Princess Of Lunar Province

A silver mist swirled through under a door's slim opening quietly. Within the room sat a desolate queen on her dull bed, her long silver hair hiding her face.

"Speak," Luna demanded in an emotionless tone. Her eyes glared through the dark, overcast by her hair.

Before her presence, still, vacant, and unblinking, an almost identical copy bowed before her.

Then, Neoma’s voice slipped through, timid yet dignified. "Your majesty, your newborn capsules were stolen."

Neoma rested her fist on the floor, her shoulders shivering.

"So you mean to say my incubated clones were kidnapped?" Luna crossed her legs, resting her hands on her lap.

"Y-yes, and that is why I ask for your permission to go retrieve them.” Stuttering slightly, she requested.

Her eyes, dull as gray emeralds and as vacant as an absent moon.

"You know very well that none of my seven fractures are allowed to leave the kingdom." She replied quietly, her eyes looking side to side like the shutters of a smeared window.

"But they're our sisters!" Neoma exclaimed, raising her head abruptly.

Her effort was only greeted by the deepest of stares, immediately sending a shiver down her spine. The room’s cracks and worn smears, scars of the past, directed its glance at her out of mockery.

"I apologize, my majesty." She whispered nervously, smiling awkwardly.

Luna returned to sitting properly, leaning back cautiously, closing her eyes for a second.

"My lesser clones will find their way to me once they are born, so do not worry." She explained, her tone growing softer as if she found comfort in talking to herself.

Neoma's eyes widened with content when she caught a glimpse of a faint smile underneath Luna's tousled hair, barely managing to shine as it used to.

"Understood, I will place this duty upon our secretaries." Smiling, Neoma bowed once more as she hid this small victory.

"I won't stop you from doing that, but remember," She let out a yawn, rubbing her eyes with her pale and malnourished hands. “Don’t mistake me for someone who needs saving.”

Luna then exhaled, leaning slightly forward as she tasted the stale atmosphere.

"We are simply one, nothing more or less." She added, examining her gently.

"If I may, I ask to witness that day once more." Neoma looked into her eyes deeply.

"If you feel as if you are diminishing within your role, so be it." She slowly raised a frail hand towards her, placing it gently on her forehead. Her beautiful hair and smooth skin made her a little envious.

A glow then emitted from her palm, scaring the eavesdropping shadows away.

"Thank you, your majesty." Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath in preparation.

What a beautiful me I made, Luna thought, her eyes momentarily glimmering with pride. If only Mother were here.

The glow faded, and thus, the world traveled six years ago.

Her boots echoed faintly across the marble floor as she clutched a heavy, ornate dictionary to her chest, scurrying underneath the palace’s lavish roof.

How utterly exhausting– oh, so exhausting.

The hall was quiet—not a single soul nearby.

“Finally…” she sighed in relief, sliding down against the wall. “Just a moment of peace.”

Her shoulders loosened with relief as she sat down, looking around to see if anyone was around.

“Now, time to do something interesting for a change.” She murmured, tracing the pages for new words with her sapphire eyes.

Her silver strands of hair fell in front of her, but she didn’t bother brushing them away.

A moment later, a faint shiver crawled up her neck. “Never mind.” She sighed.

“Finally, I found my little princess!” Her father, Ansel, exclaimed as he happily marched towards her from out of the dim hallway.

“Coming all this way to get me,” she groaned, reluctantly closing the book. “Knowing very well I’m not interested in the meeting at all?”

“Of course I did,” Ansel said, his chuckle echoing like a bright flare. "You may be my precious daughter, but that doesn't exclude you from your responsibilities as future queen.”

“Dad, I told you—I’m not going back to that pointless meeting. I’m not interested in taking the throne.” Luna waved her hand dismissively back as if swatting a fly.

He chuckled softly. “Why not? I thought you wanted to be like mom?”

And there he goes again—never taking me seriously. Her eyes lowered.

Luna felt that familiar aching—the feeling that time was slipping from her grasp.

