Thunder cracked like a war drum above the Romanov estate as Aiden stared at the ancient relic uncovered beneath Zia’s bedroom the obsidian dagger resting in the cradle of the Seal of the Flame. Its black blade shimmered with unnatural heat, as if forged from darkness and fire itself. The vial of blood next to it glowed faintly, reacting to the presence of Silvana’s unborn child still cradled in her womb.Harper arrived moments later, breathless. He had traced its activation to a deep arcane code embedded in the mansion’s architecture one that hadn’t pulsed in over three centuries.“This seal,” he said, “was bound to the Romanov bloodline but only awakens when the true heir is born… or threatened.”Aiden’s jaw tightened. “Lucian didn’t just want my son. He needed him to awaken this.”Lorenzo stepped forward, voice low. “The dagger is known in the oldest scrolls. It’s called Pyros Ethriel Flame of the Chosen. It’s a legacy weapon, meant for one purpose…”Silvana’s hand trembled against

Thunder cracked over the Romanov estate as Silvana collapsed to the floor, her hand gripped tightly around her swollen belly. Zia screamed, running to her side with tears in her eyes.“Mommy! Mommy, what’s wrong?!”Silvana couldn’t speak. A searing pain coursed through her body hotter than anything she had felt before. Not just labor. Not just fear. Something else… something ancient.Zia shook her gently. “Don’t let the fire come! Please! The man with the burning hands he said the baby mustn’t cry!”Lorenzo burst through the door seconds later, followed closely by Gregory and the family doctor. The physician knelt instantly beside Silvana, checking her vitals. “We need to get her to the hospital. Now!”“No,” Lorenzo said firmly, voice lined with dread. “Not yet. Not until we know what’s inside her.”The doctor looked up, stunned. “She’s your granddaughter-in-law!”“She’s carrying something more than a Romanov.”Sicily The Forgotten ChapelAiden stared at the scroll’s final words, the

The morning after the Emberborn attack dawned quiet unnaturally quiet.The Romanov estate, usually alive with movement and the quiet discipline of its internal operations, seemed to hold its breath. The staff had been instructed to maintain normalcy for Zia’s sake, but the silence beneath the surface was deafening.Zia stayed curled beside Silvana in the recovery suite, unusually still for a child so spirited. The explosion from the night before had shaken her, but what truly haunted her was the dream the boy with golden eyes.She hadn’t told anyone. Not Aiden. Not Silvana. Not even Lorenzo.Not yet.But in her small hands, hidden beneath the covers, was a drawing she made before dawn a white field, a boy’s face with eyes like the sun, and a burning cradle.Underground Briefing Room 09:30 A.M.The map of the estate glowed with new markings: entry points, dematerialization sites, the heat residue trails of the Emberborn. Harper stood at the front, gesturing toward an arcane sigil burn