Lunar Legacy: Rise Of The Beastlord

The sky was just beginning to lighten when Jayden and Tasha crept back into the house, the clock reading a little past 4:30 a.m. The forest air still clung to them… wild, crisp, and tinged with the scent of pine and damp earth. They had spent the whole night running, hunting, and laughing through the woods until their legs ached and their cheeks hurt from smiling.

They slipped in through the balcony into Jayden's room, moving quietly so as not to wake anyone. Jayden walked her to the hallway outside her room, their steps hushed, the thrill of their night still buzzing between them.

"Last night was… actually fun," Tasha said with a soft grin, brushing a strand of hair from her face.

"Fun?" Jayden smirked. "You mean amazing. Don't downplay it."

She laughed lightly, shaking her head. "Okay, fine. Amazing. We should… do it again sometime."

"I'd like that very much." Jayden said, voice low and warm.

Their eyes lingered, the silence heavy in the sweetest way. Then, without hesitation, Tasha leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the lips… gentle, fleeting, but enough to leave his heart racing.

"Goodnight, Jayden," she whispered.

He smiled, returning the kiss with a quiet, "Goodnight, Tasha," before stepping back, letting her turn toward her door.

But as her hand closed around the knob and twisted, it wouldn't budge. She frowned, jiggled it again, then gave a small sigh.

"Huh… it's locked." she muttered through her breath.

Jayden turned, brows raised. "Locked? From the inside?"

"I guess so." Tasha replied. "Maybe Jessica locked it? I'll knock, maybe she'll open up."

Jayden nodded, choosing to wait instead of heading off. He didn't like the idea of leaving her standing in the hallway alone.

Tasha rapped on the door once. Silence. She tried again, a little louder. Still nothing. Her lips pressed together in thought… then her eyes widened slightly as realization hit.

"Oh. Right! It was me," she chuckled wryly.

Jayden tilted his head. "You locked it?"

She dug into her jacket pocket, pulling out a small key. "Yeah… I locked it on my way out so mum and dad wouldn't figure out I snuck off. Jessica was already asleep by then, so I didn't bother asking her to do it."

Jayden chuckled, shaking his head. "Smart, but also… not very sister-friendly."

"Don't rub it in," she said with a playful roll of her eyes. Sliding the key into the lock, she twisted and pushed the door open.

Only to meet Jessica in the doorway.

She stood in there like something straight out of a horror film… dark circles under her eyes, hair a ruffled mess, her face twisted with pure, feral irritation.

Tasha blinked. "Oh… hey, Jessie."

Jessica's eyes narrowed dangerously, her voice resembling a low growl. "You…"

The way she said it sent a shiver down Jayden's spine.

"You left me here… to starve." she added, her gaze never leaving Tasha.

Tasha's brows furrowed in confusion… until it clicked. Jessica was known to always get hungry at night. She would wake up in the midnight and go to the kitchen to get something to eat. And it had become more of a ritual than an habit, one everyone in the family never sought to interrupt.

But last night, Tasha had interrupted it by locking the door of the door.

Her stomach dropped in realization of what she had done. "Oh my God, Jessica, I…"

Jessica cut her off with a dark chuckle, stepping forward like a predator cornering prey. "I woke up at midnight. Hungry. Starving. Hollow. I wanted to go to the kitchen, but the door was locked. I couldn't get to food. I was trapped, deprived, and forced to starve all night."

Her voice dropped lower, each word slow, deliberate. "And it's. All. Your. Fault."

Tasha raised her hands gently, trying not to laugh. "Okay, okay… I'm so sorry. I completely forgot. You were asleep, and I didn't want to disturb you."

Jessica scoffed. "Sure you didn't."

Jayden finally stepped in, sensing Tasha was one apology away from being devoured alive. "She's right, Jessica. She didn't mean it. She was just being cautious… there's no way she'd lock you in on purpose."

Jessica's head snapped toward him slowly, her gaze sharp as a knife. "I didn't ask for your opinion, Jayden. And don't think you're innocent in this. You're at fault too."

Jayden blinked, baffled. "What? I didn't even do anything." he chuckled.

Jessica's glare deepened. "Wasn't it you that Tasha followed?" she asked sharply.

Jayden opened his mouth, then closed it again. She had him. "…Okay, fair point," he muttered.

Jessica tutted like a schoolteacher catching two delinquents. "Just as I thought." Her attention flicked back to Tasha, and she grabbed her sister's arm. "You're coming with me to atone for your sins."

"Sins?" Tasha chuckled softly, her eyes sparkling mischief. "Oh, come on, Jessica! It was a mistake. It's not like I killed anyone." she burst into giggles.

Jessica's eyes flared. "You might as well have. I could've starved to death." she retorted.

"Alright, alright," Tasha sighed, resigned. "I'm sorry."

Jessica grinned, but it wasn't a nice grin.. it was the grin of someone who already had plans. Diabolical plans.

"Oh, you will be." she chuckled darkly. "I've spent the last few hours thinking, and fantasising about all the awful things I'm gonna do to you as payback."

And with that, she yanked Tasha into the room.

Jayden instinctively stepped forward, ready to intervene, but Jessica swung around, her Wolf'sbane pistol suddenly in hand. Her eyes were dead serious. "Back off, Jayden. Or else you wanna get hurt."

Jayden froze, lips parted in shock. He did not see that coming. Literally.

Tasha gave him a reassuring smile despite being dragged inside. "I'll be fine. Don't worry." she assured. "Jessica's just in one of her 'moods'. She'll get over it."

Jayden nodded. "Alright. I'll leave you both to it then."

Jessica eyed him, still holding the pistol up his face. "Good. Now slowly back away from the door." she ordered.

Jayden did so without question. He initially thought about teasing and disobeying her, but that wouldn't the brightest thing to do in his situation.

As soon as he did, Jessica glared at him with a final warning. "Your own punishment is coming soon. And unless you want it doubled, I suggest you stay out of this."

And then—click. The door slammed shut in his face.

Jayden exhaled, running a hand down his face in disbelief. "What the hell just happened…"

Shaking his head, still stunned, he made his way back to his room. Collapsing on the bed, he opened his system screen, mentally controlling the interface as he distributed 50 of his 100 stat points… 20 into Mastery, and 10 each into Stamina, Defense, and Agility.

The glowing numbers shifted and settled. He closed the screen with a sigh, rolling onto his back.

And then slowly, he drifted off into sleep.