The blinding light faded slowly, like a sunset in reverse. Luna blinked spots from her eyes, trying to make sense of her surroundings.
The sphere of pure magic had shattered, sending waves of power rippling through the strange space between light and shadow.
Vivian stood across from her, silver hair floating in an invisible wind, her black eyes reflecting the swirling energies around them. But something was different about her.
The darkness that had surrounded her before seemed... changed. Not gone, but transformed.
"Do you feel it?" Vivian asked, her voice filled with wonder and hunger. "The pure magic? It's like nothing I've ever experienced."
Luna did feel it. Her tattoos were practically singing on her skin, filled with new life and power. Every breath she took seemed charged with possibility. But there was something else too - a warning tingling at the back of her mind.
"We shouldn't be here," Luna said, looking around at the impossible space they occupied. The walls continued to shift between light and shadow, creating patterns that made her head spin. "This isn't natural."
Vivian laughed, the sound echoing strangely in the magical space. "Natural? My dear girl, nothing about us is natural. We're magic users - we bend reality to our will."
"That's not true," Luna argued, thinking of her friends, of Declan. "Magic isn't about bending reality. It's about working with it, being part of it."
Something flickered across Vivian's face - doubt, perhaps? But it was quickly replaced by that calculating look Luna had come to dread.
"Such idealism," Vivian said softly. "You remind me of myself, before..." She trailed off, her black eyes distant. "Before Arcturus showed me the truth about power."
Luna took a step forward, curious despite herself. "What did he do to you?"
Vivian's expression hardened. "He promised to help me control my powers, to make them stronger. Instead, he trapped me, stole my magic, twisted it into something dark. And when I refused to help him willingly..." She gestured to her eyes, black as midnight. "This was the result."
Luna felt a surge of sympathy, quickly followed by caution. Just because Vivian had been wronged didn't make her any less dangerous.
"But now," Vivian continued, a smile spreading across her face, "we have a chance to take that power back. Together, Luna. Think of what we could do!"
Before Luna could respond, the space around them shuddered. Cracks appeared in the air itself, letting in sounds from the battle they'd left behind.
"Luna!" That was Declan's voice, filled with worry and fear. "Luna, where are you?"
Her heart clenched at the sound. She could picture him perfectly - his mess of dark curls wild with static electricity, those intense green eyes scanning the room for her.
"He cares for you," Vivian observed, her voice neutral. "More than he should, perhaps."
Luna felt her cheeks warm. "We're friends," she said quickly. "He'd do the same for any of us."
Vivian's laugh was surprisingly gentle. "Oh, my dear. Is that what you really believe?" Her expression grew serious. "But ask yourself this - do you know who he really is? What he's done?"
Another crack appeared in their strange pocket of reality, letting in more voices.
"Little Inky!" Bear's booming voice. "Come on, kid, where'd you go?"
"The magical readings are off the charts!" Charlie this time, sounding excited despite the situation. "I've never seen anything like it!"
"Less science, more finding!" That was Zoe, practical as always even in the midst of chaos.
Vivian took a step closer to Luna, her movements fluid and graceful. "They're loyal, I'll give them that. But they can't help you understand your power. Not like I can."
"And why would you want to help me?" Luna asked, her tattoos shifting restlessly on her skin.
"Because you have something I need," Vivian admitted. "Pure ink magic, untainted by darkness. Together, we could..."
But Luna never found out what they could do together. At that moment, several things happened at once.
A massive crack split the air between them, wider than any before. Through it, Luna caught glimpses of the battle still raging in the Tower of Shadows. She saw Iris, her mismatched eyes glowing as she created protective barriers.
Fiona and Malik fighting back-to-back, their powers complementing each other perfectly. Bear's tattoo dragon breathing inky fire at a group of Collectors.
And Arcturus, his silver hair wildly disheveled, his ice-blue eyes blazing with fury as he fought against... Elowen? Luna gasped as she saw Declan's mother.
The tattoos covering her body were fully alive now, swirling around her like a storm of ink as she matched Arcturus blow for blow.
But it was Declan who caught and held her attention. He was fighting his way toward where she'd disappeared, electricity crackling around him like a living thing.
His face was a mask of determination and something else - something that made her heart race.
"Choose now, Luna," Vivian said urgently. "The power is fading. We must act quickly."
Luna looked at her - really looked at her. Behind the darkness in her eyes, behind the calculation and the hunger for power, she saw pain. So much pain.
"I'm sorry," Luna said softly. "But I already have a family."
The space around them shuddered one final time. The walls of light and shadow began to collapse inward. Luna's tattoos sprang to life, wrapping around her protectively.
"Then you've made your choice," Vivian said, her voice cold. But was there a hint of respect in those black eyes? "I hope you don't live to regret it."
The pocket dimension shattered like glass. Luna felt herself falling, spinning through space and time. Her tattoos tried to catch her, to slow her descent, but the magic was too strong.
The last thing she heard was Vivian's voice, whispering words that seemed to echo in her very soul: "Remember, Luna Hawkins - sometimes the greatest darkness comes from those we trust the most."
Then she was back in the Tower of Shadows, crashing into something warm and solid that crackled with electricity.
"Luna!" Declan's arms wrapped around her, steadying her. She felt the thrum of his power matching the pulse of her own magic, creating a harmony that felt... right.
But before she could enjoy the moment, before she could even catch her breath, a sound split the air that made everyone - Collectors, mages, and mundanes alike - freeze in terror.
It was like a thousand voices screaming in pain, like metal tearing and reality breaking. The Tower of Shadows began to shake, stones falling from the ceiling.
Through a hole in the wall, Luna saw something that shouldn't be possible. The sky was... changing. Where there should have been clouds and stars, there was only a swirling vortex of light and shadow.
And in the center of that vortex, something was taking shape. Something massive. Something ancient.
Something angry.
"Oh hell," Bear muttered, summing up everyone's thoughts perfectly.
The thing in the sky opened eyes that blazed with power older than time itself. And it looked directly at Luna.