Chapter 100: Truth Untold!

Chapter 100: Truth Untold!

Six hours had passed since the cloak had been stolen by a bandit group and disappeared into the wilderness.

The day had faded into the deep blue hues of night, and the once scorching sun had been replaced by a cool, eerie breeze.

Tessa lay unconscious beneath a makeshift shelter, constructed hastily by her companions, in attempt to make her more comfortable.

This night she wasn't alone. Around her, Adrian, Ecdy, Abdel, Nymff, Nyala, Lhize, and Lhiza formed a watchful circle, their faces flickering in the dim light of the campfire. A mixture of concern and fear clouded the air, thickening the silence around them.

Tessa had been unconscious for most of the day, her body drained from the excessive use of her powers. As the clock struck exactly 8:00 p.m., her eyelids began to flutter, a small tremor passing through her form. Everyone held their breath. Her eyes moved beneath her lids as though she were trapped in some internal struggle.

Suddenly, her eyes shot open.

A collective gasp rippled through the group. Adrian was the first to move, dropping to one knee beside her. His hand reached for her wrist, checking her pulse, his brow furrowed with concern.

"Tessa, can you hear me?" His voice was a whisper, but it cut through the stillness.

Tessa's gaze slowly shifted to meet his, though there was something distant, almost detached, in her eyes. "The cloak... what about the cloak?"

Adrian's jaw tightened as he shook his head, his expression darkening. "Ikehara likely has it by now. He met with the bandits after you collapsed... You lost consciousness from pushing your powers too far.

Tessa's eyes stayed on Adrian, but her expression was unreadable. She reached up, gently removing his hand from her wrist as she stood, her movements graceful but unnaturally detached. Something was different. Everyone could feel it.

Without saying another word, she walked out of the shelter. The others exchanged uneasy glances, unsure whether to follow her or remain where they were.

"Tessa...?" Adrian called after her, taking a step forward.

But it wasn't Tessa. The truth, unbeknownst to her companions, was far more mysterious. This wasn't Tessa walking amongst them—this was the Moon Goddess herself (or rather a fake), inhabiting her body, while her true consciousness was silently witnessing a fragment of a forgotten past.

---

Tessa's consciousness...

She was no longer present in her own body, drawn instead into another plane—a place filled with memories she didn't recognize. Yet, somehow, these memories belonged to her. She watched them unfold as if observing a scene from afar, helpless to interfere.

In the vision, she stood among six other young girls, all bathed in a soft, ethereal light. She was the youngest—no more than four years old—and her sisters ranged in age from eight to fifteen. They all radiated a divine energy, the unmistakable aura of Moon Daughters. Before them sat a man, speaking to them in calm, measured tones.

"There are many planets in our universe," the man said, his voice carrying the weight of untold knowledge. "But Earth, far away in the Milky Way, is unique. Time flows differently there. A Kaelrian who is ten years old here, like you, Alice, would be a hundred years old on Earth."

He rested his hand gently on Alice's shoulder, giving her a warm, reassuring smile. But before Alice could respond, Aisha, one of the older sisters, smirked and teased, "Alice, that means you're an old woman already!"

The group erupted in laughter, much to Alice's embarrassment.

"And Tessa," Aisha added mischievously, her eyes glinting with mischief, "does that mean you're forty?"

Before the tutor could intervene, the girls were all giggling, caught up in their playful banter.The tutor chuckled but quickly reprimanded her. "Aisha, if that's the case, you're 120 years old on Earth. Be careful what you say."

The playful mood lightened the atmosphere, but Tessa's consciousness started drifting deeper into the new plane which was alive with memories from planet Kael, Tessa's consciousness floated away, pulled from the lighthearted laughter.

---

The vision darkened. Tessa found herself standing in a dimly lit room, her chest tightening with unease. In the corner of the chamber stood Rhemon, his face contorted with a strange mix of pain and pleasure.

Tessa's stomach churned as she noticed another figure with him—a woman, her head bobbing at his waist, engaged in something vile and unthinkable.

What is this? she thought, dread creeping into her bones.

The woman—the one who had claimed to be her mother for so long—was committing an act of betrayal with Rhemon, the man who held power over her world. The implications of this scene were too much for Tessa to bear. Her breath caught in her throat, her heart pounding with a painful intensity.

Rhemon's voice suddenly echoed through the room, breaking the oppressive silence. "So all those daughters of the Moon Goddess... none of them are truly Solaris's children. Except for that girl, Tessa, and the boy, Adrian. The rest are merely fakes."

Tessa's head spun. Adrian? My half-brother?

The woman—her supposed mother—laughed softly, her voice a venomous whisper. "So that boy, Adrian, he's really Solaris's son?"

Rhemon grinned, his expression cruel and calculating. "Yes, but no one knows. I manipulated everything from the beginning. The truth is hidden from them all. They think Adrian's an orphan, but anyone with eyes can see the power within him and the immense similarities between that kid and Solaris."

Tessa staggered back, her world crumbling around her. Adrian... my brother. The rest of the Moon Daughters... impostors.

Her thoughts raced, but there was no time to make sense of the revelations. A shadow darted in the periphery of her vision, and she instinctively turned, recognizing the familiar figure. Ikehara.

She followed him, her heart racing, until he disappeared into a hidden chamber. Inside, she froze at the sight before her—a woman, chained to the wall, her wrists shackled, her body frail and drained. But even in this weakened state, Tessa knew who she was.

"Mother..." Tessa whispered, the word escaping her lips before she even realized she had spoken.

The true Moon Goddess. Imprisoned. Broken. And the woman who had claimed the throne all this time—an impostor.

Tessa's hands shook as the weight of the truth crashed down on her. Rhemon had kept the real queen hidden away, while a false pretender ruled in her place. And Solaris, the Sun God, was completely unaware of the betrayal that had unfolded beneath his watch.

---

The scene dissolved, but the truth remained etched in Tessa's mind like a brand. She now understood the deception that had plagued her entire existence. Her heart was heavy with both rage and sorrow, and yet, amidst the chaos, one thought echoed louder than the rest.

Adrian...

Her half-brother. Her ally. And now, her only hope of fighting back..