Reign of the Forsaken Moon - Chapter 29: Chapter 29
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The throne room of Windrest had never felt so brittle.
It was meant to be a sanctuary, a place where the rule of law and the strength of wolves held firm—but today, it felt like a cracked mirror. Seraphina stood at the center, her cloak sweeping the stone behind her, the obsidian shard glowing faintly at her side.
She didn’t speak immediately. Her silence was deliberate—piercing.
The court stood frozen, uncertain whether they should fear the woman before them, the cursed truth she carried, or the shadow that stalked her from beyond the Veil.
Then she raised her voice, and it cut through the silence like a blade.
> “Lucien Virethorn is not here as a suitor, or a pretender to the throne.
He is cursed, yes—but he is also a warning.”
Gasps broke from some elders. Others remained cold, eyes narrowed in suspicion.
The Court’s Judgment
“Why was this not brought to council sooner?” demanded Lord Brannick. “A cursed bloodline in the Keep? You’ve broken the oldest of oaths.”
Elder Mora added coldly, “To consort with a Virethorn is to dance with the Unnamed.”
Seraphina's voice rose, edged in iron. “And yet it was your silence, your blind faith in tradition, that let the darkness fester in my absence. I am not here to follow old laws—I am here to rewrite them.”
The Raven Seer appeared, as always, unannounced, her voice rasping from the back of the hall.
> “One among you has already bent the knee to shadow.
Their loyalty is no longer yours.”
The ripple that followed was icy. Heads turned. Eyes narrowed. Suddenly, trust was a fragile thing, and everyone looked like a possible traitor.
Darian’s Hidden Vow
In the lower crypts, beneath Windrest’s altar, Darian stood surrounded by moonstones and blade sigils.
Kael stepped into the circle and handed him a parchment. “The charm you found near the temple... it bears Lucien’s blood signature. But also something else.”
Darian’s jaw tightened. “Someone from the inner council?”
Kael hesitated. “Yes. I haven’t narrowed who yet. But someone inside the court is empowering him—or trying to sabotage him.”
Darian placed the charm over a rune-inscribed blade and watched as it hissed against the metal.
> “If Lucien becomes a threat to Seraphina,” he said grimly, “I will end him. Whether she forgives me or not.”
Kael gave a sharp nod. “What about Seraphina? She’s letting him get too close.”
Darian’s eyes flickered. “I plan to remind her who’s truly standing at her side.”
Confrontation at Dusk
Lucien was waiting in the moon garden again, as if summoned by the storm brewing above Windrest.
Seraphina came with both shards—his, and hers. She tossed his at his feet.
“You didn’t tell me it was bonded,” she said. “You didn’t say it feeds on my soul.”
Lucien didn’t flinch. “Because I didn’t know until I touched you again.”
She approached, firelight glowing in her eyes. “You came back to warn me, Lucien. But you also came because the curse wants me.”
He stepped closer. “And I came because I want you.”
Silence. Then—
“I’m not yours anymore,” she said softly.
“But a part of you still remembers,” Lucien whispered, brushing her hand before she could pull it away. “You remember what we could have been. What we still could be—if you’d let yourself feel it.”
Before Seraphina could respond, a sudden blast ripped through the Keep.
Stone cracked. Magic snapped like wire.
And the wards fell.
The First Saboteur
In the inner tower, Mira barely escaped the collapsing floor. But she saw him—cloak fluttering, runes glowing on his palms.
Elder Gorrik.
She stared in disbelief. “You—?”
He sneered. “You were all fools to think she could keep it sealed. The Unnamed is inevitable.”
Mira lunged. A silver blade sliced the air.
They fought beneath the shattered sigil window, moonlight pouring in.
And when she struck him down, his final words echoed through the halls:
> “She will bring ruin... or salvation. But she will not survive untouched.”
The Gathering Storm
As the Keep reeled from the sabotage, Seraphina stood with Darian in the throne room, smoke curling around them.
“We’ll rebuild the wards,” he said.
But her eyes were far away.
“It’s not just about the wards. It’s about faith. They don’t trust me. They still think I’m the girl who died screaming.”
Darian turned her to face him. “Then remind them who rose from the ashes.”
She nodded slowly.
And in that moment, they didn’t need a throne, or court approval, or prophecy.
They only needed each other.
