Chapter 17 – Two Moons and One Sun

To the very west of Shurima is the summit that withholds no punches: Mount Targon. It is a region of virtually unreachable horizons and where only a few audacious settlements thrive at its bottom, where it is lush and green. Still though, even the smaller mountains around it make the people look like ants by comparison.
Mount Targon has many legends and speculative beliefs about its long and fascinating history. The mountain itself was formed through the process of magic and not from natural, tectonic, geological processes. Some are incredulous to believe the things said about it, but others are open to the many stories found in its historical recollections. Though if geography tells you anything, a structure this tall could not possibly have been caused by Mother Nature alone.

Many people are drawn to Targon's mystical reputation and have aspired to climb the mountain to the very top, whether it be for a destiny, glory or a sense of accomplishment. Whilst it is not literally insurmountable, Mount Targon is fiendishly difficult to climb, and perilous to most people. Few have ever made it to the top, fewer have descended back to tell the tale, and even fewer still have met a celestial whilst on the summit. Most who attempt the pilgrimage tragically die from exhaustion, illness, freezing weather or simply placing one foot in the wrong, fatal spot.
Yet the climb of Mount Targon presents more challenges than just physical ones. The Celestials that are anticipating the arrival of a new climber will test them by causing them to hallucinate, playing on their fears, habits, and even bringing back horrifying and regrettable memories.

There are a few communities and groups at the base of Mount Targon, but the most prominent is the Rakkor. All of those who are born into this faction are raised to believe that the sun is the creator of all life, and the most devout of these people are part of a religion known as the 'Solari'.
On the opposite end of the spectrum though is the 'Lunari' who instead worship the moon. The Lunari are much smaller in population though, since they've been purged by the Solari and an elite army within it: the Ra'Horak. Any known scriptures in the Rakkor's vast library that had once exalted, or even mentioned the moon, had been tampered with or just straight up burned.

One of the most prominent members affiliated with the Lunari was Diana: Scorn of the Moon. She had been brought to Mount Targon with her parents as a mere baby. They had hoped to find revelation and promise of a new life, but instead her parents' lives had been taken by the harsh climate of Targon.

Soon after they had perished, hunters of the Solari found Diana as the storm relinquished its fury. They took her into the Temple of Solstice, gave her the name of Diana and raised her as a Solari. Under their parenthood, tutelage and training from the Ra'Horak, Diana learned all the legends of the sun: why it was that all life came from the sun and that no possible nourishment could be derived from the moon, yet she remained inquisitive. Unlike her peers, she was curious as to why the Solari behaved in the way that they did and how they had arrived at their beliefs. Although her questions that she asked directly to her teachers were responded to elaborately, it still did not satisfy her, so she sought answers in the libraries.

It was here that Diana discovered how the tomes and books had been altered. Entire chapters had been removed with precision, and no references to the moon were to be found. Upon interrogating her tutors about her suspicions, she was punished with methods that would mould her into a devout Solari without room for questioning.

Her closest friend and peer, Leona, was the most pious of all the Solari, and showed subliminal frustration at Diana's own lack of piety. Despite this though, they remained close friends through their impassioned debates.

And then, on a wondrous night, Diana serendipitously uncovered an alcove in the mountain, with depictions of both the moon and sun together, and with soldiers of both gold and silver armour in unity. Diana rushed to share her discovery with Leona: both determined and excited to show her that the sun and moon were not incompatible, but quite the opposite.

Diana did not know what she had expected, but Leona's response was not one laced with delight. Instead, she pleaded Diana to put aside what she had claimed to see, lest she become regarded as a heretic.

Diana's frustration mutated into borderline anger as the Solari continued to deny her testimonies. Becoming even more fixated on seeking a definitive answer, she made the foolhardy decision to try and climb Mount Targon itself. Her determination in the end was what carried her to Targon's peak, through its overwhelming tribulations, and her answer was at last granted. The awestriking full moon shone a beam of moonlight over her, and Diana's mind was filled with images of the past, and knowledge of the Lunari's existence. She knew that this could only be a message from the Aspects, and as the light dispersed, she found herself in silver armour, with a crescent sickle in her hand and her dark hair turned even more silver than her armour.

