Pharyx rubbed his neck and trudged back towards the nest. After six days chasing that stupid caravan, he and his hunting party were all exhausted. And for what? In the end, they hadn’t even been able to help…or, at least, he hadn’t been willing to.

Hornets have a long memory. Do one wrong, and they’ll remember it season after season. Do them right, and they’ll at least remember not to bother you.

As Queen of Hanai, Pharyx had his pride. He repaid his debts. So, when he saw Tsuyuki as part of the caravan guard, he had second thoughts. The moon artist had saved his life on a fair few occasions, and he considered them friends. How could he lead his scouts to attack in conditions like those?

But…

The mission was, first and foremost, a favor for the Flower Maiden. The caravan was doomed to die by her command. As it passed through Hanai, she’d reached out to him to aid in stopping it, and yet, Pharyx had called it off.

What a mess, he thought to himself as he dismissed the disappointed scouts in his patrol. They buzzed off, twitching antennae in annoyance, but keeping their silence for fear of the Queen finding out exactly how they felt about the change in plans.

Of course, he didn’t blame them. Scouts were scouts. They existed to defend the hive, and they reveled in carrying out their duty. A threat to their lands had been allowed to enter, then leave unprovoked, and they were not happy about it.

“You look tired,” Suzume called from the nest’s entrance. She was dressed simply today, with a simple green dress and no jewels in her hair. Dirt along the bottom hem indicated she’d been helping around the hive, probably assisting the Groomers in cleaning the nest from top to bottom in preparation for Pharyx’s arrival.

“Not nearly as tired as you must be, managing things without me,” he said. “I appreciate your help.”

“It’s the least I can do to step up for my little brother whenever he needs me.” She pulled him into her arms and pressed her forehead to his. It was a quirky gesture they both liked to do, one reminiscent of feeling one another’s antennae in greeting. “How goes your investigation into the moon?”

“Stonewalled,” Pharyx admitted, turning his face up to see the half-disk in the sky. “I may have to seek help from an expert.”

“Tsuyuki is a moon artist, yes? Why not ask him?” Suzume asked.

“Short of flying all the way to Haishui to consult an astrologian or historian, I may have to,” he sighed. He did trust Tsuyuki, he really did. The fact that he gave up their hunt at the first sight of his pretty face was proof enough of that. And yet…

Pharyx couldn’t get the conversation after Shen Yaoxan’s attack out of his head. Tsuyuki had admitted to possessing the Cursed Line of Misfortune…only he’d called it something much less sinister. Perhaps it was wishful thinking on the part of the moon artist to think of his abilities in such positive terms, but the fact of the matter was that that bloodline was dangerous.

The Darkened Moon was no small threat. Whole swaths of land were uninhabitable to this day because of his efforts. Five Ascendents working together had taken him down, but the cost was immense. If such a villain were released in the modern age, would anyone be able to stop him? It would take the Pheonix Emperor, the Four Fingered Death, the Mind Bender, the Dawn Empress, and all the subordinates under them. Even then, they might not succeed. If they did, and the Dawn Empress were injured or killed…Pharyx didn’t even want to think about what that would do to his family.

No, the Darkened Moon must remain locked away. If Tsuyuki was of his bloodline, then he might be hearing the whispers that drove the Avatar mad. He wouldn’t be the first. Pharyx’s own mother had given them some background on the Moon-Soaked Shore before they arrived. The last dynasty to rule the region before the current Governor…they were called the Lunatic Dynasty. Each one was a powerful moon artist with the Cursed Line at their disposal. They wrought havoc until Lady Saraia and the Sword Saint had worked together to wipe out the entire line. It was their rule that forbade moon artists from ever returning.

Can I trust him with this? Pharyx pondered. If he’s working for the Darkened Moon, it may not be by choice. But, if that’s so, then how could I save him? He doesn’t deserve to go mad…

He shook his head, clearing the jumble of thoughts before they got out of hand. “I’m starving. Do the Groomers have anything prepared?” He began to walk into the nest.

“Of course they do. Our Groomers are the best at…” Suzume trailed off, and Pharyx turned to see what had startled her so much. He had to stare at it for a long while, even going so far as to shift to hornet form, then back, to see if his vision would show a different result in compound eyes.

The world had been washed in red, as if all the other colors had been drained completely from the night landscape. Blue trees turned bloody purple, yellow flowers turned orange, and the few patches of honest to goodness green grass that Suzume carefully cultivated in Hanai turned muddy brown.

Then he looked up, and Pharyx’s heart leapt into his throat. The moon was full. It was full, despite the half-moon passing only a few nights ago. And it was blood red.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

“Mother’s not going to like this,” Suzume muttered. Pharyx could only shake his head in agreement. He was about to be in very deep trouble.

* * *

“Oh, come now,” Lian said, winking at Kansi Ren as the caravan rumbled on through the night. “Don’t scowl so much. I won fair and square, and you have to pay up.”

“You have never done anything ‘fair and square’ in your life,” she growled, throwing down her losing hand of cards on the floor of the wagon they rested in.

