"Centuries ago, when the skies whispered secrets to the earth and shadows danced in the moonlight, the Sun and Moon clans were not rivals. They were bound by something far deeper, something ancient—friends, allies, perhaps even reflections of one another."

The old priest paused, his weathered fingers tracing invisible patterns in the air, as if catching fragments of a memory. The flickering firelight cast strange shapes on the temple walls, and the silence seemed to hold its breath.

"But then," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper, "something happened. Something so terrible that the stars themselves turned away in sorrow."

A ripple of unease passed through the listeners. One of them, unable to contain their curiosity, leaned forward. "What was it? What happened?"

The priest’s eyes glinted like embers as he met the questioner’s gaze. "The past." he said, his voice thick with meaning. "The past that shattered alliances, turned hearts to stone, and gave birth to a war unlike any other. A war that left the Moon clan in ruins and set both clans on paths stained with blood and regret."

"But why?" another voice pressed, trembling with urgency.

The priest sighed, the sound heavy with centuries of grief. “Why, indeed,” he said. “Some answers lie buried in ash and bone. Others, in the hearts of those who refuse to forget. But remember this—what began as one betrayal became many. And when the Sun and Moon turned their wrath upon one another, they woke enemies far greater than themselves.”

He fell silent, and the temple seemed to darken, the weight of his words pressing down like a storm about to break.

◍⁠✧⁠*⁠。

Dear readers,

I hope you enjoyed reading the first chapter of Desolated Hearts. Please don't forget to like this chapter and follow my accounts on both Instagram and stck.me, as I will keep updating you with the story.