Luna's POV
The music stopped and Luna Nightwhisper froze in the middle of the royal ballroom, her heart hammering against her ribs. All around her, hundreds of guests turned to stare as the orchestra's instruments fell silent one by one. The Lunar Eclipse Festival was supposed to be the happiest night of the year, but something felt terribly wrong.
"Why did they stop playing?" whispered Lady Moonbeam, one of Luna's tutors.
Luna didn't answer because she couldn't. A strange tingling was spreading through her body, starting from her fingertips and racing up her arms like lightning. The same golden magic that had been acting up for days was stirring inside her, but this time it felt different. Stronger. More urgent.
Like it was trying to tell her something important.
"Luna?" Queen Celeste appeared at her daughter's side, worry creasing her face. "What's happening?"
Before Luna could respond, every candle in the ballroom suddenly flared brighter. The flames, which should have been silver like all Night Realm magic, flickered with hints of gold. Guests gasped and stepped back as the strange light danced across the crystal walls.
"I need to leave," Luna said, surprising herself with how steady her voice sounded. "Right now."
"Absolutely not," Queen Celeste said firmly. "You are the guest of honor. You cannot abandon your own festival."
But Luna wasn't listening anymore. The tingling in her hands had become a full-body electric feeling, like she was standing in the middle of a lightning storm. Her magic was practically vibrating with need, pulling her toward something she couldn't name.
Or someone.
Without saying another word, Luna turned and ran. She pushed through the crowd of shocked nobles, ignoring their gasps and her mother's angry shouts behind her. She had to get out. She had to go... somewhere. Anywhere but here.
"Princess Luna, wait!" called Captain Starweaver, the head of the royal guard.
But Luna was already at the ballroom doors. She burst through them and kept running, her fancy festival shoes clicking against the crystal floors. Behind her, she could hear people chasing after her, but she didn't stop. She couldn't stop.
The pull in her chest was getting stronger with every step.
Luna raced through the palace corridors, past confused servants and startled courtiers. She didn't know where she was going until she found herself at the back exit that led to the palace gardens. Without hesitation, she threw open the door and ran outside.
The night air was cool against her flushed face, but Luna barely noticed. She was too focused on the feeling inside her chest - a tugging sensation that felt like an invisible rope connected to her heart. It was pulling her toward the edge of the Night Realm, toward the dangerous border where no one was supposed to go alone.
Especially not tonight, when shadow creatures had been spotted moving in the darkness.
But Luna couldn't make herself care about the danger. All she cared about was following the pull, because somehow she knew that if she ignored it, she would regret it for the rest of her life.
She ran through the silver gardens, past fountains that sang with moonlight and flowers that bloomed only in darkness. Her breath came in short gasps, but she didn't slow down. The invisible rope in her chest was pulling harder now, almost dragging her forward.
"Luna!" Sage's voice called from behind her. "Where are you going?"
Luna glanced back to see her best friend floating after her on a stream of worried water. "I don't know!" she called back. "I just have to go somewhere!"
"That's not an answer!" Sage shouted, but Luna was already disappearing into the forest that bordered the palace grounds.
The trees here were ancient and magical, their silver bark glowing softly in the moonlight. Luna had played in these woods as a child, but tonight they felt different. Electric. Like they were holding their breath, waiting for something momentous to happen.
As Luna ran deeper into the forest, her golden magic began leaking from her hands in bright sparkles. The sparkles lit up the darkness around her, making the trees shine like they were covered in fallen stars. It should have been beautiful, but Luna was too panicked to appreciate it.
What was happening to her? Why did she feel like she was being pulled by invisible strings toward something dangerous and unknown?
And why did part of her feel excited instead of scared?
After what felt like hours of running (but was probably only minutes), Luna finally reached her destination. The crystal bridge stretched out before her, spanning the narrow gap that marked the edge of the Night Realm. Beyond it lay the Twilight Border - the dangerous no-man's land between her kingdom and the Day Realm.
Luna had discovered this bridge when she was twelve years old, during another time when her magic had been acting strange. It was her secret place, where she came to think and dream and wonder about the world beyond her realm. No one else knew about it, not even Sage.
But tonight, as Luna stepped onto the bridge, she realized she wasn't alone.
Something was moving in the darkness on the other side of the border. Something big and golden that reflected the moonlight like a mirror.
Luna squinted, trying to see through the shadows. Whatever it was, it was coming closer. And the invisible rope in her chest was pulling her toward it with such force that she had to grab the bridge's railing to keep from being dragged forward.
"Hello?" she called out, her voice echoing across the empty space. "Is someone there?"
For a moment, there was only silence. Then, from the darkness on the far side of the border, came a voice she had never heard before but somehow recognized.
"Who's there?" the voice called back. It was a boy's voice, warm and concerned and achingly familiar.
Luna's heart stopped. She knew that voice. She had heard it in her dreams for three years, calling her name across impossible distances.
"I'm Luna," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. But somehow, the boy heard her.
"Luna?" The golden shape moved closer, and Luna could make out the silhouette of someone sitting on what looked like a dragon. "That's... that's not possible."
"Why not?" Luna asked, even though she was thinking the same thing.
"Because Luna is the name of the girl in my dreams," the boy said, and Luna felt like the world had tilted sideways. "The girl with hair like starlight and eyes like silver magic."
Luna touched her pale hair self-consciously. "And you're..."
"Sunny," he said, and the name hit her like a bolt of lightning. "Sunny Goldenheart."
They stared at each other across the dark border, two teenagers who had been dreaming of each other for years finally face to face. Luna could see him more clearly now - golden hair that caught the moonlight, broad shoulders, and eyes that seemed to glow with inner fire even from a distance.
He was exactly as she had drawn him. Exactly as he appeared in her dreams.
Which meant he was real. He had always been real.
"This is impossible," Luna whispered.
"Yeah," Sunny agreed, his voice full of wonder. "But here we are."
The invisible rope in Luna's chest gave another sharp tug, and she took an involuntary step forward. At the same time, Sunny and his dragon moved closer to their side of the border. They were still separated by the dangerous Twilight Border, but Luna could see his face clearly now.
He was beautiful. And he was looking at her like she was the most amazing thing he had ever seen.
"I can't believe you're real," Sunny said softly. "I've been dreaming about you for so long, I started to think I was going crazy."
"Me too," Luna admitted. "Every night for three years."
"Three years," Sunny repeated. "That's exactly how long I've been having the dreams too."
They stood there for a long moment, just looking at each other and trying to process what was happening. Luna felt like she should be scared or confused, but instead she felt... complete. Like a missing piece of her soul had finally clicked into place.
But their magical moment was interrupted by a sound that made both their hearts freeze with terror.
Howling. Coming from the darkness of the Twilight Border between them.
And it was getting closer.
"Shadow creatures," Sunny said, his voice tight with fear. "Luna, you need to get out of there. Now."
But Luna couldn't move. The howling was coming from all around them now, and she could see red eyes glowing in the darkness. Dozens of them. Maybe hundreds.
"I can't," she said, panic rising in her throat. "They're everywhere."
Sunny's dragon, Blaze, let out a worried roar and breathed golden fire into the air. The light revealed the terrible truth - shadow creatures were pouring out of every crack and crevice in the Twilight Border, surrounding both teens.
"Luna!" Sunny shouted. "Whatever happens, don't let them touch you!"
But even as he said it, Luna knew it was too late. The shadow creatures were moving too fast, and there were too many of them. She was trapped on the crystal bridge with nowhere to run.
The boy from her dreams was real and right in front of her.
And they were both about to die.