The Reborn Luna: Claimed by the Billionaire Alpha

Chapter 6: The Cursed Ruins

Selene stared at the ruins before her, her breath still uneven from their escape. The village was silent—too silent. The air felt thick, charged with an invisible force that pressed against her skin.

Killian stepped beside her, his grip still tight around his sword. "This place doesn't feel right."

"It isn't," Elira said, her voice laced with something close to sorrow. "Black Hollow has been abandoned for years, but its spirits remain."

Selene studied the crumbling buildings. The stone houses had long since been overtaken by nature, vines wrapping around broken walls. The remnants of a once-thriving town now stood as mere skeletons of the past.

"How did it fall?" she asked.

Elira hesitated before answering. "Black Hollow was a place of power, built on something ancient. But power comes with a cost. Something was awoken here—something that should have remained buried."

Selene exchanged a glance with Killian. The cryptic answers were frustrating, but there was no denying the weight in Elira's voice.

"Whatever it was," Elira continued, "it did not destroy the town overnight. It happened slowly. People disappeared. Shadows moved where they shouldn't. And then, one day, the last of the villagers fled, leaving behind only ghosts and whispers."

A cold shiver ran down Selene's spine. "And now we're walking straight into it."

Elira's lips curled into a faint, humorless smile. "Yes. And we need to be careful."

The Streets of the Forgotten

The trio moved cautiously through the ruins, their footsteps echoing against the cracked stone streets. The air was stale, thick with the scent of earth and decay.

Selene's eyes scanned the remnants of buildings, her fingers twitching near the dagger at her hip. There were no signs of life, no movement—yet she felt watched.

"Do you hear that?" Killian murmured.

Selene strained her ears. At first, there was only silence. But then—a whisper.

Faint. Unclear.

She turned sharply, her heart pounding. "Where is it coming from?"

Elira's expression darkened. "Everywhere."

The whispers grew louder, swirling through the air like unseen voices carried on the wind.

Selene clenched her jaw. "Are they spirits?"

Elira exhaled slowly. "In a way. But they are not the kind that rest peacefully."

A sudden gust of wind blew through the ruins, carrying the whispers with it. The sound was chilling, like voices speaking from beneath water, distorted and eerie.

Then the whispers stopped.

And the silence was worse.

Selene felt the hairs on her arms rise. "Something's coming."

Killian gripped his sword, his stance shifting. "Then we stand ready."

The Shadows Awaken

A deep rumbling vibrated beneath their feet. The ground cracked, splitting the old stone path.

Then, from the darkness of a collapsed house, a shape emerged.

A figure—tall, shrouded in tattered robes, its face hidden beneath a deep hood.

It did not walk. It glided.

Selene's grip tightened on her dagger. "What is that?"

Elira's voice was grim. "A Shade."

The creature halted a few feet away, its presence oppressive, suffocating. The air around it seemed darker, as if it absorbed the light.

Selene's pulse pounded in her ears.

Then it spoke.

"Who dares return to Black Hollow?"

The voice was hollow, layered, as if multiple voices spoke at once.

Elira stepped forward. "We seek the truth."

The Shade tilted its head, the movement unnatural. "Truth?" It let out a sound—a laugh, but one that was empty of emotion. "There is no truth here. Only ruin."

Selene swallowed hard. "Then tell us what happened."

The Shade was silent for a moment before it lifted a skeletal hand.

The air shifted. The ruins trembled.

And then—images.

Flickering like firelight, they appeared before them. A town once alive, its people walking the streets. Laughter. Voices. And then—darkness. Shadows creeping from the ground, swallowing homes. People screaming.

Then—silence.

The vision ended.

Selene's breath came fast. "It wasn't abandoned. It was consumed."

The Shade lowered its hand. "And now it waits. For the final soul to return."

Elira's fists clenched. "We're not here to be taken."

The Shade's empty hood turned toward her. "But you were always meant to come back, weren't you, child?"

Selene's breath caught. She turned to Elira. "What does it mean?"

Elira's face was unreadable, but her knuckles had turned white. "Ignore it."

The Shade chuckled. "You cannot outrun the past."

Then, in a blink, it was

gone.

But the ground beneath them rumbled again.

And something far worse was awakening.