But to her surprise, Leona had also made the ascent up Targon. She too had been chosen by an Aspect – that of the Sun. Leona now wore golden armour, with a sword and shield in her grasp. Diana was overjoyed that Leona had been there to share the revelatory moment, but Leona only wished to return to the Solari, even with Diana begging them to share a future together. Their disagreement become heated and soon exploded into a fierce battle between sun and moon.

In the chaos, Diana eventually fled back down the mountain, hoping that this was the proof to win over the Solari's faith. But alas, in spite of the evidence shining directly in their faces, they denied her once again and labelled her as a blasphemer. Enraged, Diana let the Aspect's power take over. Moonlight erupted from her being and killed almost everyone in the chamber. As her fury slackened, she realised her misdeed, knowing that she had unjustifiably killed so many people, and fled. Although ashamed of how she had let anger get the better of her, she was still adamant that the Solari and Lunari were not meant to be enemies of each other: they should be allies.

Leona eventually made it back to the chamber, but it was too late: Diana had already left, with blood and death in her wake. The few who had survived were in awe of seeing two Aspects, one after another. Although it conflicted with everything she had known, Leona was willing to help them embrace this new understanding, and although she had sworn to uphold the Solari's dominance, she had also sworn to help her friend, and prevent the Aspect of the Moon from destroying herself.


The day was rather peaceful there in the outskirts of Targon. Diana was, to all intents and purposes, a fugitive in Targon. After she had fled from the mountain and the sight of her grave regrets, she had taken residence in a cottage that was no longer inhabited by whomever had lived there before. It was presumably a family. They had left all the tools, food, clothes and everything else behind. Diana's guess of where they had gone was as good as anyone else's, but considering how much stuff they had been left behind, it was reasonable to assume that they had been forced to flee, or perished somewhere. Perhaps a bolar had claimed them. It was best however to not dwell on the subject. Diana was just grateful that she had a comfortable place to stay, but wished that she had more to do. Not long after she had become an Aspect, Diana had made a long journey to the distant land of Ionia, battling with the indigenous creatures and hoping to find her true destiny, but Ionia had not harboured what she sought, so she returned to Targon, still in her continuous search. Now, she worked at night and slept during the day; it suited her better. It also meant there was less risk of her running into the Solari. It remained her goal to unify them together, but she still feared the animosity that they would feel towards her. More time was needed to sew their relations together.

Sleeping during the day was only made easy with curtains blocking most of the sunlight through the bedroom window. Diana rolled over onto her side, buried in a deep sleep and a dream about the time that had changed her fate forever. No matter what she did, the guilt she had felt that day for slaughtering the Ra'Horak and the Priests in the chamber still wrapped itself tightly around her neck like a noose. Half-visions and memories of previous Aspects of the Moon also perpetually flowed through her mind:

Deaths of friends and peers; battles amongst the gods; and even the giving of the crown of servitude to the Star Forger. It was mentally draining. Although she had some control over these memories, she sometimes cried at how overwhelming they were and wished that they would leave her alone. But it was not these burdensome dreams that woke her up that particular night. The house began to shake very gently. Diana felt nothing at first, but its potency soon increased. Diana grunted and moaned, still asleep. 'W-wha?'

Then suddenly, she was jolted awake. The bed was rocking so violently that she was almost shoved out of it. She held onto the bed's edges in a daze. 'What the heck?!'

The wardrobe at the foot of her bed collapsed sideways, and the chest of drawers on her left fell forwards. Diana leapt out of bed. She moved to the windowsill and clung onto it in hope that she would not fall over. She wasn't sure what she should do. Was it best to run, or to stay? A mixture of confusion and fear prevented her from deciding. All she could do was just pray and hope that it would pass.

