"ARE you too blinded with your obsession with Kalel Moonchester's face that you can't see that he's weird?"

Soleil blinked in confusion at what Luna said to her.

And if she'd be honest, she'd say that she was offended with her accusation. It was true that she liked Kalel's face. But it wasn't the only thing that she liked about him.

"Soleil Rosenberg, open your eyes," Luna told her while munching on an ear of grilled corn. That was her snack while waiting for her brother to finish cooking their dinner. But since the Moon Priestess looked hungry, she offered her the grilled corn. "Didn't you notice something different about Kalel Moonchester from the Nystrom that you met in your first life?"

She bit her lower lip.

That question seriously got her thinking.

"Lord Kalel seems to talk more than when I met him as Lord Nystrom," Soleil said in a hesitant voice. To be honest, she noticed the changes in Lord Kalel. But she thought it was only natural since he was reborn in a different environment. "And he seems to be more affectionate towards me now."

In the past, she could say that she and Nystrom got a little closer before the two of them got reincarnated in this world. But she didn't get him to open up with her back then. Maybe it was because of the limited time that they had together. Yet, despite all of that, she really felt close to him back then. Not in a physical sense, but more of the fact that they seemed to have a silent yet solid understanding of each other.

Kalel, on the other hand, seemed to be physically closer to her. Yet, he somehow made her feel empty. And it wasn't just because he rejected her.

"It's strange, indeed," Soleil whispered to herself. "Lord Kalel feels physically closer to me and yet, I feel like our relationship today is hollow." That thought scared her, so she looked at the Moon Priestess to look for some answers. "What does it mean, Luna?"

"I also don't know the exact answer to your question," the Moon Priestess said. "All I'm certain is you and Kalel Moonchester will be the center of the upcoming catastrophe."

She'd like to say that she was surprised to hear that.

But unfortunately, she wasn't.

"I heard the same thing from our Sun Priestess," she said nervously. "She warned me that my future husband is either going to be an ally that will make our country strong or an enemy that will bring an end to our clan."

"I haven't meant your Sun Priestess yet but I think we're going to get along well," Luna said casually. "Anyway, do you think that Kalel Moonchester is the "future husband" of yours that the prophecy referred to?"

She nodded hesitantly. "I have reasons to believe so. At first, I was willing to bet that Lord Kalel is going to be my future husband that will help my clan and our country get stronger. I've always known in my heart that he's the one, so I went to Kalel Kingdom and saved him even though the Sun Priestess warned me about it. As soon as he took my hand, I confirmed to myself that he's really the only one for me," she confessed, then she let out a deep sigh. "In just a few days, I fell in love with Lord Kalel. Then, the prophecy started to scare me. If I ended up wrong and Lord Kalel turns out to be the enemy that will bring our downfall, I already know in my heart that I can no longer kill him." She soon became teary-eyed. "I have a feeling that I can and I will betray the Fire Mage clan for him. I don't want to lose either of them so I thought staying friends with Lord Kalel will prevent the prophecy from happening." She laughed bitterly while wiping the tears off her eyes. "But it's a lame choice, isn't it?"

"Uh-huh, it's very lame and stupid."

She pouted at the Moon Priestess's bluntness. "Can't you at least pretend to console me, Luna?"

"You grew up naïve because you've been spoiled a lot."

She was hurt by the statement but she couldn't refute that.

"Anyway, keep an eye on Kalel Moonchester and his family," Luna said, changing the topic casually. The Moon Priestess seemed unapologetic with the hurtful words that she said to her. This was the first time that she met a person who humbled her in a harsh way. "There's a reason why he could either make or break you, Soleil Rosenberg." She took a bite of her grilled corn before she pointed a finger at her lazily. "Grow up and start acting like a clan leader, especially now that a war against Crades is about to happen."

Soleil had so many questions for the Moon Priestess. But the cold look on Luna's face told her that she wouldn't spoonfeed her. "I'll come up with an answer on my own," she said firmly. "As a woman and as the leader of the Fire Mage clan, I don't want to choose between Lord Kalel and my people because it means losing one of them." She slapped her cheeks a little too hard to wake her up. "I'll create a third choice so I could keep them both."

***

"I KNOW why you provoked my poor little sister, but do you have to treat her so harshly?"

Luna wasn't surprised when she heard Winchell's voice behind her after Soleil Rosenberg left the shrine to train again.

She already noticed the Red Phoenix's presence a while ago. To be honest, he even released his bloodlust directed at her several times. She ignored it because dealing with Winchell's tantrum would only be a waste of time.

Well, this was the first time that she personally met the Red Phoenix. But he had a bad reputation. And he was most infamous for being "obsessed" with his little sister.

"Soleil Rosenberg grew up naïve because of you," Luna said, then she turned around to face Winchell.

Much to her surprise, the Red Phoenix was standing a little too closely.