In the name of speed, Master Feng had declared the caravan would not stop until high noon the next day. He knew nothing of the deal between the cultivators and the Flower Maiden regarding his imminent house arrest, which made him all the more anxious that the shade would reappear and end his life without mercy. He’d invited Kansi and Lian to rest in the front caravan so that they might be fighting fit and close by if the danger reared its ugly head.

Lian, for his part, was feeling very pleased with himself. He’d had many strokes of luck to lead him to this point. Happening upon Kansi Ren in Haishui, then following her right to Tsuyuki Yoru himself? Why, Lian couldn’t believe his own luck. Even better, the Darkened Moon was in a weakened state, meaning he was little threat to Lian and the rest of his sect. With his success in identifying Tsuyuki as a Void-bonded Spirit, all that was left to do was reach Saikan and send a message back to Sect Leader Takya. Once that was done, Lian would surely be welcomed back and have his position as a Chained-Demon core disciple restored. Everything was going to plan.

He was in such good spirits, that he’d even challenged Kansi Ren, the vaunted Sword Saint’s disciple, to a game of cards. She was even distracted enough by the night’s events to agree to gambling with secrets!

“You knew the stakes, now you must pay up,” he said, reshuffling the deck. “Come on. Even a teeny, tiny secret? It’ll be harmless!”

“We are not friends,” she growled.

“Of course not. This lowly iron would never dream of presuming himself on the same level as Senior Kansi in order to be considered friends. I’m just trying to pass the time and diffuse the tension that hangs over us.” He raised an eyebrow in expectation.

In the end, Kansi sighed and shook her head. “Fine. Any secret?”

“Any secret.”

But really, if you could tell me about your objective in these parts, I’d appreciate that, he added silently. The Chained-Demon Sect believed that one could never gather too many secrets. Every detail about every friend, foe, and monster could mean the difference between success and death. A secret belonging to the Sword Saint’s most beloved disciple would be another excellent gift to ingratiate himself with Sect Leader Takya.

“It’s because of the Valley Lord that I haven’t advanced as much as I’d like,” she answered. Lian just rolled his eyes.

“A secret must actually be secret. Everyone knows the Valley Lord of Pearlescent Valley eats anyone who crosses from Gold to Salt except for the Sword Saint himself,” he countered, though he did note quietly that Kansi must not know the Sword Saint’s method of surviving said Valley Lord if she hadn’t advanced to Salt.

Kansi scowled again, but her silence was thoughtful before she finally spoke again. “My master found me as an orphan in the burned ruins of my family home. Is that a good enough secret?”

“It absolutely is. Care for another round?”

“Absolutely not.”

Lian couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped him before tucking his deck of cards in his satchel. Once it was away, he leaned back and listened to the rumbling of the wheels and the huffed breathing of the horses.

He must have nodded off, because the scream of alarm jolted him upright with a start. Kansi looked just as confused as he did, and, in an instant, they were both out of the wagon and searching for the threat…

Only there was none. There was only the moon above and the crimson light it cast upon the world.

“What in the name of the heavens?” Kansi breathed.

Lian bit his lip in concern. He didn’t know what a blood-tinted moon meant, but he was quite certain it had something to do with Tsuyuki Yoru. He needed to get to Saikan quickly and buy the materials and the solitude he needed to contact the Sect Leader. The Darkened Moon, Demon of Misfortune, was awake at long last. Plans could now be set in motion.

* * *

Unlike others in the world who screamed in fear or begged forgiveness from their guardian spirits when the moon went red, the Captain of the Siren’s Song did not. Instead, the seemingly young girl walked unhurriedly to the ship’s bow and sat upon the railing, looking up at the moon in quiet contemplation.

That was the Blood Moon, the second sign of the Darkened Moon’s return, as foretold by the Sun Queen Tian Li in an age long past. According to certain scrolls that the Captain had “liberated” from the vaults of the Sun Queen’s descendants before the fall of their fragile empire, the Demon of Misfortune would awaken slowly, like a bud opening in spring. The Brilliant Moon was only the first sign. The second was the Blood Moon. As he slowly came back to himself, more signs would show: the Rise of the Raiju Queen, the opening of the Black City, the return of the void moths, all these and more were signs to look out for. They were signs that she guarded with her very existence, lest their enemies lure yet another into their vile trap.

“Stupid Sun Queen,” she mused in her native tongue. “If I’d been around when you were alive, I’d’ve slapped you silly for writin’ such things down. Some things are better left to history’s twistins.”

Alas, the Captain had never met the Sun Queen. In fact, during the reign of that illustrious ruler, her homeland hadn’t even been a part of this world. The Summoned Isle was a new addition to the Southern Sea, and the Sun Queen’s reign had long since set when it had come to be. That didn’t stop the girl on the ship from fantasizing about smacking sense into the ancient ascendent.

The Captain removed her hat, running a hand through her tangled green hair as she stared up at the moon. I wonder if he’s safe, she thought to herself. Not much to do for ‘im ‘til he wakes, though. All I can do is keep them in the dark, best as I can.

That meant keeping to the course she’d been on for centuries. Giving them the runaround was fun, but she did long for the days when she’d finally get to join the action again. That day would come. She’d have to suffer in silence until then.

“Stay safe out there, Darkened Moon,” she called, tipping her hat at the bleeding moon. “I’d hate for them to snatch you, too.”