Chapter 8: Chapter 8: The Air That Watches

The wind wasn’t blowing.

It was breathing.

Every gust that brushed her cheek felt like a whisper—words just out of reach.

The forest didn’t move. It waited.

And Luna…

She felt it again. That shift. That pull.

Her mark flared.

Her pendant thrummed.

And above her, the clouds spiraled.

She thought Keolora’s voice was the only one she'd ever hear inside her.

But something was different now.

The air was changing.

And he was watching.

Zeph stiffened beside her. “Luna… do you feel that?”

She nodded slowly. “He’s near.”

“The Wind King?” Zeph asked, voice half skeptical, half serious.

Before she could answer, the archway lit up with a soft, silver-blue light that pulsed like breath.

Then—

A voice.

Sharp as a gust. Smooth as a storm. Laced with sarcasm.

“So. You’re the moonborn who’s been poking around my roots.”

Luna blinked.

“…What?”

The wind swirled tighter. Leaves lifted in a lazy spiral around her feet.

Then the voice came again—clearer this time, echoing all around them.

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“Took you long enough.”

A sudden gust swept through the trees, and from the wind itself… he stepped forward.

Or rather, formed.

A tall figure emerged from the spiraling air, his body made of shifting sky—part wind, part man. His cloak fluttered without weight, his silver-blue hair danced like it was always in motion. Eyes like open skies, rimmed with storms.

He smirked.

“I am Caelion. King of Wind. Keeper of the Sky’s Edge.”

He looked at Luna. “And you… you smell like moonlight and misplaced destiny.”

Zeph blinked. “Well, that’s not creepy at all.”

Caelion gave him a lazy glance. “Oh, I like this one. Sharp tongue. Slow brain.”

Then he turned to Luna. “Why are you here?”

“You called me,” she said, frowning.

He raised an eyebrow. “Did I?”

He stepped closer. “Funny. I don’t remember calling a scared little mortal with glowing jewelry and ocean energy bleeding off her.”

Luna crossed her arms. “I’m not scared.”

“Sure you’re not,” Caelion said, circling her like wind on a cliff’s edge. “But tell me something, girl with the moonmark—do you really want to make a pact with the wind?”

Luna held her ground. “Yes.”

He smirked. “Why?”

“What?”

“I asked why. Why would you want the wind? You already carry the sea. What do you want from me?”

Luna hesitated. Then answered honestly.

“I don’t know. But I feel like… like I’m supposed to.”

Caelion stopped moving.

For a moment, the wind stilled too.

He tilted his head, studying her.

Then—he laughed.

Loud. Wild. Unbothered.

“Oh stars,” he chuckled, “I haven’t been this entertained in centuries.”

Zeph leaned closer to Luna. “Is this normal?”

“No idea,” she muttered.

“Fine,” Caelion said. “You want a contract with wind? Let’s see if you can handle it.”

He snapped his fingers—and the ground shook beneath them.

The vines pulled back, revealing a stone path hidden beneath moss. At the end of it, a raised platform stood surrounded by tall standing stones carved with swirling wind runes.

Luna’s heart beat faster.

“What is this?” she asked.

Caelion grinned. “Your test.”

“Test?”

“You think the wind just bends for anyone? No, no. Wind is wild. Free. Reckless. It follows no rule, no throne, no fate. If you want my power, little moonborn, you’ll have to earn it.”

Luna stepped forward, but he raised a hand.

“I’m not testing your strength. Or your magic. Or how dramatic your destiny is.”

He leaned closer, voice lower now.

“I’m testing your truth.”

Luna frowned. “What does that mean?”

“You’ll see.” He vanished into mist.

Then—

The stones around the platform lit up.

The wind shifted violently—and suddenly Luna wasn’t in the forest anymore.

She stood on a narrow stone bridge, suspended in the sky. No ground. No trees. Just clouds and sky stretching forever.

The pendant at her chest pulsed wildly.

Zeph was gone.

Caelion’s voice echoed all around her now.

“Walk forward, moonborn. One step at a time. Speak your truth with each step, or the wind will push you back.”

She swallowed.

It wasn’t magic.

It was something else.

Something that felt personal.

Truth.

Her mark burned again.

She took a step.

The wind stayed still.

Then another.

Still calm.

Then—

“I’m scared,” she said aloud.

The wind stirred gently.

“I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t know why I was chosen. I didn’t ask for this.”

She took another step.

“But I can’t run anymore.”

The wind lifted her slightly, like it approved.

“I’m not perfect. I’m not brave all the time. I feel small, even now.”

She reached the center of the bridge.

“I don’t know who I am yet…”

Pause.

“…But I want to find out.”

The wind surged around her—joyful, wild, proud.

Caelion appeared before her again, smiling.

“That,” he said softly, “is all I needed.”

He raised his hand, and the wind wrapped around her chest—warm, fast, free.

“Then let this contract be made.”

Luna gasped as the air rushed into her like breath into flame.

Her mark burned gold and silver. Her pendant flared.

A symbol—swirling and sharp—etched itself into the air behind her.

The contract was made.

Caelion smiled.

“Now you fly with me.”

And with that—Luna opened her eyes.

She was back in the forest.

Zeph was at her side, jaw dropped. “You just disappeared!”

Luna looked up at the sky.

The wind curled around her fingers like an old friend.

“I’m okay,” she said. “I’m more than okay.”

The sky was still spinning.

And inside her, Caelion whispered:

“Next time, bring snacks.”

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To be continued...