Chapter 71

Chapter 71 – The Bloodhound Prophets Arrive

"When fate is rewritten, the keepers of the old must bleed."

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The sky over Varellium bled crimson.

It began as a single howl—one that echoed through the dead woods, across the ice-ridden cliffs, through the ruins of every kingdom that had once hunted omegas like beasts. That howl didn't come from a creature of fur or fangs.

It came from a seer's mouth, wide open with agony.

A Bloodhound Prophet had seen her.

Selene.

Alive. Crowned in flame. Wearing the mark of the Abyss Queen.

And he screamed until his voice cracked the earth.

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Valerian woke before dawn, a blade already in his hand. His instincts were sharpened now—bonded, aware, bound to something ancient that pulsed in Selene's veins.

She stood at the top of the balcony, barefoot again, her dress tangled around her legs in the wind.

"They've seen me," she whispered.

Valerian moved to her side. "The Prophets?"

She nodded.

"Then we fight."

"No," she murmured. "They don't fight. They unravel. They speak truths no one survives. And they're coming to tear mine open."

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By midday, the sky darkened unnaturally.

The forest bent backwards.

And through the shadows came the sound of bone chimes—thousands of them—ringing without wind.

The Prophets had arrived.

There were three of them. Always three.

One blind. One bleeding. One burning.

They walked without footsteps. Their bodies were shrouded in red veils, but beneath the cloth, something pulsed—something old and wrong.

Selene stood waiting at the gates of the Keep, no longer wearing her silver. She wore black now—embroidered with symbols of flame, blood, and shadow. The crown on her head shimmered like a mirage.

The blind Prophet stepped forward.

"Selene of the Lost Flame," he rasped.

"You see nothing," she said.

"Exactly," the Prophet smiled, empty eyes weeping black. "That is how I know you are real."

The bleeding one opened his mouth. "The eclipse draws near."

The burning one whispered, "You will ruin the timeline."

Selene's hand crackled with flame. "Then ruin it I shall."

The three knelt.

Not in worship.

In warning.

> "When you burn, you will not just destroy the curse," they intoned.

"You will destroy everything that came before it."

"Are you ready to carry that weight, Omega Queen?"

Valerian stepped forward, growling low. "She's not alone."

Selene's eyes narrowed.

> "Tell your masters," she said coldly, "the future is mine now. And I don't need their permission to win."

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That night, the Prophets vanished into ash.

Selene stood in the center of her throne room, heart hammering.

"They've changed their tune," she said.

"They're afraid of you," Valerian replied.

"No," she corrected. "They're afraid of what I'll become if I love you."

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End of Chapter 71 – Next: Chapter 72, The Abyss Crown 💛

The next chapter takes us deeper into Selene's transformation—and her choice to rewrite fate, even if it means breaking the world.