The Enigmatic Chronicles of Ignatius Thorne Echoes of Destiny

Luna Nightingale stood at the edge of the bustling capital city. The glittering skyline casting long shadows as evening settled in. Her parents had always supported her. Especially when she moved to the capital with her wealthy elf betrothed.

But everything changed when Luna, driven by her sense of justice. Uncovered Bradley's family's criminal activities. She broke off the engagement and arrested him and his brother. Which severed her ties with the capital's elite but solidified her resolve. She did not admit it to herself, but that incident had changed her.

She had never felt guilty again for abandoning Ignatius in his time of need. She had forgotten about him completely. She struggled to remember his face when her parents fished to find out if he had had contact with her.

She saw men as tools to get what she wanted. She had a partner, Detective Gigi. She was a pretty orc who shared a room with her, amongst other things.

For fifteen years, Luna poured herself into her work as a detective. Climbing the ranks to prove herself to her parents and everyone who doubted her. She wasn't just another pretty face with a rocking body.

She hadn't heard from Ignatius, her childhood friend, and all that time, she did not care. After leaving without saying goodbye. She had forgotten Queenstown, revelling in the capital and its new culture.

Ignatius's depression had scared her. The pressure from her parents to break ties with him had solidified her decision to leave. They believed that he was a bum who would use up his inheritance and never achieve anything.

They had brought wealthy man after wealthy man, hoping she would choose one. She settled on Bradley, who defloured her on their first date. Looking back, she ran away from her problems. She did not want to face Ignatius's heartache.

The fact that Ignatius's face was more beautiful than her mother's or her own irritated her mother to no end. When her parents informed her that Ignatius had sold his estate. Moving to a distant town, Misty Cove, Luna felt a pang of regret and nostalgia.

Misty Cove fell outside the Unsealy court's area of influence, a lawless part of the continent. She visited the library and read up on the small town in the sticks. She had no ties in the capital anymore.

Her partner Gigi had married their last lover, leaving her hanging. They always dated the same man together, playing to her own preference for threesomes.

Misty Cove served as a barrier. Between the mountains of the Sealy Court territory and the Unsealy Court territory. The capital thrived with dark fae and the like. The Sealy court thrived on floating islands in the sky, looking down on the Unsealy territory.

According to legend. The mountains to the south of Misty Cove. A Sealy city hidden deep inside the treacherous mountain range.

Her parents believed he had blown all his inheritance and needed the coin to survive. Moving to an unknown town proved their point in their eyes. That same evening, as her parents celebrated Ignatius's departure, Luna decided.

She packed her bags in haste and posted a note for her parents. Her resignation lay on her desk. Her uniform laid out on the massive bed, and her boots shone. The captain would find it for his usual visit later tomorrow.

He would visit her apartment twice a week, staying the night. But since Gigi left, he has only come once a week. She rushed out with two suitcases to catch Ignatius before he left.

She agonised over what she would say to her old friend. Her parents always visited her in the capital as they caught up with old friends. Her mother loved the theatre, and her father loved Gigi.

She suspected her father had ploughed her a every time when they came to Visit. He would always keep Gigi company when they left for the theatre. In the capital, there was an extensive training facility, one of the best in the land she was a member of.

She would spend her free time honing her sword skills. She was a changed woman, having killed many criminals in dangerous encounters. Killing became second nature to her, earning her the name "Easy", and she did not know why. It made no sense.

After her failed relationship with Bradley. She dated men seeking happiness—noble, human, elf, orc, and dwarf. She had many pregnancy scares, but that did not stop her. She was a woman of the world. Her relations lasted two to three weeks at the most.

Gigi did not care. She wanted men, and the more she could have, the better, she said. Gigi urged the men to spill their seed inside Luna. They made a big fuss over her bravery each time. Gigi never had a pregnancy scare.

The old lady, the landlord, stopped before Luna. "Missy, you are running to catch a man. He must be special for you to leave your layer."

Luna positioned her suitcases in her hands for a better grip. "Goodbye, Mayweather. The rent is paid in full."

Mayweather laughed as she opened the security gate for Luna. "Better that this new fella does not learn of your past here."

"He might be a decent man who respects women, not like the riffraff that comes to plough you for fun."

The old woman lit her pipe, blowing smoke in the air. "Gigi used you like she does everyone. You should have figured it out long ago."

"You were the only one crying at night thinking you were with child, and she would go out drinking. Missy, she did not care about you."

"That emptiness you feel inside, only one man can fill that hole in your heart."

Luna stopped. She had not thought about that. Ignatius would not have seen her as an innocent childhood friend. If he had gained about her encounters here. She knew the people in the apartment block saw her as a whore. She was never paid for sex, wined, and dined, yes, never paid coins.

"Seventy-eight men, missy, which was my last count. That excludes the captain who still comes for his weekly cleansing of his ball sack." Mayweather cackled as she closed the gate behind Luna.

