đ Whispers of the Moon
By Rapwizzy Debaron
Episode 23: Echoes of the Past
The night had returned to calm, but the energy in the air still pulsed with the memory of battle. The trees were silent witnesses to what had just occurredâJuvia's awakening and the near destruction of the Heart of the Moon.
Juvia sat quietly on a stone near the glowing relic, her swordânow fused with moonstoneâresting across her lap. Her hands trembled, not from fear⊠but from the unfamiliar weight of power. Inside her, the voice of the moon still whispered, soft and ancient.
She turned to Ha-jun, who stood several feet away, sharpening his twin blades with his usual precision. His movements were slow⊠too slow. Controlled. Distant.
"You've barely said a word since the fight," Juvia finally said.
Ha-jun's hand paused, his back still turned to her. "You nearly died."
"But I didn't," she replied gently.
He stood, finally facing herâand in his eyes, Juvia saw more than concern. She saw guilt. Fear. Pain.
"There's something you don't know," he said. "Something I never wanted to tell you."
The wind picked up, rustling the leaves. Luna, who stood in the distance, turned awayâgiving them space.
"What is it?" Juvia asked, her voice soft.
Ha-jun stepped closer, kneeling in front of her. "The leader of the Eclipse Order⊠the one you just foughtâhe wasn't a stranger to me."
Her heart skipped. "You knew him?"
Ha-jun nodded. "His name was Arion. He was my brother."
Juvia's breath hitched.
"Before I lost my memory, before I even knew who I was in this world⊠I followed him. We were both part of the Eclipse Order," Ha-jun confessed. "Until one mission changed everything. I betrayed him. I stole something sacred from themâthe Moon's Key. I ran⊠and I lost myself. Literally. That's when I met your brother and became the man you know now."
Juvia's hands gripped her sword tighter. "You were one of them?"
"Yes," he said, shame in his voice. "But I didn't know who I was anymore. I still don't. And I never wanted you to find out like this."
She stared at him for a long moment, her emotions spinning like a storm. "Why are you telling me now?"
Ha-jun met her gaze. "Because the Order isn't gone. Arion was just a commander. There's someone far more dangerous waiting in the shadows. And when they come⊠they'll come for both of us."
Juvia stood slowly, her moonstone blade shimmering faintly in her grip. "Then let them come."
She looked into Ha-jun's eyes. "Whatever you were before doesn't matter to me. I saw who you are nowâwhen you stood beside me in battle. That's the man I believe in."
Ha-jun's breath caught, and for the first time, a flicker of hope returned to his face.
Above them, the moon glowed brighter than everâas if listening.
But far away, in the deepest part of the Shadowlands⊠another pair of eyes opened. Crimson. Ancient. Watching.
---
To be continuedâŠ
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