Chapter 2: The Secret Within

The days that followed Luna's encounter with Finn were filled with a peculiar mix of wonder and unease. She found herself increasingly drawn to the forest, yearning to explore its depths and perhaps meet her Foxkin friend once more. A growing sense of restlessness gnawed at her heart, making it difficult for her to focus on her daily chores and village life.

Several times Luna returned to the forest, to the place where she found Finn in his Fox form caught in the hunter’s trap. She was hoping to come across him again, maybe catch a glimpse of his blue fur left on a bush or see a footprint pressed in the mud. But Luna saw nothing, and she wondered if she would ever meet him again. She felt almost empty without him.

Luna ran back through the memory of that day in her mind. She had been so awestruck when she saw Finn for the first time. She remembered how his eyes sparkled when he looked at her, how shocked she was when he tape shifted to his human form right before her eyes. Luna shivered thinking about it. She tried to think about something else and brushed off the yearning that she felt for him.

One evening, after a day spent walking through the Enchanted Forest, looking for everything but finding nothing, Luna sat by the fireplace in her mother's cottage. As she sat there watching the fire, she couldn't help but notice the way the flames danced and flickered. Luna got a strange urge to get closer to the fire. She wanted to feel the burning flames on her skin.

As she reached out her hand, she felt a sudden warmth surging through her veins, as if she were connected to the fire itself. Her eyes widened in astonishment as the flames seemed to respond to her touch, growing larger and wilder before subsiding with her gentle exhale.

Luna felt her breath quicken. The flames made her feel so alive, and yet so calm. She tried to focus. Can this really be happening, she thought? She removed her hands and shook them. Luna inspected them for burns but saw nothing.

Luna's mother, who had been quietly observing from the doorway, rushed to her side. Fear and sadness filled her eyes as she embraced Luna, whispering, "I knew this day would come. It is time for me to tell you the truth about your father."

”You saw that, too?” Luna croaked, almost embarrassed.

“Luna, yes, I saw. You weren’t hallucinating. There is a lot that I need to tel you. You aren’t a typical girl Luna. You’re something else..”

”I’ve hesitated to reveal this to you, because it means that things are going to change. But you are at that age where your powers will begin to reveal themselves.” Luna’s mother sighed. She stared blankly at her daughter.

”Powers, plural?!” Luna questioned. She was perplexed. What she did with the fire was a power? She looked back at the fire. “You knew that I could…?” Luna couldn’t find the words to describe what she had done. “Mom? And this has something to do with Dad?”

Her mother revealed the story of Luna's father, a Dracornian – a magical race known for their ability to control the elements. Luna had heard stories of these people from other children in her village, but was never really sure if they were true.

”So, I’m half Dracornian? What?” Luna looked down at her lap. She avoided eye contact with her mother because she felt betrayed and a little angry honestly. All of these years Luna knew she felt different, and her mother knew why the whole time. Why didn’t her mom say anything?

Luna's parents had fallen in love, defying the strict boundaries that separated the human and magical realms.

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“He was amazing,” her mother said. “He could harness the power of all elements, like they were a part of him. We wondered if you also would be passed on his magical powers.”

”When you were born, your father was forced to return to his own kind, leaving us behind. He had no choice. We could not risk anyone finding out that he was your father.”

As Luna processed the revelation, she began to understand everything. She knew how most people in her village felt about magic. Most believed it wasn’t real and no one liked to openly discuss it. maybe her mother had made the right choice to hide Luna’s origin from everyone, even Luna. Luna relaxed a bit.

She was relieved to know the source of her newfound abilities. She was overwhelmed, but everything made sense now.

“Mom, how could you keep this from me?!” Luna cried. She was relieved yet angry that something so important was hidden from her for her whole life.

“I didn’t know how else to protect you. Children like you aren’t supposed to exist. You would have been taken from me and I couldn’t let that happen. No matter what the cost to you or me, I had to keep you safe. I didn’t have a choice.” Luna’s mother frowned, cradling her head in her hands. At that moment Luna knew why her mom was aways cautiously watching her, she was looking for signs of what was to come.

”There is no one else like you. No one before has been part human, part Dracornian. People afraid of the unfamiliar.” Her mother sighed.

Luna was a hybrid, a unique blend of human and magical blood, gifted with powers beyond her imagination. She didn’t quite know what to do with this information yet.

“What are we going to do mom?” Luna sighed. She was excited yet overwhelmed with a sense of grief. She would have to leave this life behind. “I can’t stay here, you will be in danger…because of me.”

”Don’t worry Luna. Like your father you are strong, and you have much left to experience in this world. There is much more to this world beyond the village and the Enchanted Forest. There are many magical creatures and beings in Evanescent. The world is full of magic. Like you.”

“I wish there was more I could tell you or teach you, but it is not something I understand. Your father left a long time ago, if he were here he could guide you. But he’s not.” Luna’s mother tested up a little. Then she got up.

”This is a lot for you to take in.” She told Luna. “Let’s go to sleep, we need our rest.” Luna looked at her mother. She was tired. She felt pretty drained actually.

That night as Luna tried to sleep, she had a lot to think about. ‘I’m a hybrid’ she thought. ‘I’m an abomination. I shouldn’t be here, but what does it mean that I am.’

As she drifted off to sleep she imagined herself walking through fire. As she walked the fire raged around her. Her skin was white, like the fire that was now part of her.

When she awoke the next morning she replayed the past few weeks in her mind. She knew things were about to change. Luna decided she would question her mother more about her father so she could find him.

‘He will have the answers I need’ she thought. She felt resolved in her decision and began planning her next move.

She ventured into the village the next day, she quickly realized that her newfound identity came with a heavy burden. Someone must have seen what happened in their tiny cottage as it was obvious something was amiss.

‘Do I look different?’ She thought. ‘How do they know?’ But somehow they did. There was nothing she or her mother could do about it now.

It wasn’t long before word of Luna's abilities spread. Like the fire she could now control, every man, woman, and child shunned her. The villagers now looked upon her with fear and distrust. They whispered about her unnatural powers and the danger she posed to their peaceful community. Children were kept away from her, and adults averted their eyes when she passed by.

Luna's heart ached with loneliness and the sting of rejection. This was hard on her. Sure, she was lonely before, it never felt so unwanted or hated. She longed for the comforting presence of her Foxkin friend and the acceptance she had felt in his company. She had already decided that she could no longer stay in the village that had once been her home, but she needed to leave now. She needed to find a place where she could belong, a place where her true self would be embraced and not shunned. But did a place like that even exist?

And so, Luna gathered her meager belongings and bade her mother a tearful farewell. As she set off on her journey, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of excitement mixed with her sorrow. She was embarking on an incredible adventure, determined to find a world that would accept her for who she was, and forge her own destiny along the way, no matter the cost.