Chapter 1: Famliy
For Luna, the last five years had unfolded like the turning of a gentle season—slow, healing, and filled with a kind of quiet happiness she had never expected to find.
Half feline and half human, she had arrived in this world broken, exhausted, and alone. She still remembered the cold mud beneath her body when she had fallen through the rift, the rain soaking her fur, her strength completely spent. When the farming family found her, she had barely been conscious. Of all the words she could have spoken, only one had escaped her lips.
"Luna."
Nothing more.
No mention of ancient powers. No stories of enchanted forests. No tales of time rifts, celestial beings, or worlds that no longer existed.
It was not a lie she carried. It was protection.
Protection for the family that had taken her in without question.
Protection for herself.
And protection for a history that belonged to a reality long gone.
Now, five years later, Luna stood upon the same farmland not as a lost stranger, but as part of the family itself.
The memories of her former life had never faded.
There were still nights when she would gaze at the stars and remember.
She remembered the ancient power.
The unimaginable energy that had once flowed through every living thing.
The feeling of standing beneath towering trees and sensing every root beneath the earth, every leaf dancing in the wind, every creature breathing within the forest. It had not simply been power—it had been harmony. A connection so complete that she had felt like part of the world itself.
Those memories remained vivid, preserved within her heart like precious fragments of a forgotten dream.
Yet that world was gone.
The beings who had corrupted that power and twisted life itself had changed everything. They had sought dominion over the earth, reshaping nature to serve their own desires. Entire civilizations had suffered beneath their influence.
That was why Sapphire and Haldon had sacrificed so much.
Sapphire—one of the last true ancient beings—and Haldon, her unwavering companion, had spent thousands of years traversing countless timelines and fractured realities. Together they had hunted the darkness through worlds beyond numbering, pursuing it through history itself.
And eventually, they had succeeded.
The evil was destroyed.
The beings vanished.
The threat ended forever.
But victory had demanded a terrible price.
The ancient power had disappeared alongside them.
Never again would it awaken.
Never again would anyone wield it.
The age of legends had come to an end.
In this new timeline, life had continued without it.
Felines no longer lived apart in enchanted communities hidden deep within mystical forests. Instead, they had gradually become part of ordinary society, living beside humans as equals. The world had moved forward into something entirely new.
Only three souls remembered what had once been.
Luna.
Sapphire.
And Haldon.
They alone carried the memories of the previous reality.
They alone remembered the sacrifices.
The battles.
The friendships.
The losses.
After arriving in this timeline, they had made a difficult decision.
To separate.
Not because they wished to.
But because it was safer.
Safer for themselves.
Safer for the fragile future they had fought so hard to create.
Each of them deserved the chance to build a life that belonged to this world rather than the one they had left behind.
And so Luna had remained on the farm.
John and Jane had become far more than the couple who rescued her. Over the years they had become the closest thing she had ever known to parents. They never pressed her for answers she wasn't ready to give. They accepted her strange appearance, her occasional silences, and the distant look that sometimes entered her eyes.
They simply loved her.
And Luna loved them in return.
Then there was Sarai.
When Luna had first arrived, Sarai had been only ten years old—a curious, energetic child who had instantly attached herself to the mysterious feline girl.
Now Sarai was fifteen.
Older.
Taller.
Wiser.
Yet she still possessed the same warmth that had first welcomed Luna into their home.
The two had become inseparable.
Sarai treated Luna like a sister, and Luna often found herself watching over her with fierce devotion. They shared chores, laughter, secrets, and countless evenings watching sunsets over the fields.
Somewhere along the way, the farm had stopped feeling like a place she was staying.
It had become home.
A real home.
A home she had never expected to find.
Of course, there were moments when the past returned.
Moments when the scent of wildflowers carried her thoughts back to the enchanted forests she had once called home.
Moments when the wind rustling through the crops sounded almost like the whispers of ancient trees.
