Dragon Prince: The Storm's Heart

Chapter Six: A New Moon

A few hours ago, Claudia and Soren had both showed up and Callum cleared things up with his explanations, letting them stay in the Moon Nexus. But Shira has a bad feeling regarding the two siblings.
As Shira looked up at the moon, she was surprised to see another Moonshadow elf feeding another moon phoenix. He's around her age. He is tall and lean, but the strength in his muscles can be seen. His hair is white and in a long, loose ponytail. His pair of horns can be seen poking from his white hair and his pointy ears can also be seen. His skin is light and has a purple tinge, but is marked with lavender markings on his face and arms. Shira took note of the elf's bright brown eyes that shone with sharp confidence and protective defiance with an air of a hidden warrior. He had on a teal sleeveless tunic, baggy pants, and dark boots. Shira knows him, they both played together in the village whenever he was using a human illusion. He's still handsome though. He is none other than Diego, Lujanne's nephew.
The sight of him took Shira's breath away and made her stop walking as they both made eye contact and he headed towards her. "If you want, I can give you my version of the Moon Nexus." His voice is much like Lujanne's, gentle and calming.
Shira was curious as Diego showed her around the Moon Nexus. "Where are you taking me?"
Diego gave a playful smile. "You'll see."
Shira gasped when Diego led her to the Moon Temple. The building was all silver, with a half dozen sparkling spires and grand gazebos nestled into the grounds. Everything was surrounded by a moat and waterfalls.
They both went up hundreds of shimmering stairs, across the moat. She followed Diego into the temple through central atrium, where light shone through moon-shaped windows illuminating green garlanded archways. Butterflies glided gently along. The towering walls of the atrium were made of granite, and hundreds of runes had been etched into them.
The ethereal beauty astonishes her, and she slowed down her pace at the beautiful sight of the temple she's inside.
"Amazing, right?" Diego smiled at Shira.
"It's beautiful." Shira smiled as she slipped her hand into Diego's hand. "Thank you for showing me."
"You're welcome." Diego tightened his grip on her hand lightly. "But this isn't the best part. Come on!"
Shira followed Diego into a nearby forest clearing, feeling both curious and confused. Diego jumped onto a tree branch and gestured for Shira to follow him.
With a thrill of excitement, Shira crouched down and sprung up to the lowest branch of a great buckeye tree. Like a cat, she worked her way upwards, one branch after another, Shira had stopped at the height of three men above the ground. Shira realized her heart was still racing from excitement. She soon felt something brushing her shoulder, she turned to see Diego sitting next to her.
But when they looked up, they both soon saw something astonishing in the sky.
It was so beautiful. She could count more hues and shades than in the box of paints and watercolors that she had bought a few years ago. Shades of sapphire and violet shimmered and shined, like a giant river had blanketed the sky and stretched out over the land. It was almost evening, but the stars started to sparkle brightly in the night sky. The stars sparkled like distant diamonds in the sky, while the sky is like deep sapphire blue velvet that sparkled with the beautiful constellations overhead. As the clouds cleared, a silver circle of the full moon had also appeared in the night sky and had casted its soft silvery beams of light over the lake.
"It's amazing," Shira whispered. "I've never seen anything like it before."
"I'm glad you like it," said Diego.
The two of them both fell silent and started staring at the storm that was raging outside. They both stared out into the dark forest and the rumbling thunderstorm. Shira wasn't used to traveling into pitch-black like this, especially when she couldn't tell where any people were at. She could hear the dripping of rain, amid the nighttime forest cacophony, but she couldn't see anything except the forest and the stormy night sky.
Diego looked at Shira, he found her staring at the stunning view of the stormy night sky and her hair gently cascaded over her shoulders. They both seemed to be listening to the chorus of mysterious creatures and the sound of pouring rain.
Torrents of rain soon started pouring down on the forests of the Moon Nexus and the Cursed Caldera. The raindrops sounded like pebbles beating the ground. Dark storm clouds swirled in the sky, flickering with silent lightning and rumbling with powerful thunder. It was late in the evening, the full moon peaked out of the departing dark clouds. The stars sparkled like distant diamonds in the sky, while the sky is like dark sapphire blue velvet that shimmered with the stars overhead.
Through the sparse canopy of leaves, the light of the full moon shone through in sharp rays of silver. The air was frigid, that even the clouds that hung in the sky were stiff with cold. All the animals were huddled in their nests and dens, sleeping through the night with hopes that tomorrow's sun will bring back the warmth to the world. The only creatures that dared be out tonight were the fuzzy rabbits that munched on the leaves, not worrying about predators that might snatch them away, and a few skittering field mice, searching desperately for spare shriveled berries on the forest floor.
They ran through the forest without any situation. They had managed to startled some crows from the fields. They splashed through some streams and getting drenched in the process. They stopped in a small clearing in the forest as a rainstorm had begun to roll into the sky. Shira lifted her head to drink some of the falling rain drops. She saw Ava and Zym started jumping around excitedly, trying to catch the rain before it hits the ground. They were both being watched by their friends by the trees.
It wasn't long till Diego led Shira into a beautiful clearing. It's a grassy field, it seemed to be uniquely contrasted by the dark forest surrounding them.
"Lets have some fun." Diego jumped off of the branch and landed gracefully into the meadow. Shira's eyes widened when she saw fireflies fluttering out of the grass and around Diego.
