"What the hell—why's that eagle turning back?!" Kaelin shouted, alarmed.
Mo Yan's expression tensed. "Did it figure out our plan already?"
"Then… what do we do?!"
"Isn't it obvious?" Mo Yan gritted his teeth, yanked the glider's controls, and spun the craft to intercept. "We stop it!"
He pedaled with everything he had, veering the glider in front of Ozrel. "Kaelin, fire at will! As much as you can!"
"Roger that! Time for this lady to bust out her best toys!" Kaelin grinned, lifting her ring once again. The next moment, an arsenal of guns materialized from thin air—rockets, rifles, even mortars—the sky lit up like a fireworks show.
"Whoa…" Mo Yan was momentarily stunned. He knew Kaelin was the top-ranked gunner in the game back home, but this was way beyond his expectations.
"Witness the dawn's roar!" Kaelin cackled as she pulled the trigger.
Explosions thundered across the sky in rapid waves. Though Ozrel took no critical hits, the sheer volume of fire clearly staggered the beast.
Suddenly, the enraged skyhawk screeched and plunged directly through the flames, its form blazing like a meteor.
"Uh oh—it's coming right at us!" Mo Yan shouted.
"I've got it—" he tried to maneuver the glider out of the way, but it was too late.
CRASH!
Ozrel's beak ripped through one of the glider's wings, tearing it apart. In the next instant, Mo Yan and Kaelin plummeted into a bottomless abyss, the shattered wreck tumbling behind them. As they fell, dark clouds surged around them like grasping hands.
By the time light returned, their surroundings had changed entirely.
Sharp rock formations jutted from the ground. It wasn't a canyon… it looked more like an ancient altar.
"W-What is this place?" Mo Yan looked around—and to his shock, he saw Zhao Heng and Zixuan already there.
"Zhao Heng?! What're you doing here?"
Zhao Heng slowly stood, disoriented. "I… don't know. Everything was going smoothly… then suddenly…"
"It was Ozrel," Tianlang's voice came from nearby. "This is its lair. I think… it saw through our plan and dragged us here."
"Hey—look up!" Kaelin's voice broke in.
Everyone turned skyward. The moon was incredibly close—but completely black.
"H-How is that possible…?" Tianlang whispered, staring at the eclipsed moon. But unlike the others' shock, his eyes were filled with despair.
The Moon Festival required moonlight. And this… this was no simple cloud cover. The moon itself had gone dark. This was a dead end. A perfect checkmate.
Screeeeech—!
A haunting cry ripped through the sky as violent gales howled in its wake. Ozrel burst forth from the depths of the chasm. Beneath the black moon, his form was like a vengeful spirit—his glowing red eyes casting a suffocating pressure over them all.
"Ozrel…"
"No—he's different now. His aura's changed completely," Kaelin muttered, eyes wide.
With another shriek, Ozrel vanished into a storm of black mist—then struck.
"Watch out!!"
The battlefield descended into chaos. Everyone tried to track him by sound, but his attacks were too fast, too sudden. They could barely react in time.
"We can't keep this up—we need to strike back!" Zixuan shouted.
"But how? He's too fast!" Kaelin called out in frustration.
Zhao Heng's voice cut through the panic. "Tianlang! You're the only one who truly knows his power! We need you!"
Everyone turned toward him—but Tianlang was on his knees, arms trembling, unable to face the truth. His eyes were empty.
And then—Ozrel struck him directly.
"Tianlang!!" Mo Yan screamed.
In the blink of an eye, Ozrel's beak pierced him and launched him over the edge of the platform. His body vanished into the dark abyss.
The sensation was overwhelming—pain, fear, vertigo—and worst of all… despair.
This… this feeling… how long has it been since I last felt this way?
Tianlang…
Ah… how nostalgic. So this is how it ends, huh?
Tianlang.
To end like this… how frustrating.
Tianlang!
I'm sorry, Holy One. I've… failed you.
Have you truly given up?
…
He opened his eyes again—and found himself floating in a void.
There was no light. No direction. Nothing but an endless sea of flame. He wandered for what felt like eternity, calling out.
"Holy One… is that you?"
"Answer me, Tianlang. Have you truly given up?"
A silhouette appeared before him—ageless, yet ancient. Half his face was cloaked in shadow, but Tianlang recognized him immediately.
"…Holy One. I…"
He looked down, ashamed.
"I tried. I really did. But the moon has been corrupted. It no longer shines. Without the light, the ritual is useless. I'm sorry… I failed you. And everyone who placed their trust in me."
The Holy One didn't scold him. He simply sighed.
"Tianlang… do you long for the light?"
"…Light?"
"People walk through darkness. They lose the light within their hearts. And in doing so, they lose direction… they lose hope. That's why moonlight exists—to guide, to illuminate, to push away the dark.
"But now the moon has been corrupted. It can no longer shine. Yes, the ritual may fail. But listen well—light and darkness are never permanent. Everyone eventually reaches their darkest hour. It is fear of the unknown that breeds despair. That is the true essence of Lightloss Syndrome.
"But even in the pitch-black, there will always be someone who chooses to become the light—someone who shows the way forward. To some, light is just a phenomenon. But to humanity, it is everything.
"It's like a pearl deep within the ocean—without light to draw it into view, it's just another stone, no matter how precious."
He looked at Tianlang once more.
"So do not abandon hope. Even when the path ahead seems impossible… trust your heart."
Tianlang's eyes lit up. The words of the Holy One rekindled something deep inside him.
That's right. How could he forget?
When he had nothing—no hope, no home—it was this man who saved him. Amid the flames of war, the Holy One had descended like a blazing light. He had offered salvation, purpose, life.
It was because of him that he stood here now—as the Moon Saint.
If the sky no longer had a moon… then he would become the moon.
If no light remained, then his heart's light would lead the way.
This was the true path of the Moon Saint.
Only by believing in the light… can we lead others toward it.
"I understand now… Holy One!"
Far below, in the depths of the abyss, Tianlang's eyes flared with newfound resolve.
From within his soul, a radiant light surged forth—brighter than ever before.
~~------------------------
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