My childhood years are slipping away, with barely any time to call my own… yet they’re already trying to change me. These chains only feel heavier the older I get. Her head felt heavier by the second.

In the distance of her scurrying thoughts came a voice, momentarily silencing the rest of the ruckus. Then came the whisper– not through her ears, but inside her very mind.

Facalor is near.

Luna’s eyes snapped wide, shocked with familiarity.

No… no one’s here, she convinced herself. Then her mind caught up with her senses: Did someone speak to me telepathically? That can’t be right – only they could do that.

She snapped out of her hefty daze, gasping for air as her father watched with concern.

“Luna, are you okay?” Her father’s voice blurred as if it were beyond mist.

She blinked back to her senses, her heart beating steadily. “I’m fine, just a little dizzy.”

“Alright, I say we get you checked before returning to the–” He tried to comment.

“Be clearer, Dad. Do you care about the meeting or me?” She interrupted sharply, steadily catching her breath.

A shadow slithered through one of the open archways and made its way past the two, undetected.

“Why not both? You're the future queen of Lunar Province and my daughter.” Ansel said, growing tired.

The sky began to fade behind an overcast, the vibrant auroras and beautiful moon masked behind dark clouds, for the light had been blocked.

“Why don’t you ever listen to me!?” She raised her voice, no longer in a calm tone.

“I just don’t get why the new face? You’ve always wanted to follow her footsteps since you were a little snowflake, and now, you’re rebellious.” He sighed in disappointment.

“Yeah, until I learned it's a lot of boring paperwork, responsibilities, and meetings. I only desire to carry out my obligations to protect my people, nothing more." She grumbled, her left eye twitching in annoyance.

“Those are duties the queen must uphold, my little moon.” His voice echoed down through the silent hall.

“On top of my disinterest, don’t expect me to get married off either anytime soon.” A smirk so mischievous that it felt almost nostalgic.

“Are you sure you’re not a secret rebel or something?” He smiled nervously as the vitrines gossiped with one another.

“I know better than to associate myself with rebellion; I just seek a fair transaction, nothing more and nothing less.” She shrugged.

That reminds me, there was a recent transaction between two of my mom's close friends, both great people. I find it so intriguing and rare to see one of us and a human get along so well. There was also this rumor that they got married, imagine that. Luna placed her clenched hand below her chin, interested in this sudden curiosity.

“Two very different species coexisting, even with our dark history with humans. What a fool Mr. Kazai is.” She whispered to herself, hoping to get her mind off her father’s statements.

“You surely must spend a lot of time in your library now, don’t you?” Ansel broke his daughter out of her thoughts.

“And by that, you mean what?” Luna scoffed, glancing at him suspiciously.

“I’d just say reading too much isn’t something the princess should do. There are many other things that you could do to benefit your future role as the queen.” He crossed his arms, realizing that spoiling his child wasn’t the best of ideas.

“What else can I do? Because if you ask me, eating and sleeping all day doesn’t sound like a reasonable way of life.” She began walking towards the distant meeting room. “I’m not even able to go outside.”

“Oh, when will you understand how crucial your safety is?” He followed in pursuit, eager to ask if she was planning on attending. "It's for your future, your own good."

“You might call this safety,” Luna said softly. “But to me, it’s a gilded cage—one that only grows tighter with time.”

“Look, you know very well we can’t take chances. What we guard can never fall into the wrong hands.” His tone was no longer warm– replaced with what he’d used in meetings.

As her face began to flush, anger crawled up her spine, and her heart felt robbed of space.

“Mom has the primary half, not me, so that excuse doesn’t add up.” She turned away, her fists trembling.

How long? How long will she have to sit here, confined to only the castle? How long until she finally feels free?

It's so obvious! Dad has changed ever since he signed that damned contract between the capitals. And these annoying trades, between the paradigms and clans, I know they’ve gotten to his head. I have a feeling he’s going to see me as an object too; a weapon. How long before he's no longer the man I can call father? Luna thought ruefully.

“You’re still my daughter, Luna.” He said with gentle care, hoping to calm her down.

