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CHAPTER 3

The Past's Shadows

The coolness of the early morning air against my skin served as a subtle reminder that I was indeed alive. However, today seemed odd, as if the boundaries of my reality were hazy, pulling at memories I was never able to fully capture.

The camp was tense following the rogue encounter last night. Through the clearing, warriors walked silently, attentive and prepared. As I saw them from the healer's lodge, I had an unexplained desire and an odd pain that was both unfamiliar and familiar.

"Good morning, Luna." Mara's kind voice jolted me out of my reverie. Her eyes softened as she saw my thoughtful expression and set a tray of bandages and dry herbs on the table next to me. "Aren't you a million miles away?"

I made an effort to grin. "I guess I was just... lost in thought."

She looked at me as if she knew more than she admitted, and she raised an eyebrow. That's common for someone figuring out where they fit in a new environment. Give it some time.

I nodded, attempting to concentrate on the well-known cadence of herb preparation. I grind them and inhale the soothing aroma, but my thoughts wouldn't stop. Like far-off echoes, flashes of last night's vision lingered: a blood-splattered battlefield, a ferocious conflict, and my own agonized cries.

Was it real?

I closed my eyes, allowing the memory to come to the surface in spite of my mounting fear.

A pitch-black woodland, illuminated only by the moon's faint light. Eyes sparkling with malice, shadows shifted in the woods. The sound of steel crashing into bone reverberated through the night, and I could smell blood, rich and fresh.

Then I saw Kai, engaged in combat in the middle of it all, his movements exact, his eyes intense. However, there was something more in his eyes that made me shiver a sadness so profound it resembled mine.

"Luna!" His hand was outstretched, seemingly reaching for me through the confusion, and his voice was raw with desperation.

My heart gave me a sharp agony, and then I was falling, plummeting into the dark.

I grabbed the edge of the table to stabilize myself as my eyes sprung open and I began to gulp for air. The earth felt firm underfoot, but I was still caught between the present and that awful picture.

"Luna?" There was worry in Mara's voice. "How are you doing?"

I made an unsteady laugh. "I believe... All I need is some air.

I went out the door allowing the fresh wind to caress me before she could reply. With my pulse pounding, I looked around the camp, almost expecting to see what I had seen in my vision come to life.

I firmly persuaded myself that it was only a dream. It's just an overactive imagination.

I felt in my heart that it was more than that, though.

I turned to face Kai as I felt a presence next to me as I made my way toward the camp's perimeter. The intensity of his gaze sent a familiar chill down my spine, even though his countenance was inscrutable as he watched me.

"You appear distressed," he observed in a steady, quiet voice.

I made an effort to grin, but it was awkward. "I suppose... Getting settled in a location that feels both familiar and alien is odd.

Kai nodded while maintaining eye contact with me. Even when we are unaware of it, we occasionally carry the past with us. Deeply ingrained memories that shape who we are.

My heart skipped a beat when he said that. Was he aware of the vision? Or was there something else he was talking about?

"What if... what if some memories aren't coherent?" With caution, I asked.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he scrutinized me. "What do you mean?"

With the weird pictures still troubling me, I wasn't sure whether I could trust him. However, his presence was constant, reassuring, and like a tether to a reality I was unable to fully comprehend.

In a scarcely audible whisper, I eventually confessed, "I keep seeing things." Bits and pieces of a life I can't recall. Struggles, grief, loss... Even though I know it can't be, it feels genuine.

Kai's face softened, and he moved in closer, his hand lingering as if he wanted to grab me but refrained. "The soul can sometimes recall things that the mind cannot."

I felt cold when he said it. He seemed to be carrying ghosts from a previous life, as though he knew precisely what I was going through.

A roar reverberated across the camp before I could question him more. A scout ran toward us, his face frantic and pallid, and we both turned to see him.

"Alpha Kai! His voice was tense as he reported, "There's a disturbance at the northern border."

Kai's posture changed, his eyes hardened, every inch of the Alpha prepared for combat. When he looked at me, I briefly noticed concern in his eyes.

"Remain here," he said in a stern voice. "At this time, I don't want you close to the border."

I started to object, but he had already left, vanishing into the forest with a horde of troops right after him.

I sensed a tug in my breast, a voice beckoning me to follow, as the camp fell back into its uncomfortable calm. I felt that weird, all-too-familiar feeling again, and my hands were shaking. I closed my eyes mindlessly and reached inside, trying to find the sensation that had been bothering me all morning.

This time the vision was clearer.

My heart was racing with anxiety as I ran through the same woodland. The air was filled with the sounds of clashing swords and growling dogs. My own voice echoed, dejected, and the earth beneath my boots was smeared with blood.

"Remain on the line!" Every death and every life lost to the ruthless attacks of the rogues broke my heart, and I sobbed.

Abruptly, I saw Kai once again, standing in the middle of the conflict, staring at me. He appeared desperate, as if he could sense my anguish and fear.

Even amid the confusion, I could hear his voice saying, "Luna, you must flee?" "Save yourself, please."

I felt my chest tighten with a feeling too strong to ignore as the words stabbed me. I realized at that same moment that I couldn't forsake him in this battle. I extended my hand to grasp him, but my vision dimmed and I was left in the quiet serenity of the forest.

I opened my eyes and felt the wet earth under me as I gasped for air. One tear trickled down my face as the vision's weight hung there, oppressive and thick.

I kept seeing these things, but why? What made them seem so genuine?

As I was calming down, I heard a stir behind me and turned to see Mara standing there with a worried expression on her face.

“Luna,” she said, taking a step forward. "Are you okay? You appear to have seen a ghost.

It sounded empty, but I faked a laugh. Perhaps I have. Or perhaps I'm simply seeing things in my head.

She looked at me closely, as though she was trying to find the truth in what I was saying. "Luna, sometimes what we see is a message. things that, despite their sorrow, we are supposed to comprehend.

Her comments weighed heavily on me, and I had an odd clarity. Perhaps these images were attempting to tell me something significant if they were indeed a part of my history.

I nodded slowly as my determination solidified. "Mara, you're correct. Perhaps I need to comprehend something.

Before she could answer, a cold, agonized cry rang through the air. The music hit something deep within me, like if it were resonating through my own soul, and I froze.

With wide eyes, Mara took hold of my hand and dragged me in the direction of the camp. "Please, let's see what's going on."

My heart fell as I took in the situation as we hurried back to the clearing. Two of the warriors were carrying a wounded and hardly conscious fighter in the direction of the healer's hut. Kai was standing close by, his face black with anguish and rage, a sight I had seen in my visions before.

"Who assaulted them?" My voice trembled as I asked.

“Rogues,” Kai said, looking directly into my eyes. But they are more vicious and well-organized. They also left a message.

He displayed a ripped piece of blood-stained fabric. There was a symbol inscribed on it, one that made me feel something dark and sinister.

It was a wolf's eye with a clawed slash through it, a basic yet recognizable form. I realized then that I had seen it before. Where, though?

My heart pounded, and my previous vision returned with a vengeance that left me gasping for air.

What did this sign represent? I couldn't recall a life, so why did it feel like a warning?

As I stared at the blood-streaked symbol, a chill swept over me, a voice echoing in my mind with haunting clarity: *“The past isn’t finished with you yet, Luna. The war has only just begun.”

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