The Ballad of the Black Moon - Part 2
2. A Vision Rising from the Water As though drawn by an unseen force, the man slowly stepped toward the edge of the pond. The surface of the water rippled gently, despite the stillness of the night. Beneath the faint glow of the Black Moon, strange patterns shimmered across the water, as if the pond itself had awakened from a long slumber. He stood in silence, unable to look away. Then, without warning, something stirred beneath the surface. "...It can't be." The words escaped his lips almost as a whisper. A single ripple spread across the pond. Then another. Before his eyes, the water began to part, and the silhouette of a woman slowly emerged. Long strands of dark hair framed a face he had never managed to forget. Her sorrowful eyes held the quiet sadness of someone who had carried countless unspoken words through the passing years. Though time had long since moved on, her gentle features remained exactly as they had in his memories. It was her. The woman he had loved...
