By the time I reached the palace gates again, my pulse had steadied—
but my thoughts hadn't.
The shadow-man's words echoed through my skull with every step.
"You are moon-born."
"They will try to kill you again."
"When the blood moon rises… you will choose whom you destroy."
I should have been shaking.
Crying.
Hiding.
Instead, I felt strangely calm.
Like my soul had been waiting years to hear those truths.
Two guards at the gate snapped to attention as I passed, bowing deeply. Their helmets glinted in the sun, and one of them—the older one—watched me a little too closely, worry clouding his expression.
"Lady Aura," he said, "you rode out without an escort. His Majesty will worry."
I smiled, soft and harmless. "I won't tell him if you don't."
He flushed, flustered.
In the last life, I never noticed how easily people bent around me—
except the ones who mattered.
I stepped into the courtyard, feeling the eyes of the palace follow me.
Servants paused.
Maids bowed.
A pair of noblewomen whispered behind their fans, as if my presence itself carried gossip.
It did.
Just not the kind they knew yet.
Inside the entrance hall, cool shadows wrapped around me. The scent of polished wood, jasmine oil, and old stone filled my lungs. My heartbeat finally began to slow—
Until someone stepped directly into my path.
"Aura."
The voice was cold.
Calm.
Too controlled.
Prince Kael.
Of course.
He stood at the foot of the sweeping staircase, arms crossed over his chest. He looked composed, almost kingly, even at eighteen—dark hair tied back now, jaw set, brown eyes unreadable.
His gaze flicked to my empty hands.
"You were out riding," he said. Not a question.
"Yes."
"Alone."
"Yes."
"That was reckless."
I studied him for a long moment.
In my first life, this tone made me wilt with guilt.
Now it only irritated me.
"I didn't realize I needed your permission to breathe," I said lightly.
A muscle jumped in his jaw.
"Aura, the forest is dangerous."
"Only to those who don't listen," I murmured.
He stepped closer.
Too close.
"Listen to what?" His voice softened dangerously. "To the whispers you claim to hear?"
I held his gaze, refusing to look away.
"I hear more truth in the woods than in these walls," I said quietly. "At least the trees don't lie."
Kael's breath hitched.
For a moment, something raw flickered in his eyes—
something like confusion, frustration…
fear.
But just as quickly, it vanished.
"Aura," he said softly, "you're changing."
Yes.
And not the way he expected.
"I don't know what you mean," I said, brushing past him.
His hand shot out, catching my wrist.
"Wait."
Electric shock exploded through my veins.
Not because of him—
but because some strange force inside me reacted.
My pulse roared like thunder.
Heat flooded my skin.
The air around us rippled faintly, as if reality itself bent for a brief second.
Kael's eyes widened.
"Aura—?"
I yanked my hand free so fast he flinched.
"I'm fine," I said, my voice steady despite the storm raging in my blood. "Don't touch me without asking."
He stared at me, stunned.
I didn't stay to see what expression followed.
I walked past him, heart pounding, the magic—my magic—still crackling under my skin like lightning searching for a storm.
I made it halfway to my room before another voice stopped me.
"Aura!"
Arcelia.
She glided toward me from the opposite corridor, blue gown flowing behind her like water. Her hair was pinned with tiny diamonds that sparked in the light. To anyone else, she was the picture of innocence.
I knew better.
"Sister," she said, linking her arm with mine before I could stop her. "Where were you this morning?"
"Out."
She laughed lightly. "You're so strange today."
"I've always been strange."
"Yes, but now you're admitting it."
Her nails dug into my arm as she tightened her grip just a fraction.
A test.
I let her.
"Father is looking for you," she whispered sweetly. "He's worried. He said your dream frightened him."
I forced a small smile.
"Did it frighten you?"
She blinked, startled. "Why would it frighten me?"
"Because you always hated when I dreamed."
Her smile froze.
"Aura," she said softly, "you're not well. Talking like this… it isn't becoming."
"I'm not trying to be becoming."
"Well, you're succeeding," she snapped, then corrected herself instantly with a sugary smile. "Let's just go. Father is waiting."
I didn't move.
Arcelia's grip tightened again. "Aura—"
"What did you dream last night?" I asked.
Her eyes widened just a hair—
the tiniest crack in her perfect mask.
"I just slept," she said quickly.
"And the night before?"
"Slept."
"And the night we—"
She cut me off sharply. "Enough."
Ah.
There it was.
Fear.
Real, sharp, tiny—but real.
I leaned in, my voice barely a whisper. "Do you know what I dreamed, Arcelia?"
She swallowed.
"I dreamed," I whispered, "of the moment someone I trusted stood above me… with a dagger."
Her breath hitched.
"W-what?"
"And the worst part?" I smiled softly. "It wasn't even the dagger that hurt. It was the smile."
She froze.
Completely.
I stepped back, letting her arm slip from mine.
"Tell Father I'll be there soon," I said. "I need a moment."
Arcelia's eyes followed me, unblinking.
Her heartbeat was so loud I could almost hear it.
Good.
Let her wonder what I knew.
Let her fear the cracks opening beneath her feet.
When I finally reached my room and closed the door behind me, my legs nearly gave out.
I pressed my back against the door, breathing hard.
The magic inside me pulsed again—
stronger this time,
hotter,
like something waking from a long sleep.
My fingertips glowed faintly for a moment, pale silver light flickering beneath the skin.
I stared in shock.
This hadn't happened in my old life.
Not like this.
Not this early.
"What are you…?" I whispered to my own hands.
The air responded—
a soft tremor,
a faint whisper that brushed my ear like a ghost's breath.
You are moon-born…
I clenched my fists, pulling the light back inside.
Before I could steady myself, a soft knock came at my window.
Not the door.
The window.
Heart racing, I turned slowly.
Outside, standing on the narrow stone ledge three floors above the ground, was a figure cloaked in black.
The shadow-man.
The same glowing violet eyes watched me through the glass—
unblinking,
unafraid,
like he could see straight through my ribs and into my racing heart.
My breath caught.
He lifted one hand—
and tapped the window once.
A silent summons.
A message.
A warning.
I didn't move.
He leaned closer, his voice a whisper only I could hear through the glass:
"They're already moving against you."
Then—
he vanished.
Gone.
Melted into the shadows like smoke.
I staggered backward, gripping the edge of my table.
If Arcelia and Kael were moving this early…
if the forest was awake…
if the magic inside me was evolving faster than before…
Then the blood moon wasn't just a symbol.
It was counting down.
And this time,
I wouldn't die under it.
I would rise.
And someone else would fall.