CHAPTER 6: THE LEGACY OF FIRE

The night air in the vampire kingdom was different. It always was. Thick with mist, laced with the scent of ancient trees and blooming midnight flowers. The sky hung heavy with stars, but none shone bright enough to chase away the shadows clinging to the palace of black stone.

Lucien stood at the highest balcony, his crimson cloak billowing around him as he stared into the distance. Beyond the hills, far past the mortal villages and the cursed forests, was the kingdom of men. The kingdom that had stolen everything from them.

And now he was there, in their midst, playing the role of a loyal knight while his people waited for salvation.

He closed his eyes, feeling the cold wind whip across his face. The weight on his shoulders was heavier than it had ever been. His mother—their queen—was fading. Even from here, he could sense her magic weakening, the bond they shared as blood pulling tight like a frayed thread. Every night, it grew thinner. Every morning, he wondered if it would snap.

A knock sounded at the heavy doors behind him. He didn't need to turn to know who it was.

"You're running from shadows again," came the smooth, mocking voice of Dorian.

Lucien tensed, his jaw tightening. "I don't have time for your games, cousin."

Dorian stepped into view, leaning against the balcony's stone railing as though he owned the entire realm. His hair was as dark as Lucien's, but his eyes lacked warmth. Where Lucien's gaze burned with controlled fire, Dorian's was sharp, cold, always searching for weakness.

"You're wasting time chasing relics," Dorian sneered. "Our people grow restless, and our queen… she grows weaker by the hour. If you truly cared about our legacy, you'd take the throne and crush the humans beneath your heel."

Lucien's fists clenched. "I swore an oath."

"To a dying woman and a crumbling kingdom," Dorian spat. "We need strength, not sentiment."

There was a flicker of something dangerous in Lucien's expression. "Say one more word about my mother."

Dorian raised his hands in mock surrender, though the smirk never left his lips. "Careful, cousin. Your temper's showing."

Lucien turned away, his gaze fixed once more on the horizon. He refused to let Dorian see how the words rattled him. Truth be told, a part of him feared the same thing. That this mission was hopeless. That he would fail. That his mother would die, and his people would fall.

But he couldn't stop now. Not after coming this far.

The memory of the crystal flower gleamed in his mind. It had been a gift from the Ancients, a relic of their ancestors, its magic bound to the very lifeblood of the vampire kingdom. As long as it remained within their borders, prosperity followed. Crops grew even in the harshest winters. Magic thrived. Illness was rare. The land itself was alive.

But the humans had stolen it.

He remembered the night it vanished. The frantic search, the screams, the bloodshed. And the curse that followed. With every year, their world had withered a little more. His mother's strength had held it at bay, but she was paying the price now.

Lucien would not fail her.

"You think I want the throne, Dorian?" Lucien's voice was low, dangerous. "You think I'm doing this for power?"

Dorian shrugged. "Everyone does it for power, eventually."

Lucien gave a humorless laugh. "Not me."

There was a long silence between them, filled only by the whisper of the wind and the distant howls of nocturnal beasts.

Dorian straightened, the smirk fading into something colder. "Well, cousin, you'd better remember why you're risking your life in that cursed human nest. Because if you don't bring the relic back soon, there won't be a kingdom left for you to save."

With that, he turned and left, the heavy doors closing behind him.

Lucien stayed there long after, the stars above blurring as his thoughts spiraled. He thought of his mother's fading smile. Of the council whispering behind closed doors. Of the desperate, hungry eyes of their people.

And then, against his will, his mind wandered to Aurelia.

The human princess with fire in her blood and sorrow in her eyes.

He hadn't expected her. She wasn't supposed to matter. Just another spoiled royal to tolerate while he carried out his mission. Yet each day, she was unraveling the carefully woven plan he'd set in motion.

Her laugh haunted him. The way she glared at him when she was angry. The sorrow in her voice when she spoke of her mother. The stubborn courage that burned through her every time someone tried to put her in a cage.

And the worst part was, he didn't want to let go of that flame.

Lucien shook his head, gritting his teeth. He couldn't afford this distraction. Not now.

He had a mission. A duty. A kingdom on the brink.

He was the Legacy of Fire. He would bring the flower back. He would save his mother. He would bury Dorian's ambition under the weight of his own success.

And when it was done… he'd leave the princess behind.

He had to.

Because the fire consuming his heart was one he could never afford to ignite.

Not when he was already drowning in ash.