a sword to kill, yet who chose to protect her instead.
Occasionally, Luna would glance up at the empty sky. The moons were not visible yet, but she felt them an almost imperceptible pressure in the air, a gentle pull on her consciousness. She did not know what they were, nor did she understand their loyalty, but their presence calmed her more than any words could.
"You really don't notice anything unusual, do you?" she asked quietly, almost to herself.
"I notice everything," Dino replied softly, though his voice carried no urgency. "I simply choose not to act until necessary."
Luna exhaled slowly, leaning slightly toward him as they walked. "I wish I could be as strong as you."
Dino's gaze swept over her, steady and unwavering. "Strength is not about recognition. Strength is about endurance. About choosing to keep walking, even when the road is endless. You are strong, simply by being here."
For the first time, Luna allowed herself to smile, small and hesitant. The weight of her worries the invisible eyes, the unseen danger, the burden of being a princess felt lighter, just for a moment.
Far ahead, in the shadows at the edge of the misty hills, something shifted. A faint distortion in the air, barely noticeable, moved silently, observing, calculating. Dino could feel it, of course. Every ounce of that presence screamed danger, yet he did not move, did not flinch. He had no need to.
And still, he walked beside Luna, the quiet sentinel of her life.
Hours passed, yet it felt like moments. Time seemed irrelevant. The mist, the moons, the invisible eyes all faded into the background of their shared silence. Nothing mattered except the road, and each other.
When Luna finally glanced at him again, she saw not a warrior, not a legend, not a man of myth but a presence that anchored her to the world. Someone who would walk beside her endlessly, silently, and without question.
The moons continued their quiet vigil. Dino continued walking. And Luna, for the first time in a long while, let herself believe that perhaps… she was not alone in this endless journey.
End of Chapter 27