Blessed By The Moon

Chapter 40

Same timeline as Storm's

Echo's POV:

The sun hung low in the sky, painting the world in hues of gold and amber as I made my way back. The breeze carried the scent of blooming wildflowers, of fresh earth, of life. It felt like a promise, like the world was whispering welcome home.

And for the first time in years, I believed it.

I had done what I set out to do. I had healed wounds, some visible, some hidden deep within the hearts of those I had come to love. I had rebuilt, not just villages, but lives, giving people hope where there had once been only ruin. And in doing so, I had rebuilt myself. I had found my purpose, my strength, my voice.

And now, finally, I was ready to go back.

Back to Storm.

Back to the man I had left behind.

Not to beg, not to yield, but to talk.

To see if there was anything left of us that was worth saving. Because I missed him. I missed his fire, his sharp wit, the way he could infuriate me in one breath and leave me breathless in the next. I missed the way he looked at me, like I was his, like I was the only thing in this world that mattered.

I knew he would be difficult. He would pretend he hadn't missed me, would throw my absence in my face, maybe even taunt me for thinking I could walk back into his life so easily, but I also know he'd be sorry, I can make him see things my way.

I was ready for that fight.

I smiled to myself, imagining his glare, the way his jaw would tighten, the way he would scoff and cross his arms, pretending he wasn't aching to touch me. He would be impossible, he always was, but I had spent years away from him, and I had learned something important.

I didn't want a life without him, I brought happiness to everyone except myself, I brought peace to everyone except my raging heart, and if I can accomplish so much, surely I can have a conversation with him.

And then, just as I crested the ridge, pain seared through my chest. A sharp, aching pang, deep and twisting, as if something inside me had snapped.

I gasped, stumbling forward, clutching at my heart. The world blurred for a moment, the warmth of the sun suddenly gone, replaced by an unbearable cold.

Storm.

Something was wrong.

My mind raced, frantically searching for an explanation. Was he hurt? In danger? Was someone coming for him? Why am I feeling this way?

I forced my breath to steady, reaching for our bond, for that invisible thread that had always connected us, that had tethered us together no matter how far we strayed. But instead of warmth, instead of that familiar pull, all I felt was... emptiness.

No.

A cold wave of dread washed over me, chilling me from the inside out. It wasn't pain from a wound. It was something deeper.

Something final.

Something irreversible.

And for the first time in centuries, I was afraid.

Storm, what have you done? are you okay? are you alive?

The pain still echoed in my chest, a hollow ache where something vital had once been. But I couldn't stop. I wouldn't stop.

I forced my feet to move, pushing forward, faster, faster, my breath sharp and ragged as I made my way to the nearest village, I could see the light from the treeline, I pushed myself hard, practically dragging my feet.