This could ruin her new life, and she had to ensure Ignatius never found out. "What happens in the capital stays in the capital, " she roared.

Mayweather laughed behind her as she walked down the path. Truths revealed to her that she never thought about. Could she be that naïve not to have noticed she was being used all this time?

How could her life turn out like this?

Her parents never knew about all the men she had been with, so why would Ignatius suspect her? She was good at keeping secrets from people, and she was the best. She grinned as she looked out the window, seeing her reflection, her eyes revealing the truth.

"Yes, I am the best at keeping secrets," she told herself.

The taxi pulled up, and the driver helped her load her suitcases. The drive to Queen's town dragged on as Luna agonised that she would miss Ignatius. Her parents informed her that his furniture had left early that morning. She could hear a cork popping in the background.

Fear of rejection crept up on her. Her encounters at parties and her apartment flashed in her mind. Why did she become so easy? Her nickname hit her like a ton of bricks. They all knew the bastards knew, and they used her.

She was always chosen for the long stakeouts in motel rooms. Hatred for her colleagues burned in her heart. She thought they cared for her. She gave it her all never saying no to anything they wanted to do. Did she do any detective work at the stakeout now that she thought about it?

The realisation struck her as she recalled her stakeouts. Images flashed in her mind of four to seven naked detectives in the room, the gear set up at the window. She lay on the bed naked spent. Sinking deeper in her seat, she looked at the taxi man.

Did he know? Could the jokes about blonds reflect real life? She had to think of something to bind Ignatius to her. She would do her best to repair their friendship. Her looks and body would not help her with Ignatius. Men melted before her putty in her hands. She had never thought of long-term relationships with any of them.

She had resolved to be single, only partaking in men rather than loving them. Her parents were overjoyed when she mentioned that she would not get married. Ignatius had been immune to her charms. Bradley succumbed to her manipulation on their first date. It was her first time, too.

The sun had set, and she had boarded a train at the halfway mark. The train's rocking motion calmed her mind, and she fell asleep. She took a cab to Ignatius's estate at the train station in Queens Town. She would not greet her parents, knowing how they felt about Ignatius. Her father devastated when he heard Gigi moved out to get married.

Do first and ask for forgiveness later was her motto. As the cab pulled into the estate, she saw suitcases loaded into a massive offroad vehicle. Did her parents speak the truth? Did he squander his inheritance on lavish luxuries?

She could not make out the make of the car, darkness enveloping the estate this early in the morning. She pulled her suitcases from the cab, placing them near the vehicle.

She stared into the darkness. "Where are you, Ignatius." She called out. Opening the vehicle's door, the keys were inside. She sighed with relief.

Zarkon appeared next to her. "Miss Luna, what brings you to our neck of the woods."

Luna jumped at his deep, resonant, and smooth voice. Which exuded an air of timeless wisdom and authority. Luna held her chest, catching her breath.

"Zarkon, you surprised me."

"Thank you for remembering me, Miss Luna."

A match flared in the darkness a few feet ahead of her. A man's silhouette lit a pipe. The match's flame, drawn into the bowl in intervals. Released a rich, warm scent that filled the air with a symphony of delightful notes.

Luna imagined a cosy room. Where the air infused with molasses and honey's deep, sweet fragrance. The aroma is smooth and velvet-like and envelops the senses. Mixed in with the sweetness are subtle hints of vanilla. Adding a creamy undertone that soothes the spirit.

She caught a whisper of dark fruit—think raisins or plums—adding a touch of complexity and depth. A slight nuttiness, reminiscent of toasted almonds, blended harmoniously with the other scents.

Its effect on her was a comforting. A most nostalgic aroma. Evoking images of old libraries, leather-bound books, and soft armchairs by the fireplace. The flame extinguished, and the silhouette disappeared.

A voice rich and smooth, with a husky undertone, came from the darkness. "Madam, unfortunately, the estate has been sold."

The man walked past her, Christie on his heels. "Come, the road ahead awaits us." Ignatius said. She recognised his scent as he passed her.

Luna turned around. She realised she was holding her breath. It made her speak out shrilly. "It is me, Luna."

Ignatius stopped and turned around as the vehicle's lights came on, bathing the area in light.

"You're a woman now; where is your husband, Bradley?" His voice was eerily monotone.

Luna inhaled a short breath, holding her chest. Did he know? When did he find out? Was he rejecting me because of my indiscretions? She struggled to breathe. Her head felt woozy.

Ignatius pointed his pipe stem at her parent's estate in the distance. "There has been a party in your parent's home for two days now."

Luna stood frozen. This did not go as planned. "Wait, I am coming with you."

Ignatius opened the door on the driver's side. The light inside the vehicle illuminated his face. He stopped and looked at her; she could see no emotion in his deep purple eyes. He placed the pipe in his pocket and blew a smoke circle that drifted upwards into the darkness.