...

  ...

  ...

  Back at the vilge.

  The wind howled softly through the broken rooftops of the desote vilge as dawn crept upon the horizon. It was a grim, sleepy pce where even the morning sun seemed reluctant to rise, its light dimmed as if in deference to the strange girl who now ruled it.

  Inside the chief's mansion, now cimed by Non, a quiet tension hung in the air.

  She y on her bed, her body motionless, breathing shallow. Blood, long dried and dark, stained the bandages wrapped tightly around her ribs and shoulder. Despite her strength, her divine body was still recovering from her recent ordeal.

  Sandy sat on a seat next to her, clearly worried and concerned for her health. As cold and emotionless as she seemed, she was a very kind person deep down. Not to mention, Non was the vilge's newfound hope.

  "Young dy... I hope you wake up soon, this vilge needs you." She muttered to herself as she wiped off the sweat from Non's forehead.

  There was a sudden knock at the door. Before Sandy could respond, it creaked open, revealing Drellis, panting slightly after a long journey, followed by the white-cloaked Saintess whose presence made the air itself shimmer.

  Eria's gaze fell instantly on Non’s prone figure, and her expression twisted in pain.

  "She’s worse than I thought," Eria whispered.

  Without waiting, she rushed to Non’s side and knelt beside her, pcing her glowing palm against Non's forehead. A faint silver light surged from her hand, pulsing gently into the unconscious girl's body.

  Drellis narrowed his eyes. How did this happen? Why was his new master already bedridden? Did someone attack her?

  These thoughts fshed through his mind while Sandy just stood there, dumbfounded for a bit by the sudden situation.

  Vigil, who was standing guard at the door the entire time also came into the room at this moment.

  "Miss, can you save the young dy? We've tried calling the vilge doctors to take a look at her but they all said there's nothing they could do. They even said she doesn't have much time left to live."

  "I know." Eria replied without looking up. "That’s why I’m here."

  Sandy’s eyes fshed. "Can you save her?" She spoke up as a frown appeared on her face.

  Eria didn’t respond. But her silence was cause for worry.

  After a long moment, she finished her spell and let out a slow breath. "The bck fmes are spreading. They're feeding off the backsh of her mana. If I hadn't come now, she would've been dead within 2 days."

  This statement shocked everyone in the room.

  Drellis frowned, folding his arms, but he didn't ask how Non ended up in this situation. Instead, he asked Eria a question, "So... what now?"

  "Everyone leave the room. I need some privacy if I'm to heal her." Eria said.

  "B-But..."

  "Let's wait outside!" Drellis interrupted Sandy as she tried to refuse.

  "Do you know this person?" Vigil asked.

  "Yes, if she can't save the new chief, then no one in this empire can." Drellis said as he turned around and walked out of the room.

  Vigil followed him without hesitation while Sandy reluctantly followed as well, leaving Non and Eria alone in the room.

  "Haa... This is more troublesome than I thought, with my divine power alone. I can't fully heal her; I need to pray to Goddess Luna to lend me some of her strength... Please...Mother Moon. I can’t save her. Help me..." Eria muttered to herself in a silent prayer.

  Then, something shifted.

  A golden light suddenly fshed on Eria before she could finish speaking. Endless divine power flowed into her body like a rushing stream.

  "T-This is...?"

  "Lend your body to me and I shall save her." A voice suddenly came into Eria's mind. It was the same voice she heard back at the temple. Goddess Luna's voice.

  Without further ado, Eria didn't hesitate. She rexed her body and mind as the warmth of the light begged her to sleep. Her eyes closed shut, a few moments ter, her eyes opened again. But this time, a golden light shined in her eyes.

  Divine power burst out of her body like a torrent. Causing the world itself to tremble in fear.

  Eria-no, Luna now stood before Non.

  Her gaze softened as she knelt beside the unconscious child. Her fingers gently traced Non’s cheek, brushing aside a strand of bck hair.

  "So fragile," Luna murmured. Her voice rang like a choir of a thousand whispering stars. "And yet… you carry my will with such defiance."

  She pced her hand over Non’s heart.

  A tremor ran through the nd.

  In that moment, every priest and priestess in the world fell to their knees. Every lycanthrope screamed towards the moon. Every temple bell rang unbidden.

