Loona was still on her knees, sobbing silently, staring up at Blaze with eyes full of a pain she had no words for.
Blaze—still overtaken—cupped her face again. But this time, there is no violence. Only awe. “Now you see,” the Soulmonger whispered. “You are not a mistake. You are not abandoned. You are not unloved.”
Loona’s breath shuddered. “You… you showed me… my parents…”
“I showed you truth.” The Soulmonger’s voice deepened, wrapping around her like velvet and ash. “You are a forbidden union. A miracle neither Heaven nor Hell could tolerate.” The soul-flames flared hotter. “You are a bridge between realms. A child born of impossible love. A destiny waiting to ignite.” He leaned closer, forehead touching hers. “And I can help you become what you were meant to be.” Loona trembled.
Not with fear. But with a strange, overwhelming sense of being… seen. “Why… why would you help me?” she whispered.
The Soulmonger smiled through Blaze’s lips. “Because you are the one thing in all creation born from unity, not war. And if you stand beside me… I will make the realms kneel. An idol of worship.” His hand slid down to her throat—not choking, but claiming. “Choose, Loona,” he murmured. “Break with him…” He lifted Blaze’s hand—her Blaze’s hand—and placed it against her heart. “…or stand with me.”
Full art for the recent story and finale of the Blaze and Loona Saga.