Eventually, the earthquake began to calm down, shaking less and less, but it wasn't until it had stopped entirely that Diana found herself able to think again. Never before had she experienced something like this. Moreover, she was extremely surprised that the cottage had not crumbled.
Diana then noticed that the curtains had fallen off the railings. She looked outside and almost immediately fell backwards in shock. Pulling herself together, she reached for her crescent blade under her bed and scrambled for the bedroom door, making a beeline for the outside. She ran across the plains until legs gave in, and she sunk to her knees.


The daytime is pretty boring. Well, by that I mean it's not the right time for me to truly shine. During the day, I train, eat and sometimes sleep. But it's at night when practice becomes proper, for that is when we are most at risk. They know this too. Although it is in our best interests to be safe, it is also a duty to show our reverence. That is a difficult choice that we've had to make. In the heat of the moment, when you are confronted and your life is at stake, panic naturally makes us deny our faith when they ask. Yet does this make us cowardly? To be a true devout, you must hold onto your faith through thick and thin. In reality, we should be sharing it to as many people as possible, even to those who are hostile towards us.
At the same time though, it's pretty understandable. It's not like when we say it, we're making an actual declaration of our non-belief. It's just to protect ourselves. I mean, statistically, more people get hurt if we say that we do believe.

'Yes. I completely agree. There's nothing shameful about protecting yourself, especially because it's not at the expense of anyone.'

Yeah. If we were to be so harsh on our own people about our faith, we would be no better than them and their stubbornness. I do have to admit though that I am curious about their faith. The sun is looming above us now. Even with my hair protecting my head and neck, and this jacket I wear on my back, I still feel the burning heat that it wields. We of course know how essential the sun is, but I cannot fathom how one can have so much unwavering praise to something so intense and uncomforting.

'This is the power of indoctrination. Their acolytes are spoon-fed too forcefully from a young age and see nothing other than what they know of.'

I suppose, but what about us then? We were raised from birth to live in veneration of the moon, in the same way that they are to the sun. How different does this make us from them?

'The distinction is in the humility and the acceptance of the truth. The Solari refuse to acknowledge the moon, its celestials or the Aspect at all. We on the other hand do see the necessity of the sun and its providence. The Solari are also more prone towards irrational violence, whilst the Lunari prefer to act and resolve matters peacefully.'

It's not that I waver from what I believe, but I have recently become more conscious of myself. I've had to take lives and stain my own hands with blood. Would I have even considered doing what I have done, had we not been born on that miraculous eclipse?

'Likely so, but you have no reason to be ashamed, brother. You are a defender of our faith. The Solari are aggressors towards people who do not share their beliefs, so it is okay to defend yourself. Besides, you think and use your eyes; they only flail their arms blindly. Maybe the sun's too bright for them.'

'Hah.' That was quite funny.

'What will you do now?'

Eat. My stomach is rumbling.

I stand up from where I am sat, against a stone wall for no particular reason other than to have something to lean my back against. If I had been thinking about it properly, I would have sat in the shade of a tree. I needn't dawdle on this lack of common sense though. I return to the temple, hoping that there should be some good Targonian mushrooms and boar legs.

My walk feels good for my legs. I had not realised how long I had been sitting down. Like I said, the day for me can be particularly dull. I have lots of time to kill, yet I have no way of slaying it.

The walk felt long for some reason, maybe that's why my limbs feel exercised. And here it is: the temple: the most unassumingly thing from the outside. Just a cave entrance in the side of a far-off mountain, with no decals or anything: purely nature's work. To anyone else, it might be an ephemeral sanctuary from bad weather, but to us, these otherwise unremarkable cavities are what we call home. As I touched upon earlier, for a Lunari to put their faith on display in a landscape dominated by the surveillance of Rakkor spells nothing but trouble. I think, deep down, it makes all of us feel miserable to have all of our passion be squished inside of caves, but so long as we can act when the moon comes out, I can feel relative grateful.

