Luna thoughtâ¦
once the contract was made, things would get easier.
That maybe, just maybe, the wind would obey her.
Listen to her like it did with kaelora.
Flow with her hand. Settle when she breathed.
But the truth hit her fast.
Wind doesnât obey.
It roams. It shifts. It rebels.
Just like the storm she didnât know she was carrying.
âHey,â Zeph said beside her, kicking a rock off the mossy trail. âYou okay? Youâve been quiet ever since we left the grove.â
âIâm fine,â Luna replied, but her voice didnât match her words.
Because something was off.
Not outside.
Inside.
Her fingers twitched. Her chest felt tight.
The pendant at her neck wasnât glowingâbut it hummed, like it was waiting for something.
The wind wasnât calm anymore.
It was taunting.
Every breeze scratched against her skin like a warning.
Every gust tugged at her hair like a restless thought she couldnât shake.
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Luna stopped walking.
Zeph paused too. âLuna?â
She didnât answer. Her head tilted, eyes narrowing.
The air around herâ
It wasnât just moving.
It was cracking.
Like it wanted out.
âSomethingâs wrong,â she whispered.
And then it happened.
A sharp, sudden SNAP echoed through the woods.
A branch behind them shattered, even though nothing touched it.
The wind coiled like a snake, slamming through the trees with a roar.
Leaves exploded in the air.
The sky rumbled.
Zeph ducked, grabbing her arm. âWhat theâ?!â
Lunaâs body moved on its own.
Her arms flared out. Her eyes widened.
And without meaning toâ
She called the storm.
Wind spiraled from her chest.
The pendant flared a blinding white-blue.
It wasnât gentle.
It wasnât quiet.
It was wild.
âLunaâstop!â Zeph shouted over the roar, but she couldnât hear him.
She couldnât hear anything anymore except the storm in her own head.
She didnât ask for this.
She didnât mean to summon it.
But fear doesnât ask for permission.
Her hands shook. Her feet lifted slightly off the ground.
The air screamed as it twisted around her, a cyclone building from her heartbeat.
Zeph reached toward herâbut the wind shoved him back hard.
He hit the dirt with a grunt.
âNoâno no noââ Luna gasped, trying to pull the power back in.
It didnât listen.
The storm cracked againâlightning across a sky with no clouds.
Trees groaned. Dust flew. Her hair whipped around her face.
She was losing it.
Losing control.
Her eyes stung. Her breathing turned frantic.
This wasnât like Keoloraâs calm waves.
Wind wasnât safe.
It wasnât kind.
It was everything she didnât want to feel.
And she couldnât stop it.
âLuna!â Zephâs voice broke through the storm for just a second.
âIâm okayâjust breathe!â
She snapped her head to him.
He was on one knee, shielding his face with his arm, eyes locked on her like he wasnât scaredâeven though he should be.
That moment?
Thatâs what broke it.
Not the fear.
Not the power.
Him.
Still there.
Still close.
Even when she was a storm.
Luna closed her eyes.
Grabbed the wind inside her like it was her own shaking hand.
And breathed.
Slow. Deep. One step down from panic.
âIâm not scared,â she whispered to herself.
âIâm not scared⦠Iâm okayâ¦â
The wind slowed.
Not stopped.
But it⦠settled.
Enough.
Enough for her feet to touch ground again.
Enough for Zeph to stand up and step toward her.
âYou alright?â he asked softly.
Luna nodded, but her lips trembled.
âI didnât mean to. I didnât call it. I swearââ
Zeph smiled, brushing dirt off his jacket. âHey. Windâs wind. Sometimes it just shows up.â
âI couldâve hurt you.â
âBut you didnât.â
She looked down at her hands. They were still glowing faintly. Still buzzing with air.
âIâm not in control,â she whispered.
Zeph tilted his head. âYet.â
She blinked at him.
âNot yet,â he said again, grinning. âWhich means you will be. Just⦠maybe warn me next time before turning into a tornado?â
She huffed a laugh. âNoted.â
But even as the wind died down around them, she could feel it.
Eyes.
Not Zephâs.
Not Caelionâs.
Something else.
Something darker.
Watching from beyond the trees.
It didnât speak.
Didnât move.
Just⦠waited.
And Luna couldnât shake the feelingâ
It was waiting for her to fall apart.
---
To be continuedâ¦