Beast Evolution Forge-Chapter 165: Luna 2

A chill ran through the room at Luna’s words. The silver threads seemed to pulse more intensely, as if responding to the name.

"Viana?" Vell repeated, the name striking something deep within him. "That’s..."

[So you remember my name now. Interesting timing, Luna.]

"Still as stubborn as ever, I see," she said, her eyes fixed on a point just over Vell’s shoulder where no one stood. "And still bound to him, even after everything."

The girls looked between them, confusion clear on their faces. Ruby’s hand drifted to her daggers, while Wren shifted closer to her master’s side.

"She can’t ’come out,’" he said, his voice tight. "She’s sealed, just like... just like the rest of me." He met her gaze. "You knew. You knew all along who she was."

Luna’s fingers traced the patterns on the carved box. "Of course I knew. You do know we were party members right? Viana was part of that party. Very strong and agile animal. I wonder, do you know what she is? Is she a human or monster?" She asked while smiling, teasing, just eager to tell the truth.

"...I had a hunch for a while now. She can evolve my tamed beasts

Her smile widened. "Ah, so you’ve noticed that much at least. Tell me, what else have you observed about your mysterious companion?"

’how would i not know when that’s what she literally called herself.’

[Don’t let her bait you like this. She’s trying to force revelations that you’re not ready for.]

’I wonder....’ He let his mana out and attached it to her, making her unable to move.

"Haha, Vell, what are you doing?" She tried to break free but she couldn’t, ’dammit, how is he already this strong despite being only on the 1st floor?’ She noticed him get up and began approaching.

"I think I know what type of person you are," his voice was getting bigger and the room began shaking.

Luna’s smile faltered as the air grew thick with power. The silver threads around them writhed and pulsed, responding to his rising energy.

"You try to get into people’s head, get them comortable and get them to spill everything. I start your power I wonder." He formed a small mana ball in his hand and she immediately gave up, knowing damn well what that attack does.

"Ok ok, I am sorry, sheesh. I was just pushing you because you sounded like a push over compared to your old self, now you look like the Vell I knew." She smiled and her eyes looked empty, giving him chills.

’I think I am just going to kill her.’

[Haha, calm down, she sounds crazy but those are the types of people you surrounded yourself with.]

Luna’s empty-eyed smile sent another chill through the room, but he maintained his grip on her with his mana.

The girls remained tense but watchful, reading the situation. They’d seen their master angry before, but this was different. This was cold, calculated power that seemed to come from somewhere deeper than his usual abilities.

"The Vell you knew," he said quietly, lowering his hand but maintaining the mana hold. "Tell me about him. No more games, no more manipulations."

Luna’s smile didn’t waver, but something flickered in those empty eyes. "He was magnificent. And terrible. A being of such power that he had to split himself apart just to keep from destroying everything he touched." She tilted her head. "Including his companions."

"Master," Ada spoke up, her voice steady despite the tension. "She’s trying to make you doubt yourself. To make you feel guilty about us."

"Am I?" she asked. "Or am I trying to save your lives? The closer he gets to remembering, to reuniting with his other half, the more danger you’ll be in."

[She’s not entirely wrong. But she’s leaving out a lot of context.]

Wren stepped forward, still in human form but with a predator’s grace. "You talk about saving us, but you’re the one who seems dangerous right now. Everything was fine until you started pushing at his memories."

The silver threads pulsed faster, responding to the rising emotions in the room. The carved box on the table began to emit a soft glow.

"Fine?" she laughed, a hollow sound. "Nothing about this is fine. The barriers are failing. The seals are weakening. And once again, he’s gathered innocent lives around him like shields against what’s coming." Her eyes locked onto his. "How many times will you repeat this cycle? How many more will die because you can’t bear to be alone?"

The accusation struck deep, resonating with fears he hadn’t even known he carried. But before he could respond, Ruby’s voice cut through the tension.

"Or maybe," she said, her tail lashing, "you’re just jealous. Because he found new companions who actually care about him, instead of trying to manipulate him like you’re doing."

Luna’s smile finally faltered. The empty look in her eyes was replaced by something sharper, more dangerous.

"You think you understand what’s at stake here? What he really is?" The air around her began to shimmer with suppressed power. "Let me show you what your precious master is capable of."

She raised her hand toward the black mirror, but his mana grip tightened, stopping her motion.

