CHAPTER NINE: “Bloodlines and Battlecries”

The Rebellion's Door

Jayden stumbled through the rift, barely upright, his breath ragged.

The world on the other side was not what he expected.

Not chaos.

Not wilderness.

But order — a cold, brutal kind of freedom.

He stood in a cavern lit by moonstone torches, its walls etched with ancient sigils of defiance. Vampires, warlocks, even marked humans moved with purpose.

Caziel stepped forward, arms folded.

> "Welcome to the Hollow's oldest lie… and its greatest enemy."

Jayden took a step forward. His blood still burned with the Brand, but the rebellion's ground dulled its sting.

"Where… are we?" he asked.

Caziel smiled. "The Iron Spine. Fortress of the Forgotten. Safe, for now."

Jayden turned to the three figures who had pulled him through.

One stepped forward — a woman with blood-silver hair and a tattoo of wings made of blades.

"I'm Lysra," she said. "One of the Firsts. We fought the Council when it still walked in daylight."

Jayden frowned. "You're that old?"

She smirked. "Old enough to know you're trouble. And important."

Behind them, horns blew — not alarms, but a call.

"Come," Caziel said, "there's someone you need to meet."

---

Leah's Escape

Back in Graveton, fire had swallowed the edge of the forest.

Leah ran barefoot through the trees, clutching a torn satchel. The creature had killed two town guards, maybe more. Her uncle — Mr. Adelwin — was holding it off with every relic and rune he had, but even he wouldn't last long.

She tripped.

Fell.

A hand pulled her up.

Not a monster's.

A boy.

Fifteen maybe. Skin like dark glass. Eyes glowing faintly blue. Human… but not.

> "Come with me if you want to live," he said.

> "Who are you?"

> "My name's Lucian. My dad used to serve the Hollow."

He held up a pendant — silver, shaped like a crescent broken in two. It pulsed once, and a dome of light enveloped them.

Leah could only stare. "What is happening to the world?"

Lucian's voice was quiet.

> "It's waking up."

---

The Council Moves

Beneath Noctis Hollow, the Council burned the skies with rage.

Kaelric threw a mirror across the chamber. "He's joined them. The fang was burned."

Nyxa sat silent. The shadows around her hissed and whispered.

Morrienna stood by the Black Mirror, lips tight. "This changes everything. If Jayden controls the Veil… and allies with the Firsts…"

> "He'll shatter the Accord," Kaelric finished grimly.

The seer finally spoke.

"Send the Hunter."

Everyone went silent.

"That's forbidden," Kaelric whispered.

> "So is losing," she replied.

---

The Hunter Awakens

Beneath the ruins of a forgotten temple, deep in the Forest of Withered Gods, the being that had once been called Hunter of Thrones stepped from its stone cradle.

No eyes.

No pulse.

No mercy.

It breathed air for the first time in centuries — and the trees died.

A voice echoed in its mind. "Kill the Brand-Bearer."

Its body shifted. Bones cracked into new shapes. Wings unfolded like blades of night.

It moved toward the stars.

---

Bloodlines Revealed

In the Iron Spine, Jayden was brought before a tall man sitting on a throne of chained spears and ashstone.

He looked down at Jayden with eyes older than memory.

"Do you know who I am?" the man asked.

Jayden shook his head.

"I am Valen. I fought beside your father."

Jayden's breath caught. "My father's dead."

Valen nodded. "Because he chose the Hollow. You've been lied to, boy. You're not just part vampire."

He stood.

"You're a Bridgeblood — born of both the Hollow and the Rebellion. A key to the prophecy."

Jayden's heart thundered.

> "Then why was I raised in the dark?"

> "Because the dark is afraid of the light you carry."

---

The Sky Cracks Again

Far above them, lightning twisted unnaturally in the clouds.

The Iron Spine trembled.

A whisper passed through the halls.

> "The Hunter is moving."

Valen's face darkened.

"They sent it. Then it's war."

He turned to Jayden.

"Your power just became a target. Are you ready to fight?"

Jayden clenched his fists.

The Brand on his back pulsed.

The insignia on his palm glowed again.

> "I'm done being hunted," he said.

"Let them come."