The Citadel's heart churned like a bleeding wound, its vast chasm pulsing with molten crimson light. Heat shimmered from the depths as Magnus, in full werewolf form, slammed into the monstrous bone-wolf—an abomination of ivory and flame. The beast towered above him, ribcage exposed and glowing with infernal fire, its hollow eyes burning with the wrath of the First Howl.
Claw clashed against bone. Sparks burst with every strike. The ground beneath them cracked and splintered under the weight of their battle. Above, the vault trembled with the pressure of ancient curses awakened.
All around, Isabella's vampires surged like vermin. Their eyes glowed with psychic malice, hissing minds latching onto Magnus's rage, trying to drown him in visions of blood and betrayal.
Kiera moved through the chaos like a silver flame, her twin daggers slicing through a vampire's throat, ichor hissing as it met stone. Jakob planted his spear before Veyne, shielding her fragile form as her runes flickered, barely holding their power.
On the edge of the fight, Gavrek crawled, his amber eyes glassy, claws scraping at the floor. His voice came broken, a whisper in the maelstrom: "Help me…" But no one could hear him through the storm of screams and steel.
Above, the ravens screamed—a black tempest circling the ceiling. Below, the shard called, its pulse quickening like a war drum. Deep in Magnus's old scar, the shard's cry stabbed at his soul like a blade made of memory and madness.
Then the bone-wolf howled.
The sound tore through the chamber like a quake, splitting stone, bleeding ears. Magnus staggered, his veins erupting in cursed fire, the beast within him screaming to be freed entirely.
He howled in return and lunged. His fangs sank into the bone-wolf's burning shoulder, splinters erupting as the creature shrieked in fury. Fire surged from its chest, engulfing Magnus's fur in scorched light.
Above it all came Isabella's voice—syrupy, seductive, laced with venom.
"Magnus. Why cling to scraps when the Key promises godhood?"
He snarled, hurling the bone-wolf across the chamber. Its skeletal frame smashed against the wall, spiderweb cracks blooming behind it.
"You'll burn first, leech."
But then—a new scent. Ash. Wind. Human.
A woman vaulted from the edge of the chasm, landing in a crouch of calculated violence. Wiry, hair like raven feathers, gray eyes laced with red. Tattoos of ravens flared with eerie light along her arms, and a curved blade flashed in her hand as she slit a vampire's throat mid-flight.
The ravens didn't attack her. They circled, singing a hymn of bone and sky.
She moved like something born from the chasm itself, sliding through the carnage to Jakob's side.
"Get the girl out," she barked. "Or she dies where she stands."
Jakob's eyes darted to her, stunned. "Who are you?"
"Talia," she said sharply, blades already carving another vampire. "The Citadel was my prison. You want the shard? Help me live long enough to lead you there."
Magnus's instincts flared—her bond to the ravens, the way the shadows wrapped around her like a second skin. Ally… or predator?
Kiera yelled, blood streaking her leg, "Magnus! She's with the birds! Trust her or we all die here!"
From the chasm's depths, Isabella's pendant ignited, crimson light pouring upward like a geyser of blood. The bone-wolf surged up again, larger than before—bones reforming, flames roaring hotter.
Magnus roared back, slamming into the creature with titanic force. They tumbled toward the edge of the abyss, claws raking, jaws snapping, the Citadel trembling beneath them.
Talia whirled, her blade a blur, severing a vampire's head in a single motion. Her voice rang out like iron:
"The shard's below, Varik! That wolf isn't guarding it—it is it."
Across the chamber, Gavrek stumbled to his feet, his limbs twisted with strain. His eyes glowed sickly yellow, his voice rough with betrayal.
"She lies… the Citadel owns her…"
Magnus's scar flared, pain blooming into fury, into clarity. The curse burned like wildfire through his blood. The bone-wolf's jaws came down, inches from his throat, and still the shard pulsed louder—like a heartbeat not his own.
Kiera faltered, a vampire slicing her thigh. Jakob's spear shattered in his grip, leaving Veyne exposed as another creature lunged.
The ravens screamed and dove. Black feathers rained as they clawed into the bone-wolf's hollow eyes. The monster shrieked, staggering.
And Magnus struck.
With a howl, he buried his claws into the wolf's burning chest. Flesh scorched. Bone shattered. The beast's roar became a death-knell as it collapsed, folding inward.
Then the chasm erupted.
Red light surged, blinding. The Citadel shook to its roots.
And from below came a new howl—not the wolf's, but something deeper, older. A voice from the dawn of curses.
Magnus turned toward the sound, panting, burned, trembling.
Talia stood at the edge, face pale, ravens circling her head like a crown.
Isabella's silver eyes gleamed across the ruin, her smile cold and perfect.
"The shard wakes," she whispered, her voice a dagger. "And with it, so does everything we've forgotten to fear."