The sound of snapping twigs broke the calm air of the island.
Luna turned sharply. "Did you hear that?"
Sol's eyes narrowed. "Yes. Someone's coming."
From the trees emerged Crown Prince Auren, flanked by his guards. His crimson eyes blazed with fury.
"Auren…?" Luna's voice wavered.
Beside Auren stood a tall, silver-haired young man in crystal-blue armor. His presence radiated pride and power.
Myra flew closer to Luna's ear and whispered, "That's Caelith Eirvale… prince of Crystavella. I heard Auren wants you to marry him."
Luna's breath caught. "What?!"
The seven fairies hurried to her. Two perched nervously on her shoulders, while Sole and Crysie trembled under her dress.
Auren's gaze fixed on Sol's hand in Luna's. His voice was icy. "Step away from her."
Sol didn't flinch. "She's not your possession, Auren."
Before Auren could respond, Caelith stepped forward, his voice sharp. "You. Let go of her."
Sol calmly turned to him. "And you are?"
"I am Prince Caelith of Crystavella, her betrothed," Caelith said coldly. "By decree of her father and Auren."
Luna's eyes widened. "What?! No one told me anything!"
"You weren't meant to know yet," Auren muttered, avoiding her eyes.
Caelith sneered at Sol. "And you, commoner—move aside before I force you to."
Sol's eyes narrowed, voice low but firm. "I won't let either of you take her like this."
Auren stepped forward. "Don't test me, Sol."
"Then don't threaten her!" Sol snapped.
Their auras clashed. Auren summoned fire, Caelith drew a crystal blade, and Sol raised his arm, glowing with protective magic.
"STOP!" Luna cried, voice echoing through the island.
Golden light burst from her, throwing all three back slightly. The fairies fluttered around her in glowing circles.
Luna stepped between them, eyes fierce. "What are you all doing?! Fighting like children! Auren, are my brother act like that ! And Caelith—I don't even know you! How can I marry someone I've never spoken to?"
Caelith's jaw tightened. "This isn't about love. It's about uniting kingdoms."
Auren looked pained but said nothing.
"I am not a pawn in anyone's war," Luna said. "And you—" she looked at Sol, voice softening— "you stood up for me when no one else did."
Sol met her eyes gently. "Always."
Suddenly, a gust of wind roared. Dark smoke spilled over the ocean, spreading across the island like a blanket of shadows.
The fairies shrieked and huddled near Luna.
"What is that?" Caelith asked, stepping back.
Auren looked around, alarmed. "Something's wrong."
Sol moved in front of Luna instinctively. "Stay close to me."
The shadows thickened, and an eerie voice echoed from within the smoke:
"She belongs to no kingdom… only to the darkness."
"Devil King."
Both Sol and Auren spoke the words in unison, their voices barely above a whisper. But the moment the name escaped their lips, a heavy silence blanketed the island. Even the wind stilled.
Realization struck them like thunder.
Sol's eyes widened. "Luna—"
He spun around. "LUNA?!"
There was no answer.
"LUNAAAAA!" he roared, his voice shaking the air.
But Luna was gone.
The place where she had stood moments ago was now empty—only the soft petals from her rose flower crown remained, fluttering in the wind like lost feathers.
Auren dropped to his knees in the grass, his hands clutching the earth as if hoping to pull her back with sheer will. His breath came in sharp bursts. "No… no… this can't be happening."
The guards stood frozen, hands on their weapons, eyes scanning the shadows, but it was useless.
Dark smoke still clung to the edges of the trees and water, hissing like a living thing. And then—it spoke.
"I'm taking your little princess."
The voice was smooth and chilling, filled with ancient power. It echoed from nowhere, yet felt like it came from everywhere. It wasn't just heard—it was felt in the bones.
"SHOW YOURSELF!" Sol shouted, his hand glowing with defensive magic.
"Coward!" Auren snapped, rising to his feet. "Face us!"
But the smoke only laughed. Not with humor—but with certainty. It began to swirl, faster, darker, pulling into a spiral like a vortex in the air.
"My claim was made before yours," the voice whispered again. "And now… she's mine."
And with one final pulse of black energy, the smoke collapsed into itself—vanishing into the sky.
Luna was gone.
Sol dropped to his knees, pounding the grass with his fists. "Luna…"
Auren's voice was low, broken. "We weren't fast enough."
The moonflower tree above them wilted slightly, petals drifting to the ground like falling stars.
Duskvaria ___
The Devil King's Chamber__.....
The towering obsidian doors creaked open, groaning like an ancient beast waking from slumber. A chilling wind swirled through the vast chamber, though there were no windows — only darkness thick enough to choke the air. Black flames flickered in silver sconces along the stone walls, casting twisted shadows that danced like ghosts.
A man stepped inside.
His crimson eyes gleamed in the dim light — Zeph, the king's loyal shadow. He walked silently, his heavy black cloak brushing the cold marble floor. As he neared the throne, he fell to one knee.
"Zeph," a deep, commanding voice rumbled from the far end of the hall.
A figure sat upon a black throne of jagged crystal and bone, sipping from a goblet filled with a thick, wine-red liquid that shimmered unnaturally.
The Devil King.
He looked like a nightmare carved from beauty — terrifying yet captivating. His hair was jet black, tousled like a storm, and eyes as dark as midnight with a ring of molten gold around his pupils — eyes that seemed to burn straight through your soul. His skin was pale, almost luminescent against the shadows, and faint black veins curled along his throat like cursed vines.
He wore a long cloak of raven feathers and obsidian armor etched with ancient runes that pulsed faintly with dark magic. His presence alone made the air grow heavier.
"Did that little thing wake up?" he asked lazily, swirling the goblet between his fingers. His lips curled into a cruel, amused smile.
Zeph kept his head bowed. "Not yet, Your Majesty. She remains unconscious."
The Devil King stood still, eyes narrowed, the flickering black flames casting jagged shadows across his face. The silence in the chamber was heavy until the sharp caw of a crow shattered it. The bird soared through the balcony slit, its feathers as dark as the smoke that curled along the walls. It landed gracefully on the stone railing, its eyes gleaming with unnatural intelligence.
Zeph approached quickly. "A message," he murmured, untying the small scroll from the crow's leg. The bird took off in a rush of wings, disappearing into the abyss outside.
He offered the scroll with a bow. "From the Elder."
The Devil King snatched it from his hand, unrolling the parchment slowly. His eyes scanned the elegant but cryptic handwriting:
"Moonlight's touch can calm the storm,
Her presence soothes the dying flame.
Freely given can break the curse."
A beat of silence passed before the king scoffed.
"Hah. Poetic nonsense." He crushed the parchment in his hand.
Zeph hesitated. "Your Majesty… could it mean that Lady Lunastia's love or will might be the key—?"
"Key to her own destruction, perhaps," the king snapped, pacing toward the pool of swirling mist where Luna's still body floated in a shimmer of stardust. "Moonlight's touch," he repeated mockingly. "They speak in riddles to buy time and weaken my resolve."
"But… it says 'freely given.' Maybe if she—"
"Silence, Zeph," the Devil King growled, his voice low but dangerous. "She's the cure. Not the wielder. If I possess her—heart, body, soul—this realm bends to me."
He turned back, his eyes glowing like coals. "We will keep her close. And if the elders want their moonlight back, they will kneel."
Zeph said nothing, though uncertainty flickered in his eyes. Deep down, a seed of doubt began to grow—but for now, he bowed his head once more.
"As you command, my king."