For a moment, she almost believed him. She wanted to…

She wanted to hug him and forget this all, but deep inside, she knew it was futile.

“I’d say more like the kingdom’s future weapon.” She halted a few feet away from the door, coated with a golden design, and looked into his father's eyes with a growing resentment.

Her skin crawled.

Something unseen pressed in from every corner; her sixth sense stirred, divination. The ability that allows her to feel emotions, not just her own, but everyone’s, struck her.

From her very father came invisible needles, piercing her body. Luna’s eyes widened in pain and realization.

“Hey now, that’s not true at all?” He said dejectedly, letting go of his silver beard and kneeling to her height, trying to brace her hands.

“When’s the last time I ever got to do anything other than train for missions and operations? So why don’t you stop with the lies?” She shouted, snapping her hands out of his as she continued forward.

“You’ve seen the chaos up close and personal, princess.” He sighed deeply as the last faint light from the windows faded. Now, where the dull night commands, the hallways grew darker and the silence grew.

“That’s why we should fight for peace, not drag it onto other lands!” Luna's voice cracked, waving her hand across the distance in fury. “You’re never here when I need you—and when you are, I’m just another duty on your list. You speak like my father, but your actions say otherwise!”

“I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but let us calm down.” He gently extended his hands, trying to de-escalate the argument. “If it's about the resources, we simply borrow them.”

“You mean stealing, right?! In fact, it's one of the major reasons we have the most enemies out of the four capitals.” Her lips shivered as her voice trembled.

She combed her hands through her silky silver hair, trying to hold back her tears.

“Daughter, please.” His eyes, now dismal, looked at her with regret.

“Do you not understand how I feel?! What I do now isn't living, it's merely surviving. Living day to day, no different from the last." Being attacked by emotions from both inside and out, physically and internally, her senses began to falter, and her consciousness wilted. "Do you even care how I feel?!"

Then, as she withstood the growing frustration within her heart, sapphire eyes flashed across the floor’s reflection for a brief second – her own, yet not.

“But–” He tried to utter, but Luna withstands the distortion and snaps, jolting closer to the entrance, interrupting her father from continuing his rant.

The needles born from Ansel’s emotion, unaware of this himself, dug into her body further and disrupted her own emotions.

“No, no, no, hold it right there. I’ve had a change of plans, and it’s because you’re a terrible king!” She shouted furiously.

The words burned seared her throat the moment they left it.

She didn’t mean to say it—but perhaps she did.

She charged out of the burdensome haze, her voice echoing through the corridors and opposite hallways, perturbed by the lack of noise from the meeting room.

“Look, daughter, I appreciate you somewhat coming back to your senses, but it’s not time just yet, you know? Now, let us relax.” He held his hand out as she reached the entrance, aiming to stop his daughter from barging into the meeting.

“No, now is exactly the time. Watch me bring Lunar Province to its deserved glory. I’ll show you all.” Quickly facing the door, she gripped the gold handles and exhaled. “If you want me to be queen so bad, how about I take it now!”

However, she couldn’t move in the slightest, as if something—someone had held her feet down.

“Luna, please wait!” Her father ran towards her urgently as a faint shout consumed the tense atmosphere. “Get over here! Please, I’m begging you!” An even fainter volume than the last, sending an outburst of panic down her spine.

However, she realized too late that her senses hadn’t fully recovered, and the faint sound of running footsteps grew closer. She tried to react in time, her reflexes ready—but the doors exploded outward before she could move, slamming her back.

Time slowed down before her eyes.

A storm of invisible ribbons swarmed Luna—clarity and pain intertwining. She could feel her mother racing towards them before she saw her.

“Ansel, Luna, get down!” A flash of light—cold air bending to her presence—preceded the lithe lady who soared beyond the burst of running people.

She flung herself diagonally across the floor, simultaneously throwing her daughter and husband down. With not a single moment to waste, she motions her hand upwards and encases the entire area with wide glaciers.

