The howl echoed through the trees, a haunting reminder that time was running out. Elara felt the weight of Vesper’s hand on her wrist as he pulled her into motion. They ran through the mist-laden forest, their footsteps barely making a sound against the damp earth.“Elara, stay close,” Vesper ordered, his voice sharp with urgency.She didn’t argue. The Wraith King’s forces were relentless, and if they were closing in, it meant only one thing—he wanted her back.Or worse, he wanted revenge.The trees thickened around them, their twisted roots forming barriers as if the forest itself sought to trap them. Magic crackled in the air, dark and unnatural, a sign that the Wraith King’s influence was spreading.Elara could feel it in her blood, in the remnants of the bond she had severed. The spell had been broken, but something still tethered her to him, something deeper than magic—an unfulfilled bargain.Vesper’s grip tightened as they came to a sudden halt at the edge of a steep ravine. Bel
The fire crackled in the dimly lit cavern, its glow casting flickering shadows against the cold stone walls. Elara sat close to the flames, arms wrapped around herself as she tried to shake the lingering chill of the Wraith King’s presence. Even now, she could feel the echo of his voice in her mind, a dark whisper promising her doom.Vesper stood a few feet away, sharpening his dagger with slow, deliberate strokes. The tension between them was thick, an unspoken battle of wills. He hadn’t let go of her since the episode in the ravine, and while part of her wanted to pull away, another part of her—one she wasn’t ready to admit—found comfort in his nearness.“You need to rest,” he said finally, his voice rough.Elara glanced at him. “I doubt sleep will come easily.”Vesper sheathed his dagger and turned to face her. “Then let’s talk about our next move.”She exhaled sharply, shifting her gaze to the fire. “You said we need to kill him. But how? He’s not just a man, Vesper. He’s somethin
The cavern’s eerie silence stretched, thick with disbelief.Elara’s breath hitched as she stared at the figure standing in the entrance. The torchlight cast flickering shadows over his face, but she would have known him anywhere.Aerin.Her brother. The lost prince. The boy who had died.Or so she had believed.Her heart pounded. Her hands trembled. “No,” she whispered, shaking her head. “You… you can’t be real.”The man before her—not a boy anymore, but a man hardened by years in the dark—tilted his head. His silver-blue eyes, so much like hers, flickered with something unreadable. “Hello, little sister.”Elara choked on a sob. It wasn’t possible. He had been taken. He had died. She had mourned him.Yet here he stood.Vesper let out a strained groan beneath her. The sound snapped her back to reality.She gripped his bloodstained shirt tighter, panic surging through her. “He’s dying,” she rasped, her gaze darting to Aerin. “I need—”Aerin moved before she could finish. He crouched bes
The castle loomed in the distance, its spires silhouetted against the deep purple of the evening sky. A storm was gathering—not of wind and rain, but of something far more dangerous.Elara stood at the edge of the cliffside balcony, her gaze fixed on the distant horizon. Below, the city pulsed with life, oblivious to the war that was about to unfold.Behind her, Vesper stirred. “You’re quiet,” he murmured, stepping closer. His presence was a steadying force, warm and solid despite the wounds he still carried.Elara exhaled. “I was just thinking about how everything is about to change.”He touched her arm, gently turning her to face him. “It already has.”His eyes—stormy and intense—searched hers for something unspoken. There was no fear in them, only certainty.They were in this together.Aerin’s voice cut through the air. “If we’re doing this, we don’t have time for hesitation.” He entered the room, his usual cold demeanor edged with something sharper—urgency.Elara turned to him. “H
The night air was thick with the scent of damp earth and salt as Elara, Vesper, and Aerin made their way toward the eastern cliffs. A crescent moon hung low in the sky, barely illuminating the jagged path ahead.Vesper led the way, his movements effortless as he weaved through the shadows. “Stay close,” he murmured. “The tunnel entrance isn’t far.”Elara followed, her heart hammering in her chest. The Ruined Province was more than just dangerous—it was cursed. No one who ventured there uninvited returned alive.Aerin’s presence at her side was a silent anchor, but she could feel the tension in him. He didn’t trust Vesper, and he certainly didn’t trust this plan.Neither did she.But there was no turning back.As they reached the edge of the cliffs, Vesper crouched near a patch of overgrown brush. He pushed aside the tangled vines, revealing a narrow stone passage leading into the darkness. “This will take us beneath the border walls. It’s been abandoned for decades, but some of the ol
The journey back to the hidden outpost was silent, tense, and heavy with unspoken thoughts. Elara rode ahead with Aerin, while Vesper trailed behind them, his gaze dark and unreadable. The encounter with the wraith had changed everything.One must die for the other to thrive.The words repeated in Elara’s mind, a curse that wrapped around her throat like a noose.She had spent her life resisting the forces that tried to control her—her father’s rule, the expectations of her lineage, the magic that dictated her fate. But now, fate had given her an ultimatum.And she had no idea how to fight it.By the time they reached the outpost—a hidden fortress carved into the mountainside—Elara barely noticed the guards greeting them or the worried glances exchanged among the rebels.Aerin dismounted first, his sharp gaze flicking between her and Vesper. “We need to talk. All of us.”Vesper swung off his horse, jaw clenched. “Agreed.”Elara hesitated, then nodded. No more avoiding the truth.⸻Ins
