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Chapter One: The Night of Betrayal
Rain slicked the cobblestones, turning the narrow alleys of Duskvale into rivers of black glass. A crimson moon hung above the city like a blade, spilling its light across crooked rooftops and the spires of churches no one prayed in anymore. Shadows crawled between doorways, whispering of predators and magic.
I shoved my hands deeper into my coat pockets and kept my head down. The night stank of iron, wet ash, and the sour scent of witchfire. All around me, the world moved with a power I could never touch — vampires prowled rooftops, witches prowled markets, and humans scurried underfoot like frightened mice. And then there was me: not vampire, not witch, barely human. Just… nothing.
"Alex!"
The voice cracked like a whip through the rain. I knew that voice. Alan. My only friend. My only anchor in this cursed city.
He stood at the mouth of the alley, his coat hood drawn low, his silver eyes catching the moonlight. We'd been abandoned at the same orphanage. We'd stolen bread together, hidden under the same rotten floorboards when the warlords came. We'd sworn, on bloodied palms, to never leave each other.
But tonight something was different. His shoulders were rigid. His face pale.
"Why are you calling me?" I asked. The words tasted of dread.
He didn't answer right away. His gaze flicked past me, scanning the rooftops, the shadows. Then he said it: "Because it's over."
I blinked. "What's over?"
"You and me." His voice was flat, a blade's edge. "You're too weak, Alex. Not vampire. Not witch. Not even fully human. You're… nothing. An embarrassment. Don't look for me again."
Each word was a hammer blow. My mouth opened but nothing came out. "Alan…"
He turned, rain sliding off his shoulders, and vanished into the labyrinth of alleys. He didn't even look back.
For a long moment I couldn't move. The crimson moon blurred as tears filled my eyes. My fists trembled. The boy I'd called brother had just severed the only tie I had left to the world.
The street tilted. I staggered forward, no destination in mind, only the ache hollowing my chest. The world had abandoned me once again. Maybe Alan was right. Maybe I was nothing.
Then I heard the screaming.
It started as a hiss — then a crash, a roar, the sound of stones shattering. I stumbled toward it before I could think, drawn like a moth to fire.
The alley opened into a ruined courtyard. Rain sluiced through shattered windows and cracked pillars. Two figures tore the night apart — a vampire and a witch locked in battle.
The vampire was a blur of claws and shadow, his wings unfolding like black sails. The witch stood barefoot in a circle of runes, hurling spears of emerald fire. The air itself shook under the weight of their power. Sparks hissed against the wet stones; the scent of burned ozone clawed at my nose.
I froze at the edge of the courtyard. Every instinct screamed at me to run, but my legs wouldn't obey. I'd heard of fights like this, but never seen one. The raw force of it was terrifying, intoxicating.
The vampire lunged. The witch spun, muttering words older than the city, and hurled a spear of green light meant for his heart.
It hit me instead.
The world went white. Pain seared through me — not like fire or ice but like being ripped apart and remade all at once. My scream was lost in the roar of magic.
Something inside me tore open. A soundless explosion erupted from my chest, a pillar of white light surging into the sky. The vampire staggered back, shielding his eyes. The witch's spell died mid-word. Runes cracked under her feet.
The rain turned to steam. The cobblestones buckled. Symbols blazed across my skin — I felt them without seeing, burning, writhing, alive.
"No…" the vampire whispered. His voice carried a tremor of fear. "It can't be."
The witch's eyes widened, glowing like coals. "It's him," she breathed. "The Ashborn."
I didn't understand. I couldn't even stand. The light pouring from me flickered, then pulsed harder, like a heartbeat outside my body.
My vision blurred. My heartbeat roared in my ears. The last thing I saw was the vampire and witch backing away from me — two predators suddenly terrified.
Darkness swallowed me whole.
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