Chapter 4 – Echoes of the Bloodflame
The forest whispered in midnight tones, each leaf brushing against the other like the murmurs of spirits long forgotten. Above, the moon hovered behind wisps of gray, casting silver beams that pierced through the tree canopy in narrow shafts. Rai moved silently, his boots soft against the mossy ground, carrying Kian's unconscious body over his shoulder. Selene walked ahead, her crimson cloak trailing behind her like a shadow in the wind.
Kian's body was warm—too warm for a vampire—but it pulsed faintly with energy. The scent of scorched magic lingered on his skin, residue from his first awakening as the Nightborn. His breathing was erratic, shallow, and his fingers twitched occasionally like they were grasping at invisible threads.
They had narrowly escaped the Bloodhunters, though not without cost. One of them had survived—barely—and fled into the trees, undoubtedly seeking reinforcements. Selene had sensed it. She'd wanted to pursue, to silence the threat, but Rai had stopped her.
"Time is our enemy now," he had said. "The boy must live."
So they had vanished into the night.
The path they followed now was one hidden even from time itself, winding through forgotten groves and mist-laced hollows. The air grew cooler the deeper they ventured. Selene finally slowed as a cluster of ancient stone pillars emerged from the trees ahead. Half-swallowed by nature, these ruins marked the entrance to the sacred grounds of the Nightborn: Nyxvale.
"We're close," she murmured. Her voice was reverent. "This is where it all began."
---
Kian's Dreamscape
Within the fog of unconsciousness, Kian stood again in the ruins of his home. The flames licked the walls, their roar like a beast feeding on his memories. The night sky burned red, and screams echoed all around him. His hands trembled, powerless, just as they had that night.
"No... not again..."
He saw his mother — beautiful, with soft eyes and a warm smile — standing at the center of the inferno. Fire curled around her, yet did not consume her. She reached out to him.
"Kian," she whispered. Her voice was the wind, the fire, the silence.
He stepped forward, aching to hold her, to keep her from disappearing again. But she shook her head.
"There is fire in your blood, Kian. A fire born from pain," she said, her voice echoing through the blazing world. "But never let power burn the man you were meant to be."
Her image began to fade, swept away in a gust of embers.
"Remember who you are. Not just what you are."
Then—darkness.
---
Nyxvale: The Temple of Shadows
Rai and Selene entered the stone courtyard beneath a ruined archway. The air here was heavy, not with rot or decay, but with age. Vines crept up the temple walls, and strange glyphs glowed faintly in the cracks of the floor. Crumbled statues of hooded figures lined the path, their eyes hollow.
At the heart of Nyxvale stood a massive temple carved from black stone, its structure shaped like wings folding inward. Rai set Kian down gently on a slab within the central chamber, where light filtered through an opening in the ceiling.
Selene knelt beside Kian and pressed her fingers to his forehead. "He's stabilizing. His essence is strong. Stronger than I expected."
Rai crossed his arms. "He has to be. The prophecy doesn't make room for weakness."
"Still... we should prepare. When he wakes, he won't be the same. First hunger is brutal."
They both fell into silence, the weight of ancient truths pressing on their shoulders.
---
Visions Within the Veins
Inside Kian, the transformation continued. His cells writhed and reformed, ancient DNA unlocking, the Nightborn power rewriting him from within. Memories not his own flickered—visions of wars fought in shadow, blood spilled in silence, the echo of screams through time.
He saw a man cloaked in midnight armor, standing alone against an army. He saw a woman bathed in silver light, weeping over a grave marked with the Nightborn symbol. He saw temples like this one burned, rebuilt, and burned again.
When he finally stirred, a gasp tore from his lungs.
Kian shot upright, his eyes glowing a violent crimson, his fangs extended involuntarily. His body screamed with hunger — primal, desperate. He clutched his chest as if trying to cage a beast from within.
"What... what's happening to me?" he rasped.
Selene stepped forward calmly, though she remained ready.
"You're awakening. The power inside you is ancient. And now, it's awake."
Kian's breath came in short bursts. His vision blurred, and all he could sense was blood. It called to him — sang to him — louder than anything else.
Rai took a slow step forward. "You need to feed. It's natural. But you must choose... wisely."
Kian looked at him, trembling. His throat burned, his veins screamed.
"Choose...?"
His gaze flickered between them — Selene's calm strength, Rai's cool detachment.
Then his eyes narrowed, and he staggered to his feet, teeth bared.
The beast within him snarled...
---
Cliffhanger Ending: Hunger Unleashed
...and Kian lunged.
Straight at Rai.
In a blur of motion, he slammed Rai against the wall of the stone chamber, fangs bared and eyes blazing. His breath came in ragged bursts, his hands trembling as he gripped Rai's shirt.
Rai didn't flinch.
In fact, he smirked.
"Easy, killer," he said coolly, eyes gleaming with amused warning.
Kian froze, lips inches from Rai's throat. The scent of blood was overwhelming — warm, rich, pulsing beneath the skin. But Rai's confidence cut through the fog like a blade.
For a moment, just a moment, the hunger faltered.
And the beast hesitated.
To be continued...