Iris wanted Lunar to be her tool—the strongest weapon with an unwavering and undying loyalty. She had this goal in mind and also had a detailed plan to achieve it.
In the following days, Iris began implementing it, starting by making sure Lunar had enough time to rest as she took good care of him.
From cooking his meals, helping him bathe, brushing his hair, and singing him lullabies to reading interesting bedtime stories, Iris acted like the perfect mother to make Lunar feel close to her.
Progress was slow, but since it was there and everything was moving in the direction she wanted, Iris continued her act.
Time flew by, and before they knew it, winter had passed and spring had arrived.
It was also at this time that a subtle change occurred in their otherwise monotous lives.
Lunar started to move outside, sometimes even going to the Golden Glitter Shoreline, which was a ten-minute walk from the house.
Every time he would go there, Iris always secretly followed him, anxious that the little boy might run away or encounter trouble.
Luckily, nothing happened, and Lunar would simply go and sit there silently near the shore, gazing at the lake absentmindedly, before turning around and returning home.
Iris didn't know anything about Lunar's real motive to go there; all she knew was what he told him after she asked one day.
"Where were you? I was so worried."
"A-At the lake," Lunar replied hesitantly, and Iris pressed gently.
"Why?"
"I... I go there to see the fireflies. Mommy said... So... I want to see them... at least once."
"...Sigh. Just remember not to linger too long; we can't be certain if those bad guys are still wandering around there, searching for you. Understand?"
"Mm."
Iris admonished softly, and Lunar murmured in agreement with his head bowed.
For the entire month following that day, Iris maintained her watchful eye, only to realize that Lunar had no desire to escape. Relieved, she gradually eased her vigilance and stopped trailing him.
Unexpectedly, not long later, Lunar also stopped his visits to the shoreline, seemingly having fulfilled his desire to see the fireflies he longed for.
His demeanor changed, as if he had let go of this last remnant of his past and moved forward in life.
He became more expressive and joyful, a transformation that didn't escape Iris's notice.
Recognizing these positive signs, she wasted no time in advancing her plans, and the very next day, she took him to his old house to mercilessly shatter the fragile optimism he had recently built around his heart.
As Iris had anticipated, witnessing the sight of his home burned down to ruins made the little boy shed silent tears of agony in the car.
It was as if he couldn't comprehend the reality of what had happened and why it happened.
Confronted with the painful reminder of his shattered past, Lunar was thrust into a cruel nightmare. His breaths grew heavy, and his heart seemed to falter.
Realizing that his parents would never return, Lunar was engulfed by a deep sense of loneliness, and his hopes shattered like fragile glass. Overwhelmed by grief and pain, he succumbed to unconsciousness, sinking deeper into despair than ever before.
'...Sigh! Done at last.'
Seeing Lunar in such distress, Iris couldn't help but feel a pang in her heart. Despite her resolve, she couldn't deny the bond she had formed with the boy during their time together.
'Pull yourself together, Iris,' she reminded herself, pushing aside her feelings of guilt and sympathy. She remained focused on her plans.
Iris wasted no time in taking Lunar back to her house, laying him down on her bed to rest now that he had become the excellent material she had desired to carve into her puppet.
When Lunar woke up the next day, his situation was a little better, but for the most part, he was silent like a doll, with lifeless eyes devoid of light.
However, despite his emotional turmoil, his need for love and connection remained unquenched.
He would often steal glances at Iris, his eyes silently pleading for the warmth and comfort he craved but was hesitant to seek and ask out again.
Like a wounded bird seeking shelter, he would linger near her, hoping for a sign of affection that would soothe his aching heart.
"Mommy... Daddy... sniff..."
Nights were the hardest for Lunar, because at night, the darkness seemed to magnify his sense of loneliness and loss, and he would lie awake with tears silently tracing paths down his cheeks.
In those vulnerable moments, Lunar craved Iris's embrace even more—the touch that once brought him comfort. But it never came.
Iris was aware of everything happening and could hear it all. Nonetheless, despite knowing that the boy was acting instinctively to seek out the love and support she had earlier shown him, she did nothing.
This time, she tore her mask and completely ignored Lunar, as if she didn't see it.
She neglected to make food for him, let alone bathe him or sing him lullabies, actions she had abandoned long ago.
'If you want me to return to the way I was, you'll have to show me how much you need me and beg for my love.'
Iris thought, but she kept her words to herself.
Even if she had spoken aloud, Lunar, who was just a little boy, wouldn't have understood her complicated reasoning, and Iris had no desire for him to comprehend anyway. She simply wanted to break him further, enough to ensure he could be easily molded into the puppet son she wanted him to be.
Perhaps her only act of kindness was refraining from mentioning anything about him leaving her place, as if everything she said to him in the beginning was a mere illusion. But this did nothing to ease Lunar's suffering.
He was slowly breaking down from within, all according to Iris's wishes.
Slowly, he deteriorated under Iris's calculated neglect, fulfilling her twisted wishes.
