That night, as Lunarya quietly ate her dinner, Elion gently approached her and said, "I'll head out across the river—I need to pick up a few things to eat."
She nodded, eyes still on her plate, but something within her stirred. A feeling. An ache of uncertainty.
He wrapped his arms around her in a warm embrace, then turned and left without another word.
But her heart didn't settle.
Even after finishing her meal, something inside her whispered not to rest. Her instincts, honed by centuries, clawed at her.
Something was wrong.
She stepped outside, crossed the river's edge, and walked in the direction he had taken. That's when she heard it—a noise, muffled but sharp.
Without hesitation, Lunarya followed the sound. Her steps grew faster, and her breath caught when the scene revealed itself.
Elion—bloodied and bruised—was surrounded by dark figures cloaked in shadows.
Shadowland men.
"Elion!" she cried, rushing into the chaos.
Her powers ignited as she fought them, silver light colliding with dark blades. She moved like a tempest, protecting the one she loved.
"Elion!" he called out once more before his body gave out.
He collapsed.
Lunarya dropped to her knees, gathered him into her arms, and with a wave of her hand, vanished them both from the battlefield.
---
Back in Elion's home, she laid him gently on the bed and examined his injuries. Superficial wounds, nothing fatal.
But as she healed him, her hands paused. Her fingers hovered over his chest, and her gaze darkened.
She sensed… something.
A disturbance beneath the flesh.
She closed her eyes and pressed her palm over his heart. Magic hummed under her skin.
And then she saw it.
A seal—glowing, ancient, buried in his heart.
She gasped and pulled her hand away instantly. Her breath trembled.
Who… is he?
Moments later, Elion stirred and slowly opened his eyes. She was sitting beside him, calm on the surface, storm beneath.
"You're awake," she said softly. "Are you hurt?"
Elion blinked, disoriented. "I'm fine… Arya. Who were those men? Why did they attack me?"
Lunarya hesitated, her voice cautious. "I… I don't know. Maybe they were after something. I'm sorry, Elion. It's my fault. I made you stay in that place..."
Elion reached out and gently took her hand. "No, Arya. Don't blame yourself. You just wanted a peaceful place to stay. It's them who attacked. Not you."
He looked around, suddenly aware of his surroundings.
"Wait… we're back home? How did we get here?"
She looked into his eyes, truth flickering behind her words. "I brought you here, Elion. And… I must confess—I haven't been honest with you."
His brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"I'm not just some ordinary girl… I'm the Wolf Goddess," she whispered, her voice barely holding steady.
Elion blinked, then laughed. "Arya, don't joke. You? A goddess? You're human."
"I'm not lying," she said, trembling now. "Even if you don't believe me, I can't hide it anymore. I don't want to lie to you."
He looked at her for a long moment, then sat up slowly. "Then I'll believe you," he said. "Even if you're a goddess, even if you have wings or fangs or stars in your blood… I won't leave you."
He pulled her into an embrace.
Lunarya exhaled in relief, resting her head against his chest. But there was still a weight in her tone. "Elion… like I told you the truth, is there anything you're hiding from me?"
He leaned back with a laugh. "Arya, I'm just a simple man in the mountains. I barely go outside, remember? Meeting you… that's already more than I ever dreamed of. A goddess falling in love with me? I must be the luckiest man alive."
He gently cupped her cheek.
She smiled—but deep inside, something stirred.
---
The Betrayal Under the Moonlight
A month passed.
But each night, while she slept, Elion would vanish. He created a glowing loophole in the sky—subtle, secretive—and disappeared into it.
One night, Lunarya woke, her stomach growling. She turned, still sleepy, and murmured, "Elion… can you get me something to eat?"
No answer.
She sat up. The bed was cold. Empty.
She stepped outside, only to see it with her own eyes: Elion opening a glowing loophole on the clouds.
Curiosity and suspicion ignited in her heart.
Without making a sound, she vanished into magic and followed him.
He stepped out of the loophole into a cavernous realm in another dimension—dark, crystalline, ominous.
Lunarya, invisible, followed in silence.
When Elion walked into the center of the cave, soldiers in black armor appeared, kneeling before him.
"Hail, King Kaelvar!" they roared in unison.
Then came the transformation.
Before her very eyes, Elion's appearance shifted. The gentle smile, the innocent eyes, the man she fell in love with—gone.
In his place stood Kaelvar, a king cloaked in dark magic, eyes gleaming with power.
He laughed—a cold, cruel sound that echoed across the chamber.
"I have won her heart," he declared triumphantly. "Now… it will be easy to acquire it. Once I possess her heart, no force in this world or beyond can defeat me."
His soldiers raised their swords.
"Destroy Lunarya's heart! Let the immortal King Kaelvar rise!"
Lunarya, hiding behind the stone wall, clutched her chest.
The air was knocked from her lungs.
Her heart—once full—now cracked, bleeding in silence.