Chapter 30 - Episode 30 The Crimson Eclipse

📖 Whispers of the Moon

By Rapwizzy Debaron

Episode 30: The Crimson Eclipse

The temple lay in eerie silence after the battle, with moonlight streaming through shattered stained glass and broken stone. Juvia sat near the ancient altar, cradling the glowing Moonblade in her lap. The crescent mark on her shoulder pulsed softly, like a heartbeat in sync with the moon itself.

Ha-jun paced nearby, swords still in hand, his eyes scanning the shadows. Something had shifted. The appearance of the Crimson Eclipse wasn't just a warning—it was a declaration.

"They knew exactly where to find us," Ha-jun muttered. "Someone's been watching."

"Do you think they were sent by Kael?" Juvia asked, voice trembling but steady.

Ha-jun paused. "No. Kael's presence is dark and unhinged. These were soldiers. Disciplined. Trained." He turned to Luna. "Who is the Watcher?"

Luna's face tightened. "An ancient force… neither dead nor alive. The Watcher was once a high priest who betrayed the Moon Temple. When the Moon Warrior died, he vanished… but legends say he began collecting cursed souls. Forming a secret order—the Crimson Eclipse."

"So they're more than just assassins?" Juvia asked.

"They're fanatics," Luna replied. "And now they want you."

The silence was shattered again—this time by a low, distant rumble. The ground trembled slightly. Dust fell from the temple ceiling.

"That's not an earthquake," Ha-jun said, drawing both swords again. "It's coming."

A dark mist seeped into the temple floor, curling around their feet like snakes. From the mist, a figure emerged—tall, wrapped in tattered crimson robes, with a crown of twisted bone. Its face was hidden beneath a cracked, silver mask.

"The Watcher…" Luna whispered, stepping back.

Juvia rose, gripping the Moonblade. "Why are you after me?"

The Watcher's voice was low and echoing, like wind across tombstones. "Because the moon has chosen… unwisely."

"You're wrong," Juvia said, standing her ground despite the fear creeping up her spine. "I didn't ask for this, but I won't run from it either."

A twisted laugh echoed. "You wear the mark, but you have no idea what it truly means. You will beg for its removal before the end."

Suddenly, the mist lashed out.

Ha-jun leapt forward, slashing through it, but the tendrils reformed. Luna raised a protective barrier, but the Watcher's power cracked it like glass.

Juvia closed her eyes.

She remembered the Moon Warrior's final vision.

The light had not been in her sword—it had been in her heart.

She raised the Moonblade high, and it pulsed with a brilliant light that bathed the temple in silver radiance. The mist screamed as it recoiled.

The Watcher stumbled back, mask cracking further.

"This is only the beginning," it hissed. "The moon's light cannot stop the flood of shadows."

And with that, it vanished, the mist pulled back into the night like a breath held too long.

Juvia fell to one knee, panting.

Ha-jun rushed to her side, grabbing her shoulders. "You scared me," he whispered.

"You're always scared when I fight," she replied weakly, trying to smile.

He looked into her eyes. "No. I'm scared… of losing you."

The words hung between them like suspended stars, unsaid and yet echoing louder than thunder.

Juvia looked down, cheeks flushed.

Luna cleared her throat. "We need to leave. If the Watcher found us here, others will too."

Ha-jun helped Juvia up. "Where to?"

Luna's gaze turned toward the northern mountains.

"The Forgotten Shrine. That's where the Moon Warrior was born. And where your destiny awaits."

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To be continued…

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