The Demons of Shadow Moon

Part 109 - In The Cover of Night

Later that night, the silence of the castle was thick, suffocating. The clock ticked slowly, its hands inching toward midnight, each second dragging on like an eternity. 

Finally, the hour struck—midnight. The sharp sound cut through the stillness and a soft knock echoed from Aki's door as if on cue.

Already awake, Aki lay motionless, staring at the ceiling. His eyes were heavy, the weight of what was to come pressing down on him. With a deep breath, he rose from the bed, his movements slow and reluctant.

Standing in the hallway, Galaxy's figure was barely visible in the dim light, her presence like a shadow in the dark.

"It's time. You coming?" She tilted her head, her usual playful smirk absent.

"Tst. Do I have a choice?" Aki's expression was hollow, and his voice was a low growl.

Galaxy's eyes glinted, a trace of mischief creeping back in.

"Well, we need you to open the bloody door, don't we? Unless you'd rather I fetch Luna?" she suggested.

At the mention of Luna, Aki's jaw tightened.

"Like I'd let you," he muttered, stepping out into the hallway.

"Let's get this over with," he said, throwing a jacket over his shoulder.

Without another word, he pushed past Galaxy. The moon hung low in the sky, casting an eerie silver glow through the window.

Galaxy grunted at Aki's comment before following him. They snuck out of the castle under the cover of night... but little did they know, they weren't the only ones chasing secrets...

In Echo's room...

"Luna... Luna..." a faint whisper drifted through the air, pulling Luna from the depths of her exhaustion. Her tired eyes fluttered open, the world around her still a blur.

"Wha... Yurio?" she mumbled, her voice thick with sleep.

"Shh," Yurio's whisper was urgent, almost breathless. He placed a finger to his lips, then pointed toward Echo, who lay sleeping peacefully beside her.

"I've found something you need to see," Yurio's voice was low but intense.

"Huh...?" Luna rubbed her eyes, trying to shake the fog from her mind.

The next moment, Luna found herself flying through the night sky with Yurio. The cool night air brushed against their skin as the moonlight loomed above them.

"You seriously broke into Alex's shop?!" Luna asked with worry, sharp eyes scanning the ground below for any humans who might be wandering about.

"Why didn't you come wake me?" she urged.

"The conversation we had with them earlier rubbed me the wrong way. I was on my way back from visiting Mom's grave, so I thought I might as well have a little look around while I was passing by," Yurio returned, his voice casual despite the weight of his words.

Luna tightened her grip on him as they flew side by side, the cool wind whipping past them.

"And what did you find?" Luna asked, her tone becoming more serious.

"You really need to see it for yourself," Yurio insisted, his eyes narrowing as the village came into view below.

"There—we're getting close," He pointed toward the flickering lights in the distance.

Luna's eyes locked on the tiny lights of Oakville below, and she tucked her wings, diving down swiftly into the cover of the trees to avoid being seen. The forest enveloped them in shadow as they landed, branches snapping underfoot.