The air was thick with the scent of rain and smoke. A storm brewed in the distance, whispering warnings across the darkened sky. Elara stood on the rooftop of the cathedral, her long cloak fluttering behind her like a broken shadow. Beneath her, the city of Varenthar glimmered with ignorance. They had no idea what was coming.
The blood moon had begun to rise.
"It's too early," Kael muttered, stepping up beside her. His hair, damp from mist, stuck to his forehead, and his hand rested on the hilt of his blade. "The prophecies said we had more time."
"Prophecies can be manipulated," Elara said coldly. "Especially when the Seers are being hunted one by one."
She didn't need to look at him to feel his unease. Kael was the type who trusted in rules, in fate, in written truths. But she had learned the hard way that destiny could be rewritten with enough blood.
A sharp cry pierced the silence. A raven, feathers gleaming like oil, descended toward them. It landed on the edge of the spire and cawed again—three times.
Elara's face paled. "Three cries. That means a mark has been chosen."
Kael straightened. "A mark? Who?"
Before she could answer, the raven's eyes glowed red and it dropped something at their feet: a pendant—a crescent moon with an obsidian stone. Elara bent down to pick it up, her breath catching in her throat.
"No," she whispered. "It can't be her."
Kael frowned. "Who, Elara?"
"Elisia."
"Your sister?" His voice cracked.
"She's supposed to be dead," Elara said, her hands trembling. "I saw her fall into the river five years ago. The Elders declared her gone."
Kael stepped closer, worry drawing lines across his brow. "If the Blood Moon has chosen her, then either she never died… or she was brought back."
They both turned their eyes to the horizon, where the blood moon now loomed high and full. It cast a strange hue over the world—a haunting crimson that made everything feel ancient and cursed.
---
Far away, in the ruined part of the kingdom, a girl stood barefoot in a circle of salt and ash. Her silver hair gleamed under the moonlight, and her eyes—once violet—now glowed with a dull red light. She held the same pendant in her hands, clutched tightly to her chest as tears streamed down her cheeks.
"I didn't ask for this," she whispered to the wind. "I just wanted to come home."
But home was no longer an option. Not for someone marked by the moon.
Behind her, dark figures stirred in the shadows. Whispering things too terrible to speak aloud. The girl—Elisia—turned to face them. Her voice trembled, but it was steady with resolve.
"I will not be your vessel. I will not become the Queen of Ash."
The figures hissed and melted into mist, leaving behind only a voice that echoed around her.
"Then you will be hunted. By your blood, by your fate, by your own sister."
---
In the royal palace, Lucien—crown prince and bearer of the ancient flame—sat in his war room. Maps were spread across the table, marked with sigils and red ink.
He rubbed his temple. "So the Blood Moon has begun its cycle?"
"Yes, Your Highness," said the general beside him. "Our informants have seen it. The skies are changing. The creatures beyond the veil are stirring."
Lucien exhaled deeply. "We don't have much time. Elara must be summoned."
"She's already in Varenthar."
That made him look up, sharply. "Why wasn't I told?"
"We believed she'd come to you herself."
Lucien's jaw tightened. "You forget—Elara doesn't come when called. She acts on her own accord."
The general hesitated. "And the girl—the other one—they say she has returned."
Lucien froze.
"Elisia?"
"Yes."
He stood up so abruptly that the chair crashed behind him. "I need to see her."
"But—Your Highness, she's dangerous."
"She's lost," he corrected. "If there's even a chance she can be saved, I'll find it."
The general lowered his gaze. "Very well. We'll prepare the Shadow Guard."
Lucien didn't wait. He stormed out of the war room, his heart pounding. If Elisia was truly alive, then the moon's curse had found a new heir. And Elara... Elara would stop at nothing to protect the realm—even if it meant killing her own sister.
---
Back on the rooftop, Kael touched Elara's shoulder.
"What do we do now?"
Elara closed her eyes, fighting back the storm inside her. "We find her. We find Elisia before the others do."
"And if she's beyond saving?"
She opened her eyes, the glow of the blood moon reflecting in them.
"Then I'll end it myself."