"The Replacement Luna..."

Shadowing...

Glare:

The high council of Nephilims, the elders of the Mages, the Alpha King of the Lycans, and the Queen Regent of the Fairies all surrounded me in a circle. I stood submerged in a crystal blue pool with floating flowers, and torches lit by several mermaids. The cool water reached my chest, and made my white, soft, thin polo shirt transparent. We all waited for the full moon to reach the height of its arc to bestow the proof that I was the next Penumbra. Everyone was anxious. Me more so than the others.

There was complete silence as we all waited.

The pool was gigantic, almost five hundred feet and in a perfect circle. It was outside the main house of the Rosewater ancestral home, and was created when the first Penumbra came into power.

Everyone held circular mirrors, ready to reflect the moon's glow at me when the right time came. A soft wind chime signalled the start of the ceremony, and the fairies took to flight to throw rose petals at the soft blowing wind. The Mages began chanting to bestow blessings on everyone present, while the Alpha King and the Lycans began howling at the moon to show respect.

A singular moon beam, strong, bright, and almost silver descended directly over me. In its light, I felt myself slowly being suspended above the water's caress. I was glowing, and everyone had to hide behind their mirrors, and re-direct the light back to me, or risk getting blinded by the intense light. The chants grew louder, the howling echoed throughout the large estate. The wind began to gain momentum, as the water in the pool began to rise with me.

Memories, past lives, unresolved issues, instruction on how to use my powers, warnings about the Whiffs, relationships that were forged and crumbled, union of magical creatures and the results of their co-mingling... and love found and lost all flashed before my eyes in a blur. There was so much to absorb, too little time to understand. The wind began to howl, a cyclone was being created. The transfer of power and knowledge was almost complete.

It was then that they attacked.

Trapped within the light, I could not move to help anyone. At my most vulnerable state, the Whiffs emerged out of the shadows. They began to attack several Lycans, Mages, and Nephilims alike. Pandemonium broke out, and everyone started to flee for their lives. With the ability to vanish and reappear at a different location, the Whiffs had the upper hand as one by one they threw the bloodied bodies onto the water that served as a physical conduit for the transfer of power.

The pure magic being transferred to me became corrupted by the blood of the hapless victims, their imperfections being added to my abilities, powers, and emotions. I felt rage, anger, sadness, and hopelessness take ahold of my very being. The light that was emanating from me awhile ago became a black smoke of fear and dread. I was consumed by darkness.

I became darkness.

The Betas, and Omegas attacked as one. With the help of the Angels who had flaming swords they started to drive the Whiffs away. The Nephilims herded the wounded to safety as the Fairies and Mermaids all cowered away from the confusion. The Mages began healing the wounded, and I saw my mother and Genevieve both spring into action to drive the darkness emanating from the pool in the hopes that I do not become contaminated any further.

But the damage has been done.

As the glow of the moon slowly faded, and I was gently lowered back into the water's caress by the gentle night wind, my mother and several elders all came rushing to check on me. I was half unconscious from the sudden surge of power that entered my body, and not surprising I was slightly confused as to what truly transpired.

"Glare?" Atlas appeared beside my sister, he looked so handsome in his black suit that I could not help but smile at him. "I'm here, you're safe. I will take care of you." He cradled me gently in his right arm, before lifting me up to bring me inside the house. The others followed after him, all wanting to make sure that I was alright.

Atlas gently laid me on a leather couch, and sat on the floor holding my left hand. The Mages surrounded me and bathed me in a healing light, but for some reason their incantations were being repelled. White light was bouncing off my body, as black, almost transparent tendrils appeared from one area of my body to travel to the other side of my weakened form. No one could explain what was happening to me, but I had a hunch that I dared not say out loud to anyone present.

Only one thing was certain to me... I received the most coveted powers of the Penumbra, but there was something evil that was transfered to me as well.