The smell of blood was everywhere, it coated the marble floors of the Crimson palace in the vampire kingdom, the walls were stained and my clothes were soaked in blood. My breaths were ragged as I staggered through the throne room leaving footprints stained with blood behind. Bodies littered the ground, the guards, servants, royal knights, mom, dad, and my sister, all dead. The sight of their body should have shattered me, instead I felt numb maybe because the pain had become too much, or because I knew I wasn't leaving this place alive. Tonight was meant to be the happiest day of my life, I was meant to be coronated to officially become vampire prince and the heir to the crimson throne. Instead it had become my funeral. The massive doors behind me burst open, I slowly turned and three familiar figures entered. My heart clenched, but because I was afraid, but because these were the people I trusted more than anyone Adrian Ravencroft my best friend, heir to the were

The crowds parted as Headmaster Alaric walked forward, while other professors rushed forward. I remained where I was, my eyes stayed fixed on the body lying in the grass. Ethan, he was a second year wizard, a cold knot settled in my stomach. “Everyone return to your dormitories” Headmaster Alarics voice cut through all the terrified whispers, the other students reluctantly obeyed, nobody wanted to keep seeing the dead body. Not after seeing the mark engraved on his body, or seeing the paleness of his skin, even vampires looked disturbed. As students slowly started dispersing, I noticed headmaster Alaric quietly take the fabric under Ethan’s body and tuck into his coat pocket. The fact that he hid evidence bothered me a lot. As I turned to leave, I noticed Aurora standing a few feet away. She looked pale, not because of the corpse, but because she understood exactly what this meant. Our eyes met, neither of us spoke we didn’t need too, because we both knew Ethan wasn

I stared at the note in his hand, my jaw tightened. By the time I looked back towards the shadows, the hooded figure was gone, no footsteps, no scent, nothing. As if they had never been there, Aurora moved beside me her lavender eyes fixed on the paper. “They wanted you to find this”I folded it, “obviously” The silver badge still sat heavy on my palm, the crest engraved into it gleamed beneath the moonlight, a black serpent coiled around a crown. The symbol of the Heartstone society, an organization said to have been disbanded decades ago. Yet now two students were dead, both connected, and this symbol had appeared beside the second body. This wasn’t a coincidence, it was a message, I slid the badge into my pockets. “We need to find out everything about the Heartstone society” Aurora glanced toward the professors gathering around Mira’s corpse, “and how do you plan on doing that?”I looked toward the academy tower,”the restricted archives”Aurora sighed…”again?”I smirked,

Rain hammered against the stone balcony, I stood frozen, the silver ring clenched tightly in his palm. The name carved inside it burned into my mind. Behind me, Adrian stood in the doorway, drenched from the storm, his golden eyes fixed on the ring. And for the first time since I had returned, Adrian looked shaken, not confused, not defensive, but afraid. My voice was cold.“Explain.”Adrian’s gaze snapped to my face.“That ring…where did you get it?”I took a slow step forward. “Answer me.” Aurora remained still between us, tension crackling so sharply I could almost taste it, Adrian’s jaw tightened.“I lost that ring.”I laughed, bitter and humorless.“Convenient.”“It’s the truth.”I held it up. “This was at the scene.”Adrian’s face paled. “That’s impossible.”My patience thinned. “Three victims are dead. Your name is in Ethan’s ledger. Your ring is here. And now someone tells me to ask you what happened the night I died.” Aurora’s head snapped toward me, that was t

The blood-red circle beneath my feet ignited. Ancient symbols blazed across the cracked archive floor like veins of fire, spreading outward in violent pulses. The heat hit instantly, Aurora stumbled back.“Kael!” My body locked, pain shot through my chest. It wasn’t physical, it was something deeper, something buried. The air around me thickened, pressing down with unbearable force. My veins burned, the symbols beneath me pulsed brighter. My name glowed at the center, not “Kael Draven,” it was something older, something that was written beneath it. Aurora’s eyes widened as she saw it, a second name, one I couldn’t understand, a language that was long dead. Then, the circle shattered, I dropped to one knee, gasping, as blood spilled from my mouth onto the floor. Aurora rushed to me, then her hands grabbed my shoulders.“Kael…look at me.” My ruby eyes flickered wildly, for a moment they glowed gold, then silver, then black, every bloodline, every power, before settling ba