Chapter 164 FRAGMENTED HEARTS
The Nexus Fortress was a battlefield of chaos.
Silver light clashed with shadows. Wolves snarled, leapt, and fell. Moon warriors moved with inhuman precision, striking with swords that seemed carved from moonlight itself.
Amanda’s body trembled as the fragments inside her writhed violently. The Hollow was no longer whispering. It was screaming, clawing at her mind, demanding release.
You cannot control me, it hissed.
I am the part of you that knows true power.
Amanda gritted her teeth. “I am Amanda! I am the Lost Luna! I control myself!”
The Hollow laughed, a hollow, chilling sound that echoed in her mind. You can try… but I am part of you. You cannot exist without me.
Andrew grabbed her hand. “Amanda, you can control it. Focus on me. On Ethan. On us.”
Ethan stepped beside her, his claws glowing, Alpha aura flaring like a shield. “Fight it! You are stronger than it, Amanda. Let it serve you, not the other way around.”
Amanda’s silver flames twisted, coiling around her like living serpents. The Hollow screamed as if realizing its power was being challenged.
From the sky, the second fragment began to descend a colossal figure, black and silver, its form shifting like smoke and steel. Its eyes locked onto Amanda, blazing with hunger.
You will be mine, it growled inside her mind. You cannot run.
Amanda screamed, summoning all her will. The flames erupted outward, striking the fragment. It recoiled slightly, but it did not falter. Its massive shadowed hand reached toward her.
Victor stepped forward, watching silently. “Good,” he said softly. “You feel it. That is the power I forged in you. Use it.”
Andrew’s voice cracked. “Amanda, don’t listen to him!”
Ethan growled, leaping at the fragment. His claws struck silver armor with a screech that echoed across the battlefield. Sparks flew, light clashing with dark energy.
Amanda fell to her knees, struggling to breathe. The Hollow pressed harder, pushing her toward surrender.
Accept me. Become me. Then you will be whole.
“No!” Amanda shouted. Her silver flames flared to full intensity, forming a protective sphere around her. The Hollow shrieked in fury, thrashing violently.
Suddenly, the first fragment the Hollow’s true form emerged fully from within her. A massive black and silver wolf with glowing red eyes stood before her, snarling. It lunged.
Amanda gasped. She felt the fragments’ energy surge through her, almost too much to bear. Her hands shook as she reached out with her power.
“I… I am Amanda! I am myself!” she cried.
The wolf-hollow collided with her silver flames. Energy exploded, shaking the fortress. Rocks flew, wolves and moon warriors were thrown backward. The air was thick with power, fire, and shadow.
Ethan roared and leapt toward Amanda, grabbing her in midair as the Hollow tried to push her away. Andrew ran to catch them, forming a protective triangle. Together, they formed a human shield around her.
Amanda’s vision blurred. For a moment, she saw all the fragments the Hollow, the child, the warrior, the shadows twisting and converging. And then… she saw something else.
A memory, or a vision, flashed before her: the Origin herself, a pale silver figure standing beneath the first moon, reaching out.
This is your choice, the voice of the Origin whispered inside her mind. Become the goddess… or fail and lose everything.
Amanda clenched her fists. Her silver flames flared brighter than ever. She could feel the Hollow inside her weakening. I will not be your puppet, she thought. I am Amanda. I am the Lost Luna. I will control my fragments.
The Hollow screamed in frustration as Amanda forced it back, integrating its power instead of letting it dominate her. Slowly, painfully, she stood upright, her silver flames now intertwined with shadows but she controlled them.
Victor’s eyes gleamed. “Excellent,” he murmured. “You are awakening… but beware. The fragments are not done testing you.”
From the above, the third fragment appeared. This one was massive, winged, and glowing with pure silver light. Its arrival shook the sky, splitting the fortress further.
Amanda felt the fragments stir violently. She took a deep breath, steadying herself.
“I am Amanda,” she said firmly. “I am whole. I am the Lost Luna. And I will decide my own destiny!”
The third fragment descended fully, a towering force of silver light and shadow. Its voice echoed in Amanda’s mind:
Then prove it. Show us who you truly are… or be destroyed.
Amanda’s eyes glowed brighter than the moon. The battlefield trembled. Wolves and moon warriors froze. Even Victor stepped back slightly.
Because for the first time, Amanda was no longer just a fragment. She was becoming something greater…
Something unstoppable.