No human bled like that.
Aurel stood frozen at the lake's edge, breath caught in her throat. The figure in the grass was soaked, wounded—and silver blood spilled from his side, shimmering like starlight beneath the twin moons. Her dagger trembled in her grip.
It was meant to be a night of sacred rites—golden chains and human sacrifice.
The Night of Ascension—when the twin moons aligned as one.
She should've been at the temple, cloaked in ceremonial silver like the other noble daughters, waiting to be chosen by the gods. But Aurel never believed in their gods. Not the rituals. Not the stories. Not the fate carved for her before birth.
So she ran.
She'd come here—to the lake beyond the trees, where she'd once escaped as a child. But tonight, she wasn't alone.
The wind stilled. The forest held its breath.
The man at the water's edge stirred. Torn clothes clung to his skin. Strange, glowing markings pulsed across his chest and arms like fire branded into flesh. His eyes opened.
Silver. Glowing.
"Help me," he rasped.
Aurel flinched. Every instinct screamed to run. But something in his voice—his gaze—stilled her.
She crept closer, dagger still in hand. "Who are you?" she whispered.
He tried to answer, but as she reached for him, pain shot through her hand. She screamed as a silver mark burned into her skin. Searing, blinding heat. She recoiled, gasping. Her skin blazed. When she looked—her palm now bore a mark.
A crescent moon, circled by flame. Glowing softly.
"What is this?" she asked, stunned.
"You are marked," he murmured. "And now… they will come for you."
Her heart pounded. Voices echoed in the trees. The snap of branches. The low growl of hounds.
Someone was coming.
"Who? Who's coming?" she demanded.
But he had gone limp again, breath shallow.
She pressed cloth to his wound, frantic. "You need help."
"No healers," he breathed, weak but urgent. "If they find me, it'll end badly. For both of us."
Aurel stiffened. She didn't understand—but she didn't need to, not yet.
He was sacred. Forbidden. Divine.
And dying.
She thought of her family, still waiting at the temple.
Her mother, the Queen, would murder her for defying their gods.
Aeria, her sister: the perfect daughter, cold-eyed, always watching, waiting for Aurel to disobey.
If Aeria found her now—kneeling beside a bleeding stranger marked by moonfire—she wouldn't hesitate. She'd drag her back in chains.
Aurel made her choice.
"There's a cave," she said quickly. "Beyond the ridge. We'll be safe there."
He nodded once, too weak to argue. Together, they moved through the forest, her arm around his waist as he leaned into her. The mark on her hand burned, pulsing in time with his breath.
Behind them, torchlight flickered. Voices shouted louder. "Lady Aurel! Come out!"
"They're not after me?" he said, confused.
Aurel's face was stone.
"No, not yet," she said.
The truth was sinking in. They weren't looking for him—yet. They were hunting her for defying tradition, for rejecting their gods. And the hunt had begun.
The forest wasn't safe.
Wind tore through the trees, the leaves whispering like secrets above. Twigs snapped beneath Aurel's boots as she pulled Luceris behind her. His steps were slow, staggered—blood dripped from his side, but he didn't speak.
Her lungs burned—not just from running, but from fear. If the soldiers caught them now, it would be over.
The trees parted into a narrow clearing. Tangled vines and thick brush veiled a hollow in the rock wall ahead.
"There," Aurel whispered, dragging him toward it.
He leaned into her as she helped him inside. The cave was damp. Cold. Hidden. Sheltered. Safe—for now.
She eased him down. His breath hitched. His silver eyes dimmed. Blood soaked the cloth she pressed to his ribs.
"Looks like I'm not the only one running," he rasped, glancing at her. "You're the Lady Aurel, aren't you? The one they're hunting."
She didn't answer. She pressed harder on the wound, hands slick and shaking.
Then she froze. The blood on her skin shimmered—silver. Cold at first. Then warm. Alive.
He saw her expression.
"They don't send royal hounds into the woods unless someone important's gone missing," he said, his eyes locked on hers. "So why is a crown-runner out here hiding with someone like me?"
"You're bleeding out," she muttered. "Let me help you." She ignored his words.
He stared at her, jaw clenched. Then quietly:
"You don't know what you've stepped into."
She stilled. "What do you mean?"
His voice dropped to a breath.
"My blood—it's not like yours. It carries the mark. The Moonfire. And now... so do you."
She looked down again.
His silver blood still clung to her hand, like liquid starlight.
"Who are you? What should I do?"
"Luceris," he answered, meeting her eyes. "I'm a Moonprince. I owe you my life. But it doesn't matter what you do now."
A flicker of something ancient passed through his gaze.
"It's already done."
Aurel's heart slammed against her chest. "Then tell me what it means."
Before he could answer, the forest shifted. Leaves rustled. Branches cracked.
Luceris tensed. "Stay low."
Aurel drew her dagger and crept to the cave's edge. Silence stretched—until a figure stepped into view.
An old man. Arms full of firewood. His eyes locked on hers. They widened.
"Wait—" she called, but he was already stumbling back, dropping his bundle and fleeing into the trees.
"He saw us," she whispered.
Luceris grimaced, forcing himself upright. "Then we're out of time."
Aurel turned to him, pulse racing. "What do we do?"
His silver eyes flickered in the dark.
"We survive."
---
Back in Argentum
The old man burst into the village square, panting, eyes wild. Mud streaked his trousers as he shouted into the torchlight.
"Your Highness! I saw her—the Lady Aurel! She's alive! She's in the forest, with someone else—he was bleeding, his eyes were glowing!"
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
King Haedron stood atop the stone dais, narrowing his eyes.
"With whom?" he asked coldly.
"A stranger, sire. I—I saw it myself. He bled silver."
The square went silent.
The king's voice was steel.
"A Moonborn."
He turned to his captain. "Summon every remaining soldier. Release the hounds. Search the forest—every path."
The captain bowed and vanished. Moments later, Argentum roared to life. Torches flared. Blades gleamed. Hounds howled. Warriors gathered, armor clanking, eyes set on the trees.
From the walls, the king's command rang out:
"Find the Lady Aurel.
Find the Moonborn.
Bring them back alive—or don't bring them back at all."