A voice echoed, soft and melodic— a woman’s voice, familiar and warm.

  “My little moonbeam, your mother and father wish the best for you. Don’t forget—you are a daughter of Lunaria and Caluran. If you ever find yourself in an impossible situation… remember this.”

  A small elf girl with short white hair, neatly braided, sat on a tree stump in a thin, beautiful dress. She stared up at her parents, their faces hidden by the sun’s glare.

  “…don’t pray to the moon goddess. Or the dragons. Or the wind. Pray to no one.”

  “Fight. With all your heart.”

  “For your survival. To live.”

  The current slammed into her again, and the temperature plummeted. She could feel her shoulder wound freezing to the bone.

  She gasped for air, tried to swim, and scanned the shore— there was no sign of Ash. Fear stabbed through her… until she spotted him lying on the riverbank, safe. Relief surged through her body.

  She fought harder, but the current surged even more against her. Her limbs grew numb. Soon, she couldn’t feel her own body at all.

  “My body... I can’t feel my body.”

  Panic bloomed.

  She had never known cold like this. Her elven body began to sink, her strength gone from her like the waters had sapped them away. She screamed for help, but no words came— only bubbles. Water flooded her mouth and nose.

  Her body tried to fight for life but she had no control over it.

  She felt the cold reach down to her lungs, then her heart. She could not see the sky anymore, or the light of the sky, only the ripples as her world descended into blackness.

  Then the darkness of the water took her..

  A warmth touched her waist. It was subtle— barely there.

  Ash grunted as he pulled her weight through the freezing water. Snow was falling. Ice began to crust the surface of the water.

  “Hang on,” he gasped. “You won’t die here.”

  The leopard pup whined from the shore. Ash screamed as he fought the current, dragging her with every desperate kick.

  But the waves were never as forgiving. A long time passed with no end to the torment in sight.

  At last—land. His fingers clawed into the muddy snow and pulled them both ashore.

  There was barely any strength left in him, as much as he wanted to catch his breath he knew she was his main priority. Because she would do the same for him.

  He turned her over but she wasn’t breathing.

  Panic exploded in his chest like wildfire.

  “No, no, no...” He cried.

  He pressed his hands to her chest. One, two, three— then pinched her nose and breathed into her mouth. Nothing happened. He repeated the process again, just as he had been taught back in emberfall. Still nothing.

  He expected her to kick back to life but she remained there lifeless, he panicked and did it again but each time she remained more lifeless than the last. Her heart silent and her mind dead.

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  “Please, wake up—dammit!” He slammed his palms onto her chest, his voice cracking. “You told me not to die and now you go and die on me?”

  His hands trembled.

  His mind fractured like shattered glass.

  “I can’t survive without you. I don’t know where Solspire is. I don’t know anything. I’m useless!” he cried.

  He turned his face to the moon above, snowflakes drifting like ash.

  “I don’t know who you are or why you let this happen. But she prayed to you. That has to mean something.”

  "She has to mean something."

  “Please... save her.”

  The wind howled. Cold and silent. Like it mocked him for his foolishness.

  Ash sank beside her, broken.

  He did not know the name of her goddess only that it had to do with the moon, but maybe there was never one in the first place.

  Ash looked down at the elf's lifeless body. His eyes, hollow and dark, he could remember how much she had done for him, the scars and blood she had bled for every one of his battles, the pain she hid, her sleepless nights.

  “It’s all my fault,” he whispered, as he started to pull his hair out. “She bled for me. She protected me. And I…”

  “…what do I have that’s worth this? To make everyone around me suffer. It's all my fault.”

  The wind began to move oddly, the air around him shimmering like a thousand sapphire flames igniting, the pup whimpering at something.

  Then a voice spoke.

  "If I had written a poem for every time you said that then I would be a poet..." Came a familiar female voice.

  Ash’s eyes widened. He snapped to look at her— but her body was still lifeless.

  “…not a rich poet,” the voice added. “Just a really poor, grumpy one.”

  He turned to his side—and there she was. A soft, glowing, blue projection of the elf girl floating in the air before him.

  “You’re… dead,” his voice trembled with dread, fear and disbelief.

  Ash looked up at the spirit hovering before him, his face contorted in confusion. He was speechless, there was nothing that came to mind when he opened his mouth to speak.

  The elf girl frowned. "You saved my body, I shouldn't exist in a spiritual form. Not unless you did something."

