Colliding Dreams

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Beneath the Surface

[Luna's POV]

I didn't sleep that night. How could I? Each time I closed my eyes, the memories came flooding back, dragging me under like a weight I couldn't escape. My mother's face, etched with pain and sorrow as she revealed the truth. The cold realization that I was born from darkness and violence, that my very existence was intertwined with a monster. The crushing weight of it all suffocated me, making it impossible to find peace.

In those moments of darkness, the memories of my captivity resurfaced like a haunting specter. I could almost hear the echoes of my cries, the cold, damp cell I had been confined to, and the laughter of my captor that turned my blood to ice. I remembered the starvation—the gnawing hunger that had consumed me as I lay curled in the corner of that small, filthy space, too weak to move. The cruel taunts of Ulferix, each one a dagger twisting deeper into my already fragile psyche. He had relished my suffering, feeding off my despair, while I withered away in isolation.

But what cut deeper than the pain itself was the realization that my family had allowed this to happen. They had known Ulferix was out there, lurking like a shadow, and yet they had let me be taken by him. The anger bubbled up inside me, hot and fierce, boiling over into a rage I could barely contain. How could they? How could they leave me to suffer so much?

I stood alone in that cell for hours on end, trapped in my own mind, surrounded by the darkness of my thoughts. Nightmares plagued me—visions of his cold eyes, his vile laughter, and the feeling of helplessness as I was forced to confront the monster within my blood. Every waking moment became a battle against the memories that wouldn't let me go. I had felt so useless, so utterly powerless. How could I face my family now, knowing that they had stood by while I was suffering all alone?

As the hours dragged on, a strange numbness took hold of me, like my body was shutting down to protect itself from the pain. My mind, exhausted from spinning in circles, eventually succumbed to a state of blankness, staring at the ceiling as if it held the answers I desperately sought.

I didn't know how long I lay there, lost in the vast emptiness inside me, but eventually, a soft knock at the door broke through the fog.

"Luna? It's me."

Darius. His voice, usually a source of comfort, only made the weight in my chest feel heavier. I didn't respond, hoping he would take the hint and leave me alone. But of course, he didn't.

The door creaked open, and he stepped inside, his presence filling the room with an unwelcome warmth. He shut the door quietly behind him and moved closer to the bed, stopping just short of sitting down beside me.

"Luna..." He said my name softly, as if testing the waters. "I know you're awake."

I turned my head to the side, avoiding his gaze. I wasn't ready to face him yet. How could I? How could I look into his eyes, knowing the truth about who I was? Knowing the kind of blood that ran through my veins?

Darius let out a soft sigh and, after a moment of hesitation, sat down on the edge of the bed. The mattress dipped slightly under his weight, and I felt the heat of his body next to mine.

"We need to talk," he said, his voice gentle but firm.

I clenched my jaw, staring at the wall. "There's nothing to talk about."

"Yes, there is," he insisted. "You've been shutting everyone out since you found out the truth, but that's not going to help you."

I snapped then, turning to face him with a glare. "And what will help, Darius? What's going to fix this? How am I supposed to go back to being normal after finding out I'm the daughter of Ulferix?"