Moments when she remembered the feline community she had grown up among—the friends, the elders, and the magical world that had vanished with the old timeline.
Those memories always brought a brief ache to her heart.
A quiet loneliness.
A longing for something she could never return to.
But the feeling never lasted.
Because when she looked around, she would see John repairing a fence.
Jane calling everyone inside for supper.
Sarai waving excitedly from across the fields.
And Luna would smile.
The sadness would fade.
Not because she had forgotten her old life.
But because she had finally accepted that it belonged to yesterday.
The world she had lost would always remain part of her.
Yet this world—this simple farm, this loving family, this peaceful future—was hers now as well.
For the first time in her life, Luna understood something that even ancient power could never provide.
A new life was not about replacing the past.
It was about carrying the memories forward while allowing yourself to belong somewhere new.
And as the golden sunlight stretched across the farmland and the breeze danced through the fields, Luna realized that despite everything she had lost, she had been given something equally precious.
A future.
A family.
And a life worth living.
The stables were alive with the familiar sounds of farm life. Horses shifted in their stalls, occasionally snorting as they chewed their feed, while dust floated lazily through beams of sunlight streaming between the wooden boards. The scent of hay, earth, and animals filled the warm afternoon air.
Luna and Sarai had spent most of the morning working through the never-ending list of farm chores.
Sarai stood on the upper storage platform, balancing carefully among towering stacks of hay, while Luna remained on the ground below, tossing fresh bales up to her.
Or rather, launching them.
Even after all these years, one thing from Luna's previous life had never truly disappeared.
The ancient power itself was gone.
Lost forever.
But the strength it had left behind remained woven into her body.
What would take two or three people to lift, Luna casually scooped up with her arms and hurled upward as if it weighed nothing more than a pillow.
Another bundle sailed through the air.
"Incoming!"
Sarai barely had time to react before catching it against her chest.
"By the stars!" she shouted. "One day you're going to throw one of these straight through the roof!"
Luna grinned innocently.
"I warned you."
"You gave me half a second!"
"You still caught it."
"That's not the point!"
"It sounds like the point."
Sarai rolled her eyes dramatically and dragged the bale onto the growing pile.
Living beside Luna for five years had rubbed off on her in more ways than one. She had picked up Luna's stubbornness, her quick wit, and her habit of teasing people whenever the opportunity presented itself.
The bond between them had grown far beyond friendship.
They argued like sisters.
Worked like sisters.
Protected each other like sisters.
And, most importantly, annoyed each other like sisters.
Sarai straightened up and brushed stray strands of hair from her face.
"You know," she said casually, looking down from the platform, "you're still a complete mystery."
Luna immediately narrowed her eyes.
That tone never led anywhere good.
"Oh no."
"Oh yes."
Another bale flew upward.
Sarai caught it.
"You are."
"A mystery?"
"A giant mystery."
Luna groaned.
Here we go again.
Sarai pointed at her.
"I know plenty of felines. Some work on neighbouring farms, some live in town. None of them can do..." she gestured wildly at the latest hay bale Luna had thrown nearly to the ceiling, "...that."
Luna folded her arms.
"Practice."
"Practice?"
"Lots of practice."
"You threw fifty kilograms of hay with one hand."
"Very dedicated practice."
Sarai laughed.
"Where does it come from?"
Luna's ears twitched.
There it was.
The question.
The one she always avoided.
The one that led back to a life she wasn't ready to unpack.
Her expression immediately hardened into the familiar glare Sarai had seen dozens of times before.
"I'll tell you someday."
"Someday?"
"Not today."
Sarai dramatically sighed.
"That's what you said last year."
Another bale flew up.
"And the year before."
Another.
"And the year before that."
Another.
"And—"
"I think you get the point."
Sarai caught the latest bundle and staggered backward slightly.
"Hey! Not so hard!"
Luna smirked.
"Thought you were getting stronger."
"I'm tiny!"
