Semua Bab Bloodbound: The legacy of Serelai : Bab 21 - Bab 30

The path behind the stone wasn't a path at all, just a feeling of gentle descent, a whisper of downward slope in the dark. The trees were too close, their branches forming a ceiling that blocked out the pink sky. The air grew thick and heavy, smelling of wet stone and old things that had been long buried.The pounding followed them. Boom. Boom. Boom. It was quieter now, muffled by dirt, trees, and roots, but never stopping, like a slow, steady heartbeat reminding them of the amount of time they had left.Eli walked beside Liora, his small hand a cold, smooth stone in hers. He didn't stumble or sway. He was a little ghost, his eyes empty, his steps making no sound.Ash’s breathing was harsh. Every step hurt his burned hands, and each breath came with a hiss of pain. “How much farther?” he asked through clenched teeth, sweat running down his pale face.“I don’t know,” Liora said. The mark on her palm burned like a hook in her soul, pulling her forward. “But it’s close. I can feel it.”K

The world didn’t end with fire or broken crystal. It ended with light. Now, it was being undone by sound.A dry, grinding scrape of stone on stone. It was like the sound of a mountain waking up or a tomb being opened from the inside.They stood on the steps of the meeting hall, on a small safe spot in a square surrounded by statues that were starting to move slowly. Liora shielded sleeping Eli, her heart beating hard and fast.Ash gripped a piece of broken wood like a weapon. Kael stood firm right in front of them, tense, his fingers rubbing the faded burn scar on his wrist, a nervous habit from when he was a child.Old Man Hem’s head turned slowly. A thin crack ran down his stone cheek, and tiny bits of pink stone fell to the ground. His blank, rocky eyes moved; the eyes rolled in their sockets. They weren’t looking at the moon anymore, they were now looking at them.Ash’s grip tightened on his stick. “What’s happening? What is this?” he asked, his voice shaky.“An echo,” Liora said

After the fight on the bridge, a strange silence fell. It felt heavy, heavier than the sound of grinding stone. The villagers, finally free from the pink light’s control, moved slowly, like people waking from a bad dream.They kept looking at Liora with worried eyes. They stood there confused and fragile, like glass broken in an earthquake.They blinked against the moonlight, their eyes wide with shock, confusion, and fear. They gathered close, not to stay warm, but to remind themselves they were real again.Their eyes kept looking at Liora, not because they wanted to show their gratitude, but because of their strange feelings mixed with fear and terrifying hope. They had seen what she did but didn’t understand it, so they were scared of her. She just wanted to disappear from their stares.Near the broken edge of the bridge, Ash knelt beside his sister. Elara was awake and conscious, with her back against the cold stone wall. The terrible pink glow was gone from her eyes, but they loo

The tower was so quiet you could hear people breathing. Alistair kept his hand out, waiting. His eyes never left Liora's face. Ash stepped forward, his voice shaky. "Please don't do this, Liora. We'll figure something out together. There has to be another way.""There is no other way," Alistair said, his voice low but clear in the quiet room. "The barrier between our world and the dark world is getting weak. Worse things are coming through now. Things that will make those pink glowing wolves look like friendly pets."Kael spoke up, his voice calm but with an edge. "You talk about saving the world, but we've heard stories about your kind. You hunt people like her."Alistair glanced at Kael. "I hunt dangers. Right now, she is both in danger and dangerous to others." He turned back to Liora. "That stone your father gave you wasn't just jewellery. It came from a star that fell from the sky long ago. It was specially made to control Serelai power. You've been wearing a power limiter around

Liora felt a deep emptiness inside her, like something important was missing. She looked at her hand, it was smooth and plain, with no mark. After everything, feeling ordinary scared her the most.Ash dropped the fire poker loudly and rushed to her. His warm hands gently held her wrist. "Liora? Your hand..." He turned her palm over, looking for what was gone.“It’s gone,” she whispered, the words feeling empty.Elara stood beside him, her hands still gripping a kitchen knife tightly. “But you’re here,” she said firmly, though her eyes kept glancing at the piles of grey ash on the floor that still twitched a little.They all jumped when Alistair’s heavy boots echoed on the stone floor. He didn’t look at Liora but stared hard at Kael, who was carefully putting the iron candlestick back on the altar as if it were something normal.“You,” Alistair said softly but sharply. “The iron, the warning, it’s not just a story. It’s a lesson written in blood and kept secret for generations. Who are