⸻
Nightveil – Hollowfire Core
Kael's scream ripped through the Hollow.
He clutched his chest, where crimson threads of light curled beneath his skin like branded veins. The blood oath—buried deep for years—had been triggered.
Nyra turned sharply, instinct snapping like a whip. "Kael—?"
But he staggered back from her, eyes wide and feral, hands trembling as though they were no longer his.
"No—no—don't come closer—"
The command was clear. Rooted in ancient blood magic. Obey or shatter.
The Council's seal had awakened.
"Kael!" Iris ran forward, but a barrier flared around him—not his doing. The binding was sealing him off.
Veila cursed, her wings flaring. "They're forcing him."
Nyra didn't move. Her expression was unreadable, yet her voice shook. "What did you give them, Kael?"
Kael's head dropped, breath hitching in agony. "A promise… to protect the realm… even if it meant destroying you."
The boy, still at Nyra's side, turned his gaze to Kael. "He can't stop it now."
"Then I will," Nyra growled.
But the Hollowfire trembled.
The oath inside Kael fought back.
⸻
Elsewhere – The Serpent's Crypt
Seraka walked through a winding corridor of bones and coiled runes. The girl—the one with snow-white hair—followed silently.
"They bound the Alpha with words older than gods," Seraka murmured. "Not even death breaks that oath."
The girl tilted her head. "But unmaking might."
Seraka's smile was sly. "You do remember."
They reached a chamber filled with ancient mirrors. Not for reflection—for memory.
One showed Kael, writhing.
Another showed Nyra—eyes white, hands burning with magic not her own.
And another showed the Elders, preparing to send their next command.
"You cannot kill what they made him," Seraka whispered. "But you can kill what holds him."
The girl stepped into the mirror.
And vanished.
⸻
Nightveil – Hollowfire Core
Kael dropped to one knee, blood trailing from his lips.
"I can't stop it," he rasped.
Nyra stood before him now, her hands glowing silver with Whisper Court magic, Hollowfire coiling around her.
"I don't need you to stop it," she whispered. "I need you to fight it."
Kael looked up. "It'll kill me."
"Then die fighting it," she snarled. "Not fighting me."
She raised her hand—
And the magic struck his chest.
It wasn't an attack.
It was an unbinding.
She was trying to sever the oath.
He screamed.
The Hollowfire howled.
The child beside her dropped to his knees, chanting something lost to time.
And for a breathless moment—
Kael's mark—the blood seal—cracked.
⸻
Council of Elders – Veiled Citadel
The Elder Prime stood, furious.
"She's breaking the oath."
"Impossible," another snapped. "It was sealed in god-blood."
The mirror pulsed.
A fourth voice spoke—one ancient, and never heard before.
"Then perhaps you should fear the one who walks with gods."
⸻
Nightveil – Edge of the Flame
Kael collapsed, the binding shattered—for now.
He gasped for air, hands shaking.
Nyra caught him before he hit the ground.
But her eyes weren't soft.
They were cold. Guarded.
"I saved your life," she said quietly.
Kael met her gaze, shame hollowing his voice. "You shouldn't have."
Nyra stood.
Turned her back.
"You owe me nothing, Kael."
"But I will owe you everything," he said, half to himself.
She didn't turn back.
And the child whispered, "The threads are breaking. But the storm is only beginning."
⸻
Cliffhanger
In the ruins of the Serpent Crypt, a mirror shattered.
Seraka looked up.
The snow-haired girl emerged—her eyes no longer human.
"The Crowned Nothing has chosen a challenger," she said. "And I know how to end it."
Seraka stepped back, warily. "Who are you now?"
The girl smiled.
"I am what remains of their forgotten queen."