Moonshine was burning.
By the time Tara, Jasmine, and Neha returned from the Mirror Temple, the skies above the city had turned into stormclouds of ink. Bolts of black lightning cracked the heavens. The protective wards that once shimmered across the city's skyline were gone—shattered like broken glass.
Shadow creatures prowled the streets, crawling up towers and tearing through defenses. But the people fought back—every soldier, every villager, every child who could hold a blade or throw a spark of magic.
And above it all, rising from the heart of the chaos, was *the Deep One*.
No longer hidden beneath the mountains or whispering in shadows, it stood revealed: a colossal, shifting mass of tendrils, mouths, and eyes that watched across dimensions.
Reunion and Resistance
"Tara!" a voice cried out.
From behind the barricades came Elian—the old scholar who had guided Tara in her earliest days in Moonshine. His robe was torn, and blood streaked his cheek, but he grinned when he saw her.
"You've come back. And just in time. The beast is taking root in the palace ruins. If it finishes binding itself to the throne—it becomes a god."
Jasmine clenched her fists. "Then we stop it now."
The Climb to the Throne
They raced through the city, weaving past battles, fire, and falling debris. As they climbed the palace steps, Tara saw the faces of Moonshine's people—fighting not just for survival, but for *her*.
They believed in her now more than ever.
Inside the palace, the throne room was unrecognizable. The Deep One's body wrapped around the pillars, oozing between the stones like tar. Its central eye pulsed with a heartbeat that echoed in Tara's chest.
It *was* her. And it knew she was there.
One Final Offer
"You don't have to destroy me," the creature hissed, its voice echoing from the walls. "Join me. You were made from me. Born of this land's chaos. We are one."
Tara stepped forward, blade drawn.
"I was born of pain, yes. But that's not all I am. I am love. I am choice. I am *hope*. And I *choose* to end this."
The Deep One roared—and the throne room exploded into battle.
Clash of Light and Shadow
Jasmine's twin blades danced with fire and wind. Neha summoned ancient vines that coiled and struck. Tara leapt into the air, her sword glowing with the combined power of every chant, every tear, every belief Moonshine had ever whispered into the stars.
She struck.
Once.
Twice.
A third time—
And the Deep One *screamed*.
But it did not fall.
It *absorbed* the light. Grew stronger. Towered higher.
And in that moment, Tara understood—she could not kill it by force.
She had to *accept* it.
She closed her eyes and dropped her sword.
"Tara, no!" Jasmine shouted.
Tara stepped forward and embraced the darkness.
"I forgive you," she whispered.
The Deep One shrieked. The throne room shook. And then…
Silence.
The Breaking Point
The creature began to crack.
From its core, *light* spilled—pure and blinding.
Tara stood untouched in its center.
"You were never meant to rule," she whispered. "You were meant to be *set free*."
With a final pulse, the Deep One shattered—its essence dissolving into dust, rain, and starlight.