Liora woke up to silence, her room was dim and pale morning light filtered through the drawn curtains. She sat up slowly, blinking past the blur of sleep, with her head feeling heavy, Another restless night.
Meanwhile downstairs, Mira's voice broke the silence. "You didn't come down for dinner."
Liora wore her robe and stepped into the passage. Mira was waiting by the kitchen, arms crossed, with a familiar look of irritation in her eyes.
"I wasn't hungry," Liora said.
"That's not good enough anymore."Mira replied. Liora walked past her, poured herself some tea, and ignored the heat behind Mira's glare. "It's not your job to keep me alive."
"No," Mira snapped, "but someone needs to try since you've stopped."
They stood in silence, the tea was too hot while Liora let it sit.
"You don't get to give up," Mira added softly.
"I didn't say I did."
"Then act like it!" Mira told her sharply
Before Liora could answer, Corwin stepped in from the back door, his coat dusted with leaves.
"What's this? Morning family drama? It's becoming very regular these days" he said casually, shaking off his boots.
Liora didn't smile, Mira didn't either.
"You two done clawing at each other?" he asked. "Or should I come back with popcorn?"
He said sarcastically. Mira scoffed and Liora sighed. But something in her chest eased at his teasing.
"I saw something," Liora said quietly.
Corwin raised an eyebrow, Mira looked over.
"A man," Liora said. "Kael. He's not human."
"You're seeing vampires now?" Mira said sharply.
"I'm not joking."
Corwin studied her face. "Tell me everything."
They moved to the living room, the house was quiet except for the soft ticking of the old clock and Nessa's faint humming upstairs.
Liora started to talk about the alley, the way he watched her. How her blood reacted like it recognized something. She explained it all in slow words.
When she had paused, Thalia stepped into the room, her long hair with silver streaks tied back into a braid, her robe was elegant but simple and she looked tired. Magnus followed behind, tall and broad, still dressed from the council meeting, with his dark coat wrinkled.
"You should've told us," Thalia said gently.
"I didn't know what it was," Liora replied.
"Now you do," Magnus said. "And it changes everything."
Mira opened her mouth to argue, but Thalia held up a hand.
"Enough. No more fighting," she said. "We need to understand what we're dealing with."
ALORE DISTRICT
Across the city, Nessa was packing a bag. "I'll be back before night," she whispered to herself. She had written a note and left it on Liora's desk, her destination was Alren's clinic on the edge of the east ward.
Alren had once been a healer before the war. Now he worked quietly, helping witches who didn't trust the big sanctuaries. He had short brown curls, kind hazel eyes, and a soft voice that could calm fire spirits. He welcomed Nessa with a warm smile.
"You've grown Nessa" he said."I almost didn't recognise you"
"and you still smell like mint and books," she teased.
"And you still talk too fast," he replied, trying to be jovial. They took a seat inside the clinic while she explained everything to him and he listened. "I'll need time," he said. "Curses like this are layered. Especially when blood is involved."
"She's dying," Nessa said sadly,
"And that's why I'll work faster."He told her with certainty
BOLLYWELL BAR, ELDHOLLOW CENTER
Back in the city center, Mira stood outside a loud bar with crimson lights pulsing above the door. She looked out of place and stressed in her dark cloak and hunter's boots. But she didn't care and she stepped inside.
The music was too loud and the scent of blood and perfume was mixed in the air. She pushed through the crowd until a vampire bumped into her, with eyes glowing faintly.
"Watch it," she said.
"You don't belong here, witch."
"Neither do rats like you, yet here you are."
The vampire immediately snarled, Mira didn't flinch. Another one stepped forward, then another. She raised her hand and a pulse of charm light flashed, pushing them all back. She pulled the crystal from her coat and It shimmered red. The vampires started to attack. She ducked and immediately threw the charm, and rolled beneath a table. The explosion of light blinded them while she sprinted toward the door. They immediately followed without hesitation. She was faster, but just a hair's breath. Vampires were always known for their speed.
She escaped with a gash on her arm and laughter on her lips. "Idiots," she muttered, vanishing into the night.
Far from the city, Ezra stood on the cliffs above the northern forest. He was lean and sharp eyed, his cloak were fluttering, his skin was golden brown, and his dreadlocks were tied with small silver charms. He looked like someone who belonged to another century.
He stared at the city, then turned as someone approached. It was Corwin.
"You've been watching them," Ezra said.
"Family business," Corwin replied.
Ezra's eyes narrowed. "Something's off."
"Many things are."
"You know what I mean."
Corwin stayed quiet.
"You're not ready to tell me?" Ezra asked.
Corwin looked away.
"Fine. But when the sky cracks open, don't pretend you didn't see the first line."
He disappeared in a swirl of mist.
KAEL'S HOME
Kael sat in his underground library. The air was cold and dry and his eyes scanned through an old scroll, something he had read a hundred times. Elric was missing.
Kael didn't like unknowns or surprises, especially not with vampires under his command, he paced.
Elric had been coughing for days. Pale even for a vampire. Avoiding all and avoiding light.
Kael had asked. Elric had smiled and said it was nothing, but now he was gone.
Kael's thoughts immediately returned to Liora. The way her blood reacted, the way she looked at him like she almost remembered something she couldn't name. There was something more, the contract. It wasn't just about power, It was about her.
Her blood wasn't just cursed. It was binding.
She wasn't a key, she was the lock. And Kael's freedom depended on breaking her open, he gritted his teeth.
"I won't force it," he whispered. "Not yet."
Meanwhile…
In the silence of the woods, far from the city, a figure stumbled through the trees, Elric.
His shirt was stained with black ichor. His eyes glowed dimly, as he leaned against a stone. He reached into his coat and pulled out a vial of something glowing blue, he drank it and Shuddered.His hands were shaking.
"Not yet," he whispered to himself.
Then he collapsed. His illness had a name. One Kael didn't know. A curse born from bloodlines too dark to trace, and the only cure was in a forbidden place.
As the stars began to rise above the city, Liora looked out her window. She felt something tighten in the air.
Like something waiting, something shifting. A shadow moved across her lawn.
Ezra stood by the fence, watching Kael in the distance. Then, as if he had never been there, he vanished into thin air.
And the wind carried with it the faintest whisper: "Elric is dying."