Legend of

ESPERES
Story by Sarah H. Jeong | Written by Bailey K. Hicks

: : PROLOGUE : :

An earsplitting crash was the subject of Luna's awakening. Her heart leapt inside of her
chest, and her eyes shot open, wildly searching the shadows around her room. She sat up, and
brushed aside a tuft of black hair from her eyes. The blankets wrapped around her small body
slid off of her and fell over the side of the bed. Luna blinked back a wave of fatigue and crawled
out of the sheets. Icy cold raced up her heels and rushed up her back, making her tremble. She
pulled her nightgown sleeves up to her wrists, and tiptoed across the room towards her door.
She was afraid, but her curiosity swallowed her fear. She reached out to grab the doorknob.

The door suddenly swung open, slamming against the wall. Luna shrieked and fell back,
her eyes widening with terror. The figure in the doorway stooped down, and scooped her up
off of the floor. A sigh of relief slipped through Luna's lips as she looked up into the crimson
eyes of her mother. "What was that noise?" She whimpered, clinging tightly to her mother's
nightgown. Luna's mother shushed her gently, and smoothed out the back of her hair lovingly.
The moonlight streaming through the window illuminated her face, and Luna studied it
carefully. It wasn't gentle and loving as it normally was. Instead her porcelain face was pale
with fear, her eyes shining with some unknown terror. The faint light that pooled into Luna's
room made her mother's soft silver hair appear to be glowing. Luna's relief was short lived.
Panic swelled inside of her chest, and she clung even tighter to her mother's dress. Something
was amiss. No words in the world were needed to confirm it. The two hurried to the corner of
the large room, where the white wall was blank aside from elegant trim running along the floor.
"What's going on?" Luna murmured, and then swallowed hard in attempt to feel braver. There
was a metallic boom, followed by shouts and screams in the hall outside of her room. Luna
cringed and buried her head in her mother's shoulders. Her mother's arm held her tightly, and
2

with her other hand she stroked her face. "Listen carefully Luna." She began, her voice tight. She
pulled away from Luna, and cupped her small face, staring intently into her wide eyes. "I need
you to be brave," she whispered. Luna could feel hot tears brimming over the lids of her eyes,
and she blinked them back, trying with every ounce of strength to be strong. "What's
happening?" Luna sniffed. Her mother swiped her thumb across her daughters face, wiping
away a stray tear. Her hands went up to a necklace hanging around her neck. She pulled it over
her head, and took Luna's hand in her own. She fanned out her tiny fingers, and dropped the
amulet into her palm. "This is my treasure Luna. Keep it safe, and show it to no one. Protect it as
if it were your own life." Luna's gaze dropped down, and she looked at it through teary eyes. It
was a beautiful lavender gem, cleverly cut into the shape of a tear drop. The smooth surface
sparkled in the moonlight, casting thin purple shadows across Luna's skin, as if it had a mind of
its own. At the tip of the pendant was a simple piece of silver, and attached to it was an elegant
silver chain. It looked more valuable than any precious thing Luna had set eyes upon. Her
mother folded Luna's fingers around it, her eyes becoming glassy. There was a sharp stinging
sensation in Luna's eyes as the cool gem touched her skin, and she squeezed them shut,
disregarding it. The pain lingered a moment longer, and then faded into her skull. When she
opened them, nothing seemed different. She quickly forgot about the occurrence, and directed
her focus to the present matters.

"Are you leaving?" Luna sniffed, crying quietly in the dark. She couldn't hold it inside
any longer. Her heart felt broken, as if she had lost something she couldn't live without. Before
she could answer, a growl broke the still night air. The noise sounded like it was only outside of
the door. Luna's mother inhaled sharply, and turned to the wall, using her hands to grope
around the surface. Her fingers slid over a notch, and she began to pry at it desperately. The
floorboards groaned on the other side of the door of Luna's room, something that only
happened with an object of great girth was placed onto them. Luna bit her lip, fearfully casting
her eyes to the door. Light seeped in from underneath it, but a shadow swiftly cut it off.
There was a small click, and a square of wall swung out on invisible hinges. Luna's eyes
widened. She had never seen such a thing. Why was she just now discovering it? Her mother
her urged her to it's opening, but Luna hesitated, still so many questions on her tongue.

"Go Luna. Know that I will always be with you, my love." Her mother whispered urgently,
holding the secret door wider. Luna shook her head, and wiped away strands of black hair that
clung to her damp face. "Please, just tell me what's happening!" She cried, as her mother pushed
her inside the door. Luna's mother forced a smile, and kissed Luna's forehead. "I love you."

The door to Luna's room burst open. There was a noise like wood splitting, and the door
snapped from its hinges, flying across the room. Luna's mother pushed the secret door shut,
and took to her feet instantly. It became instantly dark inside the tunnel, aside from dim light
seeping in from a small crack at the doors opening. Luna pressed her face into the crack,
watching with terror. A large beast prowled into the room, something that Luna thought could
only be born of nightmares. Moonlight bathed its body, allowing Luna to study it briefly. It
resembled a wolf, yet it was twice the size of any canine Luna had ever seen. Its fur was matted
and knotted, colored in black soot, with red hair highlighting its back, tail, and face. Corded
muscles and sinew stuck out sorely from its body. Its shoulders were broad as if built for
crushing, and the beast's tail curled into black metal, like a sinister blade. Long yellowed fangs
dripped from its blood-stained jaws, and its blazing red eyes searched the room manically. The
beast's eyes had laid upon Luna's mother, and it shuffled forwards a few steps, clearly
interested with her presence.

