THE RISE OF AN OMEGA-Chapter 80: Power claimed , Trust beyrayed

Chapter 81: Power claimed, Trust Betrayed

We stood up, but this time we stayed a little apart from the moonstone. Shortly after, the crescent moon shape on my arms began to glow, and then something strange happened—a tiny light emerged from the two moonstones and rested on my arm, exactly at the point where the image of the moonstone was.

I closed my eyes, thinking it was going to hurt, but surprisingly it didn’t. The light just kept shining on the image on my arms, making it glow.

"What’s happening to you, Kira?" Ryker asked, coming closer to me, his voice laced with worry. "Are you hurt? Is it giving you some kind of burning sensation?"

"No, Ryker. Surprisingly, the feeling is soothing," I replied.

He heaved a deep sigh of relief. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"Then what’s happening to her?" Emilia asked, her eyes never leaving the part where the moonstone light appeared.

"If any of us knew, that would be great," Isabella said, clapping her hands.

"The moonstone has chosen you as its potential bearer," a grumpy, baritone voice said.

As we turned to look at who it was, we saw the leader of the creatures standing behind us, the one with the moonstone in his chest.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"It means that the moonstone can be taken by you, but you have to be careful with it," the second creature said.

"I know that something as powerful and ancient as that has to be taken care of or handled with great caution," I replied.

"No, that’s not what I mean. I meant you have to be careful—the Moonstone has the power to throw any of you, in fact, all of you, into a dreamscape, and when it does, you are lost in there forever," the one with the half part of the moonstone said.

I chuckled. Seeing that we had gone through a nightmare battle like this and I was able to bring them out alive, I felt brave that I could do the same thing. But it was as if the first creature, the leader, was peeping into my heart and head to know my thoughts.

"It’s not going to be as simple as you think, Moonkeeper. It’s not going to be like the one you encountered in the cave."

My eyes narrowed. "How do you know about our nightmares in the cave?"

The creature chuckled.

Hearing him chuckle was really scary. I don’t think I ever want to hear him do that anymore.

"Once the moonstone perceives that you are not worthy, or any of you aren’t worthy of being around it, it sends that person into a nightmare that they will never wake up from."

"Oh wow, that’s awesome!" Isabella blurted out, sounding sarcastic.

Everyone’s eyes rested on her.

"Hey, no, don’t look at me. I am just so happy that we will be getting the stone back."

"Come on, you don’t think that you would be lost in a nightmare because you might not be worthy?" Marcel asked her.

"Hell no, Marcel."

"Guys, can you calm down!" I interjected.

I turned to the creature to ask if this was how the moonstone worked all the time, but he said no, that it only does this for people who come for it. The creature told me that the moonstone is an artefact that represents light, peace, harmony, and, above all, unity among my species. And if it finds someone among the people who had come for it isn’t trustworthy, the moonstone acts to defend itself.

Hearing him say all those things about the moonstone made my jaw drop in amazement. I couldn’t believe my ears. My gaze moved from one person to another until it rested on Asher. He seemed to be a little uncomfortable as if something was eating him up inside.

But I didn’t let it bother me, because I had the moonstone, and if the creatures were right about it, I was sure it was going to do whatever it had to do to Asher if his intentions weren’t pure.

"So we can go grab it right now?" Isabella asked.

"No!" the creature yelled, his tone sounding like a warning. "It could kill you if you touch it."

"Urgh!" Isabella exclaimed. "Then how the hell do we get that thing out of here?"

"Only the chosen one can touch it," the creature said.

Everyone’s gaze rested on me.

"Oh right, I am the Moonkeeper, so it’s only right and fair that I be the one to retrieve it." I heaved a deep sigh.

"If you’re not okay taking it right now, we could wait until you’re ready," Ryker suggested.

"Come on, Ryker!" Isabella hit him with her elbow.

"Ouch! What did you do that for?"

"What did I tell you about indulging and pampering her? Leave her alone—she’s got this," Isabella said firmly.

"You didn’t have to hit me so hard just to remind me of that, you know," Ryker retorted.

"Hell yeah, I had to, Ryker!"

"Can you two just stop bickering and let me think?"

"What’s there to think about?" Isabella smirked. "Baby, don’t tell me you’re second-guessing your Moonkeeper status."

