The Emperor's Concubine

B.2 Chapter Fifty-Nine

The mountain rumbles.
Petunia slices the head off the last beast.
"H-Hey!" Petunia exclaims, looking at the mountain wall Luna disappeared into.
The mountain wall sparks, gold light seeping through. The wall fades, disappearing.
Cethin, Riddle, and Petunia's eyes widen.
At the entry of the tunnel, sits a large golden dragon, its eyes piercing back at the three.
"W-What the hell?" Cethin mutters.
The gold dragon's eyes glow as he calmly looks back at the three. He lies calmly, and under him lays Luna.
Her body still, her eyes closed as she lies in his arms.
"L-Luna!" Cethin screams.
Cethin tries running to her, the dragon's expression growing violent and on guard.
Cethin's quickly stopped by Riddle and Petunia.
"Cethin! Calm down!" Petunia screams, holding onto his arm tightly.
"I-It killed her!" Cethin screams, his eyes watering.
The dragon looks back at them, still on guard.
"Cethin, it's a damn dragon! It'll kill you too!" Riddle shouts.
"I-It killed Luna! Luna! Luna!" Cethin screams, looking at Luna's still body.
Petunia looks back at the dragon.
"S-She isn't meant to die here." Petunia calmly speaks.
"Isn't meant to die here? She's not breathing!" Cethin shouts.
Petunia holds her hand up, stopping Cethin.
"Listen, stay here." Petunia calmly speaks.
"What?" Cethin exclaims.
Petunia slowly steps closer to the dragon.
Sweat dripping down her cheek as she grows anxious.
The dragon watches her approach, instantly his expression grows more vicious.
Petunia freezes.
She looks in her hand, looking at the sword the dragon stares at.
"Alright. It's okay." Petunia whispers.
She shows the sword slowly. Shen-Ling's eyes following it.
She throws it away from her. The dragon's expression still vicious.
Petunia unbuckles the weapon belt around her waist, throwing it too.
"Petunia!" Cethin shouts.
Riddle holds him back.
"Calm down." Riddle speaks, watching them.
Petunia raises her hands.
"Please... She's our friend. I want to check if she's dead... Please." Petunia begs, slowly taking another step closer.
The dragon's expression vicious as he hovers over Luna's body.
Petunia steps closer, and closer.
The dragon's throat glowing as flames slowly build up. Petunia removes her glove, showing her bare hand.
The dragon's breath blowing against Petunia as she feels his nose hovering close to her.
The flames slipping out of its mouth in front of her, the heat on her skin.
Cethin and Riddle watch on anxious.
Petunia kneels, her bare hand reaching for Luna.
The dragon's throat relaxes.
He watches Petunia's eyes glow vividly as she touches Luna's skin.
Instantly, Petunia rips her hand away. Her eyes widened, with tears dripping down her cheeks.
"C-Cethin... Riddle... Her soul's gone..." Petunia mutters.
"She's dead... I knew it!" Cethin screams, freeing himself from Riddle's grip.
"Cethin!" Riddle screams.
The dragon's throat instantly ignites, Cethin swiftly flying through the air, his spear in hand.
"Cethin!" Petunia screams.
She jumps, body slamming him into the ground.
They narrowly dodge the dragon's flames. The dragon stops, watching as Petunia holds Cethin down.
"Get off! Get off!" Cethin screams, his eyes tearing up.
"Cethin!" Petunia screams, "She isn't dead!"
Cethin takes deep breaths, calming down.
"What?" Cethin exclaims, "What do you mean?"
"She isn't dead! Her soul's not there. I didn't feel it, but she's not dead!" Petunia shouts.
"What do you mean?" Riddle asks, lifting Petunia off Cethin.
"Luna's not dead. Her soul isn't there, but..."
"But what?" Cethin shouts.
"She's meant to die by his highness still... I saw her death still, which means she's not dead, I-I just can't feel her soul..." Petunia's eyes water, numbly staring at the ground as they vividly glow again.
"Petunia... What is it?" Riddle asks.
Petunia trembles, her eyes overflowing with tears.
"She's meant to be killed by his highness still... Except I saw the scene this time."
"The scene?" Riddle exclaims, looking back at Cethin and Petunia.
Cethin looks back at the dragon, who hovers over Luna. It's golden eyes watching them.

Luna looks back at Sol, his eyes glowing as the stars in his eyes shift.
"Your soul is not a human's soul." He speaks, explaining.
"What do you mean?"
"My dear baby... Millennia ago, I realized I couldn't help the earth. Demons began being born, I knew eventually they would exterminate humans. So, I gifted humans special powers. Each varying from one another, in the hopes that they could protect themselves. They were able to protect themselves, but eventually too many demons were being created, and they began growing stronger. I couldn't stop them. As great as I am, I was too weak to see everything happening on earth... In order to protect the earth, I knew it was time to create a descendant, but made nine descendants. In order to make my descendants, I gave each of them a share of my soul. All the descendants have my eyes, signifying they were made from me... Yet, shortly after my descendants were born, one of them passed."
"A descendant passed?"
"Yes... I sacrificed parts of my soul, ensuring my babies would be strong enough to protect the humans in my stead... They're immortal just like me, but one of my babies had passed... My decision was to send my descendants to cover the earth, but one large part of earth seemed to have the most demonic aura appearing. I created twins in order to protect the large part of earth, but one of them passed... One of the twins accidentally absorbed most the soul of the other, just like the selfish baby he is... But it made the other twin grow weak. Its body was too large to survive without having the proper sized soul, and passed when it was created. I pitied the poor being. It never had a chance to live... Out of pity I took its soul, sending it to be reborn. It's clear from your eyes, you're the descendant." He speaks calmly, yet a carefree cheerful tone in his voice.
"Me? How? I-I don't understand." Luna speaks, confused as she listens to him, "It must be a mistake. My parents and siblings have the same eyes as me."
"Yes, but no. Your golden eyes are different. Though there might be humans with gold eyes, yours are the same as mine, holding part of the celestial skies in them, even if you can't see it. You are my descendant, and it's clear you are from how you came to me before."
"I don't understand, I'm not even sure how I came to you."
He leans back, taking a deep breath.
"You've done some interesting things... You were close to death, weren't you?"
"Close to death?"
Luna thinks to herself, her eyes widen as she realizes.
"First was the poison, second was when I was unconscious..." She mutters.
He nods.
"Yes... The place you came to is where souls of the deceased go. It's where I sort through who should rest for eternity, and who should be reborn." He explains calmly.
"But, how did I get there?"
"I'm not sure how you got there. I just know you entered, and knew you were different. You had life to your soul, and your soul had attachments to a body, so it was a rare occurrence you came to me."
Luna thinks to herself, overwhelmed.