CHAPTER SEVEN
THE SECRET OF THE MOONSTONE
The Moonfang led them to an ancient temple hidden inside the mountains.
At its center stood a giant crystal.
The Moonstone.
Elara touched it.
Immediately, memories filled her mind.
She saw Aetheria centuries ago.
She saw her ancestors.
She saw the first portal.
And she saw the Shadow King.
He wasn't always a monster.
He had once been a man.
A man who had lost the woman he loved.
His grief had consumed him.
He decided that if emotions could cause such pain, emotions should disappear.
Elara understood him.
For the first time, she felt pity for the enemy.
Then his voice whispered inside her mind.
"You understand me."
Elara turned.
A dark figure appeared in the crystal.
"Who are you?"
"The one who knows what your heart fears."
The image disappeared.
Kael grabbed her shoulders.
"Elara!"
She looked at him.
"I'm fine."
But Kael knew she wasn't.
That night, she couldn't sleep.
Kael found her sitting beside the fire.
"You saw him."
She nodded.
"I'm scared."
Kael sat beside her.
"You don't have to be brave every second."
Elara leaned against his shoulder.
"What if I lose everyone?"
"You won't."
"How can you promise that?"
"Because I won't leave you."
She looked up.
"Promise?"
Kael took her hand.
"Promise."
This time, when they kissed, there was no interruption.
The kiss was gentle.
Warm.
Real.
And full of everything Elara had spent nineteen years believing she would never experience.
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