Chapter 5: The Bell That Wasn't Supposed to Ring
The morning after our midnight cookie confession felt… different.
Maybe it was the air—lighter somehow. Or maybe it was the way the sky looked more blue than usual, like it had been freshly painted just for today. But deep down, I knew something was off.
The Temple was too quiet.
I stretched, yawning, then paused mid-motion.
Ding…
A sound echoed through the walls—a soft, ancient chime that made the air itself pause. Not a bell I'd heard before. Not one that should have been ringing.
I scrambled up and threw on the first robe I could find. Outside, priests and priestesses were already gathering in the courtyard, whispering, wide-eyed, staring up at the Bell of Tirasel.
A bell that hadn't rung in over two hundred years.
"LUNA!" Zehn ran up beside me, his hair still messy from sleep, boots half-tied. "Tell me I'm not dreaming. That's the bell, right?"
I nodded slowly, heart thudding. "Yeah. But why now?"
Before he could answer, the High Seer emerged from the main hall, robes dragging behind her, eyes glowing faintly with light.
Her voice cut through the whispers. "The Bell of Tirasel only rings to awaken fate. And today... it sings for the Divine One."
People turned. Stared. At me.
I suddenly felt very, very small.
The High Seer raised her hand. "There is someone who must meet you, Luna. A being from beyond the veil. A soul tied to yours."
Okay. Cool. No pressure.
I took a slow breath, trying to steady my racing thoughts. "Where do I… meet this soul?"
She pointed toward the Mirror of Elaris, an ancient, glowing gate hidden behind the temple's waterfall—a place few dared go.
Zehn frowned. "You're not going alone."
The High Seer gave him a look. "This is a journey of fate. She must go as she is."
He looked at me. I looked at him. Something unspoken passed between us. That knot-in-your-stomach kind of silence.
I gave him a small smile. "I'll be okay."
"Bring back another cookie if you survive," he joked weakly.
I walked through the temple, past hallways of golden light and whispering wind, until I reached the edge of the waterfall. Behind it shimmered the Mirror—tall, translucent, glowing like it held a secret only I could unlock.
I stepped through.
The world on the other side was quiet. Empty.
But not for long.
A flicker of light danced before me. Then, slowly, a figure began to take shape—a girl. My age. Pink hair in long twin tails. A soft, knowing smile.
"You're…" I whispered.
"I'm Elara," she said gently, "your reflection in another life."
My breath caught.
"I was once the Divine One too," she continued, stepping closer. "But I made choices that turned light into shadow. I'm here to give you a choice before history repeats."
I stared at her, stunned. "What kind of choice?"
She leaned in, eyes shining. "You can follow the path written for you... or make your own."
The Mirror shimmered again, and in its reflection, I saw two paths: One glowing and golden, lined with praise and obedience. The other wild and chaotic—with flashes of Zehn, laughter, tears, storms... and love.
"I chose the path of light once," Elara said, her voice sad. "And I lost everything that made me human."
My throat tightened.
She reached out, her touch like mist. "Don't lose your heart, Luna. It's your strongest magic."
And just like that—she was gone.
The Mirror stilled.
I stepped back through the waterfall, soaked, blinking at the sunlight... and found Zehn waiting with a towel and the most worried face I'd ever seen.
"You look like you just saw a ghost," he said, wrapping it around me.
I nodded. "I kind of did."
And somehow, the way he looked at me told me that whatever path I chose—he'd find a way to walk beside me.
Even if the world told him not to.
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To be continued…