All Chapters of The hunt: Blood of the void: Chapter 1 - Chapter 5

I spent half my childhood trying to solve the grim riddle of my parents marriage, everyone knew their love story, in fact the entire village recited it like a gospel, as though repeating it often enough would make it true, as thought it would take back the fact that this princess didn’t have a happy ending. But every time I heard the tale of a princess who feel in love with a commoner and made him a prince, then a king, I wondered why the story ended there, of course there was more to it, if only they knew the actual truth, of what she had endured and the sacrifices she had to make and not the fabricated lie that was being broadcasted."Valeria, I hope you’re ready and not lost in your head again," my mother’s gentle voice broke through the fog of my thoughts. She adjusted her shawl, watching me with a mix of affection and mild exasperation "Sometimes I honestly wonder if you daydream on purpose just to escape the world.""Don’t worry Mum, I’m completely ready," I replied, smoothing o

I could feel myself drowning.The freezing water forced its way into my nostrils and flooded my lungs, burning like liquid ice, but panic never came. Instead, I surrendered completely to the violent current, letting the dark rapids drag me wherever they pleased, because I knew these waters.Silly, arrogant royals. They had a majestic waterfall cascading right in their own backyard, yet they had never possessed the curiosity or courage to explore where it led. How utterly pathetic. I had navigated these depths and plunged through these subterranean rapids more times than I could count; I knew every hidden cave, every underwater ledge, and every sharp cranny carved into the roots of these mountains.Yet, despite my knowledge, my body was giving out, I didn't have the strength left to fight the pull. My chest burned, but my heart felt far heavier, a crushing, suffocating weight. I had always known in my gut that they would never let us walk away from this palace in peace, and now my abso

Reading their letters felt like holding a handful of wet ash. Every line dripped with a terrifying, hollow finality, a goodbye written by young men who already considered themselves dead.Weren't they even going to try? I asked myself, tears blinding my vision. But deep down, I knew the brutal truth. How could anyone find the will to fight when the arena demanded you slaughter the very people you once shared meals with? How could you draw a blade against your childhood friends, your own citizens or worst of all, your own brothers? I knew with absolute certainty that if I were placed in that blood-soaked ring, I wouldn't have the nerve to strike a single blow.Desperate to see their faces one last time, I made repeated attempts to slip down into the subterranean dungeons. Every single time, cold iron spears crossed in front of my chest and stony faced guards turned me away. That was when the horrifying realization hit me, they weren't in the palace cellars at all, they weren't even in