BloodBound Queen

Elizabeth's fingers trembled around the fragment. The power inside it called to her, sang to her.

She had spent her whole life powerless. A peasant girl scraping by, her family barely surviving. She had watched people like Elias and the nobility decide the world's fate while she was forced to endure it.

But now—now she held the power.

She lifted her gaze to the Lord of the Crimson Court. "Tell me how."

Elias inhaled sharply beside her. "Elizabeth, no—"

She turned to him, her voice steady. "You said the Veil was about balance. But whose balance? Humans took magic and caged it. That isn't balance—that's control." She turned back to the vampire lord. "I won't be another Ravenscroft jailer. I will set the world free."

The vampire smiled, slow and victorious. "Then let us begin."

Elizabeth took the dagger in her hands. But instead of offering her blood to restore the Veil, she did the opposite.

She smashed the fragment against the ground.

The world shattered.

A shockwave of dark energy ripped through the room, sending Elias stumbling back. The silver threads that once bound the Veil snapped like brittle wire, unraveling into nothingness.

The walls of the throne room trembled as the magic—suppressed for centuries—flooded back into the world.

The Lord of the Crimson Court inhaled deeply, his silver eyes flashing with pure, unfettered power. "It is done."

Elizabeth felt it too—magic surging through her veins, remaking her from the inside out. She was no longer just a Ravenscroft. She was something more.

Elias scrambled to his feet, his face pale. "What have you done?"

Elizabeth turned to him, and for the first time, she saw fear in his eyes.

"I set the world free," she whispered.

Outside the castle, the night howled. Werewolves lifted their heads to the sky, sensing the shift in power. Witches, long hunted, felt the magic return to their bones. And vampires, no longer bound by ancient laws, turned their eyes toward the human world with hunger.

The old order had fallen.

And in its place, a new queen had risen.

Elizabeth Ravenscroft, the Bloodbound Queen.

The night after the Veil fell was not silent.

It was filled with screams.

Elizabeth Ravenscroft stood atop the highest balcony of the Crimson Court, watching as the world unraveled below. The ancient magic she had unleashed did not settle quietly—it surged through the land like wildfire, awakening creatures long forgotten, shattering the chains that had bound them.

In the distant villages, torches flickered as humans scrambled to understand what had happened. But they would soon realize the truth.

They were no longer the rulers of this world.

They were prey.

Behind her, the Lord of the Crimson Court stood watching with a pleased expression. "You feel it, don't you?" he murmured. "The way the air itself bends to your will."

Elizabeth clenched her fingers, and dark tendrils of power swirled around her wrists. She could feel everything. The heartbeat of the land, the hunger of the creatures awakening from their slumber, the power thrumming through her veins like a second pulse.

She had expected fear. Regret. But instead…

She felt whole.

Elias, however, stood at the far edge of the chamber, his expression a mix of horror and betrayal. "You've doomed us all," he said, his voice raw.

Elizabeth turned to face him, tilting her head. "Have I?"

Elias took a step forward. "You don't understand what you've done. The moment you shattered the Veil, you gave them everything they wanted." He gestured toward the vampire lord, his eyes burning with fury. "Do you think he will let you rule? Do you think they will share power?"

The Lord of the Crimson Court chuckled, stepping forward. "She is more than a ruler, Elias. She is the key. The first of a new order. The Bloodbound Queen." His silver eyes gleamed as he looked at her. "And soon, all creatures of the night will kneel before her."

Elizabeth felt the weight of his words, the expectation settling upon her shoulders like a cloak. A part of her had wanted this—to be more than a forgotten peasant girl scraping by in the mud. But another part of her whispered a warning.

Power given is not the same as power earned.

Elias shook his head. "This isn't you, Elizabeth. You can still fix this."

She lifted her chin. "No, Elias. This was always meant to happen."

His expression hardened. "Then I can't follow you."

For the first time, her heart twisted. Elias had been her ally, her protector. But she had made her choice. And he had made his.

"I won't stop you," she said softly.

Elias hesitated, searching her eyes for something—regret, hesitation. He found neither. With a final look, he turned and disappeared into the shadows, leaving her behind.

A strange hollowness settled in her chest, but she shoved it aside.

She had chosen her path.

And she would not walk it afraid.

Within a week, the world had changed.

The vampires moved first, their covens rising from the darkness, claiming cities that had once belonged to humankind. The werewolves followed, taking the forests, the wild lands, tearing apart the fragile borders humans had built. Witches, once burned at the stake, now walked openly, their magic free and unchained.

And at the center of it all was Elizabeth.

She had been a guardian. Now she was a queen.

But ruling the night was not as simple as shattering the Veil.

Not all creatures saw her as their savior. Some saw her as a threat.

The vampire courts were divided—some pledged loyalty to the Bloodbound Queen, while others whispered of taking the throne for themselves. The werewolf packs, once bound by an uneasy truce, had begun to fracture, their bloodlust uncontrollable without the Veil's binding influence. And the human kingdoms, desperate to fight back, had begun forging alliances, preparing for war.

Elizabeth sat upon the throne of the Crimson Court, her dark cloak draped over her shoulders, the fragments of the shattered Veil reforged into a crown upon her brow. The room was filled with her new court—vampires, witches, and creatures she had only ever read about in myths.

But she had no illusions.

This was not a throne of peace. It was a throne built on blood.

And soon, she would have to defend it.

The Lord of the Crimson Court stepped beside her. "The humans are gathering their armies," he said, amusement lacing his tone. "They still believe they can win."

Elizabeth tapped her fingers against the armrest of her throne. "Then they are fools."

A smirk played on his lips. "You are ready for war, then?"

Elizabeth's eyes glowed like silver flames. "Let them come."

The night belonged to her now.

And she would never bow again.