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Chapter 19 - Chapter 16: The Void Knows Her Name

Morning came with a hush, as if the world itself was holding its breath.

The fire from the night's battle had burned to ash, but the heat still lingered in the earth. Luna stirred awake beneath a blanket of silence, her hand instinctively resting on the warm pendant at her throat. It pulsed—gently. Like a heart not her own, reminding her she wasn't alone anymore.

Zeph snored beside a half-burned log, sprawled out like he'd been tossed there by a careless wind. Riven stood a few steps away, blade already strapped to his back, staring into the woods as if expecting another attack.

But the shadows were still.

Luna sat up slowly. Her body ached—not from wounds, but from weight. The kind of weight no one could see. The kind only she could carry.

> "You're awake," Riven said, not turning.

> "Barely." She glanced at Zeph. "How is it possible for someone to sleep that loudly and still survive battle?"

> "It's a mystery of nature," Riven muttered, lips twitching with a ghost of a smile.

Luna stood and stretched. The forest around them felt different today. Too quiet. Like something had been disturbed… or awakened.

> "I need to walk," she said.

> "Alone?" Riven asked.

She nodded. "I won't go far. Just... need to breathe."

---

Luna wandered toward a rocky ridge overlooking the valley. Mist clung to the trees below, curling like smoke over the earth. The sky had a strange hue—half silver, half bruised blue. As if the world wasn't sure what face to wear.

She sat at the edge and closed her eyes.

> "Kaelora, Terranak, Zephiron, Ignar... Elarion," she whispered. "Are you still with me?"

A quiet warmth pulsed in her chest. A yes—not in words, but in presence.

But then—

The warmth was cut by something colder.

Not absence. Not fear. Something deeper. Hungrier.

A breeze blew past her ear. And in it, a whisper—not hers. Not the Kings'.

> "Little moonlight... the world is cracking."

Luna's eyes flew open. She stood. The wind was still.

> "Who's there?!"

No answer.

Just a low hum beneath her feet. The earth trembled—not from movement, but from presence. Like something was watching from beneath.

Suddenly, her vision blurred. The forest wavered—became shadow.

---

She was standing on black soil.

A grey sky loomed above, torn by streaks of purple lightning. The trees were twisted, roots crawling like fingers. And in the distance—an enormous tear in the air, pulsing with nothingness.

The Void.

And from it… something emerged.

Not a beast. Not a man. A form of swirling black and silver, tall and shifting. No face. Only glowing white eyes.

> "Luna," it said. "Daughter of Light. Key of the Sigils."

She stepped back. "What... are you?"

> "I am the Forgotten. The Silence between Elements. The King they buried."

> "The Void King," she breathed.

> "You are waking the world. And so I wake with it."

> "Why are you showing yourself now?"

> "Because you touched the Sixth. Because you united what was broken. And because I… know your name."

The shadows surged forward, wrapping around her wrists like chains.

> "You will open the door, Luna. You are the vessel."

> "No. I'm not your pawn."

> "No," it agreed. "But you are his daughter."

Luna froze.

> "What did you say?"

> "You carry his blood. The man who broke the balance."

The scene shattered like glass.

---

Luna gasped as she came back to herself. She was on the ridge again, knees scraped, breath short.

> "Luna!" Riven's voice called. He and Zeph were running toward her.

She didn't move.

Her hands trembled. The void… had spoken. Not just to threaten—but to reveal.

> "He called me daughter," she whispered.

Zeph knelt beside her. "Who did? What happened?"

Luna looked at them both, eyes wide with something deeper than fear.

> "The Void King. He knows me. He's waking."

Riven stiffened. "That's not possible. He was sealed."

> "Not anymore. The sixth sigil… it broke the silence. And now... he wants me to open the door."

> "We won't let that happen," Zeph said, trying to stay light. "We'll burn the door down first. Or throw a party and distract him with snacks."

Luna gave a short, tired laugh. But her eyes were still on the horizon.

> "He's coming," she said.

The wind picked up.

And far off, thunder growled like a beast waking from a long, hungry sleep.

---

To be continued...

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