The underground chamber was cold, the air thick with the scent of burnt herbs and old magic. The stone walls, slick with condensation, seemed to pulse with the energy of centuries-old enchantments. This was not a place meant for the living.Elara’s fingers trembled as she traced the rim of the silver bowl before her. Inside, dark crimson liquid swirled—their willingly given blood, the first requirement of the ritual. It had been taken just moments ago, a single deep cut on both her and Vesper’s palms, their blood merging into one.Across the chamber, Aerin worked fast, drawing intricate runes onto the floor with crushed lapis and enchanted chalk. The symbols glowed faintly under the flickering torchlight, humming with an energy that made Elara’s skin prickle.This was it.She glanced at Vesper, who stood beside her, his face unreadable. He was always unreadable. But tonight, something in his eyes burned differently—not just determination, but something deeper, something she wasn’t sur
The air in the chamber turned dense, charged with a power unlike anything Elara had ever felt. It wasn’t magic in the way she had known it—raw and wild like a storm. This was something older, colder… deliberate.Vesper pulled Elara behind him instinctively, his body taut like a predator ready to strike.From the darkness, a figure stepped forward.A man—no, something far worse.Tall and draped in obsidian robes, his presence alone seemed to distort the air around him. His skin was pale, almost ashen, but his eyes—black as the void itself—shimmered with the weight of centuries.Elara’s breath caught in her throat. Who was he?The figure smiled, slow and knowing. “You have done something remarkable, Princess,” he murmured, his voice silken with amusement. “I have waited a long time for this.”Vesper’s jaw clenched. “Who are you?”The man tilted his head. “A necessary part of your fate.”He stepped closer, unfazed by Vesper’s lethal presence.Elara felt it then—a distant memory surfacing
The fall was endless.Elara’s scream was stolen by the wind as she plunged through the rupture of the shattered gate. Light and shadow twisted around her like serpents, clawing at her skin, whispering half-formed truths.Then—silence.She landed hard on black marble, the air knocked from her lungs.Above her, the gate had sealed.Around her… nothing.No stars, no sky. Just a vast, endless hall of mirrors, each one reflecting a different version of her: Elara with burning eyes, Elara on a throne of bones, Elara drenched in blood. Her own fear stared back at her from every angle.Footsteps echoed.She whirled, heart racing.Vesper emerged from the darkness, blood trickling from his temple, eyes wild. “You shouldn’t have done that alone.”“I had to,” she whispered. “If I didn’t—”Kael’s voice cut through the stillness. “She would’ve died either way.”He stepped into view, dragging Dain behind him. Dain’s lip was bleeding, but he was conscious—and furious.“What is this place?” Elara aske
The sun had yet to rise when they reached the mouth of the forgotten passage—a jagged, rune-cracked staircase descending beneath the roots of the Obsidian Mountains. The air was thick with magic, the kind that pulsed beneath your skin and whispered madness in your ear. Elara felt it the moment they crossed the threshold.“This was built by the First Blood,” Dain murmured, running his fingers along the stone etched with forgotten sigils. “The original rulers—before the kingdom, before the laws.”“Before the prophecy,” Vesper added, his eyes narrowed, calculating. “Which means what’s hidden down there isn’t just powerful—it’s older than all of us.”Kael had said nothing for the past hour. He didn’t trust any of them—not Dain with his convenient knowledge, not Vesper with his secrets, and lately, not even himself.The path narrowed as they descended, their torches casting twitching shadows on the walls. Elara walked at the front, not because they let her, but because she had to. The pull
The sky ripped open.A thunderous roar echoed over the palace as golden lightning split the heavens, crackling through the enchanted dome that had protected the capital for centuries. Panic surged in the city below—citizens screamed, magic flared, and guards rushed to defend the walls. But inside the throne room, silence reigned, thick and paralyzing.Elara stared at the glowing parchment in her hand, its light pulsing like a heartbeat—her heartbeat.Kael stepped in front of her instinctively. “What did you do?”“I didn’t choose,” she whispered, stunned.Vesper’s voice sliced through the room like a blade. “You did. The moment your blood touched the truth, the magic reacted. You’ve awakened the weapon buried in the kingdom.”Dain unsheathed his blade. “Then this is war.”“No,” Elara snapped, raising her hand. “This isn’t war. Not yet. But it will be… if we don’t control what’s coming.”The parchment’s light dimmed suddenly, curling into ash between her fingers. But the rumble above di