Couldn't wait anymore, Shira jumped from the branch and landed into the meadow. She smiled as the fireflies started floating around her. Shira smiled at the sight of the fireflies as they started to appear in the waving grass and started glowing bright yellow like scattered, fallen stars. She and Diego both started running in circles around the clearing and the fireflies started fluttering around her like alit golden stars. As they both ran through the long grass again and laughed as a trail of fireflies had started glowing a trail behind as she ran and grinned to see the stars sparkling above her head. It almost felt like she was dancing with the stars, it made her feel at peace as she continued running through the clearing with Diego. It's a high-energy, romantic dance of some sort. Shira smiled in awe at the stunning sight of the glowing fireflies overhead as she and Diego both ran into a circle in the center of the clearing and causing more fireflies to light up the once-dark clearing.
Once they have both tired themselves out from their run, Diego and Shira both sat down on a flat boulder together, side by side. They both walked towards a well-worn forest pathway, stepping into shadows illuminated only by glowing white flowers and pale blue mushrooms. A few dapples of moonlight from the bright, full moon scattered through the leaves, shimmering gently on the stones lining the road.
They walked down the path hand-in-hand, entering a particularly thick patch of trees before suddenly stepping out into the bright moonlight. Shira's mouth fell open at the sheer beauty before her.
The clearing was perfectly round and carpeted with soft grass that rippled in the night breeze like a silvery-green lake. Shining white bell-shaped flowers hung from the surrounding trees, trembling under the moon's glow and letting out ghostly chiming noises. The moon was almost directly overhead, shining from an inky sky dotted with more stars than a person could count.
"It's beautiful," whispered Shira.
Diego could sense the moon reaching its zenith. He smiled excitedly at Shira, placing one hand on her shoulder and one at her waist. She mirrored him, gently gripping him shoulder, and wrapping a warm arm on his back.
Shira gazed at Diego as the moon's light sparkled in his eyes and on the tips of his horns. He was always beautiful to her, but there was always something special about how he looked beneath a moonlit sky. He was wholly at home and in his element, like how Shira enjoyed watching stormy skies. He felt her hand squeeze his shoulder just as the moon reached the center of the sky.
The chiming bell-like flowers, which had been tinkling softly in the background, took on a silver-blue glow and started to shake, as if a fierce wind had whipped up. An eerie, ghostly melody swept over the clearing, causing goosebumps to rise on everyone's skin, before growing louder and stronger, sounding like a symphony of ethereal wind instruments.
Diego took the lead, starting off with a simple series of steps that Shira tried to follow. Under the moon's cool, ephemeral touch, each point of contact between the two felt especially warm and intimate. The soft grass brushed her ankles. The moon's kindly light was like a cool caress. The night air felt like it was charged with hope.
Then, the music faded too. The moon was moving past its zenith. The flowers turned white and quiet again. A hush fell over the clearing like a sigh. The dancing came to an end. There was a moment of silence before the sounds of walking and conversation slowly filled the air.
"What are you going to do?" Diego and Shira both sat down, side-by-side.
Shira gave him an odd, searching look. Her blue eyes seemed to dance with the flashes of lightning and the pouring of rain.
Diego realized this was the first time they'd been alone together without having to help each other. Or was it the first time they'd ever been alone together? He felt the weight of his bow on his back.
"I have to help them," Shira said determinedly. "I have to make sure Viren doesn't escape." Her expression is determined, but her eyes held a touch of sadness. "I don't want to let my new friends down."
Diego studied her profile as she played with her hands and said, "That's a lot of thoughts. What happened to the unobtrusive, quiet human?"
"It turns out it's actually easier to speak to you when we are not worrying about each other," Shira admitted, smiling. 
He shifted his weight and sat down next to Shira, lowering his voice even more as he said, "Sometimes I'm only certain of one thing. That I hope I never hurt you."
She gazed up at him in surprise and replied, "Me?"
"I mean, I should," Diego said with a small smile. "But for some reason, I can't."
He took another inch closer, placing his hand on top of hers.
"I'm — I'm glade you can't hate me." Shira looking at their intertwined hands instead of his face.
"I have something to give you," Diego said quietly, making her look up at him.
"I made something for you..." He reached into his tunic, pulling something out. "Consider it half of your present, since you'll be away." Diego opened his palm, and Shira gasped softly.
In his hand, he held a gorgeous jewel necklace. The circular blue gem was encased in intricately shaped metal, designed to be four crescent moons surrounding a full moon, all surrounding the gem like a shell. Shira's heart melted at the sight.
"Diego, it's beautiful." Shira traced the metal protecting the soft blue jewel. She could feel magic emanating from the gem.
"It's a real Moon Opal," Diego explained. "Look, I have one, too." He revealed another Opal necklace. Shira's eyes widened, and he smiled softly at him. She should have known Diego would make something like this for her. There was always something new about him that she learned every day, and she loved him for that.
"My heart goes out on this mission." Gently taking the necklace from his partner's hands, Diego lifted the cord over Shira's head. "It can help you on your mission." Diego gently kissed her on the cheek and she blushed slightly. "If need be, you can crush it to release its magic."
Shira's eyes widened. "Diego..." She smiled softly at the necklace, which nestled comfortably around her neck next to her dragon pendant. "I'll try my best not to use it."
Diego looked down, his hands playing on his pendant. Shira sighed. "You're worried."
Diego swallowed thickly. "I know. I... I can't help it. I shouldn't be scared, you have the finest team accompanying you, and you can handle yourself, but I..."
"I know." Shira held her partner's face, stroking his cheek with her hand. "Don't apologize for how you feel. It's only natural." She smiled at him. "I promise to return your heart."
Diego took Shira's hands, squeezing them as he leaned into her. She wrapped his arms around Diego, inhaling his familiar smell of the woods and the gentle rain. Diego tried his best to keep every detail of this moment with Shira into his memory. The warmth of Shira's embrace, the sound of the light rain, and his final words to her.
"My love will be with you, even when the moon is not." They both separated each other, but they held each other's hands and smiled at each other as lightning flashed between the two polar opposites of two worlds.