The jungle was silent.
Not the quiet of peace—but the silence that comes *before a scream*.
Tara, Jasmine, and Neha walked beneath twisted trees glowing with faint, ghostly light. The plants shimmered as if watching, and every step seemed to echo in a place beyond time.
"This jungle isn't part of Moonshine," Jasmine murmured. "It's older. Wilder."
Neha added, "It feeds on thoughts. Keep your mind still, or it might take more than you're willing to lose."
Into the Dreaming
They crossed a river of mist and walked across stones that whispered in forgotten tongues. Time bent. Sometimes it felt like days passed in moments. Other times, the sun stood still.
At last, they found the temple—half-buried in vines, pulsing faintly like a sleeping heart.
Inside, in a room of mirrors, stood *one* that did not reflect the jungle or even their bodies.
It reflected *souls*.
The Mirror of Origin.
Revelations
Tara stepped forward. The mirror's surface shimmered, then turned black. Slowly, an image formed.
A child.
Alone.
Crying beneath a sky torn apart by fire.
Tara recognized the scene—her world, her village, before the storm that swept her to Moonshine.
But then… she saw more.
Her *mother*, standing not in her village—but in *Moonshine*. Young. Powerful. Holding a blade made of light and shadow.
Jasmine gasped. "She was one of the *guardians*."
Tara fell to her knees. "I wasn't brought here by accident. I was *born* of this world."
The mirror pulsed again. Now it showed the *Deep One*—its tendrils reaching not to consume her, but to *join* with her.
Jasmine stepped forward. "That's why it feeds when you fight. It's connected to you."
Neha said it aloud: "You're not just our last hope. You're *part* of the problem."
The Choice
Tara turned to her friends. "If I destroy the Deep One… I might destroy myself."
Jasmine's eyes didn't flinch. "Then we'll face it together."
Neha stepped beside her. "You're not alone, Tara. Whatever happens next—we *choose* you."
Tara stood, tears in her eyes. "Then let's go home. We've got a monster to finish."