The air cracked like thunder as Elara stepped into the ancient ruins—the site the prophecy had led her to. Dain’s warning still echoed in her ears, but Kael’s hand was firm on her arm, his presence grounding her in the moment.She thought she’d felt everything a heart could endure. She thought she’d buried Vesper Moretti with the ruins of their forbidden love.But then came the shadow.Not magic. Not monster.Him.Clad in black, eyes like dark steel, Vesper Moretti emerged from the archway as though the kingdom itself had carved him from vengeance. His face was sharper, more dangerous—but the hunger in his eyes when they found hers was unmistakable.“Elara,” he said, voice low and lethal. “I told you once—nothing keeps me from what’s mine.”Her breath caught. The world tilted.Kael stepped in front of her. “You were dead.”Vesper didn’t blink. “You only kill what you understand. And you never understood me.”Then his eyes cut to Dain, who stood frozen with guilt carved into his expres
Kael carried Elara through the crumbling halls of the ruined citadel, her body limp in his arms. Ash rained from the vaulted ceiling like gray snow. The vault behind them had collapsed entirely, burying Dain—and the Ardent Mirror—beneath ancient stone and cursed light.Her skin was cold.Too cold.“Elara,” he whispered, brushing her hair back, smudged with soot and blood. “Don’t do this to me.”But her eyes remained shut. Her pulse fluttered weakly at her neck, like a thread unraveling.They had no time. He had no options.Except one.Kael turned toward the east chamber—the forbidden crypt beneath the old sanctum. No one went there. Not even Elara.Not even Dain.But Kael wasn’t just a warrior. He was raised by men who trafficked in blood oaths, trained by shadows who knew how to barter with things older than gods.He descended the narrow staircase two steps at a time, breath ragged, Elara cradled tightly in his arms.At the bottom stood a rusted iron gate carved with sigils no human
Kael’s hand was still wrapped around Elara’s wrist as he pulled her through the dim corridor of the fortress, every stride radiating tension. The weight of silence between them was louder than screams.“Let go of me,” Elara hissed, twisting her arm in vain. Her pulse was pounding—equal parts fury and something far more dangerous.Kael turned, his face shadowed in the torchlight, eyes burning gold. “You walked into the lion’s den alone. Again. You think Dain would have spared you this time?”She yanked her hand free. “I didn’t need you to save me.”He laughed coldly. “No, you needed someone to die for you, apparently.”The air thinned between them. Elara stepped back, but he followed—always one step closer than she wanted, or maybe exactly where she needed him.“Why do you always do this?” she whispered, voice trembling.“Do what?” His voice dipped low, rough, intimate. “Follow you into danger? Break rules for you? Want you so badly it makes me lose my mind?”“You don’t want me,” she s
Kael’s grip tightened painfully around Elara’s wrist, forcing her to wince.“Kael,” she said softly, “it’s me. It’s Elara. Let go.”But his eyes — gods, his eyes — they weren’t just wounded anymore.There was a storm swirling inside them, a violent force pressing against his soul, clawing to the surface.“I can feel them,” he rasped, voice cracking. “Inside me. Twisting.”Dain stepped forward cautiously, blade drawn but low.“He’s been tainted. The ritual—you weren’t the only one marked, Elara.”Elara knelt closer, ignoring the way Kael’s body shuddered under her touch.“Fight it,” she whispered. “Stay with me.”Kael’s fingers spasmed, finally releasing her wrist.He sagged against the wall, breathing in shallow, broken gasps.“I tried,” he muttered. “Tried to keep them out. But they promised me…” His voice broke. “They promised they’d spare you.”Elara’s stomach twisted violently.“Who?” she demanded. “Who promised?”But Kael’s head slumped forward, and for a terrifying moment, she t
The first rays of dawn barely kissed the horizon when Elara stood at the ancient altar hidden deep within the cliffs.The place reeked of old magic, of broken promises and shattered souls. Dark vines twisted through the stone, pulsing faintly as if remembering every curse ever whispered here.Dain arrived silently, his cloak trailing ash behind him. He carried a small obsidian blade — the kind crafted not for battle, but for sacrifice.“This is your last chance to turn back,” he said, voice low.Elara shook her head, her fingers curling into fists. “Kael wouldn’t give up on me. I won’t give up on him.”A brief flicker of emotion crossed Dain’s face — admiration, maybe grief. Then he drew a circle of salt around the altar and motioned for her to kneel.The ritual began with a chant — low, guttural words that made the very air vibrate. Shadows lengthened unnaturally, coiling around them like curious serpents.Elara pressed the blade to her palm without hesitation. Her blood spilled onto
The world was not the same.Elara staggered to her feet, coughing through the settling dust. Dain pulled her up roughly, his face bleeding from a cut above his brow, eyes burning with rage—and something worse. Fear.The ruins around them groaned and cracked. Whatever Kael had awakened, it was spreading like a sickness, bleeding through stone and earth alike. The once-familiar walls now felt hostile, every breath of air tasting of metal and ruin.“We have to move,” Dain barked, dragging her forward.“But Kael—” Elara tried to turn back toward the shattered altar, the spot where he had disappeared.Dain shook her hard enough to rattle her teeth. “He made his choice. Now we have to survive it.”Behind them, the ground caved in completely, swallowing the last remnants of the altar in a deafening roar. Dark vines slithered from the abyss, twisting and coiling like living nightmares.Elara didn’t realize she was crying until she tasted the salt on her lips.Kael.She had seen him—truly seen