Reign of the Forsaken Moon - Chapter 67: Chapter 67

Beneath Windrest, deeper than any had dared explore in centuries, a door waited.
Carved into the side of the mountain and sealed with ancient wards, it pulsed faintly with crimson light—alive, almost breathing. Kael stood beside it, robes soaked in sweat, his palms bleeding from hours of unraveling the enchantments.
“You’re sure this is it?” Seraphina asked, eyes locked on the door.
Kael nodded grimly. “This is the Ember Vault. The final chamber. And if the pattern holds…”
“Then the last Echo is inside,” Darian finished, his voice sharp.
Seraphina’s hand drifted to her sword.
This wasn’t just another battle.
This was a confrontation with the future—her future.
The Door Opens
With a groan like a dying star, the door split open.
Heat poured out—not like the fire of the Ember Womb, but colder, darker. It smelled of memory and endings. Seraphina stepped inside first, the violet flames on her wrists flaring to life.
Ashen followed, her expression carved in stone.
Darian and Kael brought up the rear, their eyes scanning every shadow.
The chamber within was a dome of black crystal. The walls shimmered with flashes of memory—moments from Seraphina’s life, looping silently in the darkness. Her first kiss. Her children’s laughter. The moment she was crowned Luna.
And at the center stood a figure.
Still. Silent.
Bound in chains made of embersteel.
And when she raised her head—Seraphina gasped.
Because this one didn’t just look like her.
She was her.
Echo of the Future
The woman’s eyes were silver, laced with gold. Her hair was braided with white strands, as if time had already touched her. She bore every scar Seraphina had ever hidden—and some she had not yet received.
She smiled sadly.
“I wondered how long it would take for you to find me.”
Seraphina stepped closer. “You’re the final Echo.”
“No,” the woman whispered. “I’m your end. The last thread of your fate. The truth you were never meant to see.”
Ashen’s breath caught. “She’s… older. From another time?”
Kael murmured, “She’s the culmination. Past, present, and potential all wrapped in one.”
Darian narrowed his eyes. “What are you?”
“I’m what you become,” the Echo said, “if you lose everything again. If your flame consumes all else.”
A Glimpse into Ruin
The Echo—who called herself Serai—lifted her hand, and the chamber shifted.
Suddenly, Seraphina was somewhere else.
A ruined Windrest. Corpses littered the ground. The sky bled ash. Wolves hunted each other like beasts. The throne sat empty, blackened.
And at its base—Seraphina knelt, blood dripping from her hands, her crown shattered.
“Stop!” she cried.
Serai’s voice echoed, “This is what happens when you hold everything too tightly. When you burn brighter than the world can bear.”
The vision shattered.
And they were back in the vault.
Seraphina fell to her knees, panting.
Serai continued softly, “Lucien didn’t create me. You did. With fear. With grief. I am the Seraphina who lost everything.”
A Choice Between Flames
“You don’t have to exist,” Seraphina said. “You don’t have to live out this ending.”
“I don’t want to,” Serai replied. “But I will. If you let the fire rule you.”
Ashen stepped forward. “Then help her. Help us. You’re not bound to pain. You can still be more.”
For a long moment, Serai was silent.
Then she whispered, “Break the chains.”
Kael hesitated. “Seraphina, if she’s unstable—”
“She is me,” Seraphina said. “And I have to trust that part of me still wants redemption.”
She reached out—and broke the final sigil.
The chains shattered.
And Serai rose.
Not in fury.
But in peace.
Three Faces, One Flame
That night, under the full moon, Seraphina stood before the altar with her Echoes at her side.
Ashen—the heart that healed.
Sira—the fury that fought.
Serai—the fate that feared.
She addressed the gathered court.
“Lucien tried to destroy me by breaking me into pieces. But in doing so, he gave me something greater. A mirror of all I was, and all I might be.”
She turned to each Echo.
“You are not threats. You are truths. And I accept you. All of you.”
The court murmured.
And the Heart of Duskreach flared above her in radiant light.
For the first time, Seraphina felt whole.
In the Darkness, A New Plan
Far below, in the pit of the forgotten temple, Lucien watched through the veil.
“So,” said the cloaked figure beside him, “you failed.”
Lucien smiled.
“Did I? Look how bright she burns. That fire will need to be extinguished. And when she finally turns her back on her Echoes…”
The shadow leaned in. “We strike.”
And the Ember Flame flickered once more.