(Through The Moon alternate ending. You need to have read it to understand. If you haven't, skip this. Word count: 993
ANGSTY)
Rayla lay on the comfy bed. She and her friends were spending the night at the Moon Nexus. Usually, the moonlight was comforting, but tonight, it rought only pain. The moon, it was only a reminder of her parents, of Runaan. This place was a reminder of everything she'd lost. It was only a reminder...
The steady breathing she could hear helped calm her down a bit. Callum was laying down in a bed against the opposite wall. The sound of his adorable snores filled the room. She had to talk to him. What she had seen in the Moon Nexus... it was terrifying. She needed to sort it out. The reason this was so difficult, she had to do it alone. She couldn't put Callum in danger. Risk losing him like she lost everyone else. She loved him too much for that. She had to leave.
But that was it. Rayla couldn't leave. It would break Callum's heart! So, she decided to do it before he woke up. Late at night. She'd write a letter and leave it for him. The thought of it broke her heart. She could barely look at him at this point. She turned over and fell asleep.
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Callum's eyes fluttered open. He looked around. Soon enough, he jumped out of bed and ran through the temple. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! Rayla had left early in the morning. Of course, Callum didn't know that. "Rayla?! Rayla?" His breathing slowly returned to normal. He saw a familiar elf strolling down the halls of the temple. "Lujanne! Have you seen Rayla?" "No," she responded. "I'm afraid I haven't. I've just left the table. Breakfast is ready. I was about to call for you, Ezran, and the strapping young idiot. Allen is already awake. Check with him."
Great. "Okay. Thanks, Lujanne!" Callum shouted, running to find the carpenter. This wasn't difficult, considering the sheer size of the man. "Allen! Hey! Allen!" Finally, Callum caught his attention. "Oh! Hello! What do you need?" Allen asked, grinning at the young mage. But his expression changed as he saw Callum's face. "What is it? Where's your elf friend?" Callum groaned. "You don't know, either?" Allen sighed. "Sorry, boy. I don't know where she's at." Callum shook his head. "Okay. Thanks, anyway."
Callum sat down at the table. Reluctantly, he began his meal of disguised grubs. Ezran appeared from the temple dreary-eyed. "Good morning," he yawned. "Where's Rayla?" Callum frowned. "I don't know. She left before I could even say hi." Ezran looked a little confused. "Huh. That's not like her." Callum shrugged. "Isn't it, though?" Ezran opened his mouth to oppose, but quickly shut it. "Yeah, okay. It kind of is."
Callum could barely eat. The fact that she left, it troubled him. What was she doing, and where was she doing it? And why without him? All these questions. He just wanted to make sure she was okay.
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The elf strolled through the dense fog of the Cursed Caldera. The monsters didn't bother her anymore. She knew they were fake. But the monsters inside were not. Where are they? There's no way they could be dead... right? Poor Callum. Why do I torture him this way? She continued to walk, thinking of all the things Callum could be doing. The only thing she knew he was doing was worrying. She knew that for a fact.
Rayla looked behind her. Back up the caldera. She had been walking down to gather her thoughts. She hadn’t, but she decided she had tortured her boyfriend enough. Alright, she thought. Back to the Nexus. She sighed as she began her trek back up the large mountain. She hummed an old song her mother used to sing to her. It hurt to think about her mother, but of course, she still hummed the little tune.
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Callum was walking back to the temple to continue his search, when he saw someone in the trees. Taller than him by an inch. Pointed ears. Purple horns. Rayla? He ran toward the figure, confirming his theory. Before she knew it, Rayla was engulfed in a crushing hug. She smiled. "Hey, Callum." He didn't respond. Finally, he let go of her and asked, "Where were you?" She sighed. "I was... I dunno. I left to... gather my thoughts, I guess." Callum frowned. "You wanna tell me what's wrong?" She was a little surprised, but she knew she couldn't hide anything from him.
"Okay. I just... Think about this. You said that Viren said, 'I have just the fate in mind'," she said, assuming her best impression of the dark mage. Of course, mocking him at the same time. "Yes," Callum confirmed, slightly confused. "He couldn't have meant death, right? They could be alive... and something tells me they are," she said, turning to the young mage. Callum thought for a moment. "And... and what if he's alive, Callum?! I mean, he was the only person in the Nexus who opened their eyes! Does that mean..."
Callum didn't know what to say. "I don't know, Ray. I still don't understand half of what I saw in there. It was confusing. It was horrifying," he mumbled, voice slightly trembling. Rayla looked away. With a sober voice, she asked, "What if it's not over?" Callum sighed. "Well, maybe it isn't. But I'm here for you. If Viren's out there, we'll find him." Rayla turned to look at him. "No," she whispered. "I'm going alone. I've lost almost everything and everyone I've ever loved. To him. I can't risk losing you, too."
Callum put a hand on her shoulder. "I can't lose you, either, Rayla. So please, don't do this to me. Don't leave. I can't live without you." Rayla sighed. She knew she couldn't leave him. Not now. "Okay. Fine. We'll go." "Together?" She sighed, pulling him into a hug. "Together."
That night, Rayla and Callum set out to find him. To find Viren.