"You've grown nearly a foot since we met."
"I'm still tiny!"
"You are not."
"I am from up here."
Luna shook her head as laughter escaped her.
Sarai leaned over the edge of the platform.
"You always dodge the question."
"Because it's complicated."
"Everything's complicated."
"Not this complicated."
"So you really won't tell me?"
"No."
"Not even a little?"
"No."
"A tiny hint?"
"No."
Sarai crossed her arms.
"Hmm."
Luna immediately recognised that expression.
It meant trouble.
"What?"
Sarai tilted her head dramatically.
"So you don't trust me."
Luna froze.
"What?"
"You heard me."
"That is absolutely not what I said."
"Sounds like it."
Sarai shrugged innocently.
"I trust you with every secret except the massive one about where you came from."
Luna pointed a finger at her so quickly that Sarai burst out laughing.
"Hey!"
"Mm-hmm?"
"That is not fair."
"Maybe."
"You know I trust you."
"Do I?"
"Yes!"
"How much?"
"With my life."
Sarai smiled.
"Keep going."
Luna groaned.
"I love you like a sister."
"There it is."
"You know exactly what you're doing."
"Maybe."
Luna shook her head.
"It's not about trust."
"Then what is it?"
For a brief moment, Luna's smile softened.
"It's emotional."
The answer carried more weight than Sarai expected.
Luna looked away briefly, her ears lowering slightly.
The truth was that someday she would have to tell her.
Someday she would have to explain the ancient power.
The enchanted forests.
The world that no longer existed.
The people she had lost.
The life she remembered when nobody else did.
But every time she thought about speaking those memories aloud, her chest tightened.
Some wounds healed slowly.
Others never fully disappeared.
Sarai noticed the change immediately.
The teasing vanished from her face.
"Hey," she said gently.
Luna looked up.
Before either of them could drift too far into serious territory, Sarai suddenly grinned.
"I'm kidding!"
Luna blinked.
"What?"
"I'm kidding!"
Sarai doubled over laughing.
"Oh man, you're so easy to wind up!"
She slapped her knee and nearly lost her balance from laughing so hard.
Luna stared at her for several seconds.
Then shook her head.
"You know you're incredibly cheeky."
"Learned from the best."
"I regret teaching you."
"No you don't."
"No, I don't."
Another bale of hay suddenly flew upward.
Far faster than the others.
Sarai's eyes widened.
"LUNA!"
The bundle hit her square in the chest, knocking her backward into a pile of hay.
Her outraged voice echoed through the stable.
"THAT WAS REVENGE!"
Luna folded her arms and smiled smugly.
"Maybe."
The stable filled with laughter as the two sisters continued their work, their voices echoing among the wooden beams while the horses watched with what looked suspiciously like amusement. For all the mysteries Luna carried from another life, moments like these made it easier to live in this one.
A loud bang suddenly rattled the stable doors, making both girls jump.
"Hey, girls!" Jane's voice called from outside. "Finish up and come into the house, will you? Tea's nearly ready!"
Before Luna could answer, Sarai leaned over the edge of the platform.
"Sure, Mum! We'll be there in a second!"
The moment the words left her mouth, Sarai did something completely unnecessary.
Instead of using the ladder that was literally two steps away, she jumped onto one of the thick wooden support beams above her.
Luna immediately groaned.
"Oh, no."
Sarai grinned.
"Oh, yes."
With surprising agility, the fifteen-year-old swung one leg over the beam and straddled it before crawling along its length like some strange barn-dwelling squirrel. She hung upside down for a moment, dropped to another beam, spun herself around, and then climbed down until she landed beside Luna with a dramatic flourish.
"Ta-da!"
Luna stared at her.
The ladder remained untouched.
"Why?"
"What?"
"The ladder."
"What about it?"
"It was right there."
Sarai glanced at it.
"Oh."
A pause.
"I forgot."
"You forgot the ladder?"
"Apparently."
