By the time Helen and Elias returned to the palace, the entire capital had been thrown into a whirlwind of confusion. Horns blared from the palace watchtowers, guards raced along the outer walls, messengers darted through the courtyards shouting orders, and nobles ran in panic from one hall to another. Chaos had taken root in the heart of the kingdom.Helen barely stepped past the main archway when a breathless servant rushed toward her."Priestess Helen! The king has been looking for you everywhere. He says it’s urgent. He had just ended an emergency meeting in the royal hall."Helen nodded quickly. "Where is he now?""The great council chamber."Without another word, she lifted her robes and hurried inside. The doors to the royal hall were wide open. Ministers were already leaving, their faces grim and pale. Most passed her without a glance, but as Minister Cedric, the Minister of Land Affairs, walked past her, she caught something.A thought. Faint, but clear.“This kingdom will so

When the vampire king and his soldiers finally turned and left, a wave of tension lifted like fog from the palace grounds. Soldiers who had been frozen in place loosened their grips, commanders sighed, and even the nervous rustle of armor fell into stillness. The great gates of the palace groaned shut behind Valerius and his dark legion, sealing the moment like a sigh sealed in stone.Elias remained by the parapet long after the others dispersed, watching as the cool morning sun rose gently over the horizon. Its golden light spilled over the palace walls, gilding the trees, the flags, and the rooftops beyond. But there was no warmth in him. Not today.He leaned on the stone railing, lost in thought, his eyes tracing the flicker of the breeze across the training fields. He had come to this place seeking revenge, revenge against those that killed him, the woman who had poisoned him. But the path had curved, twisted, and darkened. What was supposed to be justice had tangled into somethin

The path to the vampire king’s palace was steep and winding, carved into the jagged cliffs that surrounded the dark mountain city of Velkarin.Moss-covered stones paved the route, slick from the perpetual mist that hung in the air. Ancient statues of winged beasts and cloaked guardians lined the way, their stone eyes seeming to follow every step. As they ascended, a cold wind whispered through the crooked pine trees that clung desperately to the craggy cliffs, their branches skeletal and trembling in the twilight.Helen wrapped her shawl tighter around her shoulders as she walked beside Elais, her gaze wary."This place gives me chills," she whispered. "I feel like we’re not guests, but prisoners."Elais offered a soft glance. "Keep your guard up. This realm plays tricks with comfort."When they arrived at the palace gates, iron bars shaped like twisting vines parted with a groan that echoed down the mountainside. Guards in dark crimson armor stepped forward and silently guided them

After rinsing away the dirt and dried blood beneath the cascading waters of the forest fall, Elias and Anna found a quiet spot beneath a large oak tree. The sunlight filtered through the thick canopy above, scattering warm golden patterns across the mossy earth.Anna leaned back against the tree bark, her wet hair clinging to her shoulders. Her eyes studied Elias with curiosity, a touch of amusement in them.“So tell me,” she said, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “How did you become like that? I would’ve called you a vampire… but you’re a bit different.”Elias sighed. “It’s complicated,” he replied after a pause. “But I guess… I’m some kind of hybrid vampire now.”Anna raised a brow. “Hybrid? As in… half-human?” She tilted her head slightly. “I don’t recall the last time a vampire married a human to even birth a hybrid. That sort of union usually ends in bloodshed.”“It’s not like that. I don't really know how to explain it to you,” Elias said quietly, his voice distant.“Mmm

When Helen opened her eyes, she thought she was dead.A pale light washed over her face, gentle and warm, yet strange, and the clouds floated as though they were living, breathing things. All around her, the air hummed with magic. Lush green mountains rolled across the horizon, the trees sparkling faintly like they had dew made of starlight. A waterfall in the distance poured into a clear lake that glowed from within, casting rainbow reflections over everything.“Is this… the afterlife?” she murmured, her voice fragile against the vast silence.A strange sense of peace cloaked her. The pain she remembered, the searing wound on her side… was gone. She pressed her hand gently to her side. Nothing. No pain. Not even a scar. Only the smoothness of her skin and the thudding confusion of her heart.Then, like a flash, a vivid memory struck her like lightning , her grandmother’s face. Her eyes. Her whisper. She had seen her, right before she blacked out. But how? She was supposed to be dead.