After a few hours of rest near the waterfall, Luna and her seven fairies, along with Meli, resumed their journey. The sky above was still cloaked in eternal darkness, but the moon had turned a soft shade of blue — the only sign it was morning in Duskvaria.
Inside the carriage, the group was starting to feel the pangs of hunger.
"Ugh, my stomach is growling," Crysie muttered, hugging her belly dramatically. "Meli, do we have anything left to eat?"
Sole slumped beside her and added with a groan, "We finished everything yesterday! Even the sweet berries! Are we supposed to eat leaves now?"
Luna blinked sleepily and looked toward Meli. "Do we have any emergency food bags?"
Meli was sitting at the front of the carriage, holding the reins, her brows furrowed. She glanced back and shook her head.
"I'm afraid not. We've entered the central part of the Forest of Death. I don't have much knowledge about the fruits growing here... and it's risky to eat anything unfamiliar."
Sole sighed dramatically. "Great. First the creepy silence, now starvation."
As the others began to mumble their complaints, the carriage suddenly jerked.
"W-What was that?" Luna gasped, gripping the window frame.
The horses neighed in panic. Meli's eyes widened. "No—NO! Hold on, everyone!"
The ground beneath the carriage gave way with a loud crack as the wheels slipped into a hidden trap — a massive pit covered with dry branches and leaves. Screams echoed through the trees as the carriage tilted violently and plunged downward.
"AHHHHHHHHH—!"
CRASH!
The entire carriage thudded into the deep pit, knocking everyone off their seats. Dust filled the air, and the wheels groaned under the impact.
"Is everyone okay?!" Luna called out, coughing.
"Ouch! My wings—" Sira whimpered, trying to sit up.
"I think I landed on someone's foot," Floe grunted.
"That was NOT how I planned to die!" Sole whined.
Meli stood up slowly, brushing dirt from her arms. "It's a trap. This pit... it was meant for a beast."
They all looked around the pit. It was deep and surrounded by steep, mossy walls. Above them, the blue moonlight filtered down through the thick trees.
Crysie grumbled, "First no food... now this?"
"I swear this forest is trying to kill us," Sole muttered.
Meli tried to calm them. "Everyone stay calm. At least we're all alive. We'll find a way out. But first… let's check if the carriage is damaged."
Lira winced as she sat down, her hand pressing against a fresh injury on her knee. Blood trickled down her leg.
"Lira, you're hurt!" Luna gasped and rushed over.
Lira shook her head. "It's just a scratch—"
"Stay still," Luna interrupted gently. She held her hand over the wound, her eyes glowing faintly. A soft warmth spread as Luna's healing magic activated, sealing the wound with a faint shimmer.
"Better?" Luna asked with a soft smile.
Lira smiled back. "Much better."
Just then, Meli's voice rang out sharply, cutting the moment short. "This pit… It's not natural. It's a trap meant for a beast. Which means…" Her eyes narrowed. "Whoever set this will be here soon."
Vina looked up at the sky. "We need to fly out quickly!"
Luna hesitated, her brows furrowed. "But... I don't know martial arts, and I don't have wings. How am I supposed to fly?"
Meli's voice turned grim. "It won't help even if you did. These traps are made by Shadow Masters. They place a special barrier around them — nothing from the inside can escape. But anything from the outside can enter."
Floe scoffed. "I don't believe that."
Without waiting, she spread her shimmering wings and shot upward. Just as she reached the top—
THUD!
She slammed into an invisible wall and dropped back down with a loud groan, landing in a pile of moss.
"Owww..." Floe whimpered, rubbing her head.
The others burst into laughter.
"Told you," Meli said with a tired sigh. "We're sealed in."
Luna turned to her, serious. "So what do we do now?"
Meli looked down. "...I don't know."
Everyone fell silent until Lira slowly stood up, her voice calm but firm.
"Luna, I believe in you," she said. "I think your power can break the barrier."
Luna's eyes widened. "But I don't even know what my power is. It hasn't fully awakened... and it hasn't accepted me."
"Maybe not completely," Lira said, placing a hand on her shoulder, "but it's inside you. You just need to trust it. Trust yourself."
"But how?" Luna whispered, unsure.
"Try," Lira urged. "Even if you fail — try."
Taking a deep breath, Luna walked to the center of the trap. She raised her hand, focusing her energy. A soft light glimmered around her palm as she directed it toward the invisible barrier above.
She strained... but nothing happened.
Again, she tried. This time harder.
Still nothing.
She clenched her teeth and kept trying... for hours.
Her legs trembled. Her arms dropped.
Finally, Luna slumped beside her friends, exhausted.
"I can't... do it," she whispered. "I've tried."
Around her, the fairies were tired and pale from hunger. They leaned against each other, silent. Hopeless.
Suddenly—
BOOM.
A deep, earth-shaking tremor rumbled through the pit. The ground vibrated.
"Wh-what's that?!" Crysie shouted, springing to her feet.
"An earthquake?" Vina panicked.
"No..." Meli's eyes narrowed. She stood and listened closely. "That sound… It's a herd. A beast herd. They're running."
"Running?" Sole blinked. "Why would they—?"
"It means..." Meli's expression darkened. "The Shadow Masters are near."
Everyone's face turned pale.
Before they could react, a massive tiger-like beast crashed through the foliage and fell straight into the pit with a roar. Its eyes burned red. Its fangs bared.
All the fairies screamed and scattered.
The beast lunged toward Meli — she dodged just in time.
Then it turned to Luna, who was standing frozen in the corner.
"LUNA!" Lira shouted.
The beast leapt—
But just before it could touch her, a sudden explosion of light erupted.
FWWOOOOOM!
A protective barrier of white and golden energy burst around Luna, sending a shockwave in every direction. The sheer power shattered the beast trap — collapsing the magical walls, cracking the ground, and forcing the tiger-beast backward with a painful roar.
The energy burned brighter — divine and powerful.
And then...
Silence.
The barrier slowly faded. The beast lay unconscious. The walls were gone. The fairies, stunned, stared at Luna in disbelief.
Luna stood frozen, eyes wide, glowing softly.
"What... was that?" Floe whispered.
"She did it..." Vina murmured.
Even Luna looked at her own hands in awe. "I... I didn't mean to—"
"There's no time to talk," Meli cut in sharply, snapping them all back to reality. "That kind of energy... will attract attention. Everyone will think a powerful beast is here."
She looked at them all.
"We have to move. Now."
***************************
The pale white moon hung silently above the endless darkness of Duskvaria, casting a haunting glow upon the rugged cliffside. Wind whispered through the air like a forgotten lullaby, rustling the cloak of the lone figure who stood at the edge — tall, still, draped in white, and wearing an eerie white mask that concealed every trace of his identity.
His silver hair flickered in the breeze, almost blending with the glowing mist that circled his feet.
He raised his gaze slowly to the moon, eyes unreadable beneath the mask.
In a voice as soft as the wind, he whispered to the moon:
"Is your child still alive?"
Silence answered him… until the sound of hurried footsteps broke the calm.
A soldier dressed in a long, flowing white coat approached from the shadows. He dropped to one knee and bowed his head low.
"My lord," the guard said, breathless. "A surge of unfamiliar power has been detected... near the Forest of Death."
The masked man didn't move, didn't flinch — but something shifted in the air. A stillness that felt heavy… knowing.
The moon above shimmered faintly.
"...I see," he murmured, his tone unreadable.