CHAPTER TWELVE: “Blood of the First”
The flames had barely dimmed when the echo of alarm bells rang through Noctis Hollow.
Jayden ran.
Veyna was beside him, cloak flying behind her like a dark wing. "That mark on your chest — it's older than the Hollow itself. You carry the blood of the Firstborn, Jayden. That's why the Hunter appeared."
They weaved through spiraling staircases and ancient hallways, past stone guardians that blinked as they passed.
Jayden panted, pain still burning where the mark had formed. "Who were the Firstborn?"
Veyna glanced at him. "They were the original vampires. Not twisted by politics, not ruled by courts. Pure blood. Pure power. But they vanished during the Night Wars. Betrayed… or buried."
Jayden stopped. "You knew."
Veyna sighed. "I suspected. When I saw how fast you were changing, how your senses exploded… no regular fledgling transforms like that."
He looked down at the glowing spiral on his chest. "So what does it mean?"
She didn't answer right away. Instead, she pulled him into a narrow hallway that opened into a stone chamber — a sealed archive.
"It means," she whispered, "you were never meant to serve the Hollow. You were meant to unravel it."
---
The Secret Archive
Inside, the walls were lined with relics — preserved scrolls, forbidden books, faded banners.
Veyna swept the dust from an old parchment and unrolled it beneath an oil lamp.
It showed a family tree — only partially burned — marked with symbols matching the one on Jayden's chest.
"At the top," she said, "is the bloodline of the Firstborn. Look — right here. This mark." She pointed. "It's yours."
Jayden stared at it. A name was partially visible beneath the symbol.
"Adelwin."
"My ancestor?" he asked.
Veyna nodded. "Adelwin the Unmaker. The one who nearly brought down the Hollow centuries ago."
Jayden's blood chilled.
> Not just descended from a legend. Descended from a threat.
---
Meanwhile: The Council Conspires
Back at the Cathedral, Kaelric slammed his fist into the obsidian wall.
"We should've destroyed him when he arrived."
Morrienna crossed her arms. "Then we'd never know what he was."
"The Hunter recognized the mark," Kaelric snapped. "That thing doesn't come without a reason. We need to bind him. Control him."
Nyxa stepped forward, voice rasping like rust. "Control him? We're far past that."
She waved a hand over the Aetherfire, which still hissed unnaturally.
"He carries Adelwin's curse. And if he fulfills the prophecy…"
She paused.
> "The Hollow will fall."
---
The Escape Tunnel
Jayden and Veyna followed a forgotten tunnel that curved beneath the Hollow's roots.
"You're taking me to the surface?" he asked.
"No," she said. "To someone who knows more. Someone who lived during the Firstborn era."
They emerged into a ruined garden — vines creeping over statues, and an abandoned chapel at the edge of the cliffs.
Inside, candles lit themselves as they stepped in.
A voice came from the shadows. "You've brought him."
Jayden tensed.
Out of the dark walked a tall man, gray hair tied back, eyes glowing violet.
He looked human — but Jayden sensed power behind his calm.
"This is Seran Velmire," Veyna said. "A Watcher."
"A what?" Jayden asked.
Seran smiled faintly. "One of the few left who remember the beginning. Who remember Adelwin. Who watched the Hollow twist from purpose to prison."
Jayden stared. "Then tell me. What am I?"
Seran stepped close, touched the mark on Jayden's chest gently.
"You are the heir of a broken line. A key to the seal. And whether you like it or not…"
He looked him in the eyes.
> "You will decide whether the world lives in chains… or burns in freedom."
---
The Choice to Come
Outside, the Hunter's voice whispered through the trees, unseen but near:
> "Find the door… and open it."
Jayden looked at the sky — still black, still unchanging — and made a silent vow.
He didn't know where this path would lead.
But he was no longer running.
He was rising.