I walk past a few of my peers who simply wave at me, to which I wave back. The main cabinet in the cooking room is usually where all of the crops and meats are kept. I pull the handles towards me and look inside. A delectable assortment of ingredients salute me with a waft of smells. Just as I had hoped: mushrooms and boar meet. I take out what I want and lay it across the nearby worksurface. This also includes slices of bread and sprinkles of herbs. I chop the mushrooms with a knife from the draw, carve off the meat from the boar leg and arrange it all into a sandwich. This is not a typical meal of Targonian cuisine, but it's a combination that I enjoy.

Excitedly, I pick up the sandwich and give it a good smell before taking a bite. The blend of flavours is delightful as always, even after having this sandwich many times already.

'I often miss having material food… Experiencing pleasant tastes in my mouth was a joy that I took for granted at the time.'

At least you don't need to worry about eating. It can be a hassle at times to stop what you're doing and go and eat a meal just because of hunger.

'True, but the natural foods of Targon are too good to ignore.'

I finish the sandwich, only partially feeling bad that I could not share it. Well, that satisfies my craving for something good to eat. Okay, now what do I do? Maybe I should just go outside again. Unless I am training, which is usually at night rather than light, I have nothing to do inside the caves all day. An aimless stroll might be good for me. Well it's decided them. Time to go.

'Wait, aren't you forgetting something?'

Huh? What are you talking about?

'Inside the other cabinet next to the foods one.'

Oh… yeah.

In mild dismay, I walk to the cabinet and pull the door open. This one contains liquids and drinks. Jugs of water, sweet and bitter liquors and elixirs is what it primarily consists of. But one particular mixture is exclusively for me. I pick up the flask with a brew that I had made only yesterday. Grimacing out of disgust, I quickly down the whole contents. It burns my throat with more agony than a sword on fire. I want to scream, but I literally cannot. My whole body contorts, and I almost fall to my knees. It has taken me a long time to maintain control of myself and not drop the flask on the floor every time I consume this stuff, but the pain is never any less on all instances.

Soon this almost unbearable torment allays enough for me to stand upright and think again, taking deep breaths to allow my composure to return.

'You know, whenever you drink that horrendous concoction, a part of me feels the same pain as you do, albeit more spiritually.'

Whatever it is you feel is nothing compared to what I have to undergo, I can guarantee that.

'And that is why I am so proud of you.'

I smile to myself at her comment. The same to you.

My feet are about to take me outside again, but I begin to feel the ground shake, if only very slightly. How peculiar. I resume my way out, thinking nothing of it, but the shaking is becoming increasingly more violent. Well it certainly isn't my imagination.

Do you feel this?

'Feel what?'

The ground. It's trembling.

'How can I possibly feel it from where I reside?'

Oh, of course.

It's become very intense now. What on earth is going on? All of a sudden, I fall down onto my back, as if a rug was swept from under my feet. The cabinets and drawers are thankfully sealed onto the cave walls, but everything inside is not. As the very earth convulses, all the contents come tumbling out. Glass shatters as it hits the floor, causing any liquids inside to wash across it. With difficulty I use the worksurface to help myself stand up again, but retaining ground is not possible. I topple onto my front this time.

I moan in pain. You can see this though, right?

'Yes, and I don't understand it. Hopefully this will soon be over.'

I cannot keep track of time. It eventually comes to an end. Whether it was two seconds or the lifetime of the Wandering Caretaker, I cannot be certain, for panic and fear clouded both my judgement and perception of this… earthquake, I'm guessing. It has apparently been ages, if not aeons since Mount Targon was erected. What could have happened? The state of the cooking room is disastrous, but I ignore it as I run to the outside, even neglecting to help up an elder Lunari who was lying in the entrance hallway and had just fallen, lying prostrate. The tunnel is now littered with pebbles that had come loose from the ceiling, but I do not pay heed to them and bear the pain as they dig into my feet.