Luna rubbed her forehead.
For years she had taught Sarai stretching exercises, balance training, and a few feline movement techniques simply because Sarai had begged her to. The problem was that Sarai had become alarmingly good at them.
Unfortunately, she was also far more reckless than Luna.
"You know," Luna said, folding her arms, "just because I taught you how to move like that doesn't mean you should."
"I landed perfectly."
"This time."
"I always land perfectly."
"You literally fell into a water trough last month."
Sarai pointed accusingly.
"That rooster pushed me."
"The rooster was ten feet away."
"He had bad intentions."
Luna couldn't help laughing.
"Just be careful. You're not a feline. You bruise easier than I do."
Sarai immediately waved a hand dismissively.
"Yeah, yeah. I know."
She lowered her voice dramatically.
"'Us weak little humans must be careful.'"
"I never said humans were weak."
"You implied it."
"I absolutely did not."
"You totally did."
Luna shook her head.
"No. What I meant was that if you hurt yourself, your mother will blame me."
Sarai smirked.
"Ah, you'll be fine."
"No, I won't."
"She loves you."
"That doesn't mean—"
"I think she loves you more than me."
Luna stopped walking.
Sarai burst into laughter.
"There it is."
"There what is?"
"That look."
"What look?"
"The one where you're deciding whether to argue or throw something at me."
Luna narrowed her eyes.
"You spend your entire life winding people up."
"And I'm very talented at it."
The two stepped out of the stable and into the late afternoon sunshine.
The farm stretched around them in golden shades of amber and green. The distant fields swayed gently in the breeze while the farmhouse sat ahead of them, warm smoke curling from the chimney.
For a few moments they walked in comfortable silence.
Then Luna's ears twitched.
A mischievous smile slowly spread across her face.
Sarai instantly became suspicious.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Luna."
"Nothing."
"Luna."
The feline girl suddenly stopped walking.
"I bet I can run faster than you."
Sarai blinked.
"What?"
Before she could finish the sentence, Luna spun around and bolted.
Gone.
A blur.
A streak of silver hair and twitching ears racing across the farm.
For a moment Sarai simply stood there in disbelief.
"HEY!"
Her voice echoed across the fields.
"THAT'S CHEATING!"
Luna's laughter drifted back on the wind.
Sarai immediately took off after her.
The race lasted roughly twenty seconds.
Mostly because Luna was absurdly fast.
By the time Sarai finally reached the farmhouse, breathing heavily and looking like she had just crossed an entire kingdom on foot, Luna was casually leaning against the fence.
One arm rested on the wooden rail.
The other sat on her hip.
She looked completely relaxed.
Far too relaxed.
Sarai narrowed her eyes.
Luna glanced over.
"Oh, there you are."
Sarai pointed at her.
"You've been here for about ten seconds."
Luna shook her head.
"No, no."
She looked thoughtfully at the sky.
"I've been here for hours."
"Hours?"
"At least three."
"Three?"
"Maybe four."
"You're impossible."
Luna grinned.
"I was beginning to worry."
"Worry?"
"I thought you'd got lost."
Sarai bent over, trying to catch her breath.
"That's not even a fair race."
"Sure it is."
"No, it isn't."
"Why not?"
"Because everybody knows felines are faster."
Luna shrugged.
"Sounds like an excuse."
"It is an excuse!"
"At least you're honest."
"You're basically a giant cat!"
"I am not a giant cat."
"You hiss when you're annoyed."
"I do not."
"You chased a laser reflection for five minutes."
"I was investigating it."
"You climbed onto the roof because you saw a bird."
"It looked suspicious."
Sarai burst out laughing.
Luna tried to look offended for all of three seconds before laughing too.
Together they made their way through the gate and toward the farmhouse, still arguing, still teasing, and still sounding more like sisters than anything else.
Inside, Jane would undoubtedly be waiting with tea and a fresh lecture about getting distracted during chores.
