- The Prayer that Burned-
Selene's POV
The sacred chamber was silent.
Lit only by moonlight filtering through the circular skylight above, the walls carved with ancient runes. No guards. No elders. Just Selene, barefoot, wrapped in her cloak, standing before the ancient altar of the Moon Goddess.
It was said that only those truly chosen could call her.
Tonight, Selene didn't care if she was punished for even trying.
She stood there trembling, rage bubbling under her skin.
"Show yourself."
No answer.
The runes glowed faintly on the walls—responding to her blood, her power. The air grew colder.
"You gave me these powers," she said. "You made me the heir."
Still, silence.
"You speak in riddles. You chose me over my sister. You let her fall."
"And now you expect me to fix it?"
Selene's voice cracked.
"I saw her."
"I saw what they did to her. How they locked her away. How you ignored her prayers. She begged you—and you gave her nothing."
A flash of light struck the altar.
Selene didn't flinch.
A form appeared—mist swirling, solidifying into a figure cloaked in silver and white, her face veiled in moonlight. Eyes like galaxies. Presence like gravity.
The Moon Goddess.
"You come with fire in your chest, child," the goddess said. Her voice echoed in Selene's bones. "Yet you do not understand what you ask."
Selene stepped forward, fists clenched.
"Then explain."
The goddess tilted her head. "Lilith was not abandoned. She was tested. As you are now."
"She was broken." Selene spat. "That's not a test—that's a curse. You call yourself a goddess, but all I see is a queen playing with her wolves like pawns."
"You speak boldly for someone who still carries my gift in her veins."
"Take it back, then," Selene said. "If your power means becoming a weapon, if it means choosing one sister to save and another to destroy—I don't want it."
The chamber trembled.
The Goddess's form flickered slightly—her calm tested.
"You were not chosen because you were perfect, Selene. You were chosen because you were the one who could carry both light and fury."
"And Lilith?"
"Lilith was meant to walk beside you. But she chose another path."
Selene's chest ached.
"She didn't choose. You let the world twist her. And now you want me to kill what's left of her."
A long pause.
Then, soft words:
"No. I want you to save her… or fall trying."
Selene's breath hitched.
"What?"
The Goddess stepped closer, her form towering and ancient.
"Only one of you will survive the prophecy. But which one… is not for me to decide."
"It will be decided the moment your hearts clash."
---
The moonlight dimmed.
The Goddess began to fade.
"You now know the truth, Selene. The choice ahead of you is no longer about right and wrong…"
"It's about who you're willing to lose."
---
The chamber went dark.
Selene stood alone.
Shaking.
Not from fear… but from knowing.
She whispered into the silence:
"Then I'll rewrite the prophecy."