I dash out the cave entrance and almost immediately come to a stop. My eyes widen in utter shock, and I collapse to my knees.


Diana was lit alive and her jaw dropped. It had been daylight, just moments ago, with the sun high in the sky. But now, the sun had gone, and had been replaced with a night sky. Lunar energy coursed through Diana's veins more intensely than she had ever felt before. Her heart pounded and her brain exhilarated. 'Two moons?!' she said out loud. One was the same moon she had always known, but the second moon appeared to be right next to it, and a large chunk of it had been shattered, with the broken fragments still floating next to it, within gravity's reach.

What could this mean? Was there a second moon celestial? Could this one be immature and undeveloped? Was it an imposter? Or was her mind playing tricks on her?
Irrespective of what this was, Diana felt a sense of overwhelming awe that not even her transformation from mere human to Aspect had given her. It was overpowering and Diana could not help but cry. She didn't know if her tears were from praise, shock, fear, betrayal, or a mixture of everything from the emotional spectrum, but they were genuine and wholehearted.

As she sobbed, Diana realised that she began to glow. She was lit up like a nightlight: not too bright, but a beautiful glow. Diana felt like she could fly. She wanted to spread her wings and soar to the moons. Never before had they been so attractive.

'Diana?!' yelled out a voice from a nearby hillside to the west.

Diana turned around to see the people she half wanted to see the most and half wanted to see the least. The Ra'Horak were perched on the nearby hill, with their weapons on their person. A few archers had arrows on their bowstrings. At the front of them was the Aspect of the Sun: Leona herself. If it wasn't for the fact that the two moons shone as brightly as they did, they would have been obscured by the darkness.
The moonlight reflected off Leona's golden armour and she too glowed like a bulb.

'Diana?!' Leona called out. 'What are you doing here?'

'Leona?!' Diana wiped away her tears and stood up. She did not want to show emotional weakness to them. 'H-how did you find me?' she asked back.

'An earthquake, followed by the sun going away instantly to be replaced with not just the moon, but a second one? The moment the earthquake subsided, we grabbed our weapons and ran in the direction of the two moons, and wouldn't you know it, the Aspect of the Moon is standing right there, glowing incandescently. Tell me, Diana. Did you cause this?'

'No, I didn't.' Diana replied truthfully. 'I'm just as surprised as you are.'

Leona began to walk slowly down the hill, with the Ra'Horak following her pace. 'Diana, whatever it is you're doing, please stop.' Leona begged.

'Don't you see, Leona?! T-this is it! The celestials of the moon are here again! They're trying to send a message to you and the Solari: that the sun and moon need not be mortal enemies!'

Leona clenched her fists, trying to fight the emotional turmoil that was swelling up inside of her. 'Diana, ever since you became an Aspect, you have never been in control of your power, and it will destroy you if you do not learn to do so. Please don't force my hand, and come with us.'

'How can you still be in denial, Leona? The evidence is right here in the sky above us!'

She did not want to believe it. Even after the priests had shown a willingness to embrace the new idea of the Solari and Lunari in harmony together, it still felt wrong. 'I-it doesn't matter. Diana, this is your last warning. Surrender now and come with us, or we will have no choice but to bring you in by force.'

Diana's hopefulness turned once again into annoyance. After all this time, she was still refusing to acknowledge their faiths' compatibility. She picked up her crescent blade and held it in an offensive position. 'Not if you continue to ignore the truth.'

Leona sighed. 'Very well then. Get her!'


I am enveloped in an abnormally potent wave of moonlight. It makes my senses tingle. I feel so alive, yet I remained on my hands and knees. With difficulty, I raise my neck to look up at the sky. My eyes aren't deceiving me. The sun has gone, and the moon has risen. But not just that though: another moon hangs in the sky next to the normal one. What's peculiar about this moon however is how a large chunk of it seems to have been shattered. It's a spectacle, which makes my eyes water both through the strength of its beauty, and the thoughts that run through my mind of what this means.