She was right, again. I was second-guessing my Moonkeeper status. Thoughts like: What if I’m not worthy? What if I touch it and something strange happens? What if I touch it and I never see the others again? What if this was just a trap by the creature who is holding the second half of the moonstone?

All those thoughts were eating at my head, mind, and heart.

"Do not second-guess yourself, Kira. You are the true Moonkeeper. I believe in you!" Asher called from behind.

Everyone’s eyes rested on him for a while. "Oh come on, guys, don’t look at me like that. I’m just trying to help," he said, raising his hands in surrender.

"No one asked you to help, Asher! Just stay in your lane and don’t do anything else," Ryker warned, his tone laced with anger.

"That’s enough, guys! I’m going to go get the moonstone so we all can leave here peacefully."

"Go get it, girl," Isabella encouraged.

I moved closer to the gravestone where the moonstone was embedded. I stopped when I got about two steps away from it and looked back. I was going to ask one more thing just to be clear before retrieving the moonstone, but everyone yelled at me to just take it already.

Instinctively, I placed my arms on it, and a bright light shone forth. It was as if it was connecting to me in a way. The light began to course through my body. I could feel something strong resonating inside of me—it felt so good.

It was power.

And I mean raw power. I had never felt anything like this before.

It made me wonder if I was now in the same league as the dark entity. It made me wonder if I was ready to go into battle with it.

As the energy flowed within me, I sensed my feet rise slightly from the ground, the light enveloping me like a shielding cocoon. My body shook, not from fear, but from something much deeper—intent. It felt like the moonstone was not only empowering me but also revealing aspects of myself I hadn’t realized were there.

The crescent symbol on my arm throbbed in harmony with the stone’s glow, and I perceived gentle murmurs, sounds from a different era. They weren’t noisy, merely faint whispers. "She is prepared." "The equilibrium needs to be reinstated."

As the light finally faded, I stumbled slightly, but Ryker caught me. His arms enclosed me with the comfort of someone who understood precisely when I needed help.

"Are you alright?" he inquired, brushing the hair from my face.

"I believe I am," I murmured. "I sense... a change." *More powerful.*

"Congratulations, Moonkeeper," the being with the embedded moonstone said, bowing gently. "You have been approved. You now bear the burden of the moonstone’s desire. Utilize it wisely."

I inclined my head, still bewildered by the surge of energy. All around me, the rest gathered, their eyes brimming with wonder—and perhaps a trace of fear. Not about me, but about what this power represented.

"What happens next?" Emilia inquired gently.

"Now..." I glanced back at the ancient gravestone. "Now, we prepare. The moonstone didn’t choose me for anything. The dark entity is still out there, and I think it knows what just happened."

Asher shifted uncomfortably, and for a moment, our gazes met. There was something unreadable in his eyes, something conflicted.

"We need to move," Isabella said, her voice steady. "The longer we stay here, the more vulnerable we are."

She was right. We had the moonstone. But something told me this was just the beginning of another war—one that would demand more than strength. It would demand trust, unity, and sacrifice.

As we turned to leave the ancient chamber, the air grew heavier—as though the shadows were already watching.

And in that moment, I knew: the real battle hadn’t even started yet.

As we exited the chamber, the moonstone throbbed against my skin, its energy coursing through my veins like liquid starlight. I felt untouchable—until a sharp pain abruptly pierced my back, radiating like frost throughout my body.

"Kira!" Ryker’s voice seemed far away as my knees gave way.

I rotated my head, fighting to grasp what had occurred. Amid my blurred sight, I noticed Asher standing behind me, gripping a bizarre obsidian dagger in his unsteady hand. Its edge oozed my blood, the grip etched with markings that throbbed with sinister power.

"I’m sorry," he murmured, his gaze showing a mix of remorse and resolve. "The shadowy being assured me..." "I had no options."

The moonstone blazed fiercely on my chest, battling the poison that was coursing through my veins. Marcel charged at Asher as Isabella yelled something I couldn’t comprehend.

As shadows seeped into the corners of my sight, I noticed Asher’s skin starting to shift, with shadows slithering below it like animated ink.

"It’s too late," he stated, with his voice not completely his anymore. "My teacher approaches."

The room started to tremble as I fell into Ryker’s embrace, the moonstone’s glow wavering like a flame in the breeze.

My final thought was that I had already failed before the war started.