The Luna's Second Chance

Chapter 40: Laying the Past to Rest

**Damian's POV **

The battlefield was eerily quiet now, the chaos of the battle long gone, leaving only the aftermath. Bodies lay scattered across the clearing-some unconscious, others too far gone to be saved. Damian moved among the remaining warriors, his heart heavy as he surveyed the damage. The outcasts, their minds once linked to Malachi, were in a state of confusion and disarray. Some had woken, but many were lost, their memories wiped clean by the severing of the dark magic that had bound them to Malachi.

"We've started gathering the survivors," Ethan said, coming to stand beside Damian. His face was grim, lines of exhaustion etched into his features. "Most of the outcasts don't remember who they are. The magic... it took too much from them."

Damian nodded, his jaw tightening as he looked over the devastation. "What about the others? Kian's allies?"

"They're alive, but barely," Ethan replied. "They woke up, but their memories are gone. We'll need to keep a close eye on them."

Damian's heart clenched at the mention of Kian. Isla's brother was still in a coma, and despite Luca's efforts, there had been no sign of him waking. The others-his closest friends-had woken but had no recollection of who they were or what had happened. It was a hollow victory, the battle won but the cost too high.

Damian sighed, running a hand through his hair. "We need to get them back to Blackwood. Luca and the healers will need time to work."

Ethan nodded. "I'll gather the warriors. We'll start transporting the injured."

As Ethan walked away, Damian's eyes drifted toward the edge of the battlefield, where **Selena** stood with Isla and a small group of surviving outcasts. Malachi's body lay before them, wrapped in cloth and placed inside a simple wooden box. It was a sobering sight-the once powerful and feared man now reduced to a shell of who he had been. But there was no hatred in Selena's eyes as she looked at him. Only sorrow.

Damian watched as Selena approached the group, her voice low but filled with emotion. "We'll take him to his final resting place," she said quietly, her hand resting on the edge of the box. "He'll be buried next to his brother. It's where he belongs."

Isla looked up at Selena, her eyes filled with questions, but there was no need to ask. She knew what this meant to her aunt-to lay Malachi to rest beside the brother he had once adored.

The surviving outcasts, though lost and uncertain, gathered around them, their faces somber. They had been Malachi's family, even if they had been bound to him through dark magic. Now, they stood together to see him off.

---

**Selena's POV **

As they walked through the forest, the weight of Malachi's body carried between them, Selena's heart was heavy with memories. She hadn't always known the man Malachi had become-the man consumed by darkness, possessed by a demon. No, the Malachi she had known was different. He had been full of life, full of admiration for his older brother. A boy who had lost his way after losing the only family he had ever known.

She glanced at Isla, her niece walking beside her, her face pale but strong. The weight of this moment pressed down on both of them, and as they neared the burial site, Selena couldn't keep the memories from spilling out.

"Malachi wasn't always like this," Selena said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "He wasn't always consumed by darkness. He looked up to your father-he idolized him."

Isla glanced at her, listening intently as Selena continued.

"When they were children, your father was everything to him. He was more than just a brother-he was a father figure, a protector. Malachi followed him everywhere, always eager to prove himself. But when your father died... something inside him broke."