đ Whispers of the Moon
By Rapwizzy Debaron
Episode 8: The Shadow Beneath the Moon
Juvia tossed and turned in the makeshift bed inside the temple's underground chamber. The visions from the Moon Mirror haunted her mindâmemories and emotions that didn't feel like her own, yet lived inside her.
In one life, she had been a priestess. In another, a warrior. And in this one⌠she wasn't sure who she was anymore.
Outside, Ha-jun stood silently beneath the trees, eyes scanning the darkness. The breeze was thick with tension. Something was coming. Something⌠old.
His hand tightened around the dagger at his side, etched with moon sigils.
"Rian," he muttered. "You always come when she remembers."
A sudden crack of branches snapped his focus. He turnedâbut it wasn't an enemy. It was Eunji, the golden-eyed guardian of the Moon Order.
"You found her," she said, stepping into the moonlight. Her voice was cold but respectful. "She's the key."
Ha-jun nodded. "And the curse is already stirring."
Eunji glanced toward the hidden chamber. "She'll have to choose soon. Her light⌠or his shadow."
Back inside, Juvia sat up. Her fingers pulsed with glowing veins again. She felt the relic's energy still inside her skin.
Suddenly, the air shifted.
She looked upâand saw a boy standing in the corner of the room.
Not Ha-jun.
He was around her age. Raven hair. Pale skin. Eyes like stormclouds.
Juvia gasped. "Who are you?!"
The boy didn't answer. He stepped forward slowly, his voice a whisper:
"You shine so brightly⌠just like before."
She backed away. "You're not real. This is a dream."
He smiledâbut it wasn't comforting. "Dreams are often the closest thing to truth. Do you remember my name?"
Her heart thudded. "Rian?"
His smile vanished. "You broke your promise."
Juvia shook her head. "No. You did. You gave me away. You chose them."
A flicker of pain passed through his eyes, but it disappeared behind bitterness.
"They promised me freedom. Power. You were always their favorite, Juvia. Always the light. And what was I? Your shadow."
She stared at him, trembling. "Then why do you keep following me through every lifetime?"
He leaned closer, his voice like smoke.
"Because no matter how many times I kill you⌠I still miss you."
Juvia screamedâand woke with a jolt, drenched in sweat.
Ha-jun rushed in, blade drawn. "What happened?!"
"I saw him," she said breathlessly. "Here. In this room. Rian."
Ha-jun's face hardened. "He's found you already."
Suddenly, the chamber shook. Dust rained from the ceiling. A glowing crack split the floor beneath the Moon Mirror.
Eunji ran in. "We're not alone."
From the crack, a dark mist slithered upwardâshrieking and clawing at the walls.
Ha-jun pulled Juvia behind him. "Shadow Wraiths. His messengers."
"Why now?" Juvia cried.
"Because the mirror awakened your full bloodline," Eunji said grimly. "You're no longer just a girl, Juvia. You're the Moonborn. And now every realm knows it."
The wraiths screeched as they lunged.
Juvia raised her hand on instinctâand a beam of silver light erupted from her palm, slicing through the darkness like fire.
The wraiths vanished in a hiss of smoke.
Eunji raised a brow. "Well then. I guess we're not training anymore."
Ha-jun stepped beside Juvia, panting. "We have to move. If Rian can send shadows here, the temple isn't safe."
Juvia nodded, her voice steady now. "Then let's go. I'm done running from the past."
They stepped into the night, leaving the temple ruins behind.
But far above them, cloaked in clouds, the moon glowed blood-redâwatching. Waiting.
---
To be continuedâŚ
đ Did that twist give you chills?
â¤ď¸ Like if you felt the tension
đŹ Comment your thoughts on Rian's creepy return
đ Share with someone who loves cursed romance
đłď¸ Vote if you're rooting for Juvia and Ha-jun to survive
⨠Follow Rapwizzy Debaron and don't miss a single moonlit heartbeat