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Chapter 17: The Prophecy of Two Moons
The Sanctuary of Sori remained silent after the prophecy was spoken.
Ji stared at the red moon now visible in the sky, its faint glow stirring unease in his chest. The second moon—cracked, unnatural—should not exist. Not without someone summoning it.
Duri circled above the scroll, face unreadable. "Two moons... That only happens when fate is twisted. When balance is undone."
Seora looked to Ji. "You said you saw her past—No-eul's. What if that second moon... is her?"
Ji nodded slowly. "Or what she's become."
The old Guardian, seated in meditation by the starlit pool, opened one eye. "Or worse. It may be what she's awakening."
Yeonhwa stepped forward. "So what do we do? Wait until she tears the sky apart?"
"No," Ji said firmly. "We face her. We try to save her... or stop her."
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They set off again. Toward the Moonspire—the highest peak in Daehara, where it was said the moon's voice could be heard clearly.
As they climbed, Ji's power fluctuated. His dreams became fractured, flashes of No-eul reaching toward him, her eyes wet with tears. Was she crying for help—or luring him closer?
At the summit, they found ancient ruins.
There, another scroll waited, sealed in ice. Ji reached out, and as the pendant glowed, the ice cracked.
A vision took him.
He stood in No-eul's time.
She was once a girl like him, chosen early. The moon had spoken to her—but her light was too strong, too fast. The other Guardians turned against her, fearing she'd consume the balance.
They betrayed her. Sealed her in the Veil. Alone for centuries.
She screamed in rage, her light warping into darkness.
Ji fell back, gasping.
"She didn't become darkness. We made her that way."
Silence followed.
Then Seora said, quietly, "So what now? Do we fight her—or free her?"
Ji stood, eyes full of determination. "Both. We end this... our way."
The red moon pulsed in the sky above.
The prophecy was alive.
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To Be Continued in Chapter 18: Betrayal Under Moonfall