The Forgotten Realm

White.

Everywhere.

But it wasn't just light—Lucian could feel it moving. Like wind without air. Like warmth without heat. His body floated, suspended, as though gravity had been left behind.

And then—he fell.

But not hard.

He landed softly, barefoot on a field of violet grass, under a sky split with gold and crimson veins. Two suns floated lazily above the horizon. Floating islands hovered in the distance like shattered fragments of a forgotten puzzle.

Lucian blinked, trying to understand where—or when—he was.

Elira stood beside him, her silver-white hair flowing unnaturally even though there was no wind. Her feet didn't quite touch the ground.

"This is the Lunaris Veil," she said gently. "The place between realms. Where those like us are born. And where your true self awakens."

Lucian touched his chest. His heart still beat—but slower. Calmer. As though his body recognized this place more than his mind did.

"You said I'm something new," he said. "But I don't feel powerful. I feel... small."

Elira smiled faintly. "That's because the part of you that's sleeping… is ancient."

She turned, raising her hand. A large mirror of water floated midair, reflecting an image that made Lucian stagger.

It was him. But older. Taller. Eyes of molten silver and fangs like crystal. Wings—massive and shadowy—stretched from his back. He looked like a creature from myth. A god of night and moonlight.

"What… is that?"

"Your final form," she said. "The moment your blood awakens the third path."

Lucian frowned. "Third?"

"You are wolf. And vampire. But deep within you… sleeps something older. Something neither. Something that predates both the clans and the covens."

She stepped toward him. "The blood of the Moonborne. A race wiped from history by both vampires and wolves. Beings born from starlight and instinct. You are the last of them. Your father carried it unknowingly. Your mother triggered its rebirth."

Lucian's pulse quickened. "So… what happens now?"

Elira looked away, her voice heavier. "Now, you learn the truth of your enemies."

The water mirror shifted.

An image appeared: Caelum, standing before a burning forest. Behind him, cloaked figures with eyes like glass and skin like mist. Not vampires. Not wolves. Something else entirely.

"They are not just enemies," Elira said coldly. "They are Eaters. Ancient devourers of bloodlines. They consume powers… and rewrite them. Caelum is not one of them. But he serves them."

Lucian clenched his fists. "So he's trying to… absorb my power?"

"No. He's trying to offer you to them. As a vessel."

Lucian's stomach turned.

"I won't let him," he growled.

Elira stepped closer, placing a hand on his heart.

"Then you must awaken. Now. Before they cross into your world."

"But how do I unlock the final bloodline?" he asked.

Elira's voice softened.

"With a choice. Pain… or passion."

Lucian's brows knit. "What do you mean?"

"You either awaken through sacrifice—losing someone you love. Or…"

She looked him in the eyes, slowly moving closer, her breath now warm against his skin.

"...through connection. A soul-deep bond."

Her hand slipped behind his neck. "A lover's bond, Lucian. With me."

Lucian swallowed hard. The energy between them shimmered—raw, untamed, magnetic. But he thought of his family. Of Bella. Of Renesmee. Of the Cullen bloodline.

And then…

He thought of her.

Elira.

He didn't know her. Not truly. But his soul did.

Their faces were inches apart.

And then—

Crack!

The ground split. A shadow tore through the sky, and Elira gasped.

"They found us!"

The mirror shattered.

Lucian looked up and saw a figure descending through the torn sky. A man in white, with no face—just a bleeding void where eyes should be.

Elira shoved Lucian back.

"Run! He's an Eater-born! You're not ready!"

But Lucian didn't run.

His eyes narrowed.

Silver veins crept up his neck. His fingernails sharpened.

The Moonborne inside him was stirring.

And it was angry.