  A bright light came from behind them, it was radiant and white and warm, from it stepped a beautiful pale lady, she had long white hair, beautiful white dress, that covered her hands and legs. A radiant halo on her head, and snow white eyes.

  "He called to me and I have answered, heir Of the last flame." The pale lady spoke, her voice a melody that was carried by the winds itself. "I am Selunara, goddess of the moon and eternal calm. I have heard your prayers."

  The air grew colder but it wasn't from the snow, it came from the shock that came on their faces. The realisation that the radiant entity before them was a goddess, was frightening in itself.

  The elf bowed down on one knee and worshiped the entity. "Mother of the moon, pardon this humble servant for not recognising you sooner. We are honoured to have you in our presence."

  The goddess did not seem interested in her praises, her eyes were set on Ash. Her gaze unblinking, her lips curled into a light smile. "It is said that on the night of a full moon I can hear the prayers of my children, it is my cause whether I choose to answer or not. But you are not my child are you?"

  Ash felt a huge clump in his throat, he had never seen a beautiful being in his life. The beauty did not just come from her but from the air she exhumed, "Are you the goddess she prays to."

  Selunara nodded. "I am, and much more than that. You are still young and untrained, it's a pity really so see the last flame in such a deprived state."

  She started to walk towards Ash.

  Ash wanted to put as much distance between them but he felt himself held in place by a strange force. "You know what I am?"

  The goddess smiled. "What and who? You are the herald that will bring about peace and destruction, but what good would it do to bore you with so many details when you are still so young in your years."

  She stopped before him, her eyes looking lustful, examining him like he was a treasure. She pressed her hand on his chest, he could feel coils of a strange power reaching into his heart only to be repelled by a warm energy.

  Selunara pulled back slowly and smiled deeply. "You do have the flame."

  Ash looked at her in the eye, for some reason he felt a boldness to act. "I want you to bring my friend back, can you do it?"

  Selunara looked away from him and to the elf who still knelt down bowing. "The elf girl, look up girl."

  She looked up as ordered, her heart thumping in her chest.

  Selunara smiled. "Your eyes look familiar, pretty like sapphires and desirable."

  "Can you bring her back or not?" Ash said between gritted teeth.

  The goddess nodded slowly. "The elf has been tasked with bringing you to Veralis, the land of magic. She will need to be alive to do it so I suppose I could bring her back. But I do have a condition."

  Ash raised a questioning eyebrow.

  The goddess continued. "When the time comes, send me regards. And never forget that I am on your side."

  "Send your regards to who?" Ash asked.

  The goddess cackled. "You have a long way to go boy."

  She knelt down next to the elf's lifeless body and pressed her hand down on it, she then turned to face then elf's spirit. "Come child." She held her hand in hers and channeled her power through the spirit and the body, a bright light enveloped them.

  When it dissipated all that was left was the goddess standing over the elf's body. "It is done, they say those touched by a goddess will receive a glorious purpose."

  Ash took a step closer, "Isn't it true?"

  Selunara chuckled. "It's amusing what these mortals think about the gods, but I suppose she will live up to a glorious purpose now."

  The goddess looked up at the moon and said. "Don't think I will come down whenever you call on me, I am called a goddess for a reason."

  Ash couldn't agree less, he did not want to be in her presence any longer. But one question still bugged in his mind. "Who am I?"

  Selunara looked at him and smiled. "If I told you, that would kill all the fun now wouldn't it. I hope you live long enough to meet again, and stronger too."

  She vanished becoming a massive of silver butterflies that flew into the sky.

  Ash dropped on his knees exhausted, he reached for the snow leopard and took it in his arm. It was freezing, they were freezing, the world was covered in snow and there was no dry wood in sight to burn.

  A few minutes passed before the elf's eyes opened, what surprised her was the warmth enveloping her body all over. She could see that she was still out under the snow but there was no fire in sight.

  She could feel Ash's ribcage against her back, he had her wrapped in a tight embrace as well as the snow leopard. His body generated enough heat to keep them warm, she barely even felt the cold.

  "It's the flame in him, does this mean he's impervious to the cold?" She asked herself. "He risked his life to save me, I never knew he had that in him."

  She contemplated on leaving his embrace and going up in the trees but the warmth he offered was tempting. She should have been frozen dead and drowned in the river but he saved her, made a goddess return her soul, till then he never thought the goddess had a physical form.

  She chose to stay in his warmth a while longer.

  "Ash, you're a good kid. When you're not guilt tripping yourself."

  They stayed there under the cold night, under the watchful eyes of the moon.