It was meant to be a sanctuary, a place where the rule of law and the strength of wolves held firm—but today, it felt like a cracked mirror. Seraphina stood at the center, her cloak sweeping the stone behind her, the obsidian shard glowing faintly at her side.
She didn’t speak immediately. Her silence was deliberate—piercing.
The court stood frozen, uncertain whether they should fear the woman before them, the cursed truth she carried, or the shadow that stalked her from beyond the Veil.
Then she raised her voice, and it cut through the silence like a blade.
> “Lucien Virethorn is not here as a suitor, or a pretender to the throne.
He is cursed, yes—but he is also a warning.”
Gasps broke from some elders. Others remained cold, eyes narrowed in suspicion.
The Court’s Judgment
“Why was this not brought to council sooner?” demanded Lord Brannick. “A cursed bloodline in the Keep? You’ve broken the oldest of oaths.”
Elder Mora added coldly, “To consort with a Virethorn is to dance with the Unnamed.”
Seraphina's voice rose, edged in iron. “And yet it was your silence, your blind faith in tradition, that let the darkness fester in my absence. I am not here to follow old laws—I am here to rewrite them.”
The Raven Seer appeared, as always, unannounced, her voice rasping from the back of the hall.
> “One among you has already bent the knee to shadow.
Their loyalty is no longer yours.”
The ripple that followed was icy. Heads turned. Eyes narrowed. Suddenly, trust was a fragile thing, and everyone looked like a possible traitor.
Darian’s Hidden Vow
In the lower crypts, beneath Windrest’s altar, Darian stood surrounded by moonstones and blade sigils.
Kael stepped into the circle and handed him a parchment. “The charm you found near the temple... it bears Lucien’s blood signature. But also something else.”
Darian’s jaw tightened. “Someone from the inner council?”
Kael hesitated. “Yes. I haven’t narrowed who yet. But someone inside the court is empowering him—or trying to sabotage him.”
Darian placed the charm over a rune-inscribed blade and watched as it hissed against the metal.
> “If Lucien becomes a threat to Seraphina,” he said grimly, “I will end him. Whether she forgives me or not.”
Kael gave a sharp nod. “What about Seraphina? She’s letting him get too close.”
Darian’s eyes flickered. “I plan to remind her who’s truly standing at her side.”
Confrontation at Dusk
Lucien was waiting in the moon garden again, as if summoned by the storm brewing above Windrest.
Seraphina came with both shards—his, and hers. She tossed his at his feet.
“You didn’t tell me it was bonded,” she said. “You didn’t say it feeds on my soul.”
Lucien didn’t flinch. “Because I didn’t know until I touched you again.”
She approached, firelight glowing in her eyes. “You came back to warn me, Lucien. But you also came because the curse wants me.”
He stepped closer. “And I came because I want you.”
Silence. Then—
“I’m not yours anymore,” she said softly.
“But a part of you still remembers,” Lucien whispered, brushing her hand before she could pull it away. “You remember what we could have been. What we still could be—if you’d let yourself feel it.”
Before Seraphina could respond, a sudden blast ripped through the Keep.
Stone cracked. Magic snapped like wire.
And the wards fell.
The First Saboteur
In the inner tower, Mira barely escaped the collapsing floor. But she saw him—cloak fluttering, runes glowing on his palms.
Elder Gorrik.
She stared in disbelief. “You—?”
He sneered. “You were all fools to think she could keep it sealed. The Unnamed is inevitable.”
Mira lunged. A silver blade sliced the air.
They fought beneath the shattered sigil window, moonlight pouring in.
And when she struck him down, his final words echoed through the halls:
> “She will bring ruin... or salvation. But she will not survive untouched.”
The Gathering Storm
As the Keep reeled from the sabotage, Seraphina stood with Darian in the throne room, smoke curling around them.
“We’ll rebuild the wards,” he said.
But her eyes were far away.
“It’s not just about the wards. It’s about faith. They don’t trust me. They still think I’m the girl who died screaming.”
Darian turned her to face him. “Then remind them who rose from the ashes.”
She nodded slowly.
And in that moment, they didn’t need a throne, or court approval, or prophecy.
They only needed each other.
End of Reign of the Forsaken Moon Chapter 29. Continue reading Chapter 30 or return to Reign of the Forsaken Moon book page.