Whispers in the Temple Ruins

Chapter 20: Whispers in the Temple Ruins

The pendant led me here.

I didn't know how, and I didn't ask why. Something in my chest just pulled—tugged like an invisible thread wrapped around my heart, guiding my feet across dewy grass and between crumbling stone pillars.

The temple ruins stood silent beneath the morning fog.

It wasn't beautiful.

Not anymore.

Vines had devoured the walls, and shattered statues lay forgotten in corners. But as I stepped inside, I felt it—the weight of time pressing against my skin. This place remembered.

It remembered me.

"Luna!" Louie's voice rang out behind me. He caught up, breathing hard. "Don't go in alone!"

I gave him a small smile. "I won't. Come with me."

We stepped through the archway together.

Inside, light filtered through the broken ceiling, casting dappled shadows across the cracked marble floor. Symbols carved into the stone pulsed faintly—barely noticeable to the eye, but I felt them. Like they were humming inside my bones.

Louie grabbed my hand, his fingers tightening.

"This place is creepy," he muttered.

"I think we've been here before," I said softly.

He blinked. "You mean—"

"In another life."

Before he could respond, a voice whispered through the stillness.

"You've returned."

We both froze.

The air shimmered. A figure began to form—light and smoke woven together into the shape of a woman. Her long robes fluttered as if moved by a breeze that didn't exist. Her face was half-hidden beneath a silver veil.

She looked… ancient.

And familiar.

"Liora," she said, turning to me. "And Kairen."

Louie took a step back. "Who?"

The spirit raised a glowing hand. "That was your name, once. A long time ago. You were a knight. Fierce. Loyal."

She turned to me. "And you were her—Liora. The Mooncaller. The one who held the stars in her blood."

My heart thudded in my chest.

"I've seen flashes," I admitted. "But… it never made sense."

"It will," the spirit said. "Your souls are awakening. The cycle begins again."

Louie frowned. "What cycle?"

The spirit's expression turned sorrowful. "Love. Separation. Betrayal. Rebirth. It always ends the same—unless you remember."

I felt a chill.

"Remember what?"

"Who you were. Who you are."

Suddenly, she reached out—and touched our foreheads with a burst of light.

Images flooded my mind.

Me, standing at the altar of this temple, dressed in silver. Louie—no, Kairen—kneeling before me, promising to protect me with his life.

Then flames.

Screams.

A sword through his chest.

My scream echoing through the stars.

I collapsed to my knees, gasping.

Beside me, Louie trembled, eyes wide with terror.

The spirit's voice was distant now. "You were torn apart… by fate. But fate can be rewritten. If you dare."

The light faded.

She was gone.

But the ache in my chest remained.

Louie sat beside me, silent. His eyes met mine.

"Luna…"

I nodded. "I know. We were lovers. In another life."

Silence.

Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, he said:

"Do you think we're meant to fall in love again?"

I reached for his hand.

"I think we never stopped."

---

To be continued…