Yunho and Chantal fought bravely in the middle of the conflict, but their hearts were heavy with melancholy as they saw the pointless killing going on around them. With every hit and parry, they faced not only those around them but also the darkness that was trying to kill them all.
But in the middle of all the chaos, there was a faint spark of hope. Yunho and Chantal were determined to break the chains of fate that held them together, fight the power of hopelessness, and find a way to be saved.
"Can you hold on?"
"I can, but I feel my limbs go numb."
"Tell me if you can no longer hold on, and I'll help you rest."
"I'll be fine, Yunyun. I can still fight, but we need to help the moon goddess break the rope binding her hands."
"But she looks unstable. Her body has been absorbing dead vitality around us. She might make a move."
When the moon goddess's anger hit its peak, her once-bright aura turned dark and ominous. With a voice that shook like thunder, she chanted an old spell that connected the threads of the past and the future in a last-ditch effort to undo the terrible things that had happened in her sacred land.
"Do we have a place to hide? I don't know why, but I'm feeling all of her emotions. The darkness was filling her heart and mind. And her words felt evil at this point."
"Do you mean she's chanting forbidden spells?" Yunho asked worriedly.
"She must be."
Every word she spoke made the very foundation of existence shake, and the sounds of her spell could be heard throughout the palace spaces. As she called on the souls trapped inside, using their combined energy to power her spell, a surge of unfiltered energy filled the room and saturated the air with power.
"For the moon goddess to resort to this deadly option, she must have no other choice. But we can't run, either. So I'll protect you with my life. Thank you for letting me meet you, Chantal."
"No, you can't! I won't let you risk your life alone, Yunho! If you die, I'll choose death, too."
Yunho thought silently, 'But you're too precious for me, Chanty. I can't let you die here. I don't care if I die. As long as you live, I will let you get out of this space rift safely.'
But even though the moon goddess tried to turn back time, there was a dark curse in the shadows that changed the very nature of her magic. With a loud explosion of energy, time seemed to freeze, and forces outside of her power made the spell less effective.
Yunho hugged Chantal and said, "I love you."
"Chantal responded with, "I love you too."
Yunho and Chantal were the only ones who saw this primordial battle. They were stunned as the world around them distorted and shifted.
"Wait, the change doesn't affect us. Does that mean we couldn't change what has already happened even after we fought?"
"The forbidden spell cost everyone's life. But here we are, standing at the center of gravity. The book might have only shown us the past. I'm glad we're safe."
They couldn't believe it when the people who were worshiping the goddess stopped moving and turned into statues stuck in an endless impasse. The faces of the statues had a haunting stillness to them.
"They froze back in time, just before the chaos fell."
"Maybe this is the extent of the goddess' power."
Yunho and Chantal felt like they were being pulled away from the frozen scene of the moon goddess's ceremony as celestial energies reverberated and turned around them. They were thrown out of the court in a confusing rush, tossed out of the world of magic and chaos that had caught them.
"My head felt so painful."
"Where? Which part? Let me see."
"Here." Chantal pointed it out, and Yunho laid a kiss on it.
Though it seemed that emotions were slowly coming back to them, Yunho and Chantal noticed that they were in a luxurious bedroom that smelled sweetly of roses. They blinked in shock because the strange things they had just seen were still fresh in their minds.
The floor was covered in rose petals, making a soft, velvety way to the magnificent bed where they were lying. It was warm and bright in the room, and the elegant furniture in it looked even better in the natural light.
When Yunho saw how beautiful the flowers were, he put out his hand and gently brushed them. "Chanty, where are we?" That was all he could say. His voice was full of emotion and wonder.
Chantal slowly sat up. She looked around the room with eyes that were neither interested nor stunned. She said, "I'm not sure, Yunyun," but her voice was tinged with doubt. "But it seems we've been brought here for a reason."
They felt calm as they looked around at the beautiful setting. It was like an inviting tide, carrying them to a place they didn't know. Yunho and Chantal knew that their trip was far from over, as their paths were linked to the secrets that lay ahead.
A golden radiance and blossoms engulfed them. "We can't stay here any longer. We must go out and investigate."
"Should we use the things inside the room?"
"You want to play a disguise game?"
Chantal went out of bed and checked the bathroom attached to the room. "Look, everything is functional. Don't you realize that I mentioned how the castle looked not abandoned but just uninhabited before we went in?"
"Yes, so we're still inside?"
"Probably."
As Yunho and Chantal exchanged bewildered glances, a gentle knock echoed through the chamber, drawing their attention to the door. With a creak, it swung open, revealing a maid standing at the threshold, her demeanor poised and respectful.
"Good morning, Princess Chanty," the maid said with a warm smile, her voice carrying a note of familiarity that caught Chantal off guard. "Your presence is requested in the dining hall."
Chantal's brow furrowed in confusion. "Princess? How do you know...?" she began, her words trailing off as the maid's serene gaze met hers.