The Moon's Ascent
The cold thought from the smooth-faced thing stayed in my head. You… are… awake.
Awake to what? This frozen world?
This scary quiet? I shook my head. I had to move, to know.
The light changed.
The sun was gone, but the moon came up, big and silver.
Its light went through the still trees, making long, dark shadows that didn't move.
The frozen world looked different in the moonlight.
Things I knew looked strange.
The still water shone like a ghost.
The air felt colder, a magic cold.
Need to be strong, even if nothing else is.
The ground was cold on my hands. My arms hurt a little.
Even though I was scared, I wanted to know why that thing said I was awake.
Was I different?
My eyes went to the Lumina Bloom place.
It was open and a special flower only opened when the moon was full.
I watched it a lot. Even frozen, I wondered if it would still open.
I felt like I had to go there.
Maybe under the moon, I would find answers.
Gotta see if the Lumina Bloom still shines.
Thinking about its soft light gave me a little hope.
Walking through the frozen forest on the moon felt like a dream.
My feet crunched on the still leaves.
The shadows looked weird. I felt like a ghost.
I passed a frozen deer.
It looked like it was running. I felt sad. The forest was stuck.
Remember when it was alive.
I closed my eyes, trying to hear the sounds, smell the smells, and feel the sun.
It got colder near the Lumina Bloom place.
The moonlight was bright.
And there it was.
In the middle, the Nocturna Argentum was blooming.
Its silver petals opened slowly, giving off a soft light that moved a little.
It was the only thing moving beside me.
I gasped. It was beautiful. But it also felt important. Why was it blooming?
What makes this plant different?
I knelt about it. It felt warm.
Then, I saw a shadow move. Not frozen.
My knife was in my hand fast.
A person stepped into the moonlight.
He was tall with dark hair.
His eyes looked strong.
He wasn't frozen.
I felt so happy to see someone else! Someone else is awake.
"Hello?" I said, my voice was shaking.
He didn't answer.
He just looked at me and the flower. He looked a little familiar.
Another person. Who is he? I tried to remember if I knew him.
He finally spoke, his voice quiet. "The Lumina Bloom… it still listens to the moon."
His words were strange. He didn't seem surprised to see me.
"Who are you?" I asked, holding my knife tight.
I was happy but also worried.
He looked at me. "My name is Liam. And like you, Elara… I am awake."
He knew my name. How? I had never seen him.
He knows my name. This isn't good.
I was more scared now. Was he with the thing at the falls?
"How do you know my name?" My voice was sharp.
Liam stepped closer. "I've been watching you, Elara. For a long time."
Watching me? I shivered. This didn't feel like help.
"Why?" I whispered.
He pointed to the flower. "Because you are connected to this, like me.
We are different. We are not like the others."
He looked at the frozen forest. "We are… untouched."
Untouched? What does that mean? His words made me feel strange.
He stepped closer, and I moved back, holding my knife out. His eyes looked hungry.
"What do you want?" I asked.
Liam looked at the flower, then me. "I want to know. Why us? Why are we still moving?"
He stopped. He looked sad. "And I think… you might know."
He reached his hand out. "Come with me, Elara. Let's find out… together."
He sounded like he wanted to help, but his eyes felt wrong. Could I trust him?
Just then, the frozen water moved a little.
A tiny move.
Liam looked at it fast. "Did you see that?"
Then the water moved again, bigger. And again.
The forest started to make quiet noises.
The frozen leaves shook.
Liam looked surprised and scared. "It's… it's changing!"
Then the ground shook. The flower's light pulsed faster.
And from the forest, a low sound started to come. The quiet was ending.
Something scary was starting.
Is the shaking ground the forest waking up, or something worse? Can Elara trust Liam? What will happen now that the forest is moving again?