Empire of Nightfall

Chapter 4: Chains and Revelation

Moonlights pov

Moonlight stirred, her consciousness clawing its way back from the depths of sleep. A faint throb pulsed at the base of her skull, each beat sending a fresh wave of agony that washed over her. She winced, her hand instinctively reaching up to nestle her head, her fingers gingerly probing the tender area. The room whirled around her, the darkness pressing in, heightening the pounding in her head. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing the ache to lessen, but it clung on, determined and unforgiving.

Her confused gaze wandered about the dark room. "Where am I? " she mutters in a hoarse whisper. Then, like a train wreck, she remembers every little detail from the day before. Her sister's disloyalty and the white ball of light. The book is called 'The History of Holders. Her being hit in the head hard by something.

Sitting up with a soft groan, she places the palm of her hand on her head, expecting it to subside the intense throbbing pain, but it does nothing. Her head still hurts just as much, though, so she feels around, thinking maybe it is bleeding, and when she feels nothing of that sort, she lets out a breath of relief. That's a good sign.

She feels coolness nipping at her legs, seeping through her gown from the ground., the icy cold of the metal sending a shiver down her spine. She realizes she is sitting on an ice-cold metal floor in a dark room and can barely see anything. The room is about six feet high and four feet wide. She tries to move her legs to sit in a more comfortable position but can't. Her ankles are bound to the wall by a chain.

She tries to unlock it, but it's too dim. She begins to wish she had the white ball of light with her. At least with that, she could see. As soon as she concludes the thought, the white ball of light appears out of thin air.

Remembering the book of Holders, Moonlight scrambles to find it now that she has light."Thank God!" Moonlight's fingers brushed against the familiar texture of the book, her heart leaping in her chest. "A glimmer of hope in this darkness," she murmured to herself, her voice barely above a whisper, saying it in a low voice in case someone was outside and could hear her.

She squeezed the book tighter, a small consolation in the cold, moving room. She had stashed the book in the pocket of her skirts earlier while in the attic, relieved that she remembered. It is good that she wasn't holding it during her attack, or she would have lost the book. As soon as the thought crosses her mind, She notes a sudden movement in the metal room. The room is moving!

"What is happening?!" Moonlight shouts fearfully, "How is the roo moving?" she questions herself. She listens closely, and the dots line up as she hears the sound of galloping horses. She thinks It might be a carrier behind a carriage used to transport things because It can't be anything else-At least she wishes so.

Heart racing wildly due to the adrenalin, she pulls her legs to her chest and wraps her arms around them to calm herself down. "oh, magic ball of light, why did this have to happen to me?" she asks.

She turns to the ball and questions, "Can you somehow tell me what you are and how you keep appearing in all times of need?"

The ball of light moves and floats on top of the book still gripped tightly in her hands. She tilts her head to the right and looks at the ball curiously. "Do you want me to read it"? she wonders aloud. And the ball brightens, and Moonlight takes it as a yes.

She moves her hand over the book and reads the title aloud, 'The History of the Holders'. Then she opens it to the first page. She reads the first sentence, "The Holders are enchanted beings, possessing the power to control the moon and sun and all that happens under the sky. They ruled the world thousands of years ago."

Moonlight reads the rest to herself. It says that the holders possess magical powers harnessed by nature. And that over the years, their birth numbers have dropped significantly, and now only one Holder is born every five hundred years. Beneath the page is an illustration of a glowing white ball, labeled 'the power of the moon'; Moonlight realizes that the picture is of the ball of light that has been following her for the past day.

"But why are you near me?" Moonlight asks the ball again, still confused. It again turns towards the book in her hand, "Wat! Are you saying I'm a Holder? That I have the power of the moon, and I somehow managed to endow you to appear again and again whenever I need you?" The ball brightens as if it agrees.

Stunned, she stares at the ball, then the book, then back at the ball. "I'm a Holder." She states, trying out the unfamiliar sound of the word on her tongue. She has the power of the Holders. "But how come I have never seen you before all of this or ever felt like I possess such a . . . power?" She asks for the ball.

But instead of showing her the book to answer the question, the ball of light slowly moves into a girl with golden hair that emits light, amber eyes, and lips the color of cotton candy.

"Ahh!" Moonlight screams in fright and tries her best to move away from the girl, but the bounds on her ankles don't allow her to move too far and keep her locked in place. The girl looks familiar, though Moonlight knows she has never met her. Not once, if she had, she would have remembered her. She is sure of it. The girl (who was a ball emitting light just moments ago!) looked at Moonlight curiously, and her amber eyes sparkled as if slightly amused by her reaction to her.

She says, "My name is Celestia. I was one of the first-ever Holders and have come here to guide you until I know you're ready."

Moonlight stares at Celestia with wide brown eyes, Mouth slightly agape. "I know this might seem bazaar, and you must be scared, which is completely understandable. You can ask me any question, and I'll answer honestly and to the extent of my knowledge. But first, we need to escape this cold carriage carrier that might as well be a prison." she looks around in distaste.

Her words, however kind and thoughtful, don't make Moonlight any less scared of her. Celestia's eyes are soft in compassion. "Look, Moonlight, you don't have to be terrified of me. I promise I'm only here to help." With That, she moves her hands to Moonlight's ankles and places them on her metal restraints. They slowly start to glow, and they hear the clicking sound of it unlocking. Her ankles are free.

"How?" Moonlight asks, a little less timid and scared around her. 'How did you do that?"

Celestia responds confidently, knowing she's not scared of her much now, "As I said, I will explain everything once we get out of here."

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