Chapter 5:The Mark of the Moon

The sky above Noctra had changed.

One of the two moons now glowed red—a silent warning. Amara stood beside the Tower of Echoes, her heartbeat still racing from the memories the light had shown her. She could feel the shift in the air. It was colder now. Heavier.

“Elian,” she whispered, “they saw me, didn’t they? The shadows.”

He nodded grimly. “They’ve sensed your return. The veil between our worlds is growing thinner with every moment.”

“Can they get through?”

“Not yet. But they will try.”

Amara turned to him, the glowing flowers around their feet dimming slightly. “Why me? Why am I so important to them?”

“You are not just from this world or the other,” Elian said. “You were born between them. Your blood holds a bond to both realms. That makes you the key. If the shadows take you, they can open the gates between the worlds.”

“And if I stop them?”

“Then Noctra will heal. And your world will be safe.”

Amara clenched her fists. “Then I have to stop them.”

Elian looked at her, his dark eyes softening. “You’re brave. Just like she was.”

“My mother?”

He nodded. “She fought the darkness too. She gave up everything to protect you.”

Amara’s voice trembled. “Do you know what happened to her?”

“I only know she disappeared the night you were taken. But the Tower showed you her song. That means she may still be alive. Somewhere.”

Hope sparked in Amara’s heart.

Suddenly, the ground shook. A loud cracking sound echoed through the trees. Elian’s hand moved to the hilt of the glowing dagger at his side.

“They’ve found a breach,” he said. “Come. We have to leave this place.”

He led her quickly through a path lined with glowing stones. The forest darkened, and the silver leaves above began to flicker like dying light.

Then they reached a cliff.

Below, nestled in the hills, was a shining city. Floating lanterns drifted above it, casting a warm golden glow. Tall towers stretched toward the sky, their rooftops shaped like crescent moons.

Amara gasped. “What is that place?”

“Eloria,” Elian said. “The last sanctuary of the Moonborn. Your people.”

“My people?”

“You are a daughter of Eloria. A Moonborn bride, promised long ago to guard the balance between realms.”

Amara stared in awe. She had never felt so many emotions at once—fear, wonder, longing.

“Do they know I’m coming?”

“They’ve been waiting for you.”

Behind them, a dark wind howled. Shadows crept between the trees, their eyes like burning coals.

Elian turned. “We need to fly.”

“Fly?!”

He raised his hand. From his palm, a beam of silver light soared into the sky. A moment later, a majestic creature landed beside them—a winged beast with feathers of moonlight and eyes of deep starlight.

“This is Thalen,” Elian said. “He’ll take us to safety.”

Amara hesitated only a second before climbing on. As the beast lifted into the sky, she looked back once.

The forest was already fading into darkness.

But ahead—Eloria glowed like a beacon.

And in her heart, a fire was growing.

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