I saw Selene.

I saw Selene.
Aria’s POV
The castle is quieter now, but the silence is not peaceful. It is heavy, pressing against the walls like fog, the kind that carries with it the weight of everything that has just happened, and everything that is still to come. Warriors move slowly through the halls, their armour scratched, their bodies bruised, their eyes showing the kind of tiredness that even sleep will not fully mend, not when they know that this battle is only the beginning. The air smells faintly of smoke and iron, and every corner of this place reminds me of the blood that was spilt at the gates. Yet as I walk, my thoughts are not only on the wounded or the dead, but on what I saw earlier by the stream, what I felt when the Moon Goddess herself stood before me.
I cannot keep it to myself, because it was not a gift given only for me, but a message meant to guide all of us, and so I move quickly through the quiet corridors until I find Darius. He is in the great hall, leaning over the wide oak table where the map of the Kingdom is spread out, his strong hands braced against the edge as if he is holding the weight of the entire realm in his grasp. His shoulders are tense, his head bowed slightly, and though he has not spoken, I know his mind is already chasing every possibility, every danger that waits for us in the mountains where Lilith and Ethan have hidden.
Florence is with him, her posture graceful but sharp, her eyes focused on the map yet distant, like she is looking not at ink and parchment but at shadows of the future that only she can see. When they both look up and see me standing in the doorway, something shifts in me. I feel the words pressing forward, heavy in my chest, begging to be spoken.
“I saw her,” I whisper, though the whisper carries more weight than a shout, and the moment the words leave my lips, both of them fall still.
Darius straightens, his piercing eyes narrowing, the storm of a hundred unspoken questions swirling behind them, and Florence tilts her head just slightly, her lips parting as if she already knows the truth before I even say it.
“The Moon Goddess,” I breathe, and as I step closer, I can almost feel the air in the hall change, as though even the stones themselves lean in to hear. “She came to me, not in a dream or a vision, but truly there by the stream, her voice like a song filled with both sorrow and beauty. She looked like a girl, no older than I, her feet bare in the grass, her eyes holding the light of every star. She gave me a small glass bottle, filled with her tears, and she told me they were the tears of Selene, shed for her children who had fallen in battle. I drank from it, and when I did, I felt my strength return, not just the strength I lost, but something greater, something deeper, like she had poured a piece of her own light into me.”
Darius does not speak, but his gaze never leaves my face, his jaw tight, his body so still it feels like he has turned to stone, and I know that what I am telling him shakes even the unshakable. Florence’s eyes gleam like fire catching on the edge of water, sharp and knowing, her breath caught in her chest, and I realise that for both of them this is no small thing.
“She told me more,” I continue, my voice steadier now because I know they must hear it all. “She said my strength lies in my bond with you, Darius, and that Lilith knows this, that she will try to sever it, because if she succeeds, she can weaken not only me but all of us. Selene warned me that the Blood Moon will not only make Lilith stronger but will also give power to those who fight in the light. She said it will magnify what already lives in our hearts, that if we stand together, we will burn brighter, but if we falter, Lilith’s darkness will be all the stronger.”
Florence lets out a slow breath, her voice quiet but firm when she speaks, the sound of it carrying the certainty of ancient knowledge. “She is right. The Blood Moon does not choose sides. It magnifies. If there is darkness in the heart, it will swell like a storm. If there is light, it will shine brighter than any sun. Lilith knows this, which is why she is desperate to break you before the moon rises.”
The truth of it sinks into me, deep and unyielding, and I reach for Darius’s hand because I need to feel his strength in this moment, to remind myself that our bond is real, that it is not something Lilith can touch unless we let her. His hand closes around mine, strong and warm, his grip firm as if he is anchoring me to the ground itself. He does not speak for a long while, but his silence is not uncertain. It is thought, calculation, the weighing of vows that cannot be broken.
Finally, when he does speak, his voice is low but powerful, every word carrying the weight of an oath. “She will not break us,” he says, and the sound of it is like thunder rumbling through my chest, steady and unshakable.
Still, fear curls at the edges of my thoughts, not because I doubt us, but because I know how far Lilith will go, and I know the Blood Moon draws closer every day. “We cannot wait,” I tell them, my voice urgent now, my eyes moving from Darius to Florence. “She will not sit idle. She will gather more than just Ethan and their warriors. She will call to dark witches, to rogues, to creatures that thrive in shadow, and if we give her time, she will bring them all against us when the Blood Moon rises. We must not give her that chance. We must strike before her power grows too strong.”
Darius’s gaze shifts to the map, his eyes scanning the mountain ranges, the valleys where enemies could hide, and I see the fire build in him, the resolve that has always been there, the certainty that he was born not only to fight but to lead. Florence places her hand lightly on the map, her long fingers brushing over the ridges drawn in ink, her expression dark but calm.
“She will wait in the caves,” Florence murmurs, her voice carrying the weight of prophecy. “Where the earth swallows light and shadows have no end. That is where she will gather her strength, and that is where we must meet her, though it will not be easy, for darkness is strong in places the sun does not touch.”
I hold tighter to Darius’s hand, feeling the steady pulse of our bond, the unspoken vow that ties us together, and I know then that Selene was right. This is what gives me strength, what gives us all strength. It is the light that cannot be stolen unless we let it.
“We have five days,” Darius says at last, his voice rising, filled with command, meant for more than the two of us but for every warrior within these walls. “Five days before the Blood Moon. We will march before the third day ends, and we will find them in the mountains before they can gather more power. This war will not be fought on their terms, but on ours. They will not choose the ground. They will not choose the hour. We will strike first.”
The words roll through the hall like a wave of fire, and though fear still lingers in the shadows of my heart, hope burns brighter, because Selene has not abandoned us, because she has given us her tears and her light, and because I know that as long as Darius and I stand together, our bond will not break.