LUNA ASTERBELLE'S POV
The man who served as the guard of the orphanage where I originally belonged and was also the heir of it was the same man who now serves as the guardian of this cave that was filled with a mysterious aura.
"So this was how you managed to feed us with that human flesh," Jerome said.
I heard how his teeth were clasping against one another, so I held onto his hand to calm him down. I mind-linked with him to stop him from taking any indecisive actions.
"You should be appreciative that I still provided food and shelter for all of you. Imagine if I didn't; you wouldn't be standing there right now. You're probably buried deep within the ground without anyone remembering you," Jin replied as a provocation to Jerome, knowing that he had a short temper.
I shook my head when Jerome glanced my way, knowing that he was starting to lose his screw.
I stepped in front of Jerome, and before I got to Jin's area of reach, he removed the mask that covered about half of his face. His entire appearance was almost unrecognizable. The part that was covered was burned. His skull was almost visible.
I couldn't help but ask, "What happened to you?"
Jin scoffed, returning the mask to his face. "You? You're asking that instead of Jerome? Don't you remember how you shot me with flame through your finger?"
My mouth widened in shock. I have no memories of that scenario, and I can't even imagine that I'd do something like that.
"You must be mistaken," I murmured.
Jerome switched places with me as he firmly held my hand. And this time, he was the one calming my system down. "Don't take what he's saying seriously, Luna. He's trying to let us self-destruct. In that way, he won't have to tire himself out in battling either one of us," he cautiously said.
"You can still read people's intentions through their faces," Jin said as he started to walk backwards to where he came from. "You can come again when you're prepared to offer your life to me, just like the wolf you recently ordered to come here," he mumbled before disappearing from our sight.
I finally got to breathe as my knees wobbled. "Since when did Jin organize all of these? He seems like a completely different person who was using Jin's face."
Jerome grabbed my forearm as he tugged me along with him. "I could have lost you, Luna. Don't you go out without telling me again, okay? You should inform me where you'd go, even if you think that I'd get mad or won't allow you," he worriedly muttered.
His grip became tighter as he waited for my response. "I got it, Jerome. I'm sorry."
***
The next day was an absolute mess. Althea wasn't kidding around when she said that judgment day was approaching and that we had no control over it. There wasn't a single hour that slipped by without the ground shaking.
The dark skies never left us, even though it should have been a bright morning. The moon was still visible too.
"Is it going to be the end of us?" I heard an omega asking one of her friends. "I kept on feeling strange lately," she added.
I couldn't blame them for thinking that way, because even I, myself, was starting to have doubts about the future. What if everything we've done so far ends up worthless just because we would all die together?
"Stop being anxious about the upcoming catastrophe; we've seen this coming; let's just strive hard to survive," Jerome barged into my mind, which somehow made me feel at ease.
I went to the training grounds, where I expected everyone to gather around. No one was missing aside from Yana, who was still recovering. "I won't make this long. Grimstone, our world, wouldn't last for a month. Worse, we could face the end in a week," I announced, which made them react through murmurs.
"Where did you get that information?" Dr. Joseph asked.
"The Moon Goddess, Althea," I briefly answered.
We discussed different strategies that we would use for our own survival. We swore to protect ourselves and prioritize only the safety of one person other than ourselves, knowing that more than one could only hold us back.
Jerome wanted to stick by my side, saying that I shouldn't disappear even for a minute from his sight.
I was about to argue with him when my horn suddenly lit at the same time the glowing stone did. I could easily detect it since I had worn it like a necklace.
I told Jerome that I'd have a short break in the shower as an excuse. I can't let Jerome figure out that I still have some power to either stop the disaster that awaits us or make it worse.
"The best choice..." I whispered, wondering if I'm making the right decision. "We should just head over to the new world, right?"
The glowing stone transformed into an hourglass out of the blue. The dust particles inside were red, and they slowly fell to the opposite side.
It must be the countdown before Grimstone totally gets blown away; I must keep watch on it.
A knock on the door made me flinch. "Luna, are you sick?" Mrs. Asterbelle asked from the other side.
