Something had shifted in Luna. It wasn't loud, or obvious, or anything you could point at and say "that's suspicious"—at least not at first. It was in the way she lingered a second too long after conversations ended, or how she sometimes returned from "errands" with vague explanations and an odd expression in her eyes, like she was weighing something far heavier than a shopping list. It was in the way she watched MC when she thought no one else was looking. Not admiration. Not even doubt. Something colder. Analytical.
Most of the guild didn't notice it. They were too busy preparing for the next phase of post-tournament chaos: exhibitions, press interviews, new rankings, and a rising wave of young upstart guilds all trying to copy "Linked Hearts." Their quirky style had, bizarrely, become trendy. Lina was fielding fan mail. Iris had received an offer to pose for a calendar. Jax claimed someone named a cocktail after him, though no one could verify the drink's existence. MC, overwhelmed by logistics and attention, kept telling everyone to "just stay low-key," which only made them more visible somehow.
But in the quiet moments, Kira noticed. She wasn't one to trust easily—especially not people who smiled too softly and offered help too quickly. Luna had always made her uneasy. Too perfect. Too gentle. No one that sweet joined a guild like theirs unless they were running from something or toward something far worse.
She started watching. Nothing overt—just trailing her at a distance during errands, taking casual detours near her quarters at night, listening carefully when Luna spoke. Most of the time, there was nothing. But once, Kira spotted her slipping into the woods with a glowing stone in her hand. When she returned an hour later, the stone was gone, and her robe was dusted with a faint silver powder Kira didn't recognize.
Kira reported it to Lina first, expecting the fire mage to leap into suspicion. But Lina hesitated. "She's never done anything to hurt us," she said. "Not directly."
"That's the thing," Kira replied. "It's not what she's done. It's what she hasn't done. Where was she during the sabotage? The arena fire? That weird plague quest? She's never around when things go wrong, and always shows up right after—clean, innocent, helpful."
Lina frowned, her instincts now on edge. "Let's keep it quiet. No accusations. Not yet."
Meanwhile, Luna continued smiling, healing injuries, tending to errands, and offering tea with a gentle voice. But her eyes were always scanning. Calculating. Somewhere deep in her mind, she carried two loyalties—one to the friends who had unknowingly welcomed her, and one to the shadowy voice in her dreams that kept whispering: Soon. Very soon.
MC, of course, noticed none of this. He was too busy trying to handle a sudden invitation to a royal banquet (which he was convinced was a trap), design their guild's emblem (he drew a stick figure heart with arms), and stop Jax from recruiting a goat as their official mascot. He trusted Luna. She was kind. She always brought snacks. She never made fun of his messy hair or clumsy magic fusions. Why wouldn't he trust her?
But trust, once misplaced, could be fatal.
And somewhere beneath the surface, Luna's secret began to crack. Her messages to the Cult had gone unanswered for days now. Her handlers were silent. And for the first time, she found herself hesitating—not because she doubted the mission, but because something inside her twisted when she looked at these people. They weren't saints, but they were real. And the more time she spent among them, the harder it became to lie.
Still, duty whispered louder than doubt. When the next phase began—when the Cult finally gave the order—she would have to choose.
And Kira would be watching.
END OF CHAPTER 54