Iris was certain that Lunar would eventually beg for her affection, allowing her to assert control over him. Yet, strangely, despite her patience, that day never came.
And it wasn't long before Iris realized that things had seemingly slipped beyond her control and into the worst possible direction.
…
Iris stood by the window, her gaze fixed on the falling rain.
The storm outside mirrored the one within her heart.
She had thought she was doing the right thing by shaping loyalty through manipulation in Lunar, but only now she saw and understood the devastation her actions had wrought.
Behind her, Lunar lay in the dimly lit room, his small body barely visible under layers of blankets.
His once bright eyes were dulled by sorrow, and his chest rose and fell in shallow breaths. Iris turned around and approached him hesitantly, her heart heavy with regret.
She sat beside Lunar, brushing his hair gently.
He didn't stir, lost in the depths of his grief, his body too fragile and weak to respond.
Witnessing such a sight, Iris couldn't bear it any longer. She kneeled by his bedside, tears streaming down her face.
"I'm sorry, Lunar," she whispered, her voice choked with emotion. "I was wrong, so wrong."
She wanted to be his fake mother, so she merely acted with him and didn't actually love him.
She had expected his desperation to grow and his need for her love to consume him entirely, so she acted coldly towards him when he was the most vulnerable.
However, she forgot that only love begets love.
Not to mention, Lunar was just a child, craving love and security, and her coldness toward him after a shower of love was nothing more than a betrayal of his trust.
'It wasn't his fault; he wanted my love all along, and it was I who wanted to break him for my own selfish reasons. What have I done?!'
Guilt consumed Iris as she remembered her coldness and indifference to Lunar's suffering. She recalled how he had stopped eating, smiling, speaking, and seeking comfort—all because of her actions.
The memories she had repeatedly forced him to confront dulled his once lively eyes and haunted his mind.
She robbed him of his innocence for her own selfish desires.
Nonetheless, despite the weight of her mistake pressing heavily upon her, Iris refused to succumb to despair.
"No, it's not too late. I can still change. I will not give up. I cannot lose someone close to me again. Never!"
With a resolute determination burning in her chest, Iris vowed to change and never give up.
And at that moment, she didn't know how, but Lunar, who was unconscious, as if sensing her resolve, tentatively extended his small hand towards hers.
It was as if an invisible force guided his actions.
Iris was surprised by the situation at first, but then, regardless of the reason, she reached out, firmly clasped his hand in hers without hesitation, and called out his name.
"Lunar!"
Gradually, Lunar began to respond to her voice, and his eyes slowly opened.
"LUNAR!!!"
Noticing this almost miraculous sight, Iris's heart swelled with a flood of emotions. Without a second thought, she pulled him into a tight embrace, her love for the boy she had nearly lost overwhelming her.
In that moment, Iris knew that she had been given a second chance—a chance to make things right and to show Lunar the love and care he deserved.
So from that day onward, Iris devoted herself entirely to Lunar's well-being.
She held him close, sang lullabies to him, and told him stories.
As days passed, in those moments of intimacy and connection, Lunar's trust in Iris also began to rekindle.
He would often lean into her embrace, and his eyes would be filled with gratitude and a newfound sense of security.
Slowly but surely, the walls he had built around himself crumbled, replaced by a willingness to love and be loved once more.
Eventually, one night, as they sat together by the fire under the blanket of stars, Iris took Lunar's hand in hers, looked him in the eyes, and seriously asked what she had been wanting to do for so long.
"Do you want to be my son?"
Lunar was momentarily shocked.
As he gazed up at her, tears welled up in his eyes in an outpour of emotion. He was naturally willing. However, he still asked:
"W-Will you hug me to sleep, M-mommy?"
Caught off guard by the unexpected title and the innocence in his question, Iris felt a wave of emotions wash over her.
Memories, both tender and bittersweet, surged to the forefront of her mind, momentarily clouding her expression with melancholy.
But in the end, an intensely clear light of tenderheartedness, affection, joy, and a clear understanding replaced everything.
"Yes."
She smiled and pulled him into a tight embrace, her tears of relief mingling with his.
"From now on, you will be my son! Lunar Gracia, and I will be your mother, Iris Gracia."
Caressing his head, a gentle haze of emotion veiled Iris's vision, but through the blur, her resolve remained unwavering. In her heart, she made a silent vow:
'And since you're now my son and not a tool, I will teach you everything I know. You'll be my only hope in this life.'
On that particular night, as both mother and son hugged each other to sleep, the alignment of the stars in the sky above them shifted, and a Dark Star appeared out of nowhere, seeming to engulf everything in its path, causing many astrologers to almost pass out.
Even the protagonist, the reincarnated goddess, who was a 5-year-old human girl at the time with her silvery white hair blowing in the breeze, couldn't help but murmur as she gazed up at the night sky from her castle's garden.
—Fate has become chaotic.
—A great calamity is approaching this world.
—Which God is it?
—An unknown variable has appeared.
—A Dark Star, swallowing the fate of gods.