Chapter 2
— —the witch in the Ruins
Evelyn woke surrounded by moss, stone… and darkness.
Someone had dragged her out of the courtyard and dumped her into the abandoned ruins behind the village — a place whispered to be cursed. But she had not died. Not yet.
Footsteps echoed.
A figure approached — a woman with long white hair, silver eyes, and robes stitched with moon symbols.
The Moon Witch.
Legend said she was centuries old — cursed with immortality until the prophecy fulfilled.
She knelt beside Evelyn, fingers tracing the glowing wound on her wrist.
"You should be dead," the witch murmured.
Evelyn whispered, voice raw:
"Why am I alive?"
The witch smirked — a cruel, beautiful curve of lips.
"Because destiny is stubborn. And so are you."
She helped Evelyn sit.
"You were rejected. The bond is shattered. And yet the mark remains."
Evelyn lifted her wrist. The mark pulsed — faint, but alive.
"How?"
"Because he rejected the mate," the witch said softly, "not the power."
Evelyn frowned.
"What power?"
The witch's eyes gleamed like stars trapped in ice.
"The power of the Lunar Queen."
Evelyn laughed — a broken, bitter sound.
"I'm nobody."
The witch tilted her head.
"You are the girl fate chose. The girl the moon marked. The girl who will burn the world to reclaim it."
Evelyn stared.
"I don't want a kingdom. I wanted him."
The witch's voice softened.
"Ah, child. The greatest queens rise not from desire for a crown… but from the ashes of heartbreak."
Evelyn looked away, tears falling to stone.
"What do I do now?"
The witch stood, her robes swirling like wind around her.
"You rise."