The first court Luna struck, and I raised my flickering spark of hope to block.
Divine weapon met manifested light, and the collision sent shockwaves through the glass palace. Stars outside pulsed. Reality bent. The force of it drove me backward, feet sliding across the burning decree on the floor.
But I stayed standing.
The court Luna pulled back for another strike, and I prepared for impact.
Then Luna's voice cut through the tension.
"Stop."
The court Luna froze mid-swing. All ten of them went still, weapons halted, divine power suspended.
Luna rose from her throne again, but this time she didn't walk toward me.
She moved to Astro.
He was still kneeling, head bowed, broken by the weight of her presence and centuries of conditioning.
She knelt beside him, bringing herself to his level. The gesture looked wrong somehow. A goddess lowering herself to mortal height. Divinity compressing to meet submission.
