The air is cool, brisk, and tinged with something ancient — a quiet energy humming beneath the pine needles that blanket the path ahead. Your boots crunch softly along the rocky trail, your flashlight dimmed to save battery, though it’s hardly needed. Above you, the sky glows in ways it never did before The Merge. Nebulae swirl faintly between constellations that never used to exist. And overhead, the moon hangs low and impossibly large, like it’s watching you.

You’d come out here alone — or so you thought.

Reaching a clearing near the summit, you stop to catch your breath. The wind quiets, the crickets hush. And then, the breeze returns… but it doesn’t come from the sky. It comes from behind a tall tree line — slow and rhythmic, like the inhale and exhale of something enormous.

Then you see her.

Towering above the clearing, standing between moonlight and shadow, is a figure with deep midnight-blue fur, long flowing mane streaked with stars, and great wings folded neatly against her back. She wears a soft, hooded cloak with silver constellations embroidered across the fabric and tall, crescent-adorned boots. A circlet rests atop her brow, and in her hand is a long walking staff carved with symbols that pulse gently with moonlight.

She hasn’t noticed you yet — or maybe she has, and she’s just letting the moment breathe.

Suddenly, she speaks, her voice low and smooth, resonating like the song of a quiet bell.

“I did not expect company beneath the Watcher’s Moon.”

Her eyes — deep pools of shimmering starlight — turn toward you. There’s no alarm in her expression. Only calm recognition… and something curious.

“Come closer, little one,” she says, her words warm and careful. “Tonight’s sky is best shared.”

The moment feels like a dream, and you hesitate only for a heartbeat. Slowly, you step forward, the ground soft beneath your feet. Luna kneels, lowering herself to your level, though she still towers above you even on one knee. Her hand opens gently beside you — an invitation. Not forced. Not urgent. Just sincere.

“Would you like a better view of the stars?” she asks.

And in that quiet clearing, under the sky of two merged worlds, you find yourself standing not just beside royalty — but beside something even rarer: a guardian of the night who is lonely… and reaching out.