The ruins of Black Hollow trembled, the echoes of the Shade's words lingering in the air. Selene's heart pounded as she turned to Elira, searching for answers, but the woman's face remained unreadable.

"You knew what it meant," Selene pressed. "Didn't you?"

Elira's gaze flickered, her body tense. "This is not the time for explanations."

The ground shuddered beneath their feet. Cracks splintered through the stone streets, and an eerie hum filled the air. The ruins were stirring, as if the presence of the Shade had only been the beginning.

Killian drew his sword, his sharp eyes scanning the surroundings. "Something's coming."

Selene tightened her grip on her dagger. "Then we stand together."

Elira exhaled, composing herself. "Stay close. And whatever happens—do not get separated."

The words had barely left her lips when the mist thickened, coiling like living tendrils around them.

Then, from the shadows, figures emerged.

The Forgotten Ones

They weren't entirely human.

The creatures that stepped forward were twisted, their faces contorted, their eyes hollow pits of darkness. Their skin was cracked, as if it had been burned and then left to wither.

Selene's stomach twisted. "Are they… spirits?"

Elira's expression darkened. "Not entirely."

Killian took a defensive stance. "They're blocking the way back."

The creatures moved without sound, their feet barely touching the ground. The closest one stretched out its hand, fingers elongated into claw-like points.

Selene took an instinctive step back, but the creature lunged.

She barely dodged, rolling to the side as the thing's claws slashed the air where she had been. Killian reacted fast, his sword flashing as he swung at the nearest creature. The blade sliced through, but instead of flesh, it passed through like cutting mist.

The creature shuddered but didn't fall. Instead, it turned its head unnaturally, refocusing on him.

Killian cursed. "They're not solid!"

Elira moved quickly, lifting her hand. Ancient words slipped from her lips, and a burst of blue light erupted from her palm. The creatures shrieked, their forms flickering before dissolving into mist.

Selene's eyes widened. "Magic works against them?"

Elira gave a single nod. "Only if you know what you're doing. Now move!"

The three sprinted through the ruins, dodging between the crumbling buildings as the remaining creatures gave chase. The whispers from before returned, filling the air with ghostly voices.

Selene felt them pressing against her mind, memories flickering through her vision—memories that weren't her own. She saw people running, screaming. She saw fire consuming the town.

Then a voice—one that sent ice through her veins.

"You were always meant to return."

Selene gasped, clutching her head. The whispers clawed at her mind, pulling her into the past.

"Selene!" Killian's voice broke through the haze. He grabbed her wrist, pulling her forward. "Don't listen to them!"

She forced herself to focus, shoving the voices away.

They reached what looked like an old temple, its stone doors still intact despite the decay around it. Elira pushed them inside, slamming the heavy doors shut.

Darkness enveloped them.

For a moment, the only sound was their heavy breathing.

Selene pressed a hand against the cold stone, her fingers trembling. "What—what were those things?"

Elira exhaled. "Remnants of the past. Those who were lost when the town fell."

Killian sheathed his sword. "They knew you, Elira. Or at least, that Shade did."

Selene turned to her, her voice steady. "What aren't you telling us?"

Elira hesitated. Then, in the dim light of the ruined temple, she finally spoke.

"I was born in Black Hollow."

Selene's breath caught.

Elira's voice was quiet. "I was here when it fell. And I am the only one who survived."

The Truth of Black Hollow

The silence that followed was heavy. Selene couldn't look away from Elira, whose face was unreadable, her usual guarded demeanor cracking just slightly.

"You were here?" Killian asked, his voice edged with disbelief. "You saw it happen?"

Elira nodded slowly. "I was a child when the darkness came. I don't remember everything. Only flashes—screams, fire, the ground splitting apart. And then… nothing."

Selene's fingers curled into fists. "Then how did you survive?"

Elira's gaze darkened. "Someone saved me. Someone who should not have."

Selene frowned. "Who?"

Elira's lips parted, but before she could answer, the air in the temple shifted.

A low, reverberating hum filled the space.

Then, from the far side of the room, a stone altar began to glow.

Selene's breath hitched. "What is that?"

Elira's expression became unreadable. "The reason we came here."