  There were not a lot of people who knew that Luna was the st remaining God after the war of the Devils and Gods. But a few in every nation and empire knew of this fact. So, temples to worship her were spread throughout the world. Even within the territories where the other Gods were worshipped.

  Non burned with light.

  Silver veins of power spread across her skin, not painfully, but like vines of moonlight blooming from within. Her wounds closed. The bck fmes of the Dark Nova screamed as it was ripped from her soul, turning to ash beneath Luna's divine judgment.

  But more than healing, Luna reached deeper.

  She cradled Non’s fractured soul.

  She saw the man she once was, " The Executioner."

  The sins.The burdens.The blood she had spilled without remorse.And the pain she never once showed.

  "I did not give you this second life to suffer," she whispered. "But to finish what only monsters can."

  "You are not my champion. You are my shadow. My justice. My bde. And an old acquaintance. You belong to me. You are mine and mine alone. I will never allow this world to take you away from me again."

  Then, Luna leaned close, her voice no louder than her breath.

  "When the world turns against you… I will turn the sky upside down to see you whole again."

  She pressed her forehead to Non’s. Her face dispying nothing but the deepest of affection for her.

  The light surged, one final time.

  And then…

  The golden light retracted. Her presence faded. The divine pressure lifted like a great storm passing.

  Eria colpsed to her knees, her golden eyes dimming, her breath shallow. And on the bed, Non stirred.

  Her fingers twitched. Her eyelids fluttered.

  Then, for the first time since she colpsed, she took a deep, steady breath.

  Far away in pces all over the world, in cities, in ruins, in forbidden temples, whispers began as priests felt the divine power that had shaken the world.

  "The Moon has moved.""She walks among us."

  Many priests and priestesses had felt Luna's sudden presence.

  But none knew why she had descended.

  None knew the girl who now slept beneath Luna’s lingering light. They had all felt the presence of Luna. But none knew where she had descended.

  ...

  ...

  ...

  Elsewhere – The Crimson Hall

  Far beneath the streets of Lunareth, in a pce unmarked by any map, robed figures chanted in a circur chamber built of obsidian stone and blood-red marble. Their voices echoed like whispers from a dying god.

  At the centre of the room stood a bck stone altar. Upon it y an emaciated child, unconscious, breathing shallowly, yet still alive.

  A man stood at the edge of the circle, his eyes sharp and crimson red, his smile thin.

  "The core was a failure," one cultist said, voice trembling.

  "Of course it was," he replied. "Because she still breathes."

  The others fell silent. They all knew that the "core" wouldn't be so easy to find. Even with the "Revered" one giving them hints.

  "We have 8 months," he continued. "Find her. Or die trying." The tall man with crimson red eyes said as he looked at his subordinates with a frown.

  He also had felt the world tremble, and he knew better than anyone what this meant. A god had descended, even if it was just a brief descension. This meant that the God was aware or cautious of their actions.

  Back in the VilgeNon stirred.

  Her body twitched slightly, eyes fluttering open. The ceiling above her was wooden. But something else was there, warmth. A hand holding hers.

  She turned her head weakly, eyes still adjusting to the light.

  Eria smiled down at her, tired but gentle. "You're finally awake."

  Non blinked, her throat dry. "...Who are you?"

  "Someone who’s been looking for you for a long time."

  Drellis scoffed from the corner. "She’s the Saintess of the Moon. Supposedly the Goddess’s favorite."

  Non’s eyes narrowed, her instincts fring. "What do you want with me?" She asked in her weak voice.

  Eria’s expression softened, but her words were firm.

  "I want to help you. But more than that... I think we’re meant to stand together. There’s a war coming, Non. One that could drown the world. And I think you are going to be the cause of it."

  Non didn’t respond right away. But in her mind, Luna’s words echoed again.

  "You are not a hero. You are the executioner."

  Non coughed, then smirked faintly. "I guess Luna has showed you everything."

  Eria chuckled. "She always did have strange taste. Your fate is truly a cruel one, but your existence is crucial for the world to stand together. United and strong against a powerful adversary. But be that as it may, something tells me the Goddess likes you more than you think."

  Non: "..."

  (Author's note: Sorry for the dey, my ptop died on me, so I had to use a friend's PC to rewrite this chapter. Hope y'all enjoyed it. I'll try uploading a chapter every 2 days until I get my ptop fixed.)