And judging by the hay stuck in Sarai's hair and the dust covering Luna's clothes, neither of them had a good defence prepared.
Sarai kicked off her boots by the front door and left them neatly beside the wall. Luna followed suit, slipping out of her own footwear before stepping into the warm farmhouse.
The familiar smells of home immediately greeted them. Woodsmoke lingered in the air, mingling with the rich scent of herbs and simmering meat drifting from the kitchen.
Sarai hurried around the corner first.
"Hey Mum, what's for tea?"
Jane stood over a large pot bubbling away on the stove, stirring it with a wooden ladle. She glanced over her shoulder.
"Meat soup."
Sarai smiled.
"But—"
Jane immediately pointed the dripping ladle at her like a weapon.
"You get none if you don't wash your hands first."
Sarai's smile vanished.
"Oh."
"You've been in the stables all afternoon."
"I'm not that dirty."
Jane raised an eyebrow.
A small piece of hay was sticking out of Sarai's hair.
Sarai sighed dramatically.
"Fine."
Despite her theatrics, she obediently walked over to the sink and began washing her hands.
Luna stepped into the kitchen, straightening the pleats of her skirt as she looked around the room.
The old metal sink stood beneath the window, its surface marked with patches of rust and age. The farmhouse itself wasn't luxurious by any means, but it was comfortable, lived-in, and full of warmth.
"So," Luna said casually, waiting for Sarai to finish at the sink. "Is John still out doing errands, Jane?"
Jane let out a long sigh.
"Oh, I don't know."
That answer alone made Luna glance up.
"Technically yes."
"Technically?"
Jane stirred the soup again.
"But why does everything have to take him so long?"
There was genuine frustration in her voice.
Luna leaned lightly against the counter.
"Maybe he's just slow."
Jane snorted.
"Slow?"
"You know what he's like."
Luna pointed toward the rusted sink.
"Take this thing."
Sarai had already finished washing her hands and was automatically setting out plates and cutlery on the table, so used to the routine that she barely needed to think about it.
Luna tapped the sink lightly.
"This looks like it's one bad day away from collapsing."
"It does."
"You've been asking him to fix it for over a year."
"I have."
"And?"
Jane folded her arms.
"And nothing."
"Exactly."
Luna washed her own hands before drying them on the towel hanging near the stove.
"See? Slow."
For a moment Jane looked annoyed.
Then, unexpectedly, she found herself defending him.
"I know he can be frustrating."
Luna glanced over.
"But?"
Jane sighed.
"But he works hard. He provides for the family."
Her expression softened.
"He loves us, Luna."
The words hung in the air for a moment.
Luna's ears twitched.
Then she made a tiny expression.
Just a slight narrowing of the eyes.
A small tilt of the head.
Barely noticeable.
Jane immediately caught it.
"What was that look?"
Luna blinked innocently.
"What look?"
"That look."
The smell of soup filled the kitchen as bubbles gently rose to the surface of the pot.
Sarai slowed her table-setting just enough to listen.
Experience had taught her that when Luna got a certain look in her eyes, she was usually about to say something she probably shouldn't.
Luna grabbed a stack of glasses and carried them over to the table.
"Oh, nothing."
Jane narrowed her eyes.
"Luna."
"I'm just saying."
"Luna."
The feline sighed dramatically.
"Fine."
She placed the glasses down.
"You know how I feel."
Jane already knew where this conversation was going.
And she didn't like it.
"Luna..."
"I've been here five years now."
"Yes."
"And every single time John goes out to do these so-called errands..."
Jane crossed her arms.
"What about them?"
Luna shrugged.
"He comes back late."
"That doesn't mean anything."
"Maybe."
"He has things to do."
"Maybe."
Jane pointed a finger.
"Stop saying maybe."
Luna smiled.
"No."
Sarai bit her lip to stop herself laughing.
Jane noticed immediately.
"You stay out of this."
