Chapter 13 - The Queen's Blood
Opening Scene – The Roar of War
The night blazed red under the blood moon.
The air was thick with smoke, ash, and the stench of burning shadows.
Selene's limp form was carried away by the two vampires of Zak's pack — their speed leaving only streaks of light behind as they disappeared into the forest's edge.
Zak spun back toward the battlefield, eyes glowing amber.
"Get Selene to safety — now!" he barked.
The vampires nodded once before vanishing into the dark, their silhouettes swallowed by the silver light of the moon.
As they left, Xavier turned — and something inside him snapped.
He saw the blood on the ground where Selene had fallen.
He saw her torn cloak, the faint trail of crimson mist drifting in the air.
And in that moment…
Xavier's rage broke free.
"Enough," he whispered — his voice trembling with fury.
Then the world exploded.
Xavier's Fury
The ground shattered under his feet as he vanished — reappearing in the middle of the battlefield like a crimson storm.
Every swing of his sword tore through a dozen demons at once.
Every breath he took burned the air itself.
"You dare touch my wife!" he roared, his voice echoing through Hollowfen like thunder.
He tore through the horde, his vampire wings unfurling in a blast of wind — black and red, edged like blades.
With every strike, demons were vaporized, shredded, erased from existence.
For a moment, it seemed as though nothing could stop him.
But still… more came.
The earth split open, and new portals of fire and smoke erupted, vomiting forth wave after wave of screaming demons.
Even Xavier's rage couldn't outpace the endless tide.
The Ground War
Below, Rito and Kin were drenched in sweat and blood, bodies trembling from exhaustion.
Kin's runes flickered weakly now — each spell draining his strength faster.
Rito's twin blades were chipped, her fae energy dimming as her body strained against its limits.
"Kin— how many more?" she gasped, ducking under a claw swipe.
"Too many!" he shouted, slamming his staff into the ground again, sending out another desperate pulse of magic.
Blue sliced through another demon, his katana blazing, but he could feel the weight of the battle pressing on him — the screams, the smoke, the fear.
He looked up through the chaos — at his father in the sky — and felt panic stab through him.
Zak's Decision
Zak's sharp eyes scanned the battlefield — counting, measuring, calculating.
He saw the way Rito's knees buckled.
He saw Kin's spells losing form.
He saw Blue fighting like a cornered wolf, his aura flaring with unstable hybrid energy.
And he saw Xavier's rage burning like wildfire — a fire that could destroy everyone if it went unchecked.
He clenched his fists, his instincts screaming.
Then he looked toward the forest — Selene was gone. Safe.
"X!" Zak shouted over the chaos. "Do I have permission to call them?"
Xavier didn't even turn. His blade slashed through a wall of fire as he roared, "Yes! Call them all!"
Zak threw his head back and unleashed a howl that split the night.
The sound rolled across the land — deep, ancient, commanding.
Within moments, the forest answered.
Thunderous footsteps shook the earth as shadows rushed from the trees — a torrent of eyes and claws, hybrid and vampire alike.
Dozens of them — warriors of Zak's bloodline, his pack — arrived in a blur of movement, taking formation without a word.
"Fall in!" Zak shouted. "Protect the young ones! Tear those demons apart!"
One of the newcomers, a hulking hybrid with silver fur streaked in black, grinned at Zak.
"Mind if we take this one, Alpha?"
Zak smirked. "All yours."
And the pack descended.
The Pack Unleashed
The battlefield transformed.
Where chaos once reigned, there was now rhythm — an army of supernatural precision.
Wolves and vampires moved in unison, their strikes cutting through the demon horde like a living storm.
Claws ripped through armor.
Fangs tore through shadow.
Silver weapons flashed under the moonlight as demon after demon fell.
Blue, Rito, and Kin watched in awe — the tide had turned.
But the sky burned again.
Xavier vs. Gus
High above the carnage, Xavier tore through the air, wings cutting through smoke. He slammed into Gus, sending a shockwave that cracked the clouds.
Gus reeled but countered, his magic flaring.
Dark fire erupted from his palms, meeting Xavier's sword in a blast of molten light.
"You've fallen so far, boy!" Xavier shouted, eyes blazing red. "Selene loved you like her own!"
"Don't you dare speak her name!" Gus snarled, throwing a torrent of black flame.
Xavier blocked it, spinning through the air, striking again and again — his fury unstoppable.
Below, Blue screamed up toward them, "Dad! Don't kill him! Please!"
But Xavier didn't hear him. He was beyond reason — a storm of vengeance.
Every strike he landed pushed Gus back further, the Warlock's wings burning, his defenses cracking.
"Dad!" Blue shouted again, voice breaking. "He's still in there!"
But there was no answer — only the clash of fire and steel, the cries of demons, and the blood moon burning brighter overhead.
The Edge of Control
Blue's grip tightened on his katana. His pulse thundered in his ears.
He looked at the battlefield — the endless war.
He looked at the sky — his father and his friend locked in death.
And something inside him began to fracture.
His hybrid energy pulsed violently, the obsidian edge of his blade glowing brighter and brighter.
Rito reached for him. "Blue—?"
But before she could finish, a wave of energy exploded from his body, knocking her and Kin back. His eyes glowed a brilliant blue-white, his power surging out of control.
The ground trembled. The air bent around him.
"Dad…" Blue whispered, voice trembling with fear and rage. "Please stop…"
But in the sky, the two forces collided again — father and son's wills crashing together in the heart of the blood moon's light.