When the Luna Vanished Chapter 05

When the Luna Vanished Chapter 05

The last thing I saw was Issac dropping the bowl, lunging toward me, his eyes wild with rage and grief as he shouted, “Celeste!”

Then, a vast, irresistible suction tugged at the very core of my being, and the world—the pain, the sound, the light—was ripped away into a swirling, silent darkness.

After a dizzying spin, a dull, itchy ache spread across my chest.

The beeping of a heart monitor suddenly filled my ears, followed by familiar voices—desperate, relieved voices.

“Celeste! Doctor—someone, get the doctor! I think she’s waking up! Oh God, she’s really coming back!” Another voice, closer, trembling with tears.

“Celeste, sweetheart, can you hear me? It’s Mom. Please, baby, just open your eyes. Let us see you’re there.”

Warm tears splashed onto my hand.

I felt my eyelashes flutter, but my body wouldn’t move.

My hands were clasped tightly, a steady warmth flowing into me.

Someone pried open my eyelids, and harsh light flooded my vision.

“Pupils are responsive—this is a miracle!”

The Golden Witch’s voice echoed in my mind once more.

“My wish: live well in this world… carry my memories forward.”

I slowly opened my eyes, breathing in the faint smell of antiseptic.

Facing me were my parents’ tear-streaked smiles, brimming with joy.
“Celeste! You’re awake! Mom thought we’d lost you…”

My gaze was dazed, my mind slow to catch up. “Dad… Mom… I’m home? I’m really home?”

Mom’s eyes glistened. “Silly girl. You must’ve wandered so close to death’s door, you thought you’d lost your way back.”

“You never left. You had a stroke at work from overworking. The doctors said there was no hope, but we refused to give up!”

I lifted my arm slowly, staring at my unmarred skin, then touched my chest.

No wounds, no pain—just perfect, whole flesh.

The only marks of the ordeal were on them. New lines seemed carved around my father’s eyes, and my mother’s hair, once dark, was now streaked liberally with silver. They had aged a lifetime in a week.

I cleared my dry throat. “How long… was I unconscious?”

The doctor replied, “Seven days.”

Only seven days.

Thank God, only seven days.

If it had been seven years—like the life I’d lost—how would they have endured?

The Golden Witch had been from this parallel world. Overworked to death, she’d stumbled into the wolf shifter realm by accident, trapped there for years as she searched for a way back. She’d traded five moontones for my wish, and in return, I’d carried her memory home, breaking her curse.

In the wolf world, Celeste Brown was dead.

Now I was Celeste Brown—carrying the Golden Witch’s memories, alive again.

A wave of emotion, pure and overwhelming, broke over me. I leaned into their embrace, my body trembling as tears I had no strength to hold back soaked into my mother’s shoulder. “I thought… I was sure I’d lost you both forever,” I wept, the words dissolving into shuddering breaths.

Dad patted my back gently.

“Just rest, sweetheart. Dad’s gonna cook you your favorite meal—we’ll fatten you up!”

Mom wiped her eyes, smiling through tears. “I’ll grab your clothes. We’ll…”

My hands shot out, fingers closing around theirs with a panicked strength. The irrational fear that they were a mirage, that blinking would dissolve this precious reality, was paralyzing. “Don’t go,” I whispered, the plea raw. “Please. Not yet. Just… stay with me.”

The doctor spoke up. “We’ll run a full checkup. If everything looks good tomorrow morning, you can go home. You haven’t eaten in days—take it slow, stick to light foods. No rushing.”

My parents nodded, sniffling softly. “Thank you, doctor.”

Shortly after the doctor left, a nurse wheeled me to the exam room for tests.

The next morning, the doctor grinned and told us we could go home.

I could barely contain my excitement—to breathe in the real world, to feel alive again.

Dad pushed my wheelchair as I soaked in the fresh, flower-scented air.

It was so good to be back.

The seven years in the wolf world felt like a faded dream, vanishing the moment I woke up.

From now on, I was Celeste Brown—loved by her parents, financially secure, destined for a long, happy life.

No more heartache. No more betrayal.

Meanwhile, in Issac’s world, a wolf healer knelt before Celeste’s lifeless body.

“Alpha Issac,” he said solemnly, “Luna Celeste’s body was weakened by frequent childbirth, festering grief, and lack of rest. Her qi and blood are exhausted. She’s gone.”