A week had passed since the cleansing flame. Moonshine was healing—its heart slowly beating with renewed rhythm. Yet, deep within Tara, a strange restlessness grew.
Something was calling her.
The Map of Whispers
In the rebuilt library of Moonshine, Neha was sorting through the enchanted scrolls when she stumbled upon something strange—an ancient map, inked in stardust, folded into a timeworn leather pouch.
It showed Moonshine in the center… but around it, lands they had never heard of. Places with names like *Elarion's Spine*, *The Shifting Isles*, and farthest of all, *The Edge of the World*.
Neha brought it to Tara. "I think this was left for you."
Tara traced the golden lines with her fingers. One path shimmered faintly. "It's glowing. It's reacting to me."
The Vision in the Mirror Pool
Guided by the map, Tara and Neha visited the sacred Mirror Pool—a quiet glade where time stilled and truths whispered themselves into the hearts of the brave.
As Tara stepped into its silver reflection, a vision engulfed her.
She saw herself on a cliff that curved around a glowing ocean. Stars were falling like rain, and the wind carried a voice she'd never heard before:
*"Your light awakened more than just Moonshine. Others wait. Others tremble."*
Then, an image of a shattered moon. A city crumbling into sand. And a girl—very much like Tara, but not her—screaming her name from a distant realm.
Tara fell back, gasping.
Neha caught her. "What did you see?"
"A place… a girl… danger. It's not over. It was never just about here."
Jasmine's Letter
That night, a bird arrived with a letter sealed in gold wax.
Tara opened it, and Jasmine's familiar handwriting flowed across the page.
> *Tara, if you're reading this, I've already crossed the mountains. I've found remnants of a world long forgotten. There's something ancient waking. I don't think I can stop it alone. I need you.*
>
> *There's a ship waiting at the western docks. It sails for the Edge of the World in three nights. If you feel the call… come.*
>
> *Always with you,
Jasmine*
The Decision
Tara sat at the top of the castle ruins, the map in one hand, the feather in the other.
She had a choice: Stay in Moonshine, become the queen everyone wanted…
Or follow the stars, chase the unknown, and risk everything.
When the sun rose, she had her answer.
She descended into the city square. The people gathered, sensing something was about to change.
"I came here as a stranger," she began. "I leave as your sister. Your daughter. Your protector. But there's another path I must walk."
Gasps. Murmurs.
Neha stepped forward, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Then we'll keep your flame alive until you return."
Farewell Moonshine
At the western docks, the ship waited—black sails, silver trim, and a carved phoenix at the bow. The crew was ready. The sea beyond shimmered like glass.
Tara looked back one last time at the kingdom that had become her soul.
Then she boarded.
As the ship drifted from the harbor, stars burst into view—brighter than ever. The feather pinned to her chest glowed once more.
She smiled.
The journey wasn't ending.
It was just beginning again.