"Yueyao…"
The voice was soft, ancient, and heavy with sorrow and sadness.
"Do not cry. You were never meant to bear this curse. My death will not end you… You are strong and benevolent... You will survive through this...."
" Be careful of the people around you! They are all traitors... They will bleed you dry... Be very careful..
Tears streamed down her cheeks helplessly and everyone just stood there watching, "Don't talk like that… you'll be fine. I'll heal you… please, just stay with me…"
" Don't leave me all alone...."
The moon-beast blinked slowly, its voice breaking with strain,
"Be careful of those around you… They are not what they seem. I have always wanted to tell you, but I can only now..."
Her heart tightened at his words; they had lived in the Crimson Howl clan for years peacefully. What did he mean by this? "What do you mean?"
"Your mate… this clan you call yours, you have protected with your life…" the beast rasped faintly, " They have long betrayed you, Yueyao. Your child..."
Her breath hitched. " No… my child is safe, don't worry... My child is always kept safe...."
" They lied to you," the voice trembled, echoing through her mind. "Your baby was not taken by the gods. They sacrificed him… to strengthen the seal. They sacrificed him because of your cursed blood... They don't want you to bear his child again, they say, your blood is tainted."
Her world suddenly stopped. The sound of her own heartbeat filled her ears, drowning out the chaos around her. "No… that can't be…"
"You are lying to me..."
She knew the moon beast couldn't communicate with her but because of her blood, now they were connected.
"They erased your memories. They didn't want you to remember what they did, to you, to your bloodline, to your family."
" Stop… please, stop…"
" Don't say anything more...."
" You were never cursed, Yueyao. You were chosen. And that is why they feared you."
Her tears fell freely, landing warm on the beast's fading fur. "I'll make them pay," she whispered shakily. " I swear I will."
"Hope you live happily... It's just sad that I can't accompany you anymore..." You could hear regret in its tone, but it was powerless. They had cast spells and ruins on it and with all the magic, it couldn't survive.
Tears blurred her vision. "No… please don't speak like that," she whispered, gripping its fur tighter. "You promised you'd always stay with me…"
The beast's head lowered, brushing weakly against her hand, "I always will. Even when the moon forgets your name, I will find you again."
" Don't leave me…"
" Then live," the voice faded, soft as the last flicker of moonlight. "Live… and remember."
The golden eye dimmed, its light fading into nothing.
Across the Crimson Howl territory, the air grew heavy. The ground seemed to pulse like a heartbeat.
Everyone felt it, the seal had shattered. And with it, the old curse awakened once more.
The courtyard had gone quiet and only the sound of Yueyao's uneven breathing filled the air. The moon-beast's massive body lay still against her lap, its once-shimmering fur now dull and streaked with blood. The warmth beneath her hands faded little by little until it was gone completely.
Her chest ached and her vision blurred from nonstop streaming tears. She clutched the beast tighter, shaking her head as tears fell freely down her face.
"Why?"
"Why could it be like this?"
"Why could they treat you like this?"
"Why could they convict you like this?" she whispered, her voice barely a breath. "You didn't do anything wrong…"
"I know you didn't..."
Her fingers brushed against its muzzle, where the markings of the guardian seal had already begun to fade. "You only protected me... You have never wronged anyone...."
The soldiers and priests who stood beyond the cracked barrier didn't move. None of them dared to come closer to her.
The surrounding air was thick with a strange energy, grief, rage, and power all mingled together and it felt like it didn't belong to any mortal.
One of the elders stepped forward, his tone cold and heavy. "Li Yueyao, you broke the Alpha's command and destroyed the sacred seal. You've brought calamity upon us all! How can you act like that as a Luna of this Clan? You are supposed to protect it at all costs!"
She lifted her head, her eyes red and swollen, but her voice cut through the silence with grief, "Calamity?" She laughed bitterly, her tears still falling. "You call this calamity? It's murder. This is murder you have committed... How dare you question me?"
Her voice shook, but her anger grew sharper with every word that spewed out of her mouth, "You accused him of betrayal, said he'd led the beasts astray and become a traitor, but did any of you see it with your own eyes? He protected this clan more times than you ever will."