CHAPTER LXIII
"When the Moon Rises"
Celeste Point Of View:
Time… it never slows. Not even when your heart begs it to.
As we neared the frosted border of Frosthevan, I could feel the magic of the realm pulse around me — ancient, cold, powerful. But something was wrong. The sky was too still, the wind too silent, like the world was holding its breath. And then, just as we crossed into the shimmering boundary of the icy kingdom, she appeared.
Cael.
But not my Cael.
Not the one who laughed in the rain with me. Not the one who sang lullabies to lost stars. This Cael was wrapped in shadow, her eyes a void of fire and sorrow. Her aura was suffocating, thick with a fury that froze even the boldest warriors in place. Her presence screamed danger, and yet… all I saw was my broken heart standing in front of me.
She didn't speak. She didn't have to.
She raised her hand, and the air cracked open.
I flinched as the earth beneath us trembled with her power. The trees recoiled, the frost trembled, and magic lashed out like wild lightning. We had no choice — we were trapped.
"Celeste," Mother Fairy whispered, stepping beside me, her voice low but resolute. "Talk to her. Please. Don't fight her — that will only make her stronger. Her rage thrives on conflict."
But it was already too late.
Cael launched forward, her attack fierce, and raw. We scattered, barely dodging the force of her blow. I screamed her name, but she didn't even blink. Her eyes had lost all recognition, all warmth. The person I loved… was slipping away.
Still, I tried. "Cael, please! It's me! Stop—"
But she didn't hear me. Or maybe… she didn't want to.
Mother Fairy stepped forward again, her hands raised in peace, trying desperately to reach her. "Cael, you don't have to do this—"
But Cael wasn't listening. Her face remained still, emotionless, as though the part of her that once cared had died long ago.
Then — a flash of hope.
The princesses arrived.
One by one, they appeared like rays of light in the storm. Each of them stood tall beside Mother Fairy, forming a radiant barrier, protecting her — and perhaps trying to shield what little good might still remain in Cael. For a moment, the air shimmered with their combined power. Hope flickered… just for a heartbeat.
But Cael only grew more violent.
She screamed — a sound that shattered the sky. Magic poured from her in relentless waves, ripping through the trees, melting the frost. She summoned fire in the land of ice and set Frosthevan ablaze.
Fairies ran, crying out for help, their wings scorched by her wrath. Creatures of the forest — gentle and pure — were caught in the crossfire. But she didn't stop. She turned to them, attacking like a predator, tearing into their flesh, her hands bloodied with chaos. She began eating raw meat, her eyes wild, possessed.
I stared at her in horror.
"She's not… Cael," I whispered to myself. "She's something else."
Then Olivia's voice rang out, sharp with urgency. "Cel, tonight's a full moon. When it rises… she'll try to kill you. The prophecy said so."
Ivory added, pain etched in her eyes, "She's our sister. But we can't ignore what she's become. If we wait any longer… this kingdom will fall."
My heart cracked.
How could I even think of hurting her?
But how could I not?
I barely had time to answer when I heard someone call out from behind me.
"Celeste!"
I turned, and my breath caught in my throat.
My parents.
Queen Elyon and King Alarion.
They had come — through the fire and smoke — to stand with me. I ran toward them, relief flooding my chest. But then… Cael saw my mother.
And the moment she did, something inside her snapped.
Her eyes flared red, her voice venomous. "Queen Elyon. Today, you die."
"No!" I screamed, lunging forward.
But Cael was too fast.
With a single, monstrous burst of energy, she struck.
The blast hit my mother in the chest, throwing her to the ground.
Everything went still.
I ran to her, heart pounding, lungs burning. I cradled her in my arms, her body trembling, blood staining her silver dress.
"Mom… stay with me. Please. Don't leave me…"
Her hand found mine. Weak… but steady.
"Celeste…" she whispered, her breath shallow. "You have to stop her… before it's too late. She's not herself. The curse… it's taken too much. You must end it. Even if it means…"
Her voice broke.
"…even if it means setting her free."
Tears spilled from my eyes as I pressed my forehead to hers.
And then — she was gone.
Gone.
And so was the last piece of my heart.
I stood slowly, my body trembling. All around me, fire raged. Screams filled the sky. My family… my kingdom… my Cael.