“Naomi, what’s going on?!” Ansel shouted, coming to a halt when a high-pitched whistle grew near. Thunderous cackling. Deafening light.

“Brace yourselves now!” She demanded urgently, swiftly placing both her palms on the floor below, emitting layers of ice around all lancet windows as fast as a blizzard storm.

The power of the Moonlight husk and its wielder.

An overwhelming display of power, leaving them frozen in place.

But before the light consumed the palace, Ansel looked at his little moon once more. “I’m sorry.”

A single teardrop fell from his terrified glance.

And before the little princess knew it, it all snapped.

A desolate void. Silent cries before the inevitable blinding flash. The darkest of white consumed all of her sight. The agony across her body pierced her soul.

The voice from before returned, whispering the same three words.

Facalor is near, and left as fast as it came.

For what felt like ages, her senses returned, though at their lowest capabilities, it was enough for her to confirm her consciousness.

From what she could barely make out, eyes shut and unable to feel, she was being carried away from the distant warfare outside the castle. To think all this would unfold only a few hours before her ranking confirmation, for what could’ve been the remedy to such tragedy.

Her lungs gasped for air. The noise faded, but her body still trembled—her tears slow like ice.

“I-I’m scared…” She weakly whispered. As she wept silently, the hallucination of the sapphire eyes and the whispers felt as if they were connected.

Naomi clutched her daughter closer, her breath uneven. “It’s okay, sweetie.” Naomi gasped for air. “I’m scared as well, so hang in there for me, alright?” Her voice cracked, like glass about to shatter.

Was this all my fault? The thoughts came as sharp as pain– her sight flickering. She hugged her mother tighter, the pain growing. The fragmented walls were overrun by steel and dust. The glass displays—once beautiful—now lie as broken shards on the depressed flooring.

“We’re almost there,” Naomi muttered, her breath quivering as ash stained her rich scars and royal attire. She repositioned her hand behind her daughter’s head, stroking her bristly hair.

“Where… where are we going?” The bleeding irked her, making it difficult to breathe, let alone speak, for her energy was short and limited, like the flicker of a dying candle.

“Wherever it is safe, far away from here.” Her breathing was unstable like a lost storm. "And if we come across the communications room, then we'll contact for help."

“Where’s dad? Shouldn’t he be here with us?” Luna desperately asked, crestfallen. She was still trying to make sense of it all, but nothing came of it. Her heart pounded so fast she thought it was going to stop.

Breathe, breathe… breathe. Naomi thought, hesitating to answer until she noticed her daughter’s downtrodden eyes.

As she looked into her daughter's muted eyes, her heart broke into more pieces. Once shining diamonds, now dull gems, afroment of any vibrancy or joy.

“Don’t worry, he’ll catch up.” She spoke, forcing the words through a breaking tone. “He always does.”

“What…what about Ava and Kazai? They could heal us–” Luna violently coughed up a few drops of blood, momentarily losing breath.

Glancing at the crimson streams of blood on her mom’s left arm and leg, she decided not to worry her any further for the sake of her focus.

“This attack wasn’t just for us. It was a planned raid—our kingdom… and the city of Yokohama. I must assume… they went back to protect their–” Her sentence was abruptly broken by the trembling surroundings, a treacherous fracture all around.

The path forward collapsed, an eruption so intense that the smog blasted across them like a starving storm, engulfing them momentarily. Summoning powder snow from her palm, she swiftly pushed the intoxication away, slowly progressing the nasty clouds away.

Suddenly, a glimpse of a gem-like shell appeared. The Moonlight Husk – an ancient relic passed down through her family, one sworn to their care and safety – gleamed in her thoughts.

After a few seconds, the rapid exchange began to lower in volume. Though they weren’t always consistent, they were always sharp, for she had no experience controlling them whatsoever.

At last, the warning had concluded and, in return, provided Luna with knowledge in the form of emotional turmoil. No, it's whoever is behind us right now. They must’ve had something to do with this hell. Luna thought–

And then she saw him—the figure behind it all.

Wielder of the Crimson Husk…