Poll took a deep breath, the cold air condensing into a fleeting mist that vanished as quickly as it appeared. With a flicker of magical energy coursing through his legs, he launched himself upward, landing silently on the terrace of the Nightvale House. The tiles beneath his boots were slick with frost, and the air carried a biting chill.
Above him, the sky yawned into an abyssal darkness. It wasn't night, yet the sun's light was muted, as if swallowed by some unseen force. The air was heavy, the kind of stillness that pressed against the skin and whispered of impending storms.
Luna sat near the edge of the terrace, her eyes fixed on a small glowing orb cradled in her hands. The faint light of the globe reflected in her eyes, casting shadows that deepened her already somber expression.
"You're here," she said without looking up. Her voice was calm but tinged with weariness. "I assume you want to know about your mother's past."
Poll took a step closer, his heart pounding. "Yes."
Luna took a slow, deliberate breath and set the globe down beside her. For a moment, she didn't speak, her gaze drifting toward the darkening sky. "Before we get to that, tell me something, Poll. What exactly happened on the battlefield?"
Poll frowned, caught off guard by the question. "What do you mean?"
"That aura," Luna said, her eyes now fixed on his. "It wasn't normal. I've seen powerful magic, but that… that was something else entirely. It was overwhelming. Unnatural."
Poll hesitated, his mind flashing back to the chaos of the battle. "It was just a forbidden spell," he said, his voice quiet. "Dangerous, yes, but I didn't have a choice. At that moment… I didn't think much about it."
Luna's gaze lingered on him, her expression unreadable. Then she turned away with a soft sigh, her breath visible in the freezing air. "I see," she murmured. "Perhaps it's better we don't speak of it now."
She leaned back, her eyes tracing the swirling clouds above. The silence stretched between them, broken only by the faint whistle of the wind. "Let me tell you a story, Poll. One that begins long before you were born."
Poll stayed silent, his chest tightening as he braced himself for whatever Luna was about to reveal.
"Your mother and father," Luna began, "were legends in their time. Seraphina, the Wind Fairy. Eren Vein, the Dragon Slayer. Their names carried weight across the kingdom, not just for their strength but for their unshakable bond. I was just an apprentice back then, but even I could see they were unparalleled.
"Your mother's wind magic… Poll, it was like nothing this world had ever seen. Her blades of air could slice through steel as if it were paper. They said she could summon hurricanes with a flick of her wrist. And your father… he was the only man who killed three high-tier dragons alone."
Poll's breath hitched. "Dragons? I thought they were myths…"
Luna's lips twisted into a bitter smile. "So does most of the kingdom now. But your father proved otherwise."
Poll's voice trembled. "But… I never saw them use that kind of power. They always seemed…" He trailed off, unsure how to finish.
"Weaker?" Luna offered, her tone sharp. "That's because of the Swan Oath. A vow your father swore—to never use his true strength again. Your mother, however…" Her voice wavered, as if the memory itself pained her. "Her weakness wasn't by choice."
"Their story took a dark turn," Luna said, her gaze darkening. "Seraphina's power was unparalleled, and power like that breeds envy. Greedy politicians, corrupt nobles—they all wanted a piece of her strength. They begged, bribed, and threatened her to fight for their causes. But when she refused, their hunger only grew darker.
"They wanted to create another her. A clone. A weapon they could control."
Poll's stomach churned as Luna's words grew heavier.
"They harvested fragments of her mana, her blood, and combined them with ancient, forbidden magic to create artificial vessels—eggs that would one day birth clones. They created hundreds, experimenting on each one, trying to replicate her perfection. But the experiments failed. Time and time again, the children born from these eggs were… incomplete. Broken. They didn't survive."
Luna's voice dropped, barely above a whisper. "Then the failures stopped. They grew desperate. They combined all the fragments of mana, all the pain, all the death of those hundreds of failed clones, into a single vessel. A girl. A child born of agony and darkness, carrying the memories of every failed attempt. She was a living embodiment of torment."
Poll's chest tightened, his voice barely audible. "And my mother…?"
"The Guild sent Seraphina and Eren to stop the experiment," Luna said. "When they arrived, they didn't find an army. They found a child. A girl standing alone amidst the ruins of the laboratory, surrounded by destruction. She didn't cry. She didn't scream. But her very presence was… suffocating. The pain she carried—it was too much for her soul to bear. Her mana core had fractured. If left unchecked, she would have destroyed herself—and everything around her."
Luna paused, her expression unreadable. "Your mother wanted to save her. She believed she could fix what had been broken. But the only way to stabilize the girl's mana core was to give her a source strong enough to bind it. Seraphina… gave her own."
Poll's knees buckled, his world tilting as Luna's words sank in. "What…?"
"Your mother gave half of her mana core to the girl," Luna said, her voice trembling. "It left her weaker, unable to wield the power she once had. But it saved the child. The clone. That girl… is Elowen."
---
**The Truth Unveiled**
Poll's heart shattered under the weight of the truth. His mind raced, memories of Elowen flooding back—the way her golden eyes mirrored their mother's, the way she always seemed to carry an unspoken sadness.
"That's why," he whispered, tears streaming down his face. "Her eyes… they're like my mother's."
Luna nodded. "Elowen doesn't know the full story, and maybe she never should. But your mother loved her, Poll. She saw her not as a clone, but as a child in need of a second chance. That's the kind of person your mother was."
Poll wiped his tears, a bitter smile forming on his lips. "And now… I don't even know what to say to her."
Luna placed a hand on his shoulder, her touch grounding him. "You don't have to say anything. Just be yourself. That's what your mother would have wanted."
Poll looked up at the darkened sky, his heart heavy with grief and determination. He didn't know what lay ahead, but one thing was clear: he would carry this truth, no matter how much it hurt.
For Elowen. For his mother. For the family they both shared.