I looked at her through the flames.
And for the first time…
I let go of hope.
"I'm sorry, Cael," I whispered.
"If I have to choose between saving you or saving the world…
Then I'll do what must be done."
Because tonight, when the moon rises…
One of us will fall.
"Slaughter Under the Moon"
The flames of Frosthevan still roared behind us, but nothing burned more fiercely than the rage in her eyes.
Cael.
She wasn't just my Cael anymore — she was the storm, the end, the embodiment of wrath unleashed. And as I took a shaky breath, raising my hand in defense, I watched her turn her gaze away from me and toward someone else.
My father.
"Orion," she said, her voice low, poisonous… almost taunting, "It's your turn."
Before I could move, before I could even process her words, Cael's hair moved like living tendrils — dark, serpentine — wrapping around my father's throat with terrifying speed. He struggled, gasping, his eyes wide with betrayal and disbelief.
"Stop!" I screamed, my voice cracking as I rushed forward.
But it was too late.
Her grip tightened, and with a sickening crack, my father's body fell limp. She dropped him like he was nothing. Just another name erased from existence.
"No! Father!" I fell to my knees, trembling.
But Cael didn't stop.
Olivia, brave and burning with tears, launched herself toward Cael. "Enough! You've lost control!"
She reached out — not to attack, but to stop her, to protect what was left of our family.
But Cael only scoffed.
With one swift, brutal slap, she struck Olivia across the face.
The sound echoed like thunder.
And Olivia… fell.
Her body collapsed to the ground in an unnatural stillness.
Ivory let out a strangled cry and dropped beside her, her hands shaking as she checked Olivia's pulse. Her fingers stayed too long on that silent throat. Her eyes widened, lips parted in disbelief.
And then… Ivory broke.
"She's gone…" she whispered, her voice hollow. "She's really gone…"
Tears poured from her eyes as she clutched Olivia's lifeless body. Her screams tore through the air, raw and unbearable.
Then Ivory stood.
She wasn't trembling anymore.
She wasn't afraid.
She walked right up to Cael, face soaked in tears, her voice firm with grief that no longer feared death. "You killed my sister," she said softly. "Then kill me too. Go on. Finish it."
Cael looked at her, and for a fleeting moment, I thought she might hesitate. But no. Her eyes were cold. Empty.
"If that's what you want," Cael whispered.
"So be it."
She leaned forward, her glowing eyes locking with Ivory's. For a second, they stood still — sister and sister, breath to breath.
And then Cael inhaled.
Not air.
Life.
Ivory gasped, her soul visibly pulled from her body, her limbs going limp as her essence was torn away in a shimmering stream. Cael drew it into herself like a monster born of pain.
Ivory crumpled to the ground.
Gone.
Dead.
And then, as if death itself were not enough, Cael turned and hurled my father's lifeless body through the air. It struck the frozen wall of ice behind us with a dull, shattering crack.
Blood stained the snow.
Silence followed.
And then…
Laughter.
Cael looked toward Carmine, the last of the Crimson Cove princesses, and grinned.
"Aww… Princess of Crimson Cove," she cooed mockingly. "You summoned me for protection, didn't you? You begged me to come save you. And now…"
Her smile widened, cruel and gleaming.
"Now I'll be your protector… in death."
Before anyone could move, she lunged forward, grabbed Carmine by the neck, and slammed her into a stone pillar with monstrous strength. The sound of bones snapping was unmistakable. Carmine's head lolled to the side, her crown slipping from her head, her body crumpling to the ground in a heap.
She too was gone.
I stood frozen in place, my body numb, my heart torn beyond recognition.
Only three of us remained now:
Aurelia, Mother — Mother Fairy, too stunned to speak.
Caeli, breathing heavily, lips trembling with fury and disbelief.
And me.
The last daughter of this war. The last piece of Cael's shattered past.
My knees buckled.
Around me, corpses of love and light were strewn across the battlefield like fallen stars. My family, my people… all taken in mere moments by the one person I once called mine.
Cael stood in the center of the destruction, breathing like a beast, power radiating from her like wildfire. Her eyes met mine — and in them, I saw nothing left of the girl I had loved.
Only darkness.
And I knew then…
The moon hadn't risen yet.
And the worst was still to come.
To be continue....