"I'm not saying anything."
"You don't have to. I know that face."
Sarai looked away suspiciously.
Luna continued.
"All I'm saying is that after five years, it starts looking a little odd."
Jane stared at her.
"Odd?"
"A little suspicious."
The word immediately made Jane groan.
"Oh, not this again."
"I'm just saying."
"That's exactly what you always say before accusing somebody of something."
"I'm not accusing him."
Jane raised an eyebrow.
"You literally just called him suspicious."
"That's not an accusation."
"Then what is it?"
"A professional observation."
"A professional observation?"
Luna nodded seriously.
"Very professional."
Sarai finally burst out laughing.
Jane shot her a look.
"Don't encourage her."
Luna picked up the large pot of soup using thick oven mitts and carefully carried it to the table.
Steam curled upward into the room.
She placed it onto the wooden mat in the centre of the table before sitting down.
Jane folded her arms.
"Alright then."
Luna looked up.
"What?"
"What exactly do you think he's hiding?"
Luna opened her mouth.
Then paused.
Then closed it again.
Jane waited.
Sarai waited.
The room suddenly felt unusually quiet.
Finally Luna shrugged.
"I don't know."
Jane blinked.
"You don't know?"
"No."
"Then why are you suspicious?"
Luna leaned back in her chair.
"That's the problem."
"What problem?"
"I can't explain it."
Jane stared at her.
Luna tapped a finger against the table.
"He just comes off..." she searched for the words, "...strange sometimes."
"Strange."
"A little."
Jane groaned and rubbed her forehead.
"Luna."
"What?"
"You're impossible."
"I'm observant."
"You're paranoid."
"I'm cautious."
"You're imagining things."
"Maybe."
Jane pointed at her.
"There it is again."
Luna grinned.
But despite the humour, there was still something lingering behind her expression.
A quiet uncertainty.
A feeling she couldn't quite shake.
She couldn't explain it.
Couldn't point to anything specific.
John had always been kind to her.
Always treated her like family.
Yet every time he disappeared on one of his long errands and returned hours later than expected, something about it tugged at the back of her mind.
Not enough to accuse him.
Not enough to confront him.
But enough to wonder.
Luna picked up the large serving spoon and began ladling the steaming soup into waiting bowls. The rich aroma of meat and vegetables filled the room, and for a few peaceful moments the kitchen settled into its usual evening rhythm.
Sarai was placing the last few items on the table when something caught her eye.
"Huh?"
She turned toward the kitchen counter.
There, tucked beside a jar of dried herbs, sat a folded piece of paper.
Sarai picked it up.
"Hey, Luna."
Luna glanced over while filling another bowl.
"Yeah?"
"There's a note here for you."
She waved it gently in the air.
Immediately Jane looked up from the sink.
"Oh, that's right!"
Sarai blinked.
"What?"
Jane wiped her hands on her apron.
"I completely forgot."
"Forgot what?"
"Some feline came by earlier."
Luna stopped pouring.
"A feline?"
Jane nodded.
"While you two were working in the stables."
The room suddenly felt a little quieter.
"He said it was important."
Luna frowned.
"Important?"
Jane shrugged.
"He wouldn't say what it was about. Just handed me the note and said it had to reach you."
Now Luna's curiosity was fully awakened.
That alone was unusual.
Almost nobody ever sought her out personally.
And certainly not with handwritten messages.
"That's strange," she murmured.
She set the spoon down and walked over.
Sarai handed her the folded letter.
The paper felt ordinary enough.
Slightly rough.
Creased from being carried.
Nothing remarkable.
Yet something about it made Luna uneasy.
Perhaps it was simply the fact that nobody from her old life ever contacted her.
Not anymore.
Not for years.
A small knot formed in her stomach.
She examined the front.
Written neatly in dark ink was a single word.
Luna.
Nothing else.
No sender.
No explanation.
Slowly, she unfolded it.
