chapter 13: crimsaria whisper

In the heart of Crimsaria, beneath the grand stained-glass dome of the High Citadel, the Council of Thirteen had gathered. Each figure was cloaked in dark velvet, their faces hidden beneath silver masks etched with symbols of their lineages. Only one among them sat without a mask—Queen Morwenna, ruler of Crimsaria, the eternal, the feared, the flawless.

She sat upon a throne carved from black crystal, her long white hair cascading down like a frozens waterfall, her eyes two bottomless wells of crimson.

"The seal has awakened," said Lord Varos, his voice echoing across the chamber. "The child bears both marks—the Moon Crest and the Blood Seal. The prophecy is real."

Murmurs rippled through the council chamber like waves disturbed by a sudden quake. Even in a kingdom where emotion was suppressed, fear laced the air.

Queen Morwenna raised one delicate hand and the room fell silent.

"I have lived through four centuries," she said calmly. "And in that time, I have heard a thousand prophecies. Most rot in the dust of forgotten tombs. But this one…" Her eyes glinted. "This one is waking."

Another council member leaned forward. "She is still untrained, raw. We can capture her. Use her."

"Or kill her," hissed Lord Caldrik, youngest of the council, with fangs bared beneath his mask. "Before she becomes more than we can contain."

Queen Morwenna stood slowly. Her presence was ethereal, almost ghostlike, yet it carried weight that crushed air itself.

"She is the child of both our greatest enemy… and our ancient kin," she said. "To possess the power of both bloodlines is not a crime—it is an opportunity. One that could reshape the world."

She turned her gaze to the grand mirror behind the council table—a portal enchanted to reflect visions of the mortal world. With a whisper, the glass shimmered and showed Seraphina curled by a river, her eyes closed, a faint glow still lingering on her wrist.

"So young," Morwenna murmured. "And yet… she shattered a vampire strike unit with nothing but instinct."

"Vael was there," muttered another councilor.

A heavier silence fell.

Morwenna's voice hardened. "Find him. Bring him home."

"But if he's with her—"

"Then he has chosen his side."

Meanwhile…

Seraphina couldn't sleep.

The events of the Blood Moon still played behind her eyelids—Eryn's blood, the vampire's voice calling her The Marked One, the strange energy that burst from her skin, the glowing marks that spoke of two legacies warring within her.

And then… the man in the shadows.

He hadn't spoken, but he had helped her—moved faster than anyone else, took down a vampire that nearly tore her throat open, and then vanished before anyone could question him.

But in her bones, Seraphina knew.

That was him.

Her father.

Eryn had refused to talk about it afterward. Said the pain of that night was still too much. But Seraphina wasn't sure it was pain… or fear.

Vael sat near the edge of the cave they had retreated to after the battle. He'd been quiet too, watching the stars like he could read them.

"You okay?" she asked softly.

He glanced at her, his usual cool gaze warmer now. "I should be asking you that."

"I don't know what I am," she said, voice barely a whisper. "Not really. But I know I'm not safe here."

"You never were."

That stung. "Thanks for the comfort."

Vael stood and crossed over to her. He knelt down, face shadowed in moonlight. "That's not what I meant. I meant this place—this pack, this forest—it was never meant to hold you. You were born bigger than it."

"Nice words for someone who's hiding something," she said, eyes narrowing. "Who are you, Vael?"

He sighed.

"I was born in Crimsaria."

Her breath caught.

He continued. "My mother was a noble… my father, no one knows. They said he was a shadow who vanished with the stars. I grew up in the royal court. Saw what power did to people. And when I found out what I was—something different—they hunted me."

"You're part of the prophecy too," she realized.

"We both are. You carry the blood. I carry the key."

"What key?"

But before he could answer, a sound split the air—a deep rumble, like thunder swallowed by the earth.

A vibration.

Seraphina turned to the cave entrance.

Dozens of glowing red eyes stared back.

They weren't just any vampires.

They wore armor etched with the royal insignia of Crimsaria.

Elite guard.

The Queen had sent them.

Back in Crimsaria…

Queen Morwenna watched as the mirror showed her soldiers surrounding the cave.

"She will not come quietly," Lord Varos warned.

"She doesn't have to," Morwenna said. "I only need her to survive."

At the cave…

Vael stood in front of Seraphina. "Stay behind me."

"No," she growled, stepping forward. "I'm done hiding."

One vampire raised a hand. "Seraphina of the Dual Marks. By order of the Queen of Crimsaria, you are summoned to stand before the High Council. Do not resist."

Vael hissed. "If you take her there, she'll never return."

"We're not here to discuss," the vampire snapped.

Seraphina's heart beat faster. Her marks pulsed. The moon's light spilled over her like a cloak.

Then—a blur.

From the trees, a shadow flew.

The lead vampire was thrown across the clearing.

A tall man stepped out from the woods, hooded and dressed in old battle gear, eyes glowing like amber fire.

He didn't speak.

But Vael whispered, stunned, "It's him."

Seraphina didn't need anyone to say it.

She felt it in her soul.

Her father.

The elite guards hesitated. Even they recognized the aura—the sheer force of the one who stood before them.

He turned his head slightly, speaking only one word:

"Run."

And with that, chaos erupted.