Chapter 76: A Twisted Test

I was dumbfounded, my breath catching in my throat as I stood before the Moon Goddess Temple.

Its ancient stones seemed to hold the weight of centuries of whispered prayers and quiet hopes. The air around me felt charged, as if the temple itself held some mystical power. I could feel the rapid, erratic beating of my heart. Its rhythm echoed in my ears, a testament to the mixture of anticipation and anxiety that churned within my soul.

I knew what I was here to do.

I want to know if Hestia's really Zarion's mate. But now, faced with the reality of it all, a flurry of doubt swept over me. Could this truly work? Was it possible that it could hold the key to knowing one's true mate?

Probably not. Probably I’m just being crazy. But then…all is just a maybe until we’ve proven it as true.

I had not painstakingly prepared for this moment. No one is. While I meticulously followed the instructions I had discovered in the dusty tomes of our family library, a single tear began to crawl its way fr