The days after the battle were filled with healing. The wounded were treated. The fallen were mourned. The ruins were searched. The remaining shadows were destroyed. The world was finally at peace. But the cost had been devastating.Little Lin stood in the medical wing of the Chen estate. The room was filled with the wounded. The injured. The dying. The smell of blood and antiseptic filled the air. The sounds of pain and suffering echoed off the walls. She walked through the rows of beds. She looked at the faces of her fighters. They had given everything for this cause. They had sacrificed everything for her. They had bled for her. They had nearly died for her.Her father, Li Wei, was beside her. His face was pale. His eyes were tired. He had been working nonstop. He had been saving lives. He had been doing everything he could. "We lost twenty-five people," Li Wei said. His voice was quiet. "Twenty-five good people. They died protecting our family. They died so that others could live.

The blood moon hung in the sky like a wound. Red. Ominous. Prophetic. The entire Chen estate was bathed in its crimson light. The family gathered in the main hall. They were silent. They were waiting. They were watching. They had heard the prophecy. They had seen the blood moon. They knew what was coming.Little Lin stood before them. Her voice was loud. Clear. Commanding. "The blood moon has risen. The prophecy has begun. The darkness is returning. And I am the child of the prophecy. I am the one who will face the final darkness. I am the one who will save the world or destroy it."The room was silent. Everyone was listening. Everyone was waiting. Everyone was afraid."But I will not face it alone. I will face it with you. With my family. With my friends. With my ancestors. With the light. We will face it together. We will fight it together. We will win it together."She paused. She looked at the faces of her family. She saw the fear. She saw the doubt. She saw the hope."The darknes

The army of light gathered at the Chen estate. Thousands of warriors. Hundreds of families. One purpose. One enemy. One destiny. The blood moon hung in the sky. Red. Ominous. Prophetic. The final battle was approaching.Little Lin stood in the command center. The room was filled with maps and screens and communication equipment. The leaders of the allied families were gathered around the table. They were planning. They were preparing. They were ready."We have received intelligence," Li Wei said. He pointed to a location on the map. "The Blood Moon has a fortress in the mountains. It is heavily guarded. It is heavily fortified. But it is not impenetrable. We have found a weakness. A tunnel. It leads directly into the main compound."Little Lin studied the map. Her mind was racing. Her heart was pounding. Her spirit was steady. "Then we use it. We gather our forces. We move at midnight. We strike hard. We strike fast. We do not give the Blood Moon a chance to fight back. We end this. O

The road led to a garden where nothing bloomed.Kael had been flying for five days since leaving the mirror that showed the truth, and the land below had grown softer and sadder with each passing hour. The gentle hills had given way to a wide, quiet valley, and the valley had opened into a garden that stretched as far as the eye could see. But it was not a garden of flowers. It was a garden of dreams. Forgotten dreams. Abandoned dreams. Dreams that had been planted and then left to wither.He landed at the edge of the garden and climbed off Zephyr's back. The Primeval Beasts gathered around him, their forms quiet but uneasy. Lira's silver scales were dull. Aether's wings were folded tight. Terra's massive body was still. Lux's glow was dim. Umbra was barely visible. And the void beast stirred restlessly inside Kael, sensing something very wrong.Zephyr moved close. "This is the Garden of Forgotten Dreams," it said. "It was created by the old rulers, long before the Primeval Beasts wer

The days after the battle were filled with celebration and victory. The Blood Moon was dead. The darkness had been defeated. The light had won. The world was finally at peace.But little Lin was not at peace. The Blood Moon's words echoed in her mind. They haunted her. They tormented her. They would not let her go."You are just like me. You have the darkness inside you. You will become me. You will destroy everything you love."She tried to push the thoughts away. She tried to focus on the victory. She tried to celebrate with her family. But she could not. The words were always there. Whispering. Taunting. Threatening.One evening, she sat in the garden alone. The sun was setting. The sky was painted in shades of orange and pink. The flowers were swaying in the breeze. The birds were singing their final songs of the day. It was a beautiful evening. A peaceful evening. A perfect evening. But little Lin could not see the beauty. She could not feel the peace. She could only feel the dar