Elemental Throne The Rise of Luna

The morning air was cold and dry. Not the kind that bit—it just pressed. Heavy. Silent.

Luna knelt near the campfire, trying to coax a flame from the wood.

She raised her palm. Focused. Just a flicker of warmth. Nothing more.

But the fire didn't flicker—it roared.

A burst of flame surged out, snapping through the air and narrowly missing Zeph's face.

He stumbled back with a yelp, singed bangs standing straight up.

> "Whoa—! Okay, wow, we're skipping breakfast if it means not dying."

Luna dropped her hand, eyes wide. "I didn't mean to—"

> "Yeah, no, I got that," Zeph said, patting out the smoke from his sleeve. "Unless you're secretly trying to kill me. Which—fair. I talk a lot."

Riven stepped between them, gaze sharp. "That's the third time."

She flinched. "I know."

> "The elements aren't listening to you," he said. Not accusing. Just… stating. "They're reacting. On instinct."

> "Like they're afraid," Zeph muttered, softer now.

Luna's hands trembled. She stood too quickly. "I need air."

She walked off, away from the camp, away from their eyes.

---

She didn't go far—just to the edge of the cliff overlooking the silver valley.

The view was haunting. Ash stretched where rivers should've run. Wind passed without a sound.

She clenched her fists. What's happening to me?

The Kings had taught her control. Balance. Unity.

But now—her fire lashed out. Her earth cracked without warning. Even her pendant pulsed in broken rhythm.

> "You're not losing it," a voice said behind her.

Zeph again.

Of course.

He flopped down beside her, not too close. Just enough to say: I'm here, not prying.

> "You've seen what I am," she said quietly. "And you're still here?"

> "I've also seen you cry when a bug got caught in a cobweb."

She blinked at him.

> "What? It was adorable. And weird. You talked to it."

A breath escaped her lips. Almost a laugh.

> "Point is," he said, nudging a pebble off the edge, "I've seen you. All of you. Fire bursts and moonlight cracks and all. And I'm still here."

She didn't say anything, but the silence between them felt easier now.

> "Even Riven's scared," she said after a while.

> "He's scared of losing you," Zeph said. Then added, "Same."

---

Back in the temple, Luna walked slowly around the thrones.

Six in total.

Each one made from raw elemental power—some crumbled at the edges. Like they hadn't been sat on in centuries.

But the center of the room still pulsed. Drawn toward the seventh sigil etched in the ceiling.

Unity.

Only… something felt wrong.

Luna stepped toward the center. The pendant flared again—more stable this time. And as it did, a faint glow began to pulse beneath her feet.

Stone shifted.

A seam opened where none had been.

She dropped to her knees and brushed the dust away—revealing another sigil, hidden beneath the unity mark.

It was similar. But twisted.

More spiral than circle. A shadow curled through it like ink bleeding across water.

Her breath caught.

> "That's not one of ours," came a voice.

Riven stood behind her now, tense. His hand hovered near his sword. "This symbol… it's void-touched."

Zeph squinted. "Looks like someone tried to erase it. Why hide a sigil under Unity?"

> "Because it doesn't belong," Luna whispered.

---

She touched it.

The world shifted.

A rush of wind and memory flooded her vision—gray shadows and a cloaked figure.

A man with silver eyes. Her father.

He stood beside the Seer—the same one from last night.

> "The girl is a bridge," her father was saying. "Let her awaken, and the path will open."

> "It will destroy her," the Seer replied. "And everything with her."

> "Then we rebuild from the ashes."

The vision ended with a shattering crack of silence.

Luna staggered back.

Riven caught her. "What did you see?"

She shook her head, barely able to speak. "My father… he planned this. All of it. I'm not the key. I'm the door."

---

They left the chamber in silence.

But when they reached the surface, Zeph cursed.

Ashes had been disturbed. Tracks—human and not—were fresh in the soil. Symbols burned into the nearby rock.

Cult symbols.

> "They were here," Riven said grimly. "Watching us. Maybe more."

> "But they didn't find the sigil," Luna murmured. "They're still chasing pieces."

Riven looked at her. "And now they'll come faster."

---

That night, Luna sat alone again.

She held her pendant in her palm.

The crack had deepened—nearly split in two—but now, deep inside, something glowed.

Not just silver.

Something darker flickered beneath it. A curl of violet.

Void.

She didn't look away. Not this time.

> "What am I becoming?" she whispered to the sky.

The moon glowed softly, clouds drifting past its light. Not judging. Just… watching.

Riven stood nearby, silent. Zeph hadn't said much since the vision.

But in the quiet, something shifted.

Luna didn't feel like running anymore.

She touched the pendant gently and whispered, almost to herself:

> "Maybe… I'm not meant to fit their crown."

> "Maybe I'm meant to break it."

And beneath the moonlight, something inside her stopped shaking.

Just for a moment.

To be continued...