(UNDER HEAVY EDITING!!) Stellar Serenade: Cosmic Connections

Chapter 41: I can fix it... I promise.

Luminara woke up, she unzipped the tent's door to check the time.

The skies bore a faint tint of red and yellow, signaling that she had just missed sundown. A sense of foreboding settled over her as she peered out into the desert landscape.

A shiver ran down her spine, like cold boney skinless fingers running down her back.

The air felt heavy with an oppressive stillness, broken only by the distant chirp of a cricket. The sound echoed eerily across the barren expanse, amplifying the sense of isolation that surrounded them. In the dim light of dusk, the dunes cast long, menacing shadows that seemed to twist and writhe in the shifting sands.

Luminara's heart began to race as she scanned the horizon, searching for any signs of movement. But the desert lay silent and desolate, stretching out endlessly in every direction. It was as if the very land itself held its breath, waiting for something unseen to make itself known. 

A sense of unease settled over her as she retreated back into the tent, the darkness outside seeming to press in on all sides. She couldn't shake off the feeling that she was being watched, that she wasn't the only one awake at this hour. 

She went back into the tent, companied by a muffled shuffling noise. "Umbra?" She whispered. She reached out for the lantern, turning it on.  Something- or someone turned it off, hissing at her. She turned it on again, they turned it off, on, off, on, off. Until she just didn't have the motivation to continue with this again.

She sat down on her sleeping bag, exhaling. "I feel like I've been somewhat harsh with you, Umbra. Like I haven't actually been listening to you... I guess I've just been blaming you for everything unfortunate that has happened even when you were trying to comfort me" She apologized. 5 seconds of silence pass, with the occasional chirping from a cricket, until the muffled shuffling returned.

It was too dark to see anything, from what she can make out, a tall figure looms over her, pinning her down. Luminara recognized the moon pendant dangling from their neck. 

"Hello?? Umbra??" She mumbled, struggling to move.

His freezing hand slides up her neck, holding it down, she could barely breathe and kicking wasn't an option. He kneels down and bites into her neck, fangs piercing through Luminara's skin. She felt her blood spill down her body. 

This is what Ori's Father was speaking about- A sharing of blood, experiencing it firsthand felt surreal. But made more sense, kind of angsty though. "Are you done yet..? Umbra, I can smell my blood from here" Luminara managed to say, her voice strained, attempting to move again. He shakes his head in reply. A minute passes, and Umbra pulls away, wiping her blood from his lips. She gasps, attempting to sit up, but he pins her down again, continuing from the same area. "Umbra- I'm feeling a little dizzy" She mumbled, Umbra shakes his head again, continuing for another 3 minutes. He sits up, glancing at his bloody hands, licking them. He kneels down again, but Luminara holds her hand out, stopping him, and quickly shuffles backwards, summoning a bit of solar light and throwing it at Umbra. 

He hisses in discomfort as he shielded his eyes from the floating orb in the middle of their tent. She sends more solar power into the orb. Luminara sighed, sending the orb back. She shouldn't be doing this. 

The two of them were sitting in darkness again.

"Sorry" Umbra mumbled. "It's fine... Just give me a minute for my head to feel like it's actually sitting on my shoulders and not in the skies- a moment to collect myself" She said, collapsing down on the ground. Luminara breathed in, and out, holding her neck as an attempt to staunch the bleeding.. "Can I... Have more?" Umbra muttered. Luminara knew she should say no for the sake of her own physical health, but if she did his physical health would also falter, and she would regenerate in an hour either way. Luminara hesitantly nodded, and Umbra dragged himself over to her, continuing the process.