The alarm bell rang.
Once.
Twice.
Then it exploded into a deafening roar that shook the entire fortress.
A deep crimson light flooded the corridor, and I heard the sound of heavy gates slamming shut somewhere above. Footsteps thundered from every direction.
The Blood Court had awakened.
And they were coming for me.
I tightened my grip on the Blood Severing Blade and moved forward.
The corridor was long and narrow, lined with torches that burned crimson instead of orange. The flames danced violently as if they could sense my presence.
My bloodline pulsed inside me, restless and hungry.
The Forgotten Queen's voice whispered in my mind, calm and cold.
Do not slow down.
I ran.
My boots struck the stone floor as I sprinted down the corridor. My cloak was gone, my hair loose, my uniform stained with blood and ash.
It did not matter.
I was not here to look graceful.
I was here to survive.
A door burst open ahead.
Six guards rushed out, their armor engraved with glowing runes. Their faces were hidden behind helmets shaped like skulls.
They did not hesitate.
They charged.
I raised my left hand and crimson flames erupted instantly, twisting into sharp whips.
The first guard swung his blade at my head.
I ducked and slammed my palm into his chest.
The flames exploded.
His armor melted like wax.
He screamed, stumbling backward, and crashed into the wall.
Two more guards lunged.
I spun, using the Blood Severing Blade to parry the first strike.
The impact sent vibrations through my arm.
Their strength was unreal.
These were not normal soldiers.
They were blood bound warriors.
I stepped back, my eyes narrowing.
One guard aimed for my throat.
I twisted aside and slashed across his wrist.
The blade cut cleanly.
His hand dropped to the floor.
He screamed and fell to his knees.
The other guard froze, staring at his fallen comrade.
Then he attacked with rage.
I raised my hand again, and the blood flames surged, swallowing him whole.
His scream echoed through the corridor.
Then silence.
I did not stop.
I could not.
More footsteps were already approaching.
I ran again, turning corners, pushing open doors, following instinct.
The Queen's voice guided me like a map.
Left.
I turned left.
Down.
I rushed down a flight of stone stairs, nearly slipping on blood that stained the steps.
The Blood Court was not just a fortress.
It was a maze.
A trap built to ensure no prisoner ever escaped.
And yet, the deeper I went, the more my bloodline responded, as if my body remembered the way.
As if I had been here before.
I reached a wide hallway with tall pillars.
And I froze.
Because someone was waiting.
An elder.
Not the High Elder.
This one was younger, leaner, dressed in crimson robes with a silver crest embroidered on his chest. His eyes were black, like ink.
A dangerous kind of calm radiated from him.
He smiled slightly as I stepped into the hall.
"Elara Nightborne," he said. "You have caused quite the disturbance."
I lifted my blade.
"I am leaving," I said.
The elder chuckled.
"No," he replied. "You are not."
The air shifted.
The torches along the walls flared brighter.
And then the elder raised his hand.
Blood chains burst from the ground like serpents.
They shot toward me with terrifying speed.
I leapt backward, barely avoiding them.
The chains slammed into the stone pillar behind me and crushed it.
My eyes widened.
That was not suppression magic.
That was pure blood control.
The elder stepped forward slowly.
"You are strong," he admitted. "Stronger than expected."
I clenched my jaw.
My blood flames surged around my arms.
"I will not die here," I said.
The elder's smile faded.
"You will," he whispered.
He snapped his fingers.
The chains attacked again.
This time they came from every direction.
I raised both hands, summoning a wall of crimson fire.
The chains hit the flames and hissed violently.
For a moment, they stopped.
Then they pushed through.
My eyes widened.
Impossible.
The elder's blood control was overpowering my flames.
The chains wrapped around my waist and yanked me forward.
Pain exploded in my ribs as I slammed into the floor.
My blade skidded out of my hand.
I gasped, trying to breathe.
The chains tightened.
My bloodline roared.
The Queen's voice thundered in my mind.
Stand up.
I struggled.
The elder walked closer, looking down at me like I was an insect.
"You should have stayed dead," he said softly.
My eyes darkened.
I slowly lifted my head.
"Who are you," I demanded.
The elder crouched slightly.
"My name is Elder Kael," he said. "I serve the Blood Council. And I have waited a long time for the Forgotten Queen's bloodline to show itself again."
My body went cold.
So they knew.
Not fully, but enough.
Kael reached toward my face.
His fingers glowed with dark red energy.
