THE MOON — CHAPTER THREE
(© 2025 Raj Bajpai – All Rights Reserved)
HOSPITAL SCENE — PRESENT TIME
The hospital corridor was quiet. The antiseptic smell was sharp, mingling with the faint metallic tang of rain outside. Noxys's boots echoed softly as he approached Room 312. Each step carried the weight of the night before — the chaos, the fight, and Rino struck by the Serpent's Vein, slowly draining his life.
He reached the door and paused. A nurse looked up.
Nurse: "You're… family?"
Noxys: (coldly) "Yes."
She stepped aside. The door closed softly behind him.
Inside, Rino lay pale and fragile. Tubes ran from his arms and chest, monitors beeped steadily. The wound on his chest throbbed faintly, a reminder of the cult's deadly weapon. Noxys sank onto the chair beside him and placed his hand gently on Rino's. The black sword leaned nearby, humming faintly, as if recognizing its master.
Noxys: "Rino… big brother. You always stood ahead of me. You always fought harder than anyone. But this time… I couldn't protect you."
Rino's eyelids fluttered. His eyes, though weak, held their usual calm strength.
Rino: (weakly) "Nox… you survived… that's enough… for now."
Noxys: (voice tight) "You shouldn't have been here. That weapon… it wasn't meant to kill instantly. It was meant to break you slowly. I… I won't forgive myself."
Rino: "The Serpent's Vein… it drains not just flesh, but the soul. Whoever struck me… has already set plans in motion."
Noxys: "Tell me everything. Who did this?"
Rino: "One of the inner circle… marked by the Moon's Tear. They are still in the city. Stop them before more innocent lives are taken."
Lightning flashed. Noxys's hand brushed over Rino's Black Sword, pulsing faintly.
Noxys: "Then I'll find them. I'll make them pay… for you, for everything."
Rino: "Promise me… don't let vengeance consume you."
Noxys: "I won't. But your name… your fight… will never be forgotten."
He rose, lifting the Black Sword. The weapon pulsed like liquid shadow.
THE HUNT
The city was thick with fog, neon lights reflecting in puddles like fractured stars. Noxys moved silently, hunting the cultists who had hurt his brother. Every step, every glance, was calculated.
He spotted a figure dragging an innocent through the streets. The girl's muffled cries cut through the night.
Cultist: "You will serve the Demon of the Moon. Your soul belongs to Him now."
From the shadows, a figure emerged — white coat flowing, Black Sword in hand, eyes cold and unreadable.
Noxys: "Funny. I thought your god liked volunteers."
The cultist froze, summoning shadows — writhing, red-eyed creatures crawling from the ground.
Cultist: "You cannot face me alone! I am never alone!"
Noxys: (raising the sword) "Good. I hate being outnumbered."
The chase began. Noxys moved silently across alleys, scaling walls and rooftops, closing distance without alerting the cultist. Shadows leapt toward him, but each swing of the Black Sword cut them down. Step by step, building by building, he closed in on his target.
ROOFTOP CONFRONTATION — BRUTAL FIGHT
The cultist reached the rooftop, wind tearing at his dark robes. Shadows twisted violently around him, forming human-shaped soldiers with glowing red eyes. He raised his hands, commanding the black mist like a conductor commanding a symphony of death.
Cultist: "Stop! You cannot defeat me! I am never alone!"
Noxys: (stepping forward, white coat flowing, Black Sword in hand) "You were right about one thing. You are never alone… but neither am I."
Shadows surged toward him, shrieking like living knives. Noxys's eyes narrowed, calculating, every movement precise. He swung the Black Sword in a wide arc — slicing shadow figures before they could reach him, turning the mist into shredded black smoke.
The cultist snarled and summoned more shadows, denser, faster. From the mist, humanoid forms sprang at Noxys with claws and teeth made of darkness. He pivoted, leaping into the air, swinging the Black Sword diagonally — a shadow soldier's arm disintegrated instantly.
Narrator:
The rooftop became a storm of steel, shadow, and wind. Rain mixed with blood as fragments of mist and debris flew across the surface. Every swing of the Black Sword left a faint trail of darkness behind it, a streak of judgment against the cult's forces.
The cultist's eyes glowed brighter. He lashed out with tendrils of shadow, trying to bind Noxys's legs and arms. Noxys ducked, rolled, and came up behind him, slashing across his shoulder. Shadow tendrils hissed as they were severed mid-air.
Cultist: "Impossible! You're just one man!"
Noxys: (cold, deadly) "I am more than that."
The cultist screamed and summoned a wall of writhing shadows. Noxys leapt high, twisting mid-air, and brought the Black Sword down — the wall split open like paper. Humanoid figures evaporated instantly from the sheer force.
The fight became a brutal dance: Noxys striking, rolling, leaping, cutting through waves of shadows. The cultist tried to use the girl as a shield, summoning more shadows, but Noxys anticipated every move. One swift slash freed the girl.
Desperate, the cultist formed a giant shadow beast — a massive humanoid creature towering over the rooftop, fists swinging like wrecking balls. Noxys leapt onto the beast's arm, running along it, slicing tendrils of darkness, and landed with a precise strike that destabilized it. It collapsed into smoke, evaporating.
Finally, the cultist stumbled back, exhausted, cornered. Shadows writhed frantically, trying to shield him. Noxys advanced steadily, Black Sword raised, aura pulsing with lethal energy.
In a final act of desperation, the cultist vanished into the shadows, leaving the rooftop with only the terrified girl and remnants of his summoned army.
THE MOON REVEALED
The girl collapsed to the wet rooftop floor, trembling, eyes wide at the man in white, Black Sword still humming faintly.
Girl: "W-who… who are you?"
Noxys: (voice low, cold, unwavering) "The Moon."
Lightning split the sky. The city seemed to hold its breath. The hunt had begun, darkness had been challenged, and a legend was rising.
© 2025 Raj Bajpai – All Rights Reserved
All characters, events, and lore within "The Moon" are original creations by Raj Bajpai.