Luna's breathing became hitched. Her mouth went dry, and she couldn't scream or
speak. Her lips trembled in silent cries. She wanted to squeeze her eyes shut and make the
monster disappear, but she couldn't tear her eyes away.

The beast's jaws opened, revealing rows of sharpened teeth. Suddenly, diamond shaped
blades shot from its maw, whistling through the air towards her mother. Luna's mother waved
her hands around her body and the air around her swirled, adopting a light shade of blue. The
blades reflected violently off of the barrier, making the surface ripple in the places they had hit.
Her mother clenched her teeth, her fingers curling in a strain of effort. Luna could hear her
mother gasping for breath, her chest heaving in and out. The beast snarled, and raced across the

room with its dagger like claws poised for attack. Its body crashed into the barrier. Luna had
never seen such magic before. She never knew it existed. She never knew her mother was
capable of such a thing.

Transparent blue shards burst into the barrier, the sound of glass breaking exploding in
Luna's ears. Her mother fell back, the monster on top of her. Her shield had failed. Luna cried
out, but her voice was lost amongst her mother's weak yelps and the beast's mad growling.
Foam sprayed from its open jaws, and its forepaws raked against her mother's side. Luna threw
her body against the secret door, but it didn't budge. She pounded her fists against it, but it
remained steadfast, not even a noise coming from her strikes. "Mother!" She wept, fighting
feverously with the door. No matter how hard she pushed, it would not budge.

The beast drew back its wicked head and its lips curled in a victorious snarl. Everything
happened so quickly as Luna watched wide-eyed. The beast lunged, sinking its fangs into the
collarbone of her mother. Luna's mother gasped and her body went stiff with shock. Her eyes
rolled around to the back of her head, giving her a horrifying appearance. Blood gushed from
her flesh, staining her once elegant dress and soaking into the floorboards. Her hair became red
with her own blood, instead of its beautiful sharp silver.

Luna's body became racked with horrible tremors. She bent over, struggling to squeeze
in shallow breaths between her heartbroken cries. Her heart burst into a million pieces, making
her chest hurt physically. Luna squeezed her eyes shut, tears flowing down her hot face. Never
in her life had she felt such sorrow. She wanted this horrible event to be a nightmare. She
wanted to wake up from it all, and run into the arms of her mother. Luna wanted to feel her
warm embrace again. The cold reality was that she never would.

The beast leapt from her mother, as if nothing had happened. As if it had not committed
murder, only seconds before. Its large ears swirled around the back of its head, and its nose
drew in deep breaths. The beast pressed its muzzle against the floor, avoiding a wide range
5

around the corpse of Luna's mother. The monster sniffed the pine boards, walking in circles and
wide arcs around the room. It lifted its head with eyes flaring dangerously, and its head slowly
turned. Luna froze. It was staring directly at the door. Luna shrieked, and spun around, tearing
down the dark passageway on her hands and knees. Urgent barks and growls followed in her
wake. There was a scraping noise against the wall, then a crack. Luna chanced a look behind
her.

Huge claws the size of small knives jutted out from the wooden door. The crack had
become larger, and filled with the glowing red eyes of the beast which had met her own. Luna
screamed, and doubled her efforts, fighting blindly down the tunnel in the dark. She cringed at
the sound of every small crack, growl, or click. She knew the thing would be upon her. She
knew she would suffer the same fate as her mother.

Luna looked up, her heart singing at the sight of a narrow silver beam. The passage had
ended. Luna propped herself up onto her knees, peering through the hole. She saw only
cobblestone walls. Luna's fingers desperately felt along the ceiling. There was a click, similar to
the sound of the secret door in the wall opening, and a square of the ceiling popped up. A crash
echoed through the tunnel, followed by the scratching and clicking of claws against the cold
stone floor. Luna stifled a yelp, and pushed the trap door open. It didn't move at first, but with
a burst of strength, it swung outwards, silver moonlight flooding the dark tunnel. The girl
scrambled up into the room, wildly looking around. Panic began to race through her veins. The
trap door slammed shut with a loud slap.

She was in a circular room, the walls paved with cobblestone. It was completely bare,
except for a large window. Luna threw herself against the wall frantically, pushing against the
individual stone in hopes of finding a hidden door. The clawing noises beneath her feet became
louder, and closer. After a few painstaking moments, they stopped.

Luna stood stiff, and slowly turned to the trap door. She squinted her eyes into the dark,
watching it carefully. It suddenly burst open, revealing the furry head of the beast. Luna
shrieked, and backed against the wall, pressing her body into it. The wolf-beast barked in
triumph, and began to scramble up onto the floor of the room. It snapped its jaws, nearly
sinking its teeth into Luna's leg. Luna turned, her eyes falling onto the window. She swallowed
hard. It was her only chance. She pushed the glass, and to her luck, it swung outwards easily.
She crawled up to the windowsill and squeezed through the frame. She clung to the door and
looked back one final time. Howls of anger rang though her ears, bouncing around her skull.
The beast had doubled its efforts in clawing up onto the floor. Its eyes burned with hate as it
watched her helplessly. Luna looked down at the blue water of the river, seemingly miles below
her perch. She inhaled deeply, the words of her mother filling her head. "Be strong." Luna pulled
her mother's necklace over her head, and held the purple gem tightly against her chest.

Luna let go of the door, and her body plummeted to the earth.