"We will carve your bloodline out of you," he whispered. "We will take what belongs to the throne."
I spat blood onto the floor.
"You will take nothing," I whispered.
Kael smiled.
"We shall see."
His hand reached for my chest.
And in that moment, something inside me snapped.
I screamed.
Not in fear.
In rage.
The crimson crown symbol flashed above my head, bright and violent.
The chains around me shattered instantly.
The force of my aura exploded outward, throwing Kael backward.
He slid across the floor and slammed into a pillar.
He coughed, surprised.
"What…"
I stood up slowly.
My eyes burned crimson now.
The air around me pulsed with power.
I did not even pick up my blade.
I did not need it.
I raised my hand.
And the blood in Kael's body responded.
His eyes widened.
His hands flew to his throat.
Because suddenly, he could not breathe.
He dropped to his knees, choking.
His face turned pale.
He tried to speak.
He could not.
I stared at him.
My voice was calm.
"You control blood chains," I said. "But I control blood itself."
Kael's eyes filled with terror.
He forced out a whisper.
"Impossible…"
I stepped closer.
The blood flames around my fingers formed a thin crimson thread, sharp like a wire.
The Queen's voice whispered inside me.
End him.
My hand trembled.
Kael was an elder.
A pillar of the Blood Court.
If I killed him, there would be no turning back.
But then I remembered my death.
I remembered my screams.
I remembered Selene's smile.
I remembered Lucien watching.
And I realized there was already no turning back.
I lifted my hand.
The crimson thread wrapped around Kael's neck.
He gasped.
His body shook violently.
And then he went still.
The hallway fell silent.
I stood over him, breathing heavily.
My hands trembled slightly.
Not because I regretted it.
But because my bloodline felt alive.
Like it was awakening deeper.
Like killing him fed it.
The Queen's voice whispered, satisfied.
Good.
I picked up my blade from the floor.
Then I ran again.
This time faster.
Because I knew they would send more elders now.
I burst through another door.
A stairway.
Upward.
I climbed two steps at a time, my lungs burning.
The alarm bell continued ringing above, louder now.
When I reached the top, I pushed the door open and stepped into open air.
The courtyard.
The Blood Court courtyard.
The same place where prisoners were marched toward execution.
The night wind hit my face like a slap.
The sky was dark, but the fortress was lit with crimson torches.
Guards poured into the courtyard from every direction.
Dozens.
Maybe more.
I stopped.
My chest rose and fell rapidly.
There were too many.
Even with my bloodline, I could not fight them all.
The Queen's voice whispered urgently.
Run.
I scanned the courtyard.
There.
The outer gate.
A massive iron gate that led into the city.
I sprinted.
Guards shouted behind me.
"Stop her"
"She escaped the dungeon"
"Kill her"
Arrows flew.
One sliced past my cheek.
I felt warm blood run down my face.
Another arrow struck the ground near my foot.
I kept running.
I was almost at the gate when a massive shockwave slammed into the courtyard.
The ground shook.
I stumbled.
Guards were thrown backward.
The air became thick with power.
I turned.
And my breath caught.
Lucien had arrived.
He stood at the entrance of the courtyard, his silver eyes glowing, his cloak billowing behind him.
Blood magic swirled around his hands like mist.
He looked furious.
Not at me.
At them.
"What are you doing," he demanded, his voice echoing across the courtyard.
The guards froze.
One of them stammered.
"My lord, she is a criminal. She killed Elder Kael. We have orders to eliminate her immediately."
Lucien's gaze snapped toward the guard.
His voice dropped dangerously.
"You have orders," he repeated.
Then he stepped forward slowly.
"And who gave you those orders"
The guard hesitated.
Lucien's eyes flashed.
"Answer."
The guard swallowed hard.
"The Blood Council," he whispered.
Lucien's expression hardened.
For a moment, he looked like he wanted to kill them all.
Then his gaze shifted to me.
Our eyes met.
And in his stare, I saw something I did not expect.
Not hatred.
Not disgust.
Regret.
He took a step toward me.
"Elara," he said quietly. "Do not run."
My heart pounded violently.
The Queen's voice hissed in my mind.
Do not trust him.
I tightened my grip on the blade.
Lucien's voice softened.
"I am not here to hurt you," he said. "I want answers."
I laughed bitterly.
"Answers," I whispered. "That is what you always want. Even when I am the one bleeding."
