---
The wind carried the scent of battle—iron, sweat, and something deeper, something electric.
Luna stood in the ruins of their battlefield, her night-colored eyes scanning the retreating Sun Clan warriors. Victory was hers, but she knew this was just the beginning.
Then, she felt it.
A shift in the air. A presence unlike any she had ever encountered.
A slow, deliberate clapping broke through the silence.
She turned sharply, her grip on her daggers tightening.
A man stood at the edge of the battlefield, golden eyes burning into hers with something between amusement and contempt. His presence commanded attention, radiating power and arrogance in equal measure.
The prince of the Sun Clan.
Luna's heart pounded—not in fear, but in something dangerously close to anticipation.
"So," he drawled, stepping forward with effortless grace. "You're the infamous Luna Nyx Astraeus. The rebel. The thief. The little queen of shadows."
Luna smirked. "And you must be the arrogant bastard they sent to die next."
His golden eyes darkened. "Bold words for a woman who barely survived my general."
Luna tilted her head. "Funny. I remember him lying at my feet, bleeding like a stuck pig."
A muscle in his jaw twitched.
Good. She wanted him angry.
The prince unsheathed his sword, the metal gleaming under the moonlight. "You don't understand what you've started," he murmured.
Luna's lips curved into a dangerous smile. "Then show me."
---
The Battle Begins
The moment he moved, Luna knew he was different.
Faster. Sharper. Stronger than any opponent she had faced before.
She barely dodged the first strike, the blade slicing through the air where her throat had been a heartbeat ago. He didn't pause—his attacks came relentless, precise, each one designed to end her quickly.
But Luna wasn't one to be overwhelmed.
She twisted, parried, countered. Her daggers clashed against his sword, sparks flying between them.
It was a dance of death.
He came at her like fire—blazing, furious, untamed. She met him like the night—elusive, shifting, unbreakable.
"You're holding back," he taunted, his breath hot against her skin as he barely missed slicing her arm.
Luna smirked. "So are you."
Their blades locked, faces inches apart.
His golden eyes searched hers, something unreadable flashing in them.
Then, he shoved her back, sending her skidding across the dirt.
Luna steadied herself, panting. Her muscles burned, her heart thundered.
But deep inside, something was… stirring.
A power, ancient and vast.
The prince watched her, his expression unreadable. "What are you?"
Luna felt it then.
The pulse.
The universe itself seemed to shudder as something inside her cracked open.
Light exploded from her body.
The ground trembled. The sky darkened, clouds swirling unnaturally above them.
The prince's eyes widened as a force unlike anything he had ever seen surged around her.
Luna gasped, pain lancing through her veins as her body fought to contain the overwhelming energy. Visions flashed through her mind—memories not her own. A woman bathed in starlight, an eclipse swallowing the sky, a promise whispered across time.
The Eclipse Goddess.
Her power.
Awakening.
"Luna!" Ahava's voice was distant, frantic.
But she couldn't respond.
The prince shielded his eyes from the blinding celestial glow that poured from her, his expression torn between shock and something deeper.
Then, her body gave out.
Darkness swallowed her whole.
---
Aftermath
Ahava caught Luna before she hit the ground, his arms tightening around her limp form.
The prince took a step forward, but Ahava's glare stopped him cold.
"You've done enough," Ahava growled.
The prince's hands curled into fists, his gaze locked on Luna's unconscious form.
She had beaten him.
And yet… he couldn't bring himself to be angry.
He had seen many warriors. He had faced countless battles.
But nothing had ever shaken him like her.
Ahava lifted Luna effortlessly, turning away.
"This isn't over," the prince said, his voice low.
Ahava didn't stop walking. "No," he agreed. "It's just the beginning."
And with that, he carried Luna away, leaving the Sun Prince standing alone beneath the storm-lit sky.
---