Luna Everleigh's POV
***
"He won't survive this," Nalia said grimly, crouching beside me.
I swallowed hard, forcing myself to stay calm. "There has to be a way."
"There is."
I turned to her sharply. "Tell me."
She hesitated for a moment before answering. "The energy Morganna used to strike him—it's not just dark magic. It's designed to unravel him from the inside. The only way to fight it is with something stronger."
"Lunar Guardian energy." The words left my lips before she could say them.
Nalia nodded. "You are the only one who can save him, Luna. But…" Her gaze darkened. "Fully embracing your power means surrendering to it. Once you do that, you may not be able to go back."
A chill ran through me.
I had always been afraid of what lay inside me—the legacy, the power, the destiny I never asked for. I had fought against it, denied it, refused it.
But now, it was the only thing that could save Rhydian.
I looked down at him, his breaths shallow, his body trembling with whatever poison had taken root inside him.
If I lost him, I would never forgive myself.
My hands curled into fists.
I would not lose him.
Taking a deep breath, I reached deep within myself—beyond the fear, beyond the doubts, to the part of me that had always been waiting.
And I let go.
A rush of light burst from my core, radiant and blinding, as power surged through me like a tidal wave. The temple trembled. The wind howled. The night itself bent to my will.
I heard Nalia gasp.
And when I opened my eyes again, Rhydian's breath hitched—because the woman standing before him was no longer just Luna.
I had become something else entirely.
***
To be continued...