Ashen Cult

Morning light spilled across Luna’s face as she lay sprawled on the bed.

“Hmmm...” she pondered aloud, her expression scrunched in exaggerated thought.“Reincarnation usually comes with some drawbacks, sure—but this much?” she cried out comically, flopping onto her side.

“At least give me some powers to work with,” she muttered, rolling from one side of the bed to the other.

Then a thought struck her.Father has a meeting with Elder Brother today... I wonder what it’s about.

Without wasting another second, Luna sat up, slipped out of bed, and padded across the room. She darted through the corridors, climbed the stairs up to the third floor, and arrived at the heavy double doors of the meeting room.

Knocking lightly, she pushed one door open just enough to peek inside.

Reed and Nyx sat across from each other, mid-conversation. Luna tilted her head, eyes wide with innocent curiosity.“Can I stay here?” she asked sweetly, putting on her best shy, cute voice.

Both Reed and Nyx froze, turning to stare at her in disbelief as if a ghost had just walked in.

“Ah—yes, of course. Come in. Sit here,” Reed said, still recovering from surprise.

“Thank you,” Luna chimed, walking over to Nyx. She took a seat beside him, gently clutching his arm and leaning on it as if nothing could be more natural.

Reed gave a small cough to reset the room’s tone.“Ahem. Anyway, let’s continue.”

His face grew grim.“The cult’s made another move. We can’t keep letting them get away with this. They’ve raided border cities—some were nearly wiped out entirely.”

Reed sighed, dragging a hand down his face before dropping a folder of documents in front of Nyx.

“The Ashen Cult is relentless,” Nyx said, picking up the papers. “We still don’t know their full intentions, but one thing is clear—we can’t ignore them any longer.”

He flipped through the reports with a hardened expression.“Here—these are the crimes they’ve committed on our soil, at least the ones I could confirm. Raids. Pillaging. Children Abductions, Father. They’ve taken children.”

Nyx clenched his jaw and looked away, clearly shaken.“There are even signs of human sacrifices. And… fairy sacrifices, too,” he added grimly.

Reed’s shoulders slumped under the weight of it all.“What’s the Royal Family’s response been?” Nyx asked carefully.

“I haven’t notified them yet,” Reed admitted. “There’s too much happening at once. I wanted to gather more before escalating.”

He leaned back in his chair and looked at his son.“Nyx, I’m trusting you with this. Draft the report to the capital. You’ve done well so far—this report was solid.”

Nyx gave a firm nod, accepting the task without a word. Luna, still curled up beside him, listened quietly—eyes wide, thoughts racing.

Ashen Cult? Kidnapping? Sacrifices?Luna’s eyes narrowed as she processed the conversation. They’ve really gone and stirred the pot now. Well, they’ll get what’s coming to them.

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As that thought crossed her mind, she gently squeezed Nyx’s arm and rested her head against it, a small but firm show of affection.

Nyx immediately froze mid-sentence, his composure cracking as a flush crept onto his face.

“Mhm,” Reed grunted, clearly not missing the scene—and perhaps, just slightly, sounding jealous.

“That’s all for today,” he declared abruptly. “We’ll continue tomorrow, Nyx.”

Reed’s gaze lingered a little too long on Luna snuggling against Nyx’s arm, then with a final sigh, he stood and exited the room—his footsteps a bit heavier than usual.

Left alone with Nyx, Luna kept her head resting, eyes closed in fake slumber.

“Luna… are you asleep?” Nyx asked, unsure whether to move or stay still.

A beat of silence.

“...Nooo,” Luna replied, clearly pretending. “Is the meeting over?”

“Yeah, it’s done. So let’s go,” Nyx replied, oblivious to the act.

“Okay,” Luna said, her eyes now open and her smile as innocent as ever as she looked up at him.

The two of them walked out of the meeting room together.

Out in the corridor, they were immediately met by Aria.

Her eyes flicked from Luna to Nyx—then landed on Luna’s hand still holding onto his arm. She blinked once. Then again. Slowly.

“…May I borrow Luna for a moment?” Aria asked sweetly. Too sweetly. The hostility toward Nyx was not subtle.

Nyx flinched, glancing between the two girls like a deer caught between two wolves.

“What for?” he asked, his voice cautious.

“It’s about the Academy,” Aria replied flatly, her tone sharp and clipped.

"Fine," Nyx replied with a sigh, glancing at Aria.

"At least do it properly," he added as he turned away, giving a casual wave while heading toward his study.

"Alright, Luna, let’s go outside for some tea and a little chat," Aria said with a gentle smile.

Luna took her hand, cheerful as ever, and walked happily alongside her toward the garden. Aria smiled all the way, her expression light and warm.

"Come, sit here," Aria offered, pulling out a chair for Luna.

"Thanks," Luna replied, returning the smile as she sat.

Aria made her way around the table and sat down across from her, her thoughts briefly swirling as she considered how to begin. After a moment of quiet, an idea struck her.

"Luna... it’s about the Academy."

She paused, choosing her words carefully.

"Nyx and I—we’d like to invite you to visit. As you know, you’ll probably be enrolling once you turn ten. We thought this would be a good chance for you to get familiar with the place beforehand."

"And in the meantime..." Aria hesitated slightly, a touch of shyness in her voice."You could watch the tournament that's being held there. I’ll be participating in it."

Luna blinked once, then raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed.

Ah, so that’s what this is, she thought, her expression making it obvious.You want to invite me to the tournament, but you're dressing it up as an innocent Academy tour. So predictable, Aria...

"But where is the Academy?" Luna asked, her curiosity showing as she looked up at Aria.

"Ah! Great thing you asked!" Aria perked up, clearly thrilled to answer.

"Now, listen with all your ears," she declared, puffing up dramatically. "For I am about to bestow upon you godly knowledge!"

Both Luna and Aria tried to keep a straight face, lips twitching—…and then they both burst into laughter, tears of joy slipping down their cheeks as the garden echoed with their giggles.

"Ahh, that was a good one," Aria said, finally catching her breath. She wiped her tears away, still chuckling softly."Anyway. The Academy is located at the farthest western point of the Empire—on the Mistpoint Peninsula, near the Strait of Mistpoint."

“It’s beautiful in its own way,” she added, placing her hand gently on the table.“You’ll see for yourself soon. We’re heading back to the Academy in two days—you’ll come with us then.”

Oh well, why not? It'll kill my boredom, Luna thought to herself.

"Why not—let’s go then," she said aloud, her voice light and a little playful.

The two of them sat there, talking about the things they liked and disliked. Time passed without them noticing, wrapped in warm conversation and laughter. Eventually, as the sun began to set, they made their way back to their rooms—and before long, both had fallen fast asleep.