Chapter 6: Shadows at Astraea
The stars blinked coldly overhead as the trio stood before the ruins of the Forgotten Temple of Astraea.
Carved into a mountain's spine, the temple had once gleamed like moonstone. Now, only crumbled columns remained, their surfaces etched with spells worn thin by time. A single beam of moonlight pierced the darkness, falling on the stone dais at the temple's heart.
There, according to the map… lay the final shard.
Elara took a breath. "We're close. I can feel it."
Caelum glanced toward the trees. "Too quiet."
Ash dropped his pack, eyes scanning the shadows. "We should rest in shifts. If Thorne is coming… he'll strike at night."
💤 Before the Storm
That night, as they camped in the ruins, Elara sat beside the fire, tracing patterns in the dirt with her fingertip. The flamelight danced across Caelum's face as he watched her, quiet and still.
"You've changed," he said softly.
"So have you," she replied.
He looked at her, expression unreadable. "But I still remember the moment I first saw you. The moonlight on your hair. The fear in your eyes. And the strength beneath it."
Elara smiled faintly. "You always see more than I want to show."
"You were never meant to hide."
She looked up at the stars. "I just want to protect the people I love."
"I know," he said, voice tender. "But who protects you, Elara?"
She didn't answer.
Because just then… the wind shifted.
🩸 The Ambush
A sharp whistle sliced through the night.
Dozens of shadowy figures emerged from the trees — blades drawn, eyes glowing crimson.
Crimson Circle assassins.
Leading them was a tall woman with raven-black wings, silver hair, and a twisted crown of bone.
Selene, Thorne's enforcer.
"Take the girl," she ordered. "Kill the rest."
Caelum shoved Elara behind him, drawing his twin blades.
Ash pulled a curved dagger from his belt. "We're surrounded."
The battle erupted like fire.
⚔️ Battle in the Ruins
Magic cracked through the night.
Elara raised walls of shimmering moonlight, but Selene shattered them with one swipe of her blade. Caelum's swords danced, cutting through two assassins in one breathless blur — but there were too many.
Ash leapt onto a crumbling column, throwing daggers down with deadly aim.
But then Selene landed in front of Elara.
"You're the starborn girl," she hissed. "The one he wants."
Elara raised her hand — but too late.
Dark energy slammed into her chest. The world spun. Her vision blurred.
And everything went black.
💔 Separation
Caelum saw her fall.
"No!"
He ran toward her — but Selene struck him down with a vicious slash to the side. Blood sprayed. Caelum collapsed beside the altar, unmoving.
Ash screamed, trying to reach them — but a magical barrier split the temple in two.
He slammed his fist against it. "NO!"
Selene stepped through the barrier, dragging Elara's unconscious form behind her.
"To Astraea we return," she whispered. "Let your love rot in the dust."
And with that, she vanished into the shadows.
🌒 The Aftermath
When morning came, the ruins were stained with ash and blood.
Ash found Caelum beneath the broken altar, barely alive.
"You're not dying on me," he growled, ripping fabric to bind the wound.
Caelum's eyes fluttered open. "She's… gone."
Ash's jaw clenched. "Then we go get her back."
"But the shard—"
"It's still here," Ash said, lifting it from the stone.
The fifth and final shard, glowing with Elara's light.
🐺 Rowan's Return
Far across the forest, Elara awoke in chains.
The cold stone of a different temple surrounded her — Astraea's mirror twin, corrupted by shadow. Selene stood at the far end, and beside her… a figure stepped from the dark.
Elara gasped.
"Rowan?"
He looked older. Colder. His once-warm eyes now dimmed with burden.
"I came for you," he said.
"You're with them?" Her voice trembled.
"No," he said. "I came… to save you."
But his gaze flicked to the final shard in Selene's hand — and Elara realized, with a sinking heart:
He had come not just for her.
But for the power she carried.