Chapter 470: The Night the Moon Let Go

Eldric did not answer Orion immediately.

For a moment, he simply stared at the space between his hands.

Then he lifted his head.

"I use the word left," he said quietly, "because of what I saw that night."

Eldric’s voice was low and careful.

"I still do not fully understand what happened," he admitted. "Not even now. Not even after all these years."

He took a slow breath.

"We buried her at night," he continued. "The moon was at its brightest. Brighter than I had ever seen it before... or since."

His eyes flickered, distant.

"The light fell directly on the altar. Exactly where we had buried her. And when the light touched the altar..." Eldric whispered, "something changed."

Orion frowned.

"In what way?" he asked.

Eldric hesitated.

"In a gentle way, I would say."

He lifted one hand, as if tracing something invisible in the air.

"The moonlight grew thicker. Brighter. Almost solid. It wrapped around the altar like it was pulling the goddess to it."

Sophia’s eyes widened at that.

"It looked," Eldric said softly, "as though the light itself was carrying her away."

Orion and Sophia exchanged a look without speaking.

Their silence said everything.

Eldric’s mouth curved faintly.

"Ascended," he said quietly. "That is the only word I have ever found that comes close to what happened that night."

Orion slowly turned back to him.

"So you’re saying..." He paused. "You actually saw her leave?"

Eldric nodded.

"Yes."

Orion blinked once.

"...Like," he said slowly, disbelief creeping into his voice, "she waved goodbye and vanished into the sky?"

A faint, sad smile touched Eldric’s lips.

"She did not wave to me. But yes, I’m saying she vanished into the sky like the moon was calling to her. And it was that night that Dolion saw the prophecy regarding the true Luna—and lost his wolf spirit."

Orion stared at him.

Even Sophia stared at Eldric.

Orion dragged a hand down his face.

Orion laughed once.

"You’re going to have to hold on," he said, raising a hand. "Because this isn’t making any sense to me."

Eldric did not interrupt him.

"First you’re saying the goddess... ascended?" Orion said, his voice full of disbelief.

"Yes," Eldric told him, adjusting his glasses.

"And then you’re saying the one person who turned into a beast... the one who murdered her followers... the one who first practiced black magic..."

His voice sharpened.

"...is the same person who received the prophecy about the true Luna?"

Eldric remained still.

"That’s what you’re saying, right?"

"Yes."

Orion shook his head slowly.

"No," he muttered. "No, that’s insane."

Sophia’s hand fell from Orion’s hold and he didn’t even notice.

"You expect me to believe," he continued, speaking to Eldric, "that the goddess herself chose Dolion to see the future? To foretell the coming of the Luna?"

His eyes burned.

"The villain of this whole tale gets the prophecy? Why the fuck would she even do something like that? What was she thinking? And don’t tell me it’s fate," he snapped, "or some fucking sacred reason we are not allowed to understand."

He pointed at Eldric.

"I’m very certain the goddess is the one who showed him that prophecy."

Eldric did not deny it.

Orion’s voice dropped.

"So did she not think—just for a moment—that Dolion would use that knowledge to hunt down the true Luna?"

His jaw clenched.

"That he would do anything to reach her? Perhaps even tear through generations just to reach her?"

Eldric’s voice was calm when he answered.

"We do not question the goddess’ decisions."

Orion scoffed.

"Oh, I do."

The sound was sharp.

"I don’t give a damn about her title," he said quietly, "and I will question her decisions—especially when they make no sense."

Orion’s gaze never left Eldric.

"If she truly cared about her people, like you claim she does," he continued, his voice tight, "she would never have handed Dolion that kind of future or weapon."

Eldric’s eyes softened.

"I do not know why she chose him," he said gently. "I do not know why it was Dolion who saw the prophecy," Eldric went on. "Why it was shown to him again... and again... and again."

His fingers tightened together.

"Until he could no longer keep it to himself—to the point that he almost went mad and had no other choice but to come forth with what he had seen."

Orion shook his head again.

"Unbelievable."

Sophia finally found her voice.

"Eldric..." she said softly.

He looked at her.

"I have the same questions as Orion," she admitted. "I don’t understand it either."

She hesitated.

"But I’m not going to blame you for something the goddess may have done."

Her voice was gentle.

"You’re only telling us what you know."

Eldric’s lips parted.

For a moment, it seemed like he wanted to say something in return.

Instead—

A sharp sound tore out of his throat.

He jerked forward suddenly.

Both hands flew to his head.

A broken groan ripped through him.

Sophia jumped to her feet but winced immediately from the sudden movement.

Orion moved at the same time. He pushed Sophia back into the chair softly and moved toward Eldric, but Eldric held out his hand to them.

"Stay... where you are."

His tone was strained. Pain twisted his features.

He staggered back into the chair, shoulders hunched, fingers digging into his temples.

Eldric’s breathing turned uneven. A low, broken groan escaped him again.

It went on for a while, but he was adamant that Orion and even Sophia remain where they were.

Eldric’s body trembled.

He squeezed his eyes shut.

For a brief moment, it looked as though he might fall forward.

Then—

Silence.

The pain seemed to drain from him as suddenly as it had come.

His shoulders sagged.

He let out a long breath.

Slowly, carefully, Eldric straightened.

He reached up and adjusted his glasses with shaky hands.

"Eldric..." Sophia whispered.

He lifted his head.

"You need not worry yourselves about me."

Orion stared at him.

"Your voice just cracked like your skull was about to split open," he said bluntly. "Forgive me for being concerned."

Eldric smiled faintly, but it was tired.

"We have very little time."

Orion opened his mouth to speak but stopped when he noticed a dark streak slide down Eldric’s face.

"You might want to clean that up first," Orion said, pointing at Eldric.

Eldric paused.

He touched beneath his nostril, and his fingers came away red.

He reached into his coat and pulled out a folded cloth.

Without a word, he wiped the blood away.

"There is no need for panic," he said quietly. "This is just evidence that I truly do not have much time."

"So I will give you what you came for," Eldric continued. "The answers to the questions that matter most. The ones you really want answers to."

He locked eyes with Orion. "Starting from the one I told you I knew the answer to—the reason you were able to kill Dolion."