Luna had long lost count of the days she had wandered through this barren desert. Each step felt like a battle against the relentless sun, which blazed down upon her with a fury that left her skin scorched. She remembered waking up to this lifeless expanse, the heat of the day merciless and the nights unforgivingly cold, often leaving her on the brink of freezing to death. These extremes were foreign to her; they felt intensified, as if the very elements conspired against her.
The sky above was an unyielding shade of blue, glaring and cloudless, while the ground radiated heat that warped the air into a shimmering haze. There was no sign of life—just a desolate landscape of cracked earth, ravaged by an unforgiving drought that had drained all hope from the land.
Just days ago, Luna had been nestled in her chambers, surrounded by serene glass walls and vibrant fields of flowers swaying in the gentle breeze. A winding stream had snaked through the greenery, a perfect reflection of her former life. Now, those days felt like a distant dream, an eternity away. She chuckled bitterly at the irony of her situation.
Once, she had been a goddess of immense power, her very presence commanding respect and obedience. Her beauty was legendary—a dazzling aura that could captivate hearts and bend wills. Her silver hair cascaded like liquid moonlight, and her deep ocean-blue eyes held a gaze that could sway even the most resolute. But now, stripped of her divinity, she was nothing more than a mere human, her powers and glory reduced to fading memories.
Luna's mind swirled with confusion, fragmented recollections slipping away like grains of sand. The last clear memory she held was from Davina(aka Darcey) and Lucifer's(aka Theo) wedding—a vibrant celebration that felt like it belonged to another lifetime. She could see herself smiling, caught in the warmth of joy and laughter that seemed to envelop her.
"Look at them, they're so in love!" a voice chimed, the laughter ringing through the air like music. "It's like something out of a fairy tale!"
"Yeah, if only the gods could stay out of it! What do they think they are?" another voice replied, laced with bitterness.
The sting of that remark tugged at her, igniting a flicker of self-doubt. The realization of her failures crashed over her like a wave .
Luna could still hear the applause and the joyful music, see the dancing figures twirling under the twinkling lights. Then, in a sudden flash, she remembered a waiter bustling through the crowd. In a clumsy moment, he collided with her, his tray clattering against her dress.
"Oh, my apologies, goddess," he said, a sinister smile creeping across his face.
"But maybe it's time you learned a lesson about humility." His words hung heavily in the air, each syllable dripping with contempt. As he continued to speak, her hearing sharpened unnaturally, drowning out his voice in a cacophony of music and whispers. Glasses clinked loudly, laughter turned hollow, and the atmosphere twisted, filled with unsettling rage that clawed at her insides.
Whatever he had said pulled her in with an inexplicable force, and before she fully grasped what was happening, she found herself trailing after that server into a dimly lit room crowded with faceless figures. Their presence was suffocating, devoid of meaning, but one figure stood out—its blurred face stirred a deep, instinctual rage within her. Though she couldn't identify them, she felt an undeniable connection, as if this person held the key to her past.
"Who was it?" Luna muttered, her voice trembling under the weight of the desert's harsh reality.
Thirst and hunger gnawed at her, distorting her perception as vivid illusions crept into her mind. Echoes of distorted faces and muffled voices filled her thoughts, crafting a nightmare that felt more tangible than the physical torment she endured.
The lines between reality and delusion blurred, leaving her spiraling deeper into a chaos she couldn't escape.
"Bloody delirium," she mumbled, struggling to steady herself on the uneven ground.
Her hands roamed blindly until they found a broken stick half-buried in the sand. Without thinking, she plunged the stick into her bare thigh, the sharp pain slicing through the fog of confusion. Blood seeped from the wound, mingling with the sand and staining the remnants of her once-elegant dress.
The pain was searing, a brutal reminder of her predicament, but it had the unintended effect of clearing her mind. As the blood flowed, the haunting images began to fade, and the stark reality of her surroundings reasserted itself. The desert was as unforgiving as ever, the sun beating down mercilessly.
Luna glanced down at her injury, her beautiful ocean-blue satin dress now reduced to tattered scraps that clung to her body. The sight of the stick still embedded in her thigh and the blood oozing from the wound filled her with a mix of dread and determination. With trembling hands, she pulled the stick out, blood gushing forth. Summoning the last of her strength, she ripped a strip from the bottom of her dress and wrapped it around her bleeding thigh. It did little to stem the flow, but it was the best she could manage.
"Is this all a dream?" she wondered aloud, her voice heavy with exhaustion.
It had been so long since she'd dreamed of anything that the thought of this desert being a mere illusion offered a twisted comfort. As she gazed toward a faint path in the distance, the sight of a road paved by human hands filled her with a flicker of hope.
"I just need to follow the road," she told herself, her priority now focused on finding water and food. The gnawing hunger and thirst drove her forward, fueling her determination as she stood tall despite her injuries.
With a newfound resolve, Luna began to drag herself toward the road, each painful step reminding her of her weakened state. Her body was battered, her leg throbbed with every movement, but the sight of the road ahead ignited a fire within her. She limped forward, driven by the belief that somewhere beyond the horizon lay answers—or at the very least, a chance to escape this hellish desert.
YOU ARE READING
HEARTS OF DIVINE RUIN (The MoonGoddess and The AlphaKing)
WerewolfBANTER "Damn right, I'm pretty," Luna said with a confident smirk. Her mischievous pride faltered at his response. "I said petty," Alexander's voice was cold but amused, arms crossed over his chest. Her smile sharpened, daring, as she leaned into th...
