Chapter 69: The Echo in Her Veins

Serena woke before sunrise, the temple bathed in pale blue light. Dew clung to the crumbling stones, and the forest beyond was hushed—as though nature itself held its breath. The remnants of last night’s vision still clung to her like smoke.

The silver-eyed woman.

The lullaby.

The whispered warning: She must never know.

She sat up, brushing her fingers through her tangled curls. Theron was nearby, seated on a fallen column, sharpening one of his blades with precise, quiet strokes. His dark hair was damp from morning mist, his gaze alert despite the stillness.

“You didn’t sleep,” she said softly.

“I did,” he replied, “Just not for long. There’s something about this place that keeps me on edge.”

Serena stood, wrapping her cloak around her shoulders. “The vision I had… it’s not just a memory. It’s a message. Someone hid me. Not because they were ashamed—but because they were protecting me from something.”

Theron rose and walked over to her, his blade forgotten. “Then we need to find out what that was.”

She nodded. “I think the answer’s tied to the Oracle’s Ruins. And to Elias.”

Theron flinched slightly at the name, but nodded. “We can’t avoid him forever.”

As they prepared to move, Serena paused and turned back to the altar where the Moonblood inscription had glowed. Something called to her again—an energy, soft but persistent.

She knelt before it and placed her palm on the stone.

The moment her skin touched the altar, power surged through her like lightning. Visions flashed again—this time quicker, fragmented.

A wolf with silver fur, howling beneath a blood moon.

A battle between shadowed kings.

Three sigils: Flame, Sea, and Star.

And a whisper, clearer than before:

"You are the balance. The blood of fire, sea, and sky."

She gasped and stumbled backward. Theron caught her before she could fall.

“You okay?”

She nodded slowly. “I know what the riddle means now. The blood of three… it’s not just about lineage. It’s about gifts.”

Theron narrowed his eyes. “What gifts?”

“I’ve always had fire—rage, passion, power I couldn’t contain. The sea… I used to dream of it calling to me, washing away everything. But sky… the stars… I never understood that part until now. It’s not just elemental—it’s ancestral.”

She stood taller, breath steadying.

“I was never just born to lead a pack. I was born to unify what’s been broken. To restore what was divided by greed, war, and prophecy.”

Theron looked at her like he was seeing her for the first time again.

“You’re more than they ever imagined.”

“And more than they were ready for,” she whispered.

They journeyed deeper into the forest, toward the cliffs that would eventually lead to the Oracle’s Ruins. The air changed as they walked—growing crisper, laced with energy. Serena could feel the pull of fate in her bones.

They camped that night in a grove of moonflowers. The blooms only opened under the stars, casting silver light across their faces. Serena sat by the fire, sketching the sigils she’d seen into her journal—Flame, Sea, and Star. Her fingers trembled slightly as she drew them. This was her truth now, one she couldn’t run from.

Theron watched her in silence for a while, then came to sit beside her.

“You’re slipping away from me,” he said quietly.

She looked up, startled. “What?”

“You’re ascending into something bigger. Brighter. I can see it in the way you carry yourself. And I’m scared that by the time you reach the Oracle… I’ll have to let you go.”

Her heart clenched.

“Theron…” She reached for him. “Don’t say that.”

“I need to. Because if I don’t—if I pretend like this bond doesn’t mean everything to me—then I’ll lose the chance to love you out loud.”

She blinked rapidly. “You’re not going to lose me. Not if I can help it.”

“But you might have to choose.”

The words hung between them.

Serena closed the journal. “You know what scares me the most? Not the prophecy. Not Elias. Not even the ruins.”

He raised an eyebrow. “What then?”

“That the moment I choose anything—love, power, peace—I’ll destroy something else I care about. That I’ll be too much… or not enough.”

He cupped her cheek, warm and steady. “You are not too much. You’re just more than they’ve ever seen before. And I would rather be scorched by your fire than live in the dark without you.”

Her lips trembled. “Say it again.”

“I love you, Serena.” His voice cracked with emotion. “And I would walk into hell itself just to stand beside you.”

Her breath caught as she kissed him—deeper this time, no hesitation, no fear. It was the kind of kiss that rewrote timelines. That promised, if the world burned tomorrow, they would still find each other in the ashes.

Their hands tangled in each other’s hair, their bodies pressed together beneath the moonflowers, stars spinning overhead. The magic in Serena pulsed wildly, responding to the intensity, wrapping them in warmth and light.

She gasped as a ribbon of power spilled from her fingertips, wrapping around Theron’s arm. It didn’t hurt him—it marked him. A golden band, like a bond not formed by mating rituals but by choice.

“What is this?” he whispered.

“I don’t know,” she breathed. “But it feels right.”

They stayed like that, wrapped in fire and magic, long after the flames of their camp had died down.

Tomorrow, the ruins.

Tomorrow, Elias.

Tomorrow, fate.

But tonight—tonight, they chose each other.