Your Ex Moonlark

3

Tysm for reading! Enjoy chapter 3!

Sophie's POV:

The forest was dense, its heavy, twisting branches casting long shadows that made it hard to see. I tried not to think about the pounding in my chest or the fear that had lodged itself deep in my throat. I didn't know what was ahead of me, and honestly, I wasn't sure I wanted to find out.

I had thought leaving the Lost Cities would bring peace. A chance to escape the accusations, the betrayal, and the pressure to be something I wasn't. I was tired of being the Moonlark, tired of being the one everyone turned to when things went wrong, only to have it thrown back in my face when the answers weren't easy.

But here I was, in the middle of nowhere. No guidance, no clear path forward. The people I had trusted—the people I had thought of as family—had all turned their backs on me. And I had left. I had walked away.

I had never felt more alone.

The figure walking ahead of me didn't seem to care about my thoughts. Their footsteps were sure, confident, while mine faltered behind them. I wanted to ask more questions, demand answers, but I was starting to feel like it wouldn't make a difference. The silence was all-encompassing, and every sound seemed to carry with it a warning—warning me that I wasn't supposed to be here, that I had made a mistake.

"You didn't have to follow me," I said finally, my voice betraying the uncertainty I felt deep inside. "Why did you bring me here?"

The figure didn't stop walking, but their voice rang out in the air with an eerie calmness. "Because you came here on your own. No one made you leave, Sophie. You chose to walk away from the Lost Cities, from everything you knew. You have to face the consequences of that choice. Here, no one can protect you. Not even your so-called friends."

I flinched. They didn't need to remind me of that. My friends—the ones I had trusted, the ones who had been by my side for so long—had all turned their backs on me. Whether they believed the accusations or not, the damage was done. And no matter how hard I tried to justify leaving, I couldn't escape the guilt.

I could still hear their voices in my mind—We can't trust you anymore, Sophie. It had echoed in my head every day since that moment. But I had left anyway. Because staying felt like drowning.

I clenched my fists, pushing the thoughts away. I couldn't afford to fall apart now. Not here, not in this strange place. I needed answers. I needed to know what had happened to me, what had happened to everything I thought I knew.

"I didn't ask for any of this," I muttered. "I didn't want this life. I just wanted to be... normal."

The figure's eyes shifted toward me, though their face remained mostly hidden beneath their hood. There was something unreadable in their gaze. "What is normal, Sophie? Do you really think you were ever meant to be normal?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but the words died on my lips. The figure was right, of course. From the moment I had discovered my abilities, from the moment I had learned about the world beyond the veil of the Lost Cities, I had never been "normal." I had always been someone different. Someone who was supposed to change the world.

And look where that had gotten me.

"You've been running for a long time," the figure continued, their voice softer now. "But sooner or later, everyone has to face what they've been running from. Even you."