Chapter Fourteen: The Last Light of the Moon
A week had passed since the eclipse.
The Moon Crest, now fully awakened, floated above the sacred pedestal in the new Moon Court—a celestial sanctuary restored beneath the streets of Seoul, hidden from mortal eyes.
The world above had no idea the balance of the cosmos had shifted.
But those below—Sheila, Hyunsoo, and Jiwoon—knew.
They had become the first Tri-Crown Sovereigns in Moon Kingdom history. And though they stood in perfect unity, shadows still lingered behind the light.
---
🌙
The Council had surrendered—most of them. But remnants remained. Small factions unwilling to accept the rise of a Queen who forgave a traitor, a Queen who refused to shed blood to claim power.
And in the deepest corners of the court, something stirred.
Jiwoon felt it first.
Whispers again. Different from the Night Queen.
This time… they were older. Colder.
> "The Moon bends only for one."
---
⚠️
That night, Jiwoon found Sheila in the observatory, standing beneath the full moon.
"You feel it too," she said before he spoke.
He nodded. "The magic is unbalanced."
"The prophecy was incomplete," she whispered. "There was always a final part."
He stepped beside her. "Tell me."
She turned, tears forming in her eyes. "To bind the three souls permanently… one must break away."
Jiwoon froze. "What do you mean?"
"One of us has to release our part of the Crest. Step away from the throne. Surrender their essence."
His heart dropped. "And without it?"
"They fade."
Jiwoon clenched his fists. "I'll do it."
"No." She shook her head. "It has to be voluntary. And it can't be you."
He stared at her.
Sheila stepped closer, resting her hand over his heart. "You were always meant to hold the truth. You're the only one who saw me for who I truly was—both light and flawed."
Then Hyunsoo entered. He had heard everything.
"I already knew," he said.
Sheila turned, surprised.
He approached slowly. "When I became your sword, I vowed to fall so you could rise. That vow hasn't changed."
"No," she said. "We made it together this time. All of us. It's not yours to carry alone."
"And yet," he said, a sad smile on his face, "you'd still try to take the burden."
Jiwoon looked between them. "Then who?"
Silence.
Until Sheila said the one name none of them wanted to hear.
> "Me."
---
💔
At dawn, the Moon Court gathered.
Taeha, now stripped of her crown and no longer the Night Queen, stood in the crowd, tears falling freely.
Heeyoung stood silent, hands clenched.
And at the altar stood Sheila, dressed in moonlight, the Tri-Crest hovering above her.
"I was chosen to lead," she said, voice steady. "But leadership isn't keeping the throne. It's knowing when to give it back."
She turned to Jiwoon and Hyunsoo.
"I give my part of the Crown to you both."
Before they could stop her, she stepped back—
—and let the Crown fragment drift from her body.
Light burst around her.
She gasped—but she did not fall.
Her body didn't break.
Instead, her soul lifted.
Higher.
Brighter.
Until she became pure light—
> A constellation.
A new moon etched across the sky.
---
🌕
"She's not dead," Jiwoon whispered. "She's become part of the throne itself."
Hyunsoo dropped to his knees.
The Court bowed.
And the Moon Crest, now split between Jiwoon and Hyunsoo, shimmered with harmony.
Peace had come.
Because a Queen had let go.
---
Epilogue: One Year Later
The Moon Kingdom was stable.
Taeha had become a teacher at the hidden academy, training gifted souls in restraint and redemption.
Jiwoon ruled with quiet wisdom, guiding souls between worlds.
Hyunsoo protected the borders, a silent guardian of realms.
And every full moon...
They would gather on the rooftop of the hanok and look up.
And there she was.
A silver light etched among the stars, always watching.
Always choosing peace.