Do you see what I see?

'Yes, and I don't know what this means either. But it's just so… beautiful.'

With difficulty, I return to my feet, whilst simply staring at the two moons for what feels like hours.

'What do you feel, right now?'

An overwhelming aura.

I stare transfixed at the sky, uttering a prayer. I can hear her speaking an incantation too. It all doesn't make sense. How can it? Never before had we been taught of the idea that there were two moons above Targon's peak. Certainly I have never seen it before. Yet at the same time, as a Lunari, it seems uncannily normal. I need to know more. After brushing tears from my eyes, I make a move and run in the direction of the moons.

'Where are you going?'

To see if I can get a better look. Perhaps I can get to the top of a hill.

Moving towards them is like running against strong wind. Although the moon is thousands of miles away, it feels so close: both of them do. Even the moon that we know appears to be larger than usual. My eagerness to find out more propels me forward. Was the moon angry? Was it feeling rapturous for some reason? Had two converging moon celestials met? My mind is awash with theories.

My legs are burning. I'm almost certain that I ran faster than is physically possible for me. Still though I've made it: I'm at the bottom of the hill. But as I begin to scamper up it, I hear the sound of two people engaged in argument, but the blood pounding in my ears makes me unable to discern what they are speaking about. Turing my head left to the direction of the noise, I notice on the hill parallel to mine a small band of soldiers, and a golden armoured woman at the front. She is speaking to someone below: another woman with long, silver hair and dark, silver armour, who is glowing brightly. Why do I feel like I recognise her?

'That might be the current Aspect of the Moon down there.'

Wait, really?

'Yes, she and her hair are unnatural. You can also see a lunar emblem on her forehead.'

Well if it is, then we must unite with her!

I only catch the last two words of the woman in the golden armour, and they are uttered with enough force for me to know that something bad is about to unfold.

Archers from the hill release the arrows from their strings and let them fly towards the silver haired woman. She flings herself out of their trajectory and quickly picks herself up as the front-liners charge and destroy the cottage that is nearby.

My Lunari instincts call me to action.

Please, lend me Calibrum!

'No. This is not your fight, brother.'

But if that's the Aspect of the Moon like you said, we need to help her now!

'If she's the Aspect of the Moon, then she's more than capable of handling herself.'

Please don't be naïve and just give it to me!

'Just watch her. If she can't handle them, then we will step in. I have a spiritual feeling that those are Solari. If so, let us see how they fair against the Aspect.'

With reluctance, I listen.


Diana's blade was empowered with the moon. This was the advantage she had – there was no sun for them or Leona.
She slashed the crescent horizontally and a razor-sharp line of silver light flew from its edge. Its brightness blinded all the nearby Ra'Horak, giving Diana enough time to fly forward and cleave their limbs off. Many of them fell as their legs were severed and others dropped their weapons when their arms were chopped off. Some were strong enough to parry her attacks and back away, but the rest succumbed to her fury.
No longer was Diana concerned with the blood on her hands. If the Solari would continue to be purposefully ignorant and condemn her to death for it, then they would feel the moon's wrath. They refused to listen to her, so she would not listen to them. As she continued her bloodbath, the blade began to glow even more. It was becoming stronger and deadlier. With every swing she made, Diana felt the effort she put into it become easier and easier.

Outraged, Leona ran headfirst towards Diana. Her armour slowed her down tremendously, but she had the resistances to withstand Diana's blade and moonlight.
Leona reached behind her back and pulled out a locket. She held it upwards and the Ra'Horak became engulfed by a shield.

