Celestial_entity_

As humans, animals, and even the Earth itself begin to mutate and gain consciousness, a hidden conspiracy unravels, revealing Aurelia’s true origins and the dark forces manipulating the New Age. Alongside Lucian, a vampire with a mysterious lineage, and a cast of allies and enemies, Aurelia must navigate a world where nothing is as it seems. But as the planet awakens, so do the true villains—those who hide behind masks of virtue, their intentions far more sinister than anyone could imagine.

P.S The cover is not mine :)

The Vampire's Obsession

The world reassembled itself in jagged pieces.

Kael stumbled as solid ground formed beneath his feet, his stomach lurching from the unnatural transition. The air here was thick with the scent of damp earth and something metallic—blood, old and dried.

They stood in a cavern so vast its ceiling was lost in shadow. Bioluminescent fungi clung to the walls, casting an eerie blue glow over towering stone monoliths covered in ancient carvings. At the center of the chamber lay a still black pool, its surface so smooth it looked like polished obsidian.

Aurelia released Kael's wrist and stepped forward, her boots whispering against the stone. The black veins had receded from her skin, but her eyes remained wrong—too dark, too knowing.

"This is where it began," she said, her voice echoing strangely in the cavern.

Lucian moved like a shadow beside Kael, his hand never far from his sword. "Where what began?"

Aurelia didn't answer. Instead, she approached the black pool and knelt at its edge. When she touched the surface, concentric ripples spread outward—but the liquid that welled up around her fingers wasn't water.

It was ink-dark and thick as blood.

Kael's breath caught as the pool's surface shimmered, resolving into images:

—A younger Aurelia, centuries younger, standing over a battlefield littered with corpses—

—A crown of shadows forming above her brow as she raised her hands—

—The earth itself opening to swallow the dead—

"I was mortal once," Aurelia said, watching the visions unfold. "A queen who thought she could cheat death."

—Aurelia kneeling in a circle of chanting figures, their faces hidden behind masks—

—A dagger plunged into her heart, black liquid spilling across sacred stones—

—Something ancient and terrible rising from her blood—

Kael's stomach turned. "What did they do to you?"

Aurelia's smile was razor-thin. "They made me a god." She lifted her hand from the pool, the inky liquid clinging to her fingers like tar. "And then they locked me away when they realized their mistake."

Lucian's fangs gleamed in the dim light. "The Shard."

"One of many." Aurelia stood, the black liquid dripping from her fingertips. "Each created to bind a piece of what they awakened that night."

Kael's mind raced. "That's why the Veil wanted it. They weren't just trying to control the ancient beings—they were trying to free them."

The ground trembled beneath them. Dust rained from the cavern ceiling as the pool's surface began to boil.

Aurelia's head snapped up. "We're out of time."

From the depths of the pool, a hand emerged—skeletal and dripping black ichor. Then another. And another.

Lucian's sword was in his hand before Kael could blink. "What the hell is that?"

"The first truth," Aurelia whispered. "And the last."

The thing pulled itself from the pool, its form shifting between solid and shadow. A face emerged from the darkness—a mirror of Aurelia's own, but twisted with malice.

"Hello, sister," it crooned.

Aurelia's hands curled into fists. "Nyx."

The shadow laughed, the sound like breaking glass. "You didn't think you could hide forever, did you?"

Chapter 64: The first truth