Zane~
The hall was dead silent—so still it was as if the entire world was holding its breath.
Maeron's voice still echoed faintly, "She bears it. The Mark of the Moon." His words rang louder in my chest than in the air. I could hear nothing but the violent thud of my own heartbeat, feel nothing but the weight of this moment pressing against my ribs.
Natalie stood in the center of it all, her pretty blue eyes steady, glowing under the arched crystal ceiling as if lit from within. Her gown shimmered faintly under the ethereal moonlight that streamed through the dome overhead. She wasn't trembling. She wasn't afraid. She looked at peace.
And then—
Maeron's voice disturbed the silence again, clear and unshakable.
"She's not just marked. Now that I see her clearly… I'm certain."
He turned to the crowd, his arm outstretched as if presenting her to the world. "Natalie Cross is the Second Moon. The celestial princess. Daughter of the First Moon—our Moon Goddess herself."
