Lyra hesitated a fraction too long.
He threw a dagger.
She ducked, her heel clipped a hidden wire.
SNAP.
A harsh twang rang out as a metal snare whipped upward, yanking her foot off the ground. She gasped as her body flipped violently, the world spinning.
And above her, a cluster of barbed stakes dropped like fangs from the canopy.
She twisted mid-air, heart pounding, spine screaming.
The stakes slammed into the dirt inches from her head.
She landed hard on her back, shoulder dislocating with a dull crack.
System Alert: Joint Dislocation Detected – Auto-Healing Engaged.
She rolled, coughing dirt, adrenaline flooding every vein.
Before she could stand, a new danger loomed, WHUMP.
A pendulum log swooshed toward her, covered in jagged spikes.
The venom on the spikes was distilled from Moonfall Blossoms, flowers that only grew where a Luna had died.
One scratch could paralyze an alpha.
She had no time to think.
Just react.
System Message: Skill Unlocked – Moon Dash
Cooldown: 30 seconds. Grants +50% speed for 3 seconds.
Moon Dash Activated.
A shimmer of pale blue exploded beneath her feet.
Moonlight wrapped her legs like silk, pulling her forward in a blur of movement.
She dashed, wind screaming in her ears, weaving between traps as if guided by instinct.
She jumped sideways, rolled under a falling log.
Flipped over a pressure plate, vines cracking underfoot.
A spike-laced dart flew past her ear—so close it sliced a few strands of her hair.
She spun in mid-air, twisted around a tree, and landed—knees bent, heart hammering.
Right in front of Ciran.
His fist came out of nowhere. She barely raised her arms—blocked.
The impact made her stumble back, boots dragging across the dirt.
Ciran's eyes flicked to her stance. To her breath.
He grunted. "Better."
A slow smirk tugged at his scarred mouth.
"Again."
Phase III: Blindfold and Instinct – Day Three
By dawn, her muscles were frayed wires, barely holding together.
Her skin was painted in bruises and thin, healing cuts. Sleep had been a passing suggestion. Pain, a familiar companion.
Ciran said nothing that morning.
He walked behind her in the clearing, and with a simple tug of cloth, slipped a blindfold over her eyes. The world went dark.
The technique was called 'Luna's Embrace,' used by the Goddess's chosen to see through lies.
The last wolf who mastered it had torn out an alpha's throat with her teeth.
She didn't question it.
No words.
Only the sound of wind threading through branches.
Only silence.
Then the crackle of leaves underfoot—soft, predatory.
He began to circle her.
Every instinct screamed to tear the blindfold off. But she didn't.
She couldn't. This was the test.
A pause.
Then—snap.
A twig, deliberately crushed.
She turned too late, a foot collided with her shoulder, knocking her sideways.
The ground bit into her palms as she caught herself.
System Message: Skill Upgrade – Lunar Insight I: Combat Echo
Passive effect: Sense intention through spatial vibration. Internalize enemy rhythm.
Something shifted.
The air spoke.
Not in words, but in tension. Pressure. Breath.
The wind was no longer just wind, it curved around something that moved.
The silence had weight. Pulse. Rhythm. Direction.
She felt it.
Ciran circled again. Slower this time.
He feinted right—then struck from the left.
But Lyra moved before he did.
She ducked. Air brushed her hair as his arm swung past.
She spun low, using the torque in her hips.
Her palm slammed into his ribs with startling precision.
Thud.
He exhaled, the sound sharp, controlled. Stepped back.
Silence returned.
Then a slow grin in his voice.
"Now you're listening."
That night, the stars blinked overhead, fractured by drifting leaves.
Lyra sat by the river, legs stretched out, body sore in a hundred places. Her breath moved slowly now. Deep. Grounded.
Ciran stood behind her, arms crossed, framed in shadows.
"You fight like someone with nothing left to lose," he said quietly.
She didn't answer right away.
The water glittered like silver blood.
Then: "I don't."
She turned her face slightly, eyes catching the moon's reflection.
"I lost everything already."
Kael's memory danced across her eyes like he stood right in-front of her. She felt the same vibration whenever he was near.
A low growl echoed from across the river. Deep. Wet. Wrong.
They turned.
Something lumbered into view, larger than any rogue she'd seen. Its fur shimmered like ink in moonlight. Its eyes glowed silver, not red.
"It's corrupted," Ciran muttered. "Be careful."
Lyra stepped forward, steady.
"Let me."
The beast roared, charging like a shadow hurricane.
She sprinted forward to meet it. The air vibrated with power.
Its claws raked toward her throat.
Moon Dash Activated.
She vanished.
Reappeared behind it mid-flip—drove her knee into its back. Her blade followed, glowing with energy. The rogue howled as it crashed into a tree, splinters flying.
It rose again—snarling, faster this time. Smart. Angry.
It leapt.
Lyra didn't flinch.
She closed her eyes.
Lunar Insight Activated.
A brief flash—its next move traced in silver.
She stepped sideways just as it landed—pivoted, then slammed her blade into its chest with a scream.
Light burst from her palm.
The creature convulsed, then exploded into a cloud of black ash and whispering shadow.
Quest Complete: First Blood.
+300 XP.
Level Up!
[Stat Points Allocated]
+3 Strength: Fists crackle with lunar energy
+2 Agility: Air parts like water around her
She stood, panting. Blood down her face. Her hands glowed faintly.
Ciran approached and placed a hand on her shoulder. Solid. Grounding.
"You've drawn blood under your own will," he said. "That was your first kill."
She looked at her hand, still faintly lit with energy and heat.
"I'm not done yet."
Ciran's expression shifted—a smile tugging at his lips for the first time.
"No," he said. "You're just beginning."
As the ash settled, the trees trembled. Not from wind. Not from beasts. But from the first waking breath of whatever the Goddess had truly chosen her to fight.