The forest was quieter than usual.
Even the wind hesitated to pass through the ancient oaks surrounding the crescent-shaped clearing where Aria now stood. Moonlight spilled over her like a blessing—or a curse. Her heart drummed a rhythm of both fear and exhilaration as she clutched the ancient scroll handed to her by Elara, the seer.
Aria could still feel the sting of Kade's words from earlier. His anger had cooled into silence, but it lingered between them like a storm cloud that refused to dissipate. Still, she had to do this—had to find the truth about the visions, about herself. About them.
"Are you sure about this?" Kael's voice broke through her thoughts.
She turned to face him. The second male lead of her fate—mysterious, brooding, and frustratingly unreadable—stood with arms crossed, the silver tips of his dark hair gleaming in the moonlight. His vampire aura pressed on her senses, sharp and cold like a blade against her throat.
"I need to know who I am," Aria replied, voice steady. "Not who people think I am. Not what the Elders say. Me."
Kael studied her for a beat too long, then stepped closer. "You're playing with forces older than your bloodline. Older than even me."
"Then maybe it's time someone did," she countered, unfolding the scroll.
Runes pulsed faintly, reacting to the moon's presence. The air grew thick, vibrating with energy. The moment Aria began the incantation, a tremor rolled through the clearing, and the ground cracked in a perfect circle around her.
"Aria!" Kael growled, reaching for her.
But she was already somewhere else.
---
The world turned upside down and inside out. Aria's body remained in place, but her spirit—her essence—was flung into darkness lit only by glimmers of memories not her own. She saw wolves with wings, vampires with sunlit skin, and a woman with silver eyes screaming as fire devoured a bloodstained throne.
A voice echoed all around:
"Daughter of the Lost Flame… the moon binds your fate, but the fire is your soul."
The vision shifted. She was now standing face-to-face with Mircella.
The dark priestess of the Blood Covenant stood tall, robed in black and violet, her smile like a dagger dipped in honey. "So you've come to peek behind the veil, little spark. Brave… or foolish?"
Aria clenched her fists. "I'm not afraid of you."
"No?" Mircella stepped closer. "Then why do your hands tremble?"
Aria wanted to lunge, to strike, but her body wouldn't obey. This was a memory, a warning… or a trap.
"You're not ready for the truths you seek," Mircella hissed. "But you will be. Oh yes. When the bond between moon and fire shatters… and your heart betrays you."
With a surge of power, the vision imploded. Aria gasped as she slammed back into her body, falling to her knees.
Kael was there in an instant, catching her before she hit the ground. "Damn it, Aria. What did you see?"
She blinked at him, eyes glassy with stardust and terror. "Mircella. She knows who I am. She's waiting."
He stared at her for a long moment. "And you? Do you know who you are yet?"
Aria shook her head. "No. But I know who I'm becoming."
---
Back at the stronghold, Kade stood atop the watchtower, his wolf eyes fixed on the stars. He had felt it—the shift in the bond. The way her magic had surged like a tidal wave across the ley lines. She was growing stronger… and further from him.
He didn't know if he was losing her.
But he did know this: Mircella was back.
And the next time their paths crossed, someone would bleed.