The world did not crack open the day after the Hollow God fell.
It breathed.
The trees swayed again. The wind carried birdsong instead of silence. And in the distance, the skies turned from sullen gray to hues of pale blue and gentle gold.
Something had lifted.
But deep beneath the beauty, a final ember stirred.
An oath still whispered through Selene's veins.
---
Elira was the first to feel it.
As she stood barefoot by the stream near their camp, sunlight warming her skin, her fingers trembled.
Not from fear.
But from something remembered.
She touched her chest and whispered, "Something old is watching."
---
Theron felt it next.
In his dreams, he stood in a field of ashes, ankle-deep in dust.
A voice called to him—not in words, but in memory.
A woman's voice. Fierce. Cold. Familiar.
> "Your blood was promised. Before the stars burned. Before prophecy."
He woke sweating, breath ragged.
Selene sat at his side instantly.
"Tell me," she said.
He did.
And when he finished, her hands were shaking.
---
Selene gathered them all by the fire.
Even with the sky so calm, her voice was tight.
"My great-grandmother," she said slowly, "was one of the first Moonbinders."
Naeria gasped. "The blood witches?"
Selene nodded. "She made an oath to protect the line of the Moon. To anchor its power to something immortal."
Rowan frowned. "What does that mean now?"
Kael already knew. He turned to his mate. "Someone… or something… still believes you belong to them."
---
They moved at dawn.
Following the stars, they descended through whispering valleys until they reached the Ashen Hollow—a sunken forest blackened by time and magic.
Nothing grew.
No bird sang.
Only bones lingered, half-buried in the soft, smoky earth.
Here, Selene's bloodline had made its first pact.
Here, the past still burned.
---
In the heart of the Hollow stood a circle of stone pillars, etched with runes too old for any tongue.
Selene stepped forward and placed her hand on one.
Her mark shimmered, then flared.
The ground split open.
---
From the chasm, a figure rose.
Tall. Cloaked in smoke. Eyes hollow.
But familiar.
Selene took a shaky breath.
"Grandmother."
The figure did not smile.
"You broke the cycle," it rasped. "You severed the star."
"I chose my family," Selene replied.
> "But your blood was promised. A vow made in fire and bone."
---
Naeria summoned a protective ward.
Kael stepped forward, blade drawn.
But the shadow only stared at Selene.
> "You carry the blood that binds all others. And with your choice, you've weakened what held the Old Ones back."
Selene's breath hitched. "You mean the gods we never named."
The figure nodded. "One of them waits still. Beneath the mountains. Feeding on forgotten vows."
---
A rumble shook the Hollow.
Trees cracked.
Stones bled ash.
Rowan swore under his breath. "What the hell is happening?"
Selene stepped closer to the specter of her ancestor.
"Then let me make my vow," she said.
> "You cannot undo what was written."
"But I can rewrite it."
---
She cut her palm.
Let her blood fall on the stones.
The ground stilled.
The figure shrieked—light spilling from its seams—and collapsed into dust.
The Hollow trembled.
And then, with a breath like thunder, the skies above opened.
Not with rain.
With aurora.
---
Light danced across the sky.
Not magic.
Not prophecy.
Just color and peace.
The first aurora seen in generations.
Elira gasped and pointed. "The world is healing."
Theron smiled faintly. "Because Mom unbound it."
Selene turned to them all.
Eyes shining with tears.
"No more oaths," she said. "Only love. And choice."
---
They camped that night beneath the glowing sky.
No stars wept.
No moons bled.
Just soft light. And steady hearts.
Kael leaned close to Selene. "You broke history today."
She nodded. "And now... we begin again."
---