The road wound deeper into the highlands, where the trees thinned and stone ridges jutted from the earth like the spines of ancient beasts. A cold wind carried voices that were not voices—whispers that made the skin prickle, though no one was there.
Luna clutched her stone charm from Seraphina, holding it tight in her small hand. Beside her, Adrian's crimson eyes swept the horizon. "Do you hear it too?" he asked.
Luna nodded slowly. "They… call me."
By dusk, the two reached a valley where moss swallowed broken pillars and shattered arches. At the center lay a half-buried temple, its entrance carved with runes glowing faintly in the moonlight.
Adrian's expression sharpened. "Old magic. Older than the humans' faith. Be careful."
Inside, the air was thick and still, dust drifting in pale beams of moonlight that cut through cracks in the roof. Symbols etched in gold lined the walls, many depicting the moon, a woman's face, and a crown of thorns.
Luna stopped before one mural and touched the worn surface. A strange warmth pulsed beneath her fingertips.
Then the whispers grew louder, swirling around her head until she nearly staggered. "Luna," they hissed in unison, echoing through her skull. "Child of dusk… return…"
Her cloudy eyes widened. "They… know me."
Adrian caught her before she fell. "What do they say?"
Luna's lips trembled. "Return… crown… awaken."
Suddenly, the floor cracked, and a circle of light burst open beneath them. For a heartbeat, Luna's reflection shimmered—not as a little zombie girl, but as something regal, draped in shadow and moonlight.
Then it was gone. The glow faded, the whispers fell silent, and the temple was still once more.
Adrian stared down at her, his usual calm shaken. "Luna… there is more to you than I guessed. These ruins were not random—they waited for you."
Luna clutched at his cloak, frightened. "I… don't understand."
Adrian looked toward the moon through the broken ceiling, his crimson eyes narrowing. "Then we will find the answers together. But remember this, Luna: the world hunts what it fears—and it fears what it does not understand."
For the first time, Luna's dead heart seemed to stir, not with fear, but with the weight of destiny. The ruins had whispered her name. And something within them was waiting.