Realizing that it was just my adoptive mother, I got to breathe freely. "No. I'll return in a bit," I replied, hiding the hourglass beneath my clothes.
"The Alpha asked me to fetch you. We're all going to the cave. He said that we'd win against Jin if we're all there," she informed me.
A few hours later, the eight of us surrounded the entrance of the cave. We made sure that Jin wouldn't have any chance to escape.
"Don't forget that Jin is not someone we can underestimate. He's become more powerful than the combined strength of both Shin and Brian. That's how much we're at a disadvantage," Jerome said, raising his voice, purposely luring the guardian out of the cave.
I don't know if he's just exaggerating, but if that's what he thinks, then I guess we really should be cautious.
The man with a mask showed himself. He was covered in thick fabrics, probably to keep himself safe from my flames. His black hair spiked, while his whole body appeared to be stiff.
"You came back way earlier than I assumed." Jin greeted us with a bow. "Who are you going to sacrifice now, Jerome? Knowing you, I'm sure you brought them here to offer at least one or two among them, since that's how selfish you are about your own life," he said to my mate.
"He's not that type of person, Jin. Do you still know me?" Mrs. Asterbelle stepped into the center of us all.
My adoptive mother seemed to be fearless.
Jin smirked as he bounced to Mrs. Asterbelle's spot, jumping on her shoulders as if he didn't bear any weight. Luckily, I got to kick him off of her, making him do a consecutive backflip.
I thought that it would be the end of her life.
"Thanks," Mrs. Asterbelle muttered with a loud sigh.
Jerome told us to get into our planned positions to confuse whom Jin would attack first. Although that was a futile one.
Before we even reached our destined spots, Jin had already gotten ahead of us, sending us back to where we originally were. I shook my head at the same moment that I stood back up, removing the dust from my body.
All of us glanced at the sky, which turned from black to red. To be precise, it's a combination of crimson moon and sky that was encircled by numerous crows that flew in groups.
"Jerome, are you going to be alright? You could move away from here if you can't fight alongside us," I anxiously said, seeing how gloomy he has become just with the appearance of those.
Jerome placed his hand above my head. "Focus on what our goal is. Don't get swayed by anyone or anything. We must take over the cave and hurry to get rid of this damn Jin," he replied, like he wasn't in agony.
I shifted with Astra, my wolf, without bringing out my wings. As much as possible, we can't let Jin discover all of our maximum capabilities. He must believe that we're at a disadvantage, and that would be our go-ahead signal to show him what we're made of—that our strength altogether should be acknowledged rather than disregarded.
Yve and Yuki were the ones to initiate the battle with their harmonious gunshots, which all failed to shoot Jin.
"Silver bullets? I had no clue that these were still reproduced in Grimstone," Jin commented while examining the bullet that he caught before it reached him.
Mrs. Asterbelle stayed behind us; she couldn't shift with her wolf, who was uncooperative because of Brian's death.
Nero and Zen dashed through the shadows, making their presence almost gone from our vicinity. They were too quick to be seen by the naked eye. I could only barely follow their tracks because of my heightened senses.
"Tell Joseph to watch out for ambush. He might be Jin's first target, since he's our only healer in the squad," Jerome mind-linked with me, which I urgently followed.
I grabbed Joseph's forearm, pulling him to my mother's side. "Be cautious of your surroundings," I briefly warned them before I returned to strike a blow on Jin's grumpy face, which was revealed after I shoved off his mask.
"Should I tell you a little secret about your mother?" Jin asked me.
I chose to ignore him, but something was forcing me to listen to him. "Shut your mouth. I'll never listen to you, Jin."
"You're interested," Jin said, laughing. "Your parents are alive. Both of them. Not the Asterbelles though," he continued.
The last hit that I was supposed to do to him halted when I heard Jin's statement.
"Luna, don't listen to Jin! He's bluffing!" Jerome screamed his lungs out as if he were trying to get me out of the risky situation I've placed myself in.
But it was too late for me.