His deep purple eyes were glowing menacingly as if he was trying to intimidate her. She hated being intimidated, especially by an obnoxious man, so she did what she had to do: when Winchell opened his mouth to probably threaten her, she put the corncob on his mouth.

Winchell's face turned red from embarrassment, then he grabbed the corncob on his mouth and threw it on the ground while glaring at her. "What the hell did you just do?"

She shrugged casually. "Don't birds like corns?"

"Did you just call me a bird?" he asked in disbelief. "I'm a Red Phoenix!"

"It's still a bird," she reasoned. "Just because a phoenix burn doesn't make it special."

He closed his eyes tight and pinched the bridge of his nose as if he was trying to stop himself from strangling her. "State your reason for approaching my sister," he said, obviously changing the topic. When he opened his eyes, he looked dead serious this time. "You're the Moon Priestess. Did Kyro send you here to spy on us?"

She raised a brow at her. "Why would the Moon God send a spy on you?"

He didn't answer her question and it seemed like he had no intention to do so.

"I heard that the heavens have been thrown into chaos recently," she continued. Since she could hear the voices of different gods, she was able to gather some information about what was going on as she traveled the continent. "Is it true the three main gods have created different factions and are currently on a silent divine war?"

The three main gods that she spoke of would be the Moon God, the Sun God, and the Sky God.

She could tell that the Red Phoenix belongs to the Sun God faction.

Of course, Kalel Moonchester, as the son of the Moon God would automatically belong to the Moon God faction.

On the other hand, the Sky God gathered his many children and built a faction with them.

But as of now, no major movement had been made by either of the three main gods.

"Moreover, I heard that aside from the heavens, there's still one place that has been corrupted recently," Luna continued in a playful voice. "How's the Plane these days, Lord Winchell?"

"You seem to know a lot for someone who apparently betrayed her god."

"Just because I'm the Moon Priestess doesn't automatically mean that I belong to the Moon God," she said seriously. "Well, it's true that I work for him– but only because it's convenient in the past. But now that the tides have changed, it's time for me to return to my real master."

"Real master?"

"Lord Winchell, do you think that the Moon God solely governs the moon?" she asked while preparing for her escape. "Kyro isn't the only person who holds the power of the moon, you know?"

Winchell fell silent for a moment, then his eyes widened in shock. "The Moon Serpent…"

Luna smiled and put a finger on her nose. "Shh, don't speak of him yet," she said while her body was slowly becoming transparent. After all, she just performed a transportation spell to get away from the Red Phoenix. "It's not yet time, Lord Winchell."

***

IT HAS been a few days since Winchell talked to the Moon Priestess called Luna, but he still couldn't forget about her words.

"Don't birds like corns?"

He froze when he heard that phrase again in his head. Then, he looked at the grilled corncob in his hand. It was his snack while waiting for Soleil who locked herself up in a cave to train by herself.

"You're a bird," said Luna's voice in his head even though the Moon Priestess didn't say those words at him back then.

"Tsk," Winchell said, clicking his tongue. Then, he threw the corncob on the ground. "Why do I still hear that cheeky woman's voice in my head?"

Although her subtle message about the Moon Serpent bothered him, he still couldn't get over the fact that she insulted him– him, a Beast God. And that woman did it without even an ounce of fear in her eyes. Aside from Soleil, Luna was the only person who was able to look at him in the eye without getting intimidated.

"That woman is strange," he said while shaking his head. But instead of focusing on the Moon Priestess's rudeness, he just shifted his attention to her words regarding her real "master." "I'm pretty sure she's talking about the Moon Serpent."

But the Moon Serpent had already been banished from the heavens a long time ago.

And then, the stupid Sky God helped Aku Moonchester kill the Moon Serpent. Was Luna saying that the Moon Serpent had somehow survived?

In the first place, how did a Moon Priestess like her become the Moon Serpent's servant?

He sighed and shook his head. "Kyro will kill her for her betrayal…"

Not that he cared about a woman he just met.

"Brother Wixx, are you talking to yourself?"

Winchell smiled and raised his head when he heard Soleil's voice above him.

His little sister was floating in front of her with her phoenix wings open.

But his smile vanished as soon as shivers went down his spine. There was no threat that caused his goosebumps. He got that from simply taking a glance at Soleil's red flaming wings.

Her flaming wings were almost as big as his. The Red Flame that he lent her had turned purer– which meant it was probably as strong as his flame now. How did his little sister manage to make his Red Flame as if it was her own?

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Soleil is the strongest Fire Mage now.

"Brother Wixx, I've already come up with a third choice," his little sister said. "I know that you were listening to me and Luna when we talked a few days ago. You know what I'm talking about, don't you?"

Winchell nodded, still surprised at how Soleil was able to improve her fire Mana this fast. "What kind of choice did you create?"

"I will get closer to Lord Kalel and spy on his family," Soleil said firmly. "Then, I will save him and turn him into an ally. In that way, he would never become the cause of our downfall."

***

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