Elena—no, Lyssara—took a deep breath, though she no longer needed to. The air in the mausoleum tasted of iron, old incense… and something else.Something that called to her.
Blood.
She rose with difficulty, as if her soul still lagged behind her new body. Every muscle was firm. Her senses, heightened. She could hear the hum of flames meters away, feel the vibrations in the stone walls, smell the dampness seeping from the ceiling.
She was alive.
But not as before.
She walked to the center of the crypt. There, carved into the stone, a magic circle shimmered with faint red lines. The moment she touched it, a torrent of images crashed into her: screams, chains, a woman with golden eyes crying blood, a sky split by fire… and a name, etched into her mind like a curse.
Lyssara Duskveil.
"Is this what I was?" she wondered. "Or what I am now?"
No answer came.
A faint sound pulled her from her thoughts. It came from behind one of the stone doors. Subtle—like barefoot steps on rock. She tensed, instinctively falling into a defensive stance. Surprised, she realized her nails had extended, sharp as daggers.
"Is this part of me too?"
The door creaked open slowly. Lyssara stepped back, ready to strike.
But it wasn't a monster.
It was a girl.
Short, ash-white hair; amber eyes with a feral gleam. She wore a torn cloak and held a bloodstained dagger. Upon seeing her, the girl dropped the blade and raised her hands.
—"You… you're awake?"
Lyssara didn't answer.
The girl took a step closer, staring at her with a mix of awe and fear.
—"It can't be. You were supposed to… still sleep for years." —Her voice trembled, but she didn't back away— "You're her. The Cursed Heiress. The Forbidden Blood. The one who sleeps beneath the black moon..."
—"Who are you?" —Lyssara interrupted. Her voice was deeper than she remembered, with a faint echo… as if another voice spoke alongside her.
The girl swallowed hard.
—"My name is Kaelith. I'm your guardian. Or… I was. A long time ago."
—"Guardian?"
Kaelith nodded.
—"I was raised to protect you… or kill you, if you awakened too soon."
Silence.
Lyssara stepped forward. The ground trembled beneath her.
Kaelith immediately dropped to her knees, bowing her head.
—"But I can't. I've seen you in dreams since I was a child. You… you saved me once. Though I don't know how. My soul… belongs to you."
Lyssara stared at her, not fully understanding. But something inside her burned fiercely. A distant memory. A promise sealed in blood.
And then it happened.
A pulse of energy surged from her chest. Kaelith shuddered, gasping.The bond between them awakened.
They didn't know what it was.
But they were bound.
And what was coming… had only just begun.