The Forest Realm shimmered in preparation for the Moon Festival. Lanterns of pale silver and blue hung from branches, glowing like captured stars. Silk banners fluttered between the great oaks, and the air was thick with the scents of roasted chestnuts and spiced wine. Children darted through the pathways, their laughter mingling with the soft songs of the elders.
The festival came once each year, a celebration of the Moon's blessing over the forest. For most, it was a night of joy. For Luna, it was a night of torment.
Her hands busied themselves weaving garlands of moon-blossoms, but her mind drifted elsewhere—to Kael. She remembered the warmth of his hand on her waist, the fire of his kiss, the way the world had melted when his lips pressed to her skin. The memory pulsed through her like forbidden honey, both sweet and dangerous.
Selene noticed.
"Dreaming again, sister?" she teased, her tone airy but her eyes sharp as glass. "Your smile is too secretive to be about flowers."
Luna flushed, fingers fumbling with the garland. "I was only thinking of the festival."
"Oh?" Selene leaned closer, lowering her voice as if sharing mischief. "Or of someone you shouldn't be thinking of?"
The garland slipped from Luna's hands. "What do you mean?"
Selene laughed lightly, though the sound carried a hidden edge. "Nothing at all. But you do look as though the moon has whispered secrets into your ear."
Luna forced a laugh in return, though unease coiled in her stomach. Selene's gaze lingered too long, too knowing.
---
Far across the border, the Umbra camp sat cloaked in shadows. The people there did not celebrate the Moon's blessing—they cursed it.
Aric paced before Kael, his patience worn thin. "You grow reckless. Each time you see her, you draw closer to ruin. Do you not see what this will cost?"
Kael stood with arms crossed, his face set like stone. "I see it clearly. But I will not stop."
"You think this is love?" Aric's voice rose. "It is folly. She belongs to the Forest, you to the Umbra. If the council discovers this—if her people do—you will damn us both."
Kael's jaw tightened, but he said nothing.
Aric stepped closer, his pale eyes burning. "The girl will destroy you. And when she does, I will not save you from yourself."
---
The Moon Festival reached its height. Drums thundered, dancers whirled, and silver dust rained from the treetops, caught in the lantern light. Luna smiled and clapped with the others, but her eyes strayed to the shadows, heart aching with longing.
And then she saw him.
Kael.
Disguised in a cloak of forest green, his dark hair tied back, he moved among the crowd like any other wanderer. Only his eyes betrayed him—those eyes of shadowed fire, locked on her through the chaos.
Luna's heart stuttered. Without thought, she slipped away from the dancers, moving toward the edge of the festival. Kael followed, careful, unnoticed. The moon stood up high, monitoring. The festival very lively and filled with dancers and cheers.
She darted deeper into the trees, where the festival's light could not reach. Kael caught her hand, pulling her into the shadows.
"You shouldn't be here," she whispered, though her grip tightened around his.
"And yet I am," he murmured, his lips inches from hers. "I could not stay away."
She melted into him, the noise of the festival fading to a distant hum. For a moment, the forest and all its laws ceased to exist. Luna wondered. Was this really love? Why was he so different? Why did she always feel so different -like a gem, a magnet around him? Their love flaring in a single lit. She smiled as he gazed into his eyes. The moon reflected in it.
"Don't leave me, please."
---
Back at the feast, Selene heard their father's thunderous call.
"Luna?" her father's voice boomed above the drums. "Where is Luna?"
Panic flared.
Then she rose gracefully, laying a hand on his arm.
"She was with me, Father," Selene lied smoothly, her smile practiced. "She went to fetch more garlands. I'll bring her back."
Her father's stern face softened only slightly. "See that you do. The moon watches tonight."
Selene bowed her head, but inside, her thoughts were knives. She had seen the look in Luna's eyes. She knew where her sister had gone.
Not yet, she told herself. Not yet will I exposeher. Secrets were like wine—they grew sharper the longer they aged.
"I will uncover everything," Selene whispered to herself as she returned to the festival lights, her smile sweet but her heart black with envy. "And when I do, she will have no place to hide."
Above them, the moon glowed, silent witness to the lies, the kisses, and the storm that crept closer with every stolen breath. Selene went away from the festival, her mood pensive. She needed to bring Luna back since their father seeks her, but she also didn't want Luna knowing that she already knows her secrets. The forests were getting darker.
"So foolish," she paced. "Isn't she aware that the time is already out? That the moon recoils soon for her to come back?" Still in her thoughts, someone tapped her from behind. It was her mother. The second wife to the king. She was tall, with a small face and thick lashes, and Selene was her carbon copy. Her silver gown glowed as if touched by the moon. Her forehead cringed with worry.
"Why are you here instead of being at the festival? Bona has sought to see you many times, enough for me to come look for you now."
Bona. Selene hissed at his name. He was her suitor, the son of a mighty forest warrior. Heavily built like his father, with eyes always burning with fire, yet Selene disliked him. He had a scar that almost covered half of his face, and she didn't also like the way he talks_ in a feminine way.
"Mother, leave Bona. I'm troubled...and it's Luna."
Her mother frowned at her name. She always hated her, her late mother, the fact that she was the most beautiful princess ever known. "What has she done?"
"The meets secretly with an Umbra, mother," At this statement, Selene's mother gasped.
"Yes. I've monitored her few times, and I've seen him. And now, father seeks her. I lied that she went to fetch garlands."
"What?! Why? You're even reporting this to me now? The king needs to hear this!"
"No! Selene held her mother's arm immediately, her eyes gleaming with thoughts.
"No mother. I don't think father should know now. If this is Luna's biggest secret to overthrow her, then we need to be careful," she looked at her mother. She was getting calm as she listened with interest. "Let me trail her more. I'll listen to all their whispers and conversation in secrecy, and I'll find more evidence."
Selene's mother smiled. "You're wise, just like me. We'll do that, but for now, Bona wants to see you."
Selene's brows furrowed immediately. "I'd rather check up on my brother. He'll need me already." And she quickly left her mother, else she becomes so persuasive and annoying.