Sarai stood beside her shoulder.
Jane watched from across the room.
Luna's eyes moved across the handwritten lines.
The first sentence.
Then the second.
Then the third.
And suddenly the world seemed to tilt beneath her feet.
Her breath caught.
The colour drained from her face.
For a brief moment she simply stared at the page as though her mind refused to understand what she was reading.
"No..."
The whisper barely escaped her lips.
Her knees weakened.
The letter trembled violently in her hands.
"Luna?"
Sarai immediately noticed.
The colour had completely vanished from Luna's face.
Her ears flattened.
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
Then her body swayed.
"Luna!"
Before she could fall, Sarai lunged forward and caught her arm.
The letter nearly slipped from Luna's grasp.
Jane's chair scraped loudly across the floor as she rushed over.
"Luna!"
Panic filled her voice.
She grabbed a chair and pulled it forward.
"Here, sit down."
Luna didn't argue.
Didn't speak.
Didn't even seem fully aware of what was happening.
She simply lowered herself into the chair as if her body had forgotten how to stand.
The letter slipped from her fingers.
It fluttered silently to the floor.
Sarai immediately dropped to one knee beside her.
"Luna?"
Her voice was shaking now.
"What's wrong?"
Jane knelt in front of her.
The sight frightened her.
She had known Luna for five years.
Five years.
And in all that time she had never seen her look like this.
Not once.
Luna had faced storms, injuries, accidents, and hardships without flinching.
But now she looked utterly shattered.
As though something inside her had broken.
"Luna?"
Jane gently placed a hand on her cheek.
Her skin felt cold.
"What is it?"
The tears came suddenly.
So suddenly that even Luna seemed surprised by them.
They gathered in her eyes and spilled down her face before she could stop them.
Jane's heart sank.
"Oh, sweetheart..."
"Luna, please tell us," Sarai pleaded.
Luna swallowed.
Her throat felt tight.
For several long seconds she couldn't force the words out.
Then finally she managed to speak.
"It's..."
Her voice cracked.
"It's Haldon."
The name meant nothing to Jane or Sarai.
But the pain in Luna's voice was enough to make both of them fall silent.
Luna squeezed her eyes shut.
A fresh tear escaped.
"He's sick."
The words felt unreal.
Impossible.
"Haldon's dying."
The room went completely still.
Sarai stared at her.
Jane's expression softened immediately.
Luna clutched the edge of the chair.
"Sapphire sent the letter."
Another tear rolled down her cheek.
"She wants me to come."
Her voice trembled.
"They're in the city."
She lowered her head.
"He doesn't have long."
The sentence shattered her.
For years she had carried the memories of her old life alone.
The ancient forests.
The lost timeline.
The battles.
The sacrifices.
And through all of it, two names had remained constant.
Sapphire.
And Haldon.
They weren't simply friends.
They were family.
The last living connection to a world that no longer existed.
The last people who remembered.
And now...
Now one of them was slipping away.
The reality struck her with full force.
Not someday.
Not years from now.
Now.
Jane gently wiped a tear from Luna's cheek.
The older woman's eyes filled with sympathy.
She didn't fully understand who Haldon was.
She didn't know the history behind the name.
But she knew grief when she saw it.
And she knew this person mattered deeply to Luna.
Jane squeezed her shoulder.
"Then we'll go."
Luna looked up.
Jane gave her a reassuring smile.
"At first light."
Sarai immediately nodded.
"Of course we will."
Jane glanced toward the darkening window.
"We'll leave as soon as the sun rises."
Luna stared at both of them.
For a moment she couldn't speak.
Couldn't even think.
All she could feel was the overwhelming mixture of shock, fear, and heartbreak crashing through her chest.
Yet amid that pain, there was something else.
Comfort.
Because in the moment she felt most alone, the family that had taken her in all those years ago had not hesitated for even a second.
They had already decided.
Whatever happened next—
She would not face it alone.
