Moonlight and Memory (part 1)

 “Bullseye!” exclaimed one of the girls standing nearby. “Way to go, Luna!”

“Thank you. It’s really nothing much though,” Luna replied, brushing it off.

“Hitting continuous bullseyes is sure no big deal, huh?” her friend teased.

“Haha… you think so?”

“You should be more proud of yourself. You’ve won so many awards.”

“Yeah, but I still have a lot to learn.”

“Luna, you might be the only one who thinks that. Remember the time when you—”

But Luna had already walked away, tuning out her friend’s voice as she picked up her bow again. It wasn’t that she didn’t care about her friend. Call her a bad friend if you like, but Luna’s thoughts were far from the achievements others kept reminding her of. Her mind was elsewhere—somewhere deeper, somewhere that mattered more.

Luna’s family had always worshipped Artemis, the goddess of the moon. A huntress, a protector, a goddess known for her archery. Little Luna had admired Artemis since childhood, and that admiration had led her to pick up the bow.

Archery brought her peace. She had won countless competitions and earned awards and recognition. But to her, they were meaningless. She did it for her family. For the club president. For everyone else but herself.

An ideal day for Luna was one spent in silence, practicing, letting the world fall away with each arrow she released. Everything else felt insignificant.

“...Are you even listening to me, Luna?”

Luna blinked back into the present at her friend’s annoyed voice.

“Ah… yes?”

“You’ve been awfully quiet today. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing much, just thinking,” she replied while collecting her things. “Bye, Emily. I’ll head home first.”

She walked briskly, her footsteps growing quieter as she neared the edge of the woods.

She stopped.

The trees stood before her like ancient sentinels, their limbs whispering secrets in the wind.

Her breath caught in her throat.
It was only two nights ago.
But the memory burned as though it had happened just moments before.

She hadn’t told anyone what she saw—not because she didn’t want to, but because part of her still questioned it.
Did it really happen?
Or was it something her mind had conjured beneath the moonlight?

And yet, her feet stood frozen in the present… while her mind slipped quietly into the past.

She remembered how the moon had hung high and bright, casting silver shadows that danced through the trees—as though Artemis herself was watching her.
How the forest had welcomed her with its familiar scent of soil and pine, wrapping around her like an old memory.
She recalled the crisp air biting at her skin, while a strange warmth bloomed in her chest.
The soft crunch of leaves underfoot.
The silence.
The pull.

She had walked deeper that night—past well-worn paths and trees that seemed to whisper her name.

And then, she saw them.

Golden eyes. Watching. Waiting.
A shadow.
Still. Familiar.
Calling to something ancient within her.

Look at me.

She tried to look away but couldn’t.

The boy stepped forward. Tall, lean, his features unmistakably human—but not quite. Pointed ears. Fangs. The air around him shifted like a dream.

A werewolf.

She panicked. They’re not real, she told herself.

Don’t look away.

His eyes locked with hers again. And in them, she saw something ancient. Something shattered. Something that whispered, You know me.

Her chest tightened.

Her soul stirred.

And then, she ran.

Luna ran as fast as she could. Through the forest. Out past the trees. Through the streets, until she reached her home—and the shrine.

She dropped to her knees before the door, breath ragged, heart wild.

Inside, all was quiet. The glow of candles danced like stardust. She made her way to the altar of Artemis and knelt before it.

“My lady… why do I feel such sadness when I see the werewolf?”
“Why does the forest keep calling me?”

No answer.

She let out a quiet laugh. “I must be hallucinating… hoping for answers from a goddess.”

But the air shifted.

A hum filled her chest. A warmth bloomed inside her ribs.

Was it her imagination?

And then… a voice.

“Because it holds your truth, child. And the truth is often both.”

She gasped, looking around. “Who’s there?”

Silence. Only her pounding heartbeat.

“And the boy… the eyes… why do they feel so familiar?”

“Because they were once part of you. What you saw wasn’t just a creature—it was a memory, reaching for you.”

Her breath shook. Tears brimmed in her eyes.

It felt like madness.

But it also felt like home.

The silence thickened like a veil being lifted.

And then the voice changed—no longer just a whisper. It filled the air with moonlight.

“It is your fate, my child. And fate… I cannot unravel it fully for you.”
“But do not fear. Embrace your path, for your heart remembers what your mind does not.”

“But… it’s terrifying.”

“It is a choice, dear one. A choice made long ago. A timeline that exists just for you.”

“A timeline…?” Luna repeated softly.

“A vow,” the goddess whispered, her voice like silver wind threading through moonlight.
“Bound by ancient hands… sealed in a forgotten moment.”

The shrine fell silent again, but something within Luna had shifted.
She didn’t understand it—not fully. But her heart ached with a longing that had no name.
A pull toward something just out of reach.

And as she stood there, in the quiet echo of divinity,
she knew one thing for certain—
this was only the beginning.

✧ Author’s Note

I honestly didn’t expect to share this part of Luna’s story so soon. It’s something that sat quietly in my head for a while—just a few scattered thoughts and feelings I couldn’t explain. But once I started writing, it all came out like I was remembering something I had almost forgotten.

This chapter is special to me. It’s about that feeling you get when something familiar calls to you, even if you can’t explain why. That quiet pull in your chest that says there’s more here. Maybe you’ve felt that too.

I’m still figuring out where Luna’s journey will go, but writing this has been healing in a way I didn’t expect.
If you read till the end—thank you. Truly. I hope something in this story found its way to your heart.

Part Two will come when it’s ready. No rush—just moonlight.