The grand square was filled with people from all corners of the kingdom. Whispers of anticipation and uncertainty rippled through the crowd as they waited to see the figure standing on the high platform. Cior—now fully embracing her true identity as Lunette Everhart—stood tall, her long black wings stretched behind her, commanding attention. She wore a regal outfit of black and gold, the fabric shimmering under the sunlight. Beside her, bound and defeated, were the former ruler and the nobles she had exposed as traitors.
The crowd fell silent as she raised her hand, her voice cutting through the air with clarity and authority.
"Greetings, citizens of this kingdom," she began, her tone steady and resolute. "I am Lunette Everhart, daughter of Kieran Everhart, a name many of you may know. I stand before you not as a victim, but as someone who seeks justice—not just for myself, but for all the innocent lives lost at the hands of the people behind me."
She gestured to the defeated figures behind her, their heads bowed in shame and fear. The crowd gasped, recognizing the faces of the once-powerful rulers and nobles who had governed over them with lies and cruelty.
"They are the traitors and tyrants who orchestrated the suffering of countless children, who conducted inhuman experiments in their greed for power, who shed innocent blood without remorse," Lunette continued, her voice rising with passion. "These people, whom you trusted to protect you, betrayed you instead. They are the reason for the despair that has plagued our land."
The crowd erupted in murmurs, anger and disbelief spreading like wildfire.
"But today," Lunette said, her voice cutting through the noise, "we put an end to their tyranny. I have defeated the former ruler, who was complicit in these atrocities, and I now claim the throne. As your new ruler, I vow to bring justice and peace to this kingdom. I vow to protect the innocent and ensure that no one will ever suffer as I did, as so many of us did."
She paused, letting her words sink in before addressing the crowd once more.
"Now, it is up to you," she said, her tone softer but still firm. "These people behind me—the ones who caused so much pain—deserve punishment. But I leave their fate in your hands. If you wish them dead, it is your choice. However, I must make one thing clear: their children are innocent. They had no hand in their parents' crimes, and I forbid anyone to harm them. They will be protected under my rule, for I will not allow the sins of the parents to be passed onto the children."
The crowd roared in approval, their anger now directed at the guilty, but their respect for Lunette growing with every word she spoke.
She straightened, her black wings gleaming in the light as she concluded, "This is the beginning of a new era. Together, we will rebuild this kingdom on the foundations of justice and hope. No more lies. No more cruelty. Only truth and the promise of a better future."
The crowd erupted into cheers, chanting her name, their voices echoing across the kingdom. "Lunette! Lunette!"
The former ruler and nobles were dragged away, their fates left in the hands of the people they had betrayed. The children of the guilty, however, were escorted to safety under Lunette's protection, a symbol of her mercy and determination to break the cycle of hatred and vengeance.
As the cheers grew louder, Lunette stood tall, her heart heavy but resolute. She had achieved what she set out to do, but the journey was far from over. She had become the ruler of a broken kingdom, and now it was her responsibility to heal it.
As the crowd chanted her name, Lunette's sharp gaze scanned the sea of faces until they landed on the boys—her friends, her companions, the ones she had trusted above all else. For a moment, the world seemed to freeze.
Each of them looked back at her with a mix of emotions: pain, confusion, anger, and—most of all—betrayal. Mateo's jaw was clenched, his fists tight at his sides. Ziven, usually so brash and unshaken, seemed lost, his eyes searching hers for something, anything. Amaias wore his stoic mask, but the flicker of hurt in his gaze was unmistakable. Arven, who always joked even in dire moments, looked hollow, his usual spark extinguished.
Her heart stung. The ache was sharp, a deep wound that threatened to unravel her composure. These were the people she had laughed with, trained with, fought alongside. The ones who had shared her dreams and burdens. And now, they stood on opposite sides of a chasm she had created—a chasm of justice, necessity, and betrayal.
Lunette's throat tightened, but she forced herself to look away. They'll never understand. They can't. And maybe… they don't have to.
Her wings shifted behind her as she straightened her posture, pushing down the emotions that clawed at her heart. The weight of her actions pressed on her shoulders, but she couldn't falter now. She had promised herself—justice above all else. Even if it meant losing the ones she cared for the most.
As she turned her back to the boys, she whispered so quietly that no one could hear, "I'm sorry."
The crowd's cheers grew louder, but for Lunette, the world felt unbearably silent. She stepped forward to continue addressing her people, leaving the boys standing in the crowd, their gazes burning into her back like a wound she would carry forever.