"Enough," he said. "You’re right - I am starting to remember who I was. Including how to deal with threats to those I protect."

[Careful. She may be manipulative, but she does know things we need to learn.]

The silver threads around them had become almost solid, forming a cage of light that trapped them all within its boundaries. The carved box was now pulsing in time with his heartbeat, its glow matching the silver sheen in his eyes.

Luna stared at him for a long moment, then suddenly relaxed in his mana grip. Her smile returned, but this time it held a hint of genuine respect.

"Well well," she said softly. "Maybe you have changed after all. The old Vell would have killed me by now."

"The old Vell isn’t who I am anymore," he replied. "But I’m starting to think that might be a good thing."

The tension in the room began to ease, but questions still hung heavy in the air.

Luna’s smile faded to something more genuine, though wariness still lingered in her eyes. "Release me," she said quietly. "If you want the truth, I’ll give it to you. But not like this."

He hesitated, then slowly withdrew his mana. The silver threads around them relaxed slightly, though they continued their hypnotic dance through the air.

[She’s being honest now. Finally.]

’You know her well, don’t you?’

[It’s all coming back to me, piece by piece.]

Luna walked to the black mirror and pressed her palm against its surface. The darkness within began to swirl. "You want to know about Viana? About what she really is?" She glanced at him over her shoulder. "She’s what remained when you couldn’t bear to lose everything."

The mirror’s surface rippled, showing fragmented images: a massive beast with silver fur, fighting alongside a younger version of himself. The same creature, wounded and dying, silver energy pouring from its body into his. A ritual circle, drawn in familiar patterns that matched the seals on his hands.

"When you decided to split your power, to create the Void Lattice, you couldn’t bear to lose her completely," she continued. "So you found a way to preserve her consciousness, binding it to your own. A companion who could never die, because she was part of you."

"Do you remember the ritual? How much it hurt her? How she insisted anyway, because she couldn’t bear to leave you alone?"

[Don’t listen too closely. Some memories are better left buried.]

’is that so...’ He looked at his hand, ’hmm, she is mistaking you for something else, didn’t you say I created you?’

[Yes? ’come on master, you can do it, I can’t spoon feed you the answer because of the rule placed upon me’] she thought.

He studied the images in the black mirror, watching the silver beast’s graceful movements. Something wasn’t adding up. The memories felt real, yet hollow – like paintings of events rather than lived experiences.

"You’re trying to make me remember something that never happened," he said quietly, his eyes still fixed on the mirror. "Feeding me a story that fits what you think you know."

Luna’s expression flickered. "What do you mean?"

"Viana wasn’t some beast you helped me preserve." He turned to face her, "I created her. She told me so herself."

The room grew still. Even the silver threads seemed to pause in their endless dance.

[Finally. You’re starting to see clearly.]

Luna’s empty smile returned, but there was something different in it now – a hint of uncertainty. "Created her? Is that what she told you?"

"Yes," he said firmly. "And unlike you, she’s never lied to me. Even when bound by rules that prevent her from telling me everything."

Ruby moved closer to his side, her eyes narrow with suspicion. "You’re trying to manipulate his memories. Why?"

Luna’s gaze darted between them. For the first time, she seemed genuinely unsettled. "The memories I showed you are real. I was there. I saw–"

"You saw what you wanted to see,"he interrupted. "What everyone wanted to see. A companion preserved, a loyalty rewarded." He stepped closer to the mirror, watching the images fade. "But that’s not what really happened, is it?" Experience tales at novelbuddy

[The truth is both simpler and more complex than her story.]

The carved box on the table began to pulse more intensely. She reached for it instinctively, but Wren was faster, snatching it away.

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.

"No more artifacts," Wren said. "No more convenient props for your stories. Just tell us the truth."

Luna’s composure cracked further. "You don’t understand. The barriers are failing. If you remember too much, too quickly–"

"What are you really afraid of?" Ada asked.

"Not what," he said softly. "Who." He looked at Luna with new understanding. "You’re afraid of me. Of what I’ll do when I remember everything."

Luna took a step back, her empty smile finally fading completely.

"You were different then," she whispered. "The power... it changed you. Made you something terrible and beautiful. When you split yourself, created the Void Lattice, we thought..." She swallowed hard. "We thought we saved you. Saved everyone."

"Luna, what happened?" He had a look in his eyes that did not scare her like his old self. she sighed and sat back down.

"Fine, no more jokes, here is the truth."