Moonlit Hearts

Chapter 48: The Beginning

The world held its breath.

Odin's spear gleamed, its divine edge cutting the air with lethal precision. Vali stood unwavering, silver eyes fixed on the Allfather, cold and unreadable. Between them, Chronos remained motionless, his golden collar pulsing faintly—a tether to time itself.

Wangji strained against the chains that bound him, every muscle screaming for release, yet still, he was trapped. His gaze flickered to Wei Ying, lying still on the battlefield, dark hair spread like ink in the chaos.

His chest tightened. He had to move.

But Chronos' grip was unyielding.

Then the first strike came.

Vali lunged, his blade slicing through the air with blinding force. Odin met him with the fury of a storm, his spear thrusting forward like divine retribution. The clash shattered the air, sending shockwaves that tore through stone and warped reality itself. The sky cracked as gods collided, unchained and unrelenting.

Chronos flinched, his grasp on time wavering.

And in that brief moment, Wangji moved.

Time splintered, bending beneath the weight of his will. His body screamed in protest, but he forced himself forward, step by agonizing step, until he reached Wei Ying's side.

He fell to his knees, trembling hands hovering over his beloved. His heart thundered in his chest, each beat heavy with fear. He dared not touch, terrified of what he might feel.

But then, trembling worse than ever, he brushed a lock of raven hair from Wei Ying's forehead.

No response.

No teasing glint in his eyes. No mischievous smile. Only the silence of a body too still.

Desperation clawed at Wangji's chest. His breath came shallow, ragged, as he pressed his fingers to Wei Ying's pulse point, praying, pleading—

Still alive.

Barely.

Relief surged through him, but it was fleeting. Wei Ying teetered on the precipice of death, his fragile breath barely stirring. Time itself seemed to fracture, each passing moment less certain than the last.

Above them, the battle raged on.

Vali's blade screamed against Gungnir, each strike sending ripples of divine fury through reality. Odin's eye burned with prophecy, his spear an unerring star, piercing space in pursuit of his brother's heart. Vali twisted away, his power a silver comet against Odin's golden storm.

Chronos reeled.

His collar pulsed wildly, unsteady now, no longer holding time with its absolute grip. But he did not fight it. He welcomed the chaos. The shattering of his chains was liberation, even as he collapsed under the weight of Odin's wrath. His hands trembled, but not from fear—only from the shock of newfound freedom.

Wangji knew he had mere seconds.

Ignoring the burning ache in his limbs, he gathered Wei Ying into his arms, pressing his forehead against his beloved's. "Wei Ying," he whispered, voice shaking. "Come back."

Nothing.

The pulse beneath his fingers fluttered, wavering.

A surge of power erupted from Odin as he drove Gungnir downward in a final, obliterating blow. Vali raised his sword in defiance, but the force of the strike was too great—the earth cracked, the heavens screamed, and time itself buckled.

Then the hourglass shattered.

The golden collar split with a keening wail, and suddenly—

Everything unraveled.