The night Zuri learned the truth, the world went silent.
No wind.
No insects.
Not even the distant sound of the sea below the cliffs.
She stopped walking.
A sharp pain burned across her palm.
Blood.
A single drop fell to the ground.
The earth shuddered.
Zuri's breath caught. She stepped back, heart racing.
"Found her."
The voice came from the darkness.
Three figures emerged into the moonlight. Their bodies were wrapped in dark cloth, their skin marked with symbols painted in dried blood. Their eyes reflected the moon—silver and inhuman.
"Don't come any closer," Zuri said, backing away.
They smiled.
"We don't want you," the tallest one said calmly.
"We want what flows inside you."
Fear clawed at her chest.
They moved fast.
Zuri turned and ran—but pain exploded through her arm as a blade sliced her skin. Blood spilled onto the stone floor.
The moment it touched the ground, the symbols on their bodies glowed.
Power surged through them.
"What are you?" one whispered, his voice trembling with hunger.
Zuri screamed.
Something deep inside her answered.
The ground cracked beneath her feet. The air trembled. The moon above shifted—its light turning dark red.
The beings froze.
"That's impossible," one hissed. "She hasn't awakened yet."
Zuri stared at her bleeding hands, shaking.
"What… am I?"
From the shadows, another voice spoke—ancient and afraid.
"The Crimson Vein has awakened," it said.
"And now, the hunt begins."
© 2026 T. T. Matemba. All rights reserved.This story and its characters are Fictional. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.