The Luna’s Awakening....
The next morning arrived cloaked in mist, the sky tinted with pale lavender as the first rays of dawn kissed the horizon.
Aria stood in the clearing Elias had chosen—an ancient grove long abandoned, its runes half-buried in moss and memory. Her muscles still ached from yesterday’s ambush, but she stood tall, determination flickering in her chest like a spark.
“You’re early,” Elias said, stepping into view, his tunic loose, his eyes assessing. “Good. We don’t have time for softness. Not anymore.”
Aria clenched her fists. “I’m ready.”
“No. You think you’re ready,” he said, circling her slowly. “But what lives in your blood is older than any of us. Woken too soon, it could burn through you like wildfire. You don’t master it—you survive it.”
“I don’t care,” she s
