Under the Shadow of the Moon

Chapter 69

Luna dragged her bloody sword along the ground. She was covered in blood, dirt, and cuts, and her face was tear-stained. She was staring at the ground a few feet in front of her, tears still freely flowing down her face. There were people all around her, but she couldn't hear them. She couldn't hear the screams, the gunshots, the explosions, the shouts... all she heard was the ringing in her ears, and the sound of Trae's scream tearing through her head. She just felt empty, knowing that she was the cause of his death and possibly her friends'. She couldn't let anyone else get hurt. She was going to be the one. The one who would end the war.

Trae... dead. The words swam around Luna's head, unable to connect to one another.

She looked up and around her slowly, spotting Talya sitting at the top of the last standing tower, one leg hanging off the ledge and the other pressed to her chest. Luna's expression was blank, all the pain she felt merging into a numb sensation. Even from afar, Luna could tell that Talya was smirking as if it was her plan all along. As if she wanted everyone dead. As if she wanted to watch the world burn. And at this pace, it would.

Luna picked up her pace, heading towards the tower. She would end it right then and there. First Talya, then the battle, then the War. This was the final battle, and for once, she wasn't the most important thing in the world. If Trae couldn't live, neither would she. Luna turned back to see his lifeless body still in the same place, his blood still pooling all around him and staining his golden hair red. Her heart sank and throbbed. She caused this. How would she make it right?

With the sound of Trae's scream and his last exhale ringing through her head over and over again, she took off, flying to the top of the tower at a speed she had ever flown before. Talya's eyes widened in shock, but she regained her bearings quickly.

Luna swung her sword at Talya, landing in a simple safety roll as Talya deflected the blade. Luna swung at her wildly, sacrificing all skill for rage. Burning tears were streaming down her face, clouding her vision and prickling her face. The sounds around her slowly returned, merging together and overwhelming her. She continued her attack, injuring Talya and herself until Talya was on the ground at the base of the tower. Luna couldn't bear to see her body hit the ground. She turned away, tears rolling down her face as she fluttered down to the ground away from everyone else. She looked at her hands, collapsing to her knees in utter disbelief. Her sword clattered to the ground as it slipped from her grip, shattering against the ground from all the stress she had put it through. It seemed to fall in slow motion. She put her head in her hands, crying uncontrollably. All of this was her fault. If she had never been born, she wouldn't have been responsible.

The sounds around her kept kicking in and out, slowly dying down, being drowned out by the sound of helicopter blades. When everything subsided, all there was, was silence. Everything was still. There was no more fighting. This was it. There would be no more fighting after this.

Luna collapsed in the rubble, sharp bits of metal and stone cutting into her knees and palms. She stared at her shattered sword, shattered like her heart. She knew nothing would ever be the same after the events of the past few months. The numb feeling had engulfed her again, and her ears rang incessantly. She felt like she was falling, being swallowed up by the earth around her.

Luna blinked a few times, taking in the scene around her. She stood in the middle of the Throne Room, each of the thrones occupied by her friends. Her throne sat empty, calling for her. Luna looked around again, realizing that the room was dead silent. She could hear her heart beating in her chest and her calm, steady breathing. She could move more swiftly now, she realized that before it felt like trying to walk against a blizzard, but now she was just free. She pressed a hand to her side, no blood staining her hand. In fact, the cloth had not even been torn. But she could still feel the pain. Every throb of pain and drop of blood that spilled down her body. The feeling made her queasy.