Chapter 21: The Ghost of Luna Sinclair

The shock of Ethan's words still rang in Luna's mind as she struggled to break free from his iron grip. Her heart raced, her thoughts scattered, but she knew one thing for sure: she wasn't dead—at least, not in the world she had come from.

"Let go of me, Ethan!" she shouted, pushing against his chest with all her strength. She was still disoriented from the shift in timelines, but that didn't mean she would let him believe she was some enemy. She had to make him see.

He hesitated for a moment, his grip loosening just enough for her to step back. His gaze was wary, his eyes searching her face like he was trying to read a stranger. Luna could see the conflict in his eyes. She didn't know what had happened to him in this world, but she could feel that he wasn't the person she had known.

"You…" He exhaled sharply, trying to regain his composure. "You're… not her. You can't be."

Luna's voice softened, her expression pleading. "I am her. I swear to you, Ethan. Please, just listen."

He stood still for a long moment, his eyes flickering between doubt and something else—recognition, perhaps? Or just the ghost of memories they once shared.

"You don't get it," Ethan said finally, his voice heavy with something that felt like regret. "I watched her die. I saw Luna Sinclair die. You're just an imposter."

Luna's chest tightened. "What happened to me?" she asked softly, her voice shaking despite herself. "What happened to the other me?"

Ethan didn't speak right away. Instead, he looked away, his jaw clenching. After a few tense moments, he sighed and let his hand drop to his side.

"You died during the Crisis of the Starborn War," he said, his voice low. "The Council sent you to the front lines. They promised us a future where Starborns would control the future of Nova Prime. The Rebellion was trying to stop it, and you—she—was part of the final battle. But you didn't come back. No one did."

Luna's breath caught in her throat. She could barely process what he was saying. Starborns, war, the Council, the Rebellion… she was supposed to be dead here, part of a war that had wiped out her future self. This wasn't her world, but the pieces were falling into place, and it felt like a nightmare she was only beginning to wake up from.

"What do you mean, 'no one came back'?" she asked, her voice trembling with uncertainty.

"The battle—it was catastrophic. We lost everything. We had no Starborns left to guide us, and Nova Prime fell into chaos. The Council turned into dictators, controlling everything with technology and… machines. The Rebellion was crushed. We've been living in a fractured reality ever since."

Luna shook her head, struggling to make sense of his words. "But I—she—was part of the fight for freedom. I didn't die for nothing, Ethan."

He turned away from her, his hand running through his hair in frustration. "You think I don't know that? You think it doesn't haunt me every damn day that we failed? That the person I—" He stopped mid-sentence, his words unfinished, his fists clenched at his sides.

"You knew me, didn't you?" Luna pressed, stepping closer, feeling the weight of his emotions hanging in the air between them. "You knew the real me. The person who fought."

Ethan didn't answer at first, but the pain in his eyes spoke volumes. Slowly, he turned to face her. "We used to fight side by side. And when the war tore us apart, I thought you were the one who could bring it all back. That we could fix things." He swallowed hard. "But after everything fell apart… you died. That's all I have left. The dead version of you, in my memories."

Luna's heart sank. This wasn't just a timeline where she hadn't existed. This was a timeline where she had already been lost. Where her other self had fought and died, giving everything to a world that didn't understand her.

But she wasn't dead.

And she wouldn't let the past mistakes of her future self define her.

The Heart of Nova Prime

Luna needed answers.

Everything she had known had been ripped away when she entered this new world. But there was one thing she still had—one thing she could still fight for. She needed to uncover what happened to her other self and understand why she had died, why she was not supposed to exist in this timeline.

"Ethan," she said, her voice hardening with resolve, "we need to find out what happened to her. To the version of me who died. If there's any chance I can change it, I will."

Ethan's expression softened for a moment. He looked like he wanted to argue, to convince her to stop, but instead, he nodded slowly. "You're still her, Luna. I know that. But the world you want to save is… broken. The Rebellion's been crushed, the Council controls everything now. We're living in a nightmare that doesn't end."

Luna squared her shoulders. "Then we make it end."

The Path to the Heart of the Council

Together, they made their way through the city, moving through dark alleyways and hidden passages that Ethan knew well. This wasn't the city she had fallen into before. It was a city of secrets, ruled by the Council, whose technology was a far cry from the world she once knew. But Luna had learned the ways of the stars and the paths they marked. Even without her power, she could feel that the city was filled with ancient secrets.

And she would uncover them.

After all, this was her future—or it had been.

The Heart of the Council was located at the top of the highest tower in Nova Prime. A symbol of their dominance over the world, it loomed above the city like a mechanical eye, constantly watching, controlling.

Luna didn't hesitate.

"Let's go," she said, her eyes steely with purpose. "We'll find the archives there. They'll know what happened to the Starborn, to me."

Ethan nodded, his jaw set. "You have no idea what they've done to it."

Luna raised an eyebrow. "Does it matter?"

Ethan smirked, despite himself. "You might just be crazy enough to make it work."