Kaguya awoke to chaos.
The early morning air was thick with tension, the usual serenity of the Moon Palace shattered by frantic voices and hurried footsteps echoing through the marble halls. For a moment, she wondered if the events of last night had been a dream—if Prince Dark and his desperate warning had been nothing more than a figment of her imagination.
But then she saw it.
A faint smear of blackened soot on her bedsheets—the last remnants of the magic burns Dark had suffered.
It was real.
And yet, if that was true, then where was he now?
A sudden commotion outside her chamber pulled her from her thoughts. She hurried to the window, peering down at the courtyard below. Sentries and court officials milled about, their faces drawn with worry. The Queen's advisors spoke in hushed, urgent tones, and at the center of it all stood Satoshi, Commander of the Athenian Guard, his arms crossed in cold fury.
Something had happened.
Kaguya wrapped a shawl around herself and left her chamber.
She found Princess Mana of Mars already in the Grand Hall, arms folded, her ruby-red eyes blazing with indignation. Princess Kiana of Venus was there as well, her usual golden grace replaced with a tense expression.
Kaguya's breath hitched as she followed their gazes to the empty pedestal in the center of the chamber.
The Sacred Maiden Statue was gone.
The sacred Venusian artifact, a divine representation of love and purity, had been stolen.
She felt her stomach drop.
"Dark."
Satoshi's voice rang through the hall, sharp as a blade.
"There's only one person capable of such a feat." He turned to the gathered court, his glacial blue eyes filled with certainty. "Prince Dark of Mars. Kaitou Dark."
A murmur rippled through the chamber.
Kaguya felt sick.
Had he—had he used her? Had everything he said about his brother, about Chaos, been a lie just to gain her trust?
Her hands clenched at her sides, but she said nothing.
Princess Mana's voice cut through the tension, fierce as the flames of her home world. "You insult my family."
She stepped forward, her crimson heels clicking against the marble, her power sparking faintly at her fingertips.
"My brother is many things, Commander," she said icily. "But he does not steal from the gods."
Satoshi's jaw tightened. "Then tell me where he is, Princess."
Mana didn't flinch. "If I knew, I wouldn't tell you."
The temperature in the room spiked, tension thick in the air.
"This is dangerous," Kaguya thought. If Dark was innocent, this was only making things worse. And if he was guilty…
Her chest ached.
They weren't going to resolve this in court. This would be settled in battle.
XXX
Kaguya stood on the edge of the palace training arena, watching as Satoshi and Dark faced off.
Dark hadn't run.
That meant something, didn't it?
He stood in his usual lazy posture, arms crossed, his smirk teasing but his eyes serious. Across from him, Satoshi's stance was rigid, precise.
"Defend yourself, thief," the Mercury commander said coolly.
"How about no?" Dark countered, tilting his head.
Satoshi attacked first.
A blade of Mercury magic slashed toward Dark.
Dark sidestepped effortlessly, but the next strike came faster. And the next. And the next.
Kaguya barely had time to raise her hand before a barrier of silver light flared between them, absorbing Satoshi's relentless attacks.
The commander stumbled back, eyes flashing toward her.
"Princess," he said sharply, "why are you protecting him?"
Dark turned to her as well, gaze unreadable.
Kaguya bit her lip.
"I don't know," she admitted softly.
She looked at Dark, at the man accused of so many crimes, the man who had touched her cheek with such tenderness the night before.
"But I always will."
For the first time, Dark looked surprised.
And just as he opened his mouth to speak—
The world grew cold.
XXX
The air shimmered.
A golden light descended upon the arena, too bright, too perfect, too unnatural.
Prince Krad of Venus stepped forward, radiant as a celestial god. His golden hair gleamed under the artificial sun, and his smile was the picture of serene elegance.
But Kaguya felt it.
Discord.
The same discord that had corrupted the once-beautiful Cupids of Venus. The same discord that Dark had warned her about.
This wasn't the Prince of Love.
This was Chaos.
Dark exhaled beside her, his voice dropping to a whisper.
"Too late."