Liora sat on the mossy stone wall, her silver braid catching the light of the twin moons that hovered low in the lavender sky. Beside her, a sleek midnight cat named Nyx purred quietly, its eyes reflecting distant galaxies.

For as long as she could remember, she’d been told the moons were just moons—silent watchers, keepers of the tides. But tonight, they were whispering. Not in words, but in a deep hum that resonated in her bones, pulling her forward.

A soft breeze carried motes of shimmering light that drifted from the horizon, settling on her skin like snowflakes that didn’t melt. Nyx’s ears twitched; the cat turned to her, eyes narrowing.

“It’s time,” a voice echoed—not from the air, but from within her mind.

She blinked. “Time for what?”

The cat’s tail wrapped around her wrist, and in a blink, the stone wall, the garden, and the familiar world dissolved. The moons loomed closer, vast and alive, their surfaces swirling with light. She stood barefoot on a bridge of crystal suspended between them, the hum now a chorus.

“You are the Moonkeeper,” the chorus sang. “And the gates have been closed for a thousand years. Tonight, you will open them.”

Liora’s heart pounded. Somewhere deep inside, she had always known she was waiting for this moment. She took Nyx’s paw, and together they stepped into the light.

The bridge dissolved—and so did the world she knew.