The forest had changed.
Where once the wind hummed softly through pine and oak, now it held its breath—as if the trees themselves were waiting.
They had followed the strange blue fire deep into the thicket, a flickering trail only Luna could see. Each flame danced at the edge of reality, vanishing if anyone else looked too long.
> "This feels like a trap," Riven muttered, sword drawn.
> "Technically, everything we do feels like a trap," Zeph replied, lazily spinning his dagger. "The haunted lake. The creepy shrine. That squirrel that stared at me for twenty minutes."
> "That squirrel was normal," Luna said, lips twitching into a tired smile.
> "He had secrets. I could feel it."
But her laughter faded as they reached the clearing.
A circle of standing stones stood there—ancient and broken, their surfaces scorched with black spirals and flickers of spirit-fire. In the center was a brazier, burning with that same unnatural blue flame.
Luna stepped forward. Her pendant pulsed.
> "This is where he is," she whispered. "The King of Spirit."
---
Suddenly—
The fire flared, high and wild. Wind screamed through the clearing. The ground trembled. And then—
A figure emerged in the fire. Tall, shifting, cloaked in spectral flame. His face was made of smoke, but his voice was unmistakable:
> "Moonchild. You stand on sacred ground… yet your heart trembles."
Luna's fists clenched. "I'm not afraid."
> "Lies taste bitter to spirits," the King of Spirit replied, voice echoing in every direction. "You fear your power. You fear what you could become."
She took a breath. "Then show me what I need to see."
The fire roared again—and Luna fell.
---
A Vision
She stood in a ghost version of the world. The trees were made of ash. The sky was a sea of stars, frozen and unmoving.
In front of her—herself.
But different. Eyes glowing. Arms outstretched.
And around her… silence. Villages turned to dust. Mountains shattered. No people. No kings.
Only her—and the Void inside her.
She couldn't breathe.
> "This is what you become… if you lose yourself," the King of Spirit said from everywhere. "If you let fear guide you."
> "This isn't real," she whispered.
> "Not yet."
---
She snapped back.
Riven was holding her shoulders, calling her name. Zeph hovered behind him, worry in his eyes for once.
> "You're shaking," Riven said.
> "I saw… a version of me," she said quietly. "A future. Where I lost everything, even myself."
Zeph sat down beside her. "Okay. Creepy ghost king gives spooky warnings. That's his thing. But hey—we're still here. You're still you."
> "Are we sure about that?" Luna murmured.
Riven's hand brushed hers. "You didn't come this far to fall now. We'll figure this out. Together."
---
As night crept over the sky, the King of Spirit's flame dimmed.
But not before one final whisper passed into Luna's mind:
> "The final sigil is near. But not all seals are meant to be opened."
---
Later that night…
Luna couldn't sleep. Again.
She sat by the embers, fingers tracing the moonstone Riven gave her. The lake behind them reflected stars, and above her, clouds drifted like veils.
Zeph joined her again, tossing a blanket over both their shoulders.
> "Tell me something real," she asked.
> "Okay," he said. "I think I like you."
She blinked. "What?"
Zeph grinned. "Too real? My bad. Meant to say, the fire's warm."
She nudged him with her shoulder. "Idiot."
But her smile stayed longer this time.
---
Somewhere far away…
A dark-robed figure stood before a ruined altar.
The wind carried a voice.
> "She touched the spirit flame. The sixth has awakened."
The figure turned.
> "Then she's ready. It's time to break the last seal."
Behind him, the ground cracked—a piece of the Void leaking through.
---
To be continued