Now Diana's attacks weren't as potent. The shields surrounding the Ra-Horak were derived straight from solar energy and its warmth and intensity made Diana waver.
Still though, her tenacity persisted and her faith kept her in the fight. She slammed her blade into the ground and it ruptured the earth around her enemies. The four that remained were thrown closer towards her and were pelted by three balls of moonlight that orbited around Diana's chest until they were taken down by the moon's power.
She was just about to swing her blade in a circle to finish them off, but felt stunned as she felt a hot knife go straight through her shoulder.

Leona's Zenith Blade found its mark and pulled her straight towards Diana. She smashed her shield against Diana's head and knocked her to the ground.
She pulled her sword out from Diana's shoulder and raised it again to stab her in the guts, but she hesitated. 'Why do you do this to me?!' she cried. The heartache was wrenching at her stomach. Above everything else, she still considered Diana her friend.

'Because you leave me no choice!' Diana cried back. She knew her weapon inside out and understood that its curvature allowed her to strike from unusual angles. She swung her blade around her leg and the tip caught Leona on her left leg. The force made its way through her bone and came out the other side.
The pain made her scream and she missed Diana entirely as she thrust her sword down, then crumpled to the floor.

Diana tried to pull the blade out of Leona's leg, but it was lodged in at an awkward angle. Instead, Diana rolled onto Leona and held her on the ground by her throat.
'Why won't you listen to me, Leona?!' said Diana through gritted teeth as she tightened her grip.

Leona gagged as she tried to pull her Diana's hands away from her. 'Because I can't.' she struggled to say.

The two of them were even in strength, but Diana was under the effects of the two moons. She would not lose.

As she felt her consciousness fade, Leona knew that she had been bested. The Ra'Horak she had commanded were now dead by her underestimation of a moon-soaked lunar Aspect.
From her perspective, the two moons were directly above her, one on either side of Diana's head. Even though it was outrageous to even possess these kind of thoughts among the Solari, Leona was fascinated by the beauty of the two moons. 'F-fine… I'll listen…' Leona gasped and let her arms flop to her side.

Diana maintained her hold on Leona's throat. 'You'll what?' she asked.

'I'll… listen to… your word…' said Leona. This was all she managed to say before she became unconscious from asphyxiation.

The Scorn of the Moon let go of the Radiant Dawn and gently pulled the crescent blade out of Leona's leg, now that she was standing upright.
Diana looked around her and once again saw how many people she had senselessly killed. For the second time, she felt shameful at her inability to control her rage. Perhaps Leona was correct to an extent. Maybe she did lack the control needed to be an Aspect.

Diana didn't know if this would be the only opportunity for her to see this second, shattered moon in the sky. She had no idea if it was real, temporary or an illusion, but until Leona and the Ra'Horak woke up or the sun rose – whichever came first – Diana had nothing else she could do but pray, hoping that she would be forgiven and that the Moon Celestial would apprise her on what this new moon actually was.

Another set of tears poured from her eyes. She bowed before each Ra'Horak she had killed and said a blessing out loud. She then went to the four Ra-Horak that were still alive and said a blessing of repentance, and finally gave one to Leona. She looked down at her pretty face and felt a wrench of anguish squeezing her heart. Although Leona was unconscious, Diana lifted her up into a sitting position and wrapped her arms around her in a hug and sobbed into her shoulder.


I stare at her in shock. What had just happened?

'It's the moons. They granted her extra power.'

So I guess she is the Aspect of the Moon after all.

'When I saw her glowing, I had no doubt in my mind. Those are definitely Solari too.'

I look down at the field of blood, which is illuminated from the moonlight. The Aspect had just killed a lot of Solari, yet she was now holding the golden armoured woman who had been leading them, and crying. Could she be the Aspect of the Sun?! The whole setting was paradoxically mesmerising.
What do we do now?

'Leave them. It is better to give her personal space. We however should resume in prayer. We don't know how long this double moon will be in the sky, after all.'

It feels wrong not give her any aid, but you're right. It's probably better to make the most of our time in this possibly fleeting moment. I take one more look at this bloodied battlefield before making my leave.