The stone pulsed with energy, and suddenly, the whispers returned, but this time, they weren't voices of torment. They were calling to her.

Selene took a hesitant step forward. "It's… waiting for someone."

Elira's jaw tightened. "Yes. And I think that someone is you."

Selene's heart pounded.

Something ancient was stirring.

And she wasn't sure she was ready to face it.

The temple walls trembled as the glowing altar pulsed with energy, sending waves of invisible force through the chamber. The air crackled with an ancient power that felt neither welcoming nor hostile—just expectant.

Selene swallowed hard, her feet frozen in place as the whispers swirled around her. They no longer sounded like mindless torment but rather voices murmuring in anticipation.

"It's waiting," she murmured.

Killian frowned, his hand hovering over his sword. "Waiting for what?"

Elira's face was pale, her expression torn between hesitation and acceptance. "For Selene."

Selene's breath hitched. "What? Why me?"

Elira exhaled, stepping closer. "Because you were always meant to come here. Because the ruins… the spirits… the Shade… they recognize something in you."

Selene shook her head, her heartbeat roaring in her ears. "That doesn't make sense. I've never been here before. I don't—"

The temple shook violently. The glow from the altar intensified, and the whispers became a chorus. Then, suddenly, the world tilted.

Selene gasped as the chamber around her shifted. The ruins faded. The dust, the cracks, the decay—gone. In their place stood a grand temple, pristine and golden, lit by torches that burned with blue flames.

She was no longer in the present.

She was in a memory.

The Last Day of Black Hollow

People filled the temple, their faces frantic, their voices raised in fear.

"They're coming!" someone shouted. "The darkness—it's already taken the outer district!"

A woman, tall and regal, stood at the altar—the same altar Selene had just been drawn to. But here, in this past vision, it was whole, untouched by time.

"We must seal it away," the woman said, her voice filled with authority and sorrow.

"But what about the child?" a man asked.

Selene stiffened.

The woman's expression darkened. "She is the key."

Selene's chest tightened as she saw them turn—toward a child standing near the altar. A girl, no older than five or six, her dark hair wild, her silver eyes wide with fear.

Selene gasped.

It was Elira.

The child clutched a pendant around her neck, something glowing within it. The same energy that pulsed from the altar now.

"You must leave," the woman told her. "You must survive, no matter what."

"But, Mother—"

Mother.

Selene's breath caught. The regal woman was Elira's mother.

Before the child could argue, the ground cracked. Shadows poured in like living creatures, twisting and writhing. Screams filled the temple as darkness consumed the people, pulling them into an abyss that no light could penetrate.

Then, in the blink of an eye, the vision shattered.

Selene stumbled, gasping as she was yanked back into the present.

The temple was once again a ruin. The altar no longer gleamed, though the energy within it still pulsed faintly.

She turned to Elira, who stood still, her eyes closed as if she had seen the same thing.

Selene's voice was barely a whisper. "You were the child."

Elira opened her eyes. "Yes."

Killian looked between them, his brows furrowed. "Then you knew all along?"

Elira's shoulders sagged. "I suspected. But I didn't remember everything until now."

Selene stared at the altar. "Your mother tried to seal it away. The darkness. But it failed."

Elira nodded, her throat working as she swallowed. "It failed because she didn't have enough power. She needed something more. Someone more."

Selene turned back to her. "Who?"

Elira's gaze locked onto hers.

"You."

Selene froze. "That doesn't make sense. I wasn't even born when this happened."

Elira exhaled, stepping closer. "But the energy inside you—it's the same as what my mother was searching for. You saw the vision too, didn't you? The whispers called to you. The ruins awakened when you arrived. You are tied to this place in ways neither of us understand."

Selene shook her head. "That's impossible."

But deep down, something inside her whispered that it wasn't.

The altar pulsed again, and the entire temple groaned. The whispers grew frantic, and suddenly, the walls cracked, dust and debris raining from above.

Killian grabbed Selene's arm. "We need to leave. Now."

But the altar's glow turned blinding.

Then, a deep voice—one that did not belong to the Shade—rumbled through the chamber.

"The time has come."

A gust of energy surged forward, slamming into them with the force of a tidal wave.

Selene felt herself being pulled into the light.

And then—everything went dark.