A Forgotten truth

The first light of dawn bathed the cliffs in a soft golden glow, casting long shadows across the jagged rocks. Selene stood opposite Lucian, her breath steady but her heart pounding.

She had spent her life fighting vampires. Killing them. Believing them to be monsters.

And now here she was—standing alone with one, asking for answers.

Lucian studied her, his silver eyes searching, as if trying to unravel what had led her here. "Are you sure you want the truth, Selene?"

A part of her wasn't. A part of her wanted to turn back, to return to the order and pretend she had never questioned anything. But she had come this far.

"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't."

Lucian's lips curled into something that wasn't quite a smile. "Then come with me."

Selene tensed. "Where?"

Lucian stepped back toward the tree line. "If you want to know what the order has hidden, then you need to see it with your own eyes."

Her instincts screamed at her to refuse. To turn back before it was too late.

But she had already crossed the threshold of doubt, and there was no undoing it.

Taking a deep breath, she followed.

Into the Ruins

The forest was silent as they moved through the trees, the dawn breaking above them. Lucian walked ahead with an easy grace, his movements fluid, almost inhuman.

Selene had spent her life tracking vampires, recognizing their every movement and predicting their attacks. But Lucian was different. There was no aggression in him. No lurking hunger.

And that disturbed her more than if he had been a predator.

After what felt like an hour of traveling through the thick woods, the trees parted, revealing the remnants of a forgotten city.

Selene sucked in a sharp breath.

The ruins stretched far beyond what she could see, crumbling buildings covered in vines and shattered pillars standing like ghosts of a past civilization. The air itself felt heavy, filled with the echoes of something long lost.

"This was Valderyn," Lucian said, his voice quiet.

Selene's eyes snapped to him. "That's impossible. Valderyn was destroyed centuries ago."

Lucian's gaze flickered. "Yes. By your Order."

She shook her head. "The Order would never—"

Lucian turned to face her fully. "Do you know why they say the war started, Selene? What reason did they give you?"

She swallowed, trying to recall the words she had memorized since childhood. "Because vampires turned against humanity. They preyed on the innocent and spread like a plague. The Order was created to protect the world from them."

Lucian sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. "And yet, here I stand—existing in the daylight, speaking to you without trying to drink your blood."

Selene's fingers twitched toward her dagger. "What are you saying?"

Lucian took a slow step forward. "I'm saying that vampires didn't start the war. The Order did."

The words sent a shiver through her. "Lies."

Lucian exhaled. "Is it? Then tell me, in all your years of training, did you ever question why the Order knew so much about killing vampires? Why they had weapons specifically designed to target our weaknesses?"

Selene frowned. "Because they studied your kind."

Lucian gave a humorous chuckle. "No, Selene. Because they used to be like us."

The ground felt unsteady beneath her feet. "What?"

Lucian gestured to the ruins around them. "The Order was not created to destroy vampires. It was created by vampires."

Selene's breath caught. "That's not possible."

Lucian's voice was steady. "Before the war, our kind ruled over great kingdoms. We were not mindless predators, as the Order claims—we were sovereigns, scholars, and warriors. Some humans lived under our rule peacefully; others rebelled. But there was no slaughter. No war."

He paused, his silver gaze locking onto hers. "Until the Order betrayed us."

Selene's heart pounded against her ribs. "Why would they do that?"

Lucian's expression darkened. "Because they feared what they could not control."

She felt the weight of his words settle deep within her.

"I don't believe you," she whispered.

Lucian sighed. "Then let me show you."

He turned and walked toward one of the ruined buildings, gesturing for her to follow. Selene hesitated before stepping inside.

The air was thick with dust and the scent of old stone. Sunlight streamed through the broken ceiling, illuminating the massive chamber within.

And there, in the center of the room, stood a monument.

Selene's breath hitched.

It was a massive stone carving of a sun—the exact same symbol the Order wore upon their armor. But beneath the carving, worn and barely legible, were words written in an ancient dialect.

Selene stepped closer, her fingers grazing the letters. "What does it say?"

Lucian's voice was quiet, reverent.

"We were one, before the fall."

The words sent chills down her spine.

Before the fall.

Before the war.

Before the Order betrayed their own.

Selene took a step back, her mind racing.

"This…" She shook her head. "This doesn't prove anything."

Lucian studied her. "You don't want it to."

Selene clenched her fists. "Even if what you're saying is true, it doesn't change the fact that vampires kill humans. I've seen it. I've fought them."

Lucian's expression turned grave. "And I have fought hunters who butchered my kind without mercy. There are monsters on both sides, Selene. But the Order has never given us the chance to be anything else."

Silence stretched between them.

Selene's heart pounded.

If this was true...

If the Order had lied to her...

Then what had she been fighting for?

Lucian stepped closer, his voice softer now. "You don't have to believe me yet. But ask yourself this—if the Order truly stands for justice, why would they erase their past? Why would they hide the truth?" "Answer me!, i tell you now there is a way. come with me".

Selene swallowed hard, her mind a battlefield of doubt and loyalty.

Lucian watched her, waiting.

And for the first time in her life, she didn't know which side she belonged to.

End of chapter five