Lucien flinched.
His eyes narrowed.
"What do you mean by that"
I did not answer.
Because I could not.
If I told him everything, the future might change too quickly.
And I needed time.
I needed power.
I needed control.
I took a step backward.
Lucien's gaze sharpened.
"Elara," he said again, this time more urgent. "If you leave now, the Blood Council will hunt you to the ends of the kingdom."
I stared at him.
"Let them," I whispered.
Then I turned.
I ran toward the gate.
Lucien shouted my name.
"Elara Stop"
But I did not stop.
Because I knew something he did not.
In my past life, the Blood Council hunted me too.
And I still died.
So this time, I would not wait for them to strike.
I would become the hunter.
As I reached the gate, I lifted my hand and unleashed a blast of crimson fire.
The iron gate exploded outward.
Guards screamed as the metal shattered.
Smoke filled the air.
I sprinted into the darkness beyond the fortress walls.
But just before I disappeared into the night, I heard Lucien's voice again.
Not shouting.
Not commanding.
Whispering.
"Elara…"
And there was something in that whisper that made my chest ache.
Something dangerously close to regret.
I did not look back.
I could not.
Because if I looked back, I might hesitate.
And hesitation was what killed me the first time.
I ran into the night.
Into the unknown.
Into freedom.
And behind me, the Blood Court burned with chaos.
Selene sat in her room at the Blood Court guest wing, staring at her hands.
They were shaking.
Her golden aura was gone.
Her reputation was cracking.
Her perfect life was slipping.
And worst of all…
Elara had escaped.
Selene clenched her fists so hard her nails cut into her skin.
"That useless girl," she whispered. "That weak girl…"
Her breathing grew heavier.
She stood up suddenly and walked toward the mirror.
Her reflection looked pale.
Scared.
For the first time in her life, Selene looked like a loser.
And she hated it.
A knock came at her door.
She turned sharply.
"Who is it"
The door opened without permission.
Two elders stepped inside.
Their faces were hidden beneath crimson masks.
Selene stepped back.
"My lords," she whispered quickly. "I did not mean for this to happen. She is dangerous. She is cursed. She is the one who is lying"
One of the elders raised a hand.
"Silence," he said.
Selene froze.
The second elder stepped forward.
"We know you stole bloodlines," he said calmly. "We know you used forbidden extraction."
Selene's heart stopped.
She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.
The elder continued.
"But we do not care."
Selene blinked.
"What…"
The elder's eyes gleamed behind the mask.
"You are useful," he said. "And we can restore your power."
Hope surged through Selene's chest.
Her voice trembled.
"You can"
The elder nodded slowly.
"Yes," he said. "But in exchange…"
He leaned closer.
"You will bring Elara Nightborne to us alive."
Selene swallowed hard.
Alive.
Not dead.
They wanted her alive.
Why
The elder's voice lowered.
"Because her bloodline is the key to awakening the sealed throne."
Selene's eyes widened.
The elder stepped back.
"We will give you a new bloodline," he whispered. "One that does not require stealing."
Selene's breath caught.
"What kind"
The elder's answer was quiet.
"A corrupted bloodline. A bloodline born from darkness."
Selene's lips parted.
Fear and excitement collided inside her.
The elder raised his hand.
A black vial appeared in his palm.
Inside it, a thick liquid moved like living ink.
"Drink," he commanded.
Selene stared at it.
Her hands trembled.
But then she remembered Elara's smile.
Elara's power.
Elara's escape.
Selene's fear turned into hatred.
She grabbed the vial.
And drank it.
Instantly, her body convulsed.
She screamed.
Black veins spread across her skin like poison vines.
Her eyes rolled back.
Her mouth opened as her scream turned inhuman.
The elders watched calmly.
Selene collapsed onto the floor, shaking violently.
Then her aura erupted.
Not gold.
Not blue.
Not red.
Black.
A black aura that swallowed the candlelight.
Her eyes opened slowly.
And her pupils were no longer human.
They were slitted.
Like a serpent.
Selene smiled.
A smile filled with madness.
"I can feel it," she whispered.
Her voice was deeper now.
Colder.
Hungry.
"I can feel power."
The elder nodded.
"Good," he said. "Now hunt her."
Selene rose slowly, her black aura curling around her like smoke.
And in that moment, I knew something terrible had just been born.
Because Selene Frost was no longer a thief hiding behind tears.
She had become something worse.
A monster with permission.