CHAPTER 55: CHAPTER FIFTY FIVE

The air was cool the next morning. Mist hung low across the Vale, clinging to the rocks and trees like quiet watchers. Dew sparkled on the moss, and birds called softly from the branches. I sat cross-legged near the pool where moonlight still shimmered on the surface, even though the sun had already risen.

Everything was quiet. The kind of quiet that feels full, like the world is waiting.

Orrin stood behind me. He didn’t speak. He never rushed. He always let the stillness teach before his voice did. I could feel his presence, steady and calm, like a tree that had weathered a thousand storms.

When he finally spoke, his voice was low and firm. "The fourth way is Lunar Enchantment. It is not a thing of spells or chants. It is intention, woven into matter through the will of the moon."

I nodded slowly. I didn’t fully understand. But something about the words rang true, like a memory buried deep inside me.

He stepped forward and held out a small pendant, shaped like a fang but smooth and silvery. It glowed faintly, like it had caught the last light of the moon and refused to let go.

"This is a wolfstone," he said. "Born from earth kissed by moonlight. You will enchant it with protection."

I took the pendant carefully. It pulsed faintly in my palm, like it had a heart of its own. My fingers closed around it.

"You must channel your purpose into it," Orrin said. "Focus on who or what you wish to protect, and why. But beware, Luciana—enchantment is not just about strength. The stone reflects your soul. If your heart is not clear, the magic will twist or break."

I swallowed hard and closed my eyes.

Immediately, my thoughts spun.

Erya’s smile—how it lit up her whole face.

Darius’ broken eyes the morning I left.

My mother’s last words before I crossed the portal.

I held the stone tighter.

I want to protect them. My family. My future.

The pendant grew warm.

But then another thought crept in.

What if I fail?

What if I’m too late?

What if I never see them again?

The warmth grew hot.

Then burning.

My eyes flew open. A crack had split down the side of the pendant.

"No!"

Orrin raised a hand. "Stop. Let it go."

I dropped the stone. It hit the ground with a sharp ping but didn’t shatter.

"You let fear in," Orrin said.

"I didn’t mean to," I whispered.

"But you did. That is the lesson."

I stared at the wolfstone. The crack pulsed like a wound.

"You can try again," Orrin said. "But only when you are ready. Come. Walk with me."

---

We walked in silence through the edge of the Vale. The ground was soft beneath our feet, and the mist curled around our ankles like curious spirits. I could feel the pendant inside my pocket. It pulsed against my leg, still alive, still waiting.

Orrin led me to a cliff where the mist parted, revealing the sky above and the forest far below. The view was wide and clear. The clouds moved slowly overhead, pale and silver-edged. The wind brushed my cheeks.

"What do you feel here?" he asked.

I closed my eyes. Breathed in deep.

"Cold. Empty. Still."

"Not fear?"

I shook my head. "No."

He nodded. "Then try again."

I pulled the pendant out of my pocket. The crack had faded a little, as if time and distance had calmed it. It no longer pulsed with pain but with something softer—something waiting.

"This time," Orrin said, "focus not on the people. Focus on the feeling you wish to give them."

I blinked at him. "What do you mean?"

"When you enchant, you are not just protecting," he said. "You are offering peace. Trust. Comfort. Those are emotions, not names or faces. Find the emotion. Let that guide you."

I nodded. Slowly.

I sat down on a flat rock.

Held the pendant in both hands.

I closed my eyes again.

This time, I didn’t picture faces.

I pictured warmth.

Not fire. Not heat.

But a safe place. A home.

The smell of Erya’s hair after a bath.

Darius’ hand brushing mine as we walked.

My mother humming while she cooked.

The sound of laughter around the dinner table.

Kiani’s tiny fingers wrapping around mine.

I poured those memories into the stone.

Not clinging. Just letting them fill me.

The pendant warmed.

Not burning.

Not wild.

Just steady.

The crack sealed.

A soft glow surrounded the stone.

Pale, like moonlight on snow.

When I opened my eyes, Orrin was watching me with something close to pride.

"Good," he said. "Very good."

I let out a breath I hadn’t known I was holding. My shoulders relaxed. I felt lighter.

"Keep it with you. It is not strong enough to stop a blade, but it will slow dark thoughts. Strengthen the heart. That is often more useful."

I tied the pendant around my neck. It rested near my collarbone, light and cool. I touched it with my fingers. It felt like hope.

"Is that all?" I asked.

He shook his head. "This is only the first enchantment. More will come. But for now, rest. You have earned it."

---

That night, I sat by the fire Orrin had built. The stars blinked above, sharp and cold. The trees whispered around us. The wolfstone glowed faintly against my skin.

I thought of everything I had learned since coming to the Vale.

The mooncalling—the night I first heard the song in my blood.

The spirit-walking—the dream that wasn’t a dream.

The burning forest—where I faced what I feared most.

And now this.

Each step had been harder than the last.

But each one had brought me closer to who I truly was.

Not the Luna I had been.

Not the daughter of a broken past.

But something new.

Something stronger.

I looked into the fire and whispered to it.

"I won’t break. I won’t let fear stop me."

The flames flickered.

The pendant pulsed once.

And far in the woods, something howled.

Not a beast.

Not a warning.

But the night itself, answering back.

---

Later, after Orrin had gone to rest, I stayed by the fire. I couldn’t sleep. Not yet. I kept thinking about what he said—that enchantment was the reflection of the soul.

I touched the stone at my chest.

What did it say about me?

Did it show the guilt I still carried?

The doubts that crept in late at night?

Or did it show the hope I refused to let go of?

I didn’t know. Maybe it showed both.

And maybe that was okay.

Because I was both.

A girl who had run.

And a woman who had returned.

A daughter.

A sister.

A protector.

I lay back on the grass and looked up at the sky. The stars were clearer now, and the moon had begun to rise. It was not full, not yet. But it was bright enough to paint the treetops silver.

The wind moved through the leaves like a song.

I closed my eyes and listened.

Not just to the world around me.

But to the one inside.

And for the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel afraid.

---

By morning, I woke with dew on my cheeks. Orrin was already tending the fire again. He nodded at me as I sat up, brushing leaves from my hair.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"Calm," I said. "Ready."

He gave a small smile. "Then today, we begin the second enchantment."

My hand went to the pendant on instinct.

I felt it stir.

I wasn’t sure what the second enchantment would be. Orrin hadn’t told me. But I didn’t ask. I didn’t need to know yet.

For now, I knew this:

I had made something out of nothing.

I had turned fear into strength.

And I had touched a kind of magic that was older than words.

The fourth way wasn’t about power.

It was about heart.

And mine was finally steady.