Chapter 61: A Kingdom Divided

The storm had passed by the time Aria and Lucian rejoined the rest of the group. The tension in the air, however, was unmistakable. Kael’s sharp eyes lingered on Aria longer than usual, and Selene looked between the two of them as if piecing together a puzzle.

“Where have you two been?” Kael’s voice was clipped, his tone more accusing than curious.

“There was a storm,” Lucian replied coolly, stepping protectively beside Aria. “We found shelter.”

Kael’s jaw tightened, but before he could respond, Selene cut in. “You need to see this.”

She gestured toward a nearby hilltop. As the group crested the rise, their breaths caught. Below them stretched the mortal realm, but it was unrecognizable. Smoke rose from villages, and banners bearing the sigil of Lord Marcus’s hunter guild fluttered in the distance. The lands were fractured, with factions of hunters and vampires preparing for battle.

“It’s worse than I feared,” Eldrin murmured, his aged voice heavy with sorrow.

“They’re preparing for war,” Selene said, her fists clenched. “Marcus isn’t just targeting vampires anymore—he’s going after anyone who dares ally with them. He’s calling it ‘cleansing the blight.’”

Aria’s stomach turned. “How did it get this bad so quickly?”

Kael crossed his arms, his voice laced with bitterness. “Because alliances with vampires tend to lead to chaos. It’s not too late, Aria. We can still turn back. We don’t have to be part of this.”

Aria’s eyes snapped to his. “Turn back? After everything we’ve done, everything we’ve sacrificed? Kael, we’re trying to stop a war, not run from it.”

Kael stepped closer, his expression hard. “Are you sure that’s what you’re doing? Or are you just following him?” His gaze shifted to Lucian, brimming with unspoken accusations.

“Enough.” Aria’s voice cut through the tension, her frustration evident. “This isn’t about you, me, or Lucian. This is about stopping Evangeline before she destroys everything. If you can’t see that, then maybe—”

“Maybe what?” Kael interrupted, his voice rising. “Maybe I should leave? Walk away? Is that what you want?”

The words hung in the air, heavy and unyielding. Aria opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, Eldrin stepped between them.

“Stop this, both of you,” the elder vampire said sternly. “This is exactly what Evangeline wants. Division. Distrust. If we don’t stand together, we’ll fall apart, and the world will burn.”

Kael turned away, his hands clenching into fists. “I’m just trying to protect her,” he muttered, more to himself than anyone else.

“And I don’t need protecting,” Aria said firmly.

Lucian placed a hand on her shoulder, his touch grounding. “We don’t have time for this. Evangeline won’t wait for us to sort out our differences.”

Selene nodded. “She’s already making her move.”

“What do you mean?” Aria asked.

Selene hesitated, her expression dark. “She’s attacking a human village near the border. She’s trying to provoke the hunters into full-out war.”

Aria’s heart sank. “We need to stop her.”

“Easier said than done,” Kael muttered, but his tone lacked its earlier venom.

Lucian turned to Aria, his voice soft but resolute. “We’ll stop her. Together.”

Their eyes met, and in that moment, the world around them seemed to fade. The weight of their mission, the tension with Kael, the looming war—it all fell away as Lucian’s steady gaze held hers.

“Thank you,” she whispered, her voice trembling with unspoken gratitude.

He inclined his head, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “Always.”

The group descended from the hilltop, their resolve renewed despite the fractures within.

But as they moved toward the village, Aria couldn’t shake the feeling that the real battle wasn’t just with Evangeline—it was with the choices she’d made and the ones she would have to make.

In the distance, the village burned.The faint smell of smoke thickened in the air as the group descended toward the burning village. Flames licked the edges of wooden homes, casting long shadows against the twilight sky. Screams pierced the stillness, sending shivers down Aria’s spine.

“We need to hurry,” she said, quickening her pace.

Lucian was at her side in an instant. “Stay close to me. We don’t know what we’re walking into.”

Selene drew her daggers, her sharp eyes scanning the surroundings. “It’s not just a fire. There’s blood in the air.”

As they neared the outskirts, the source of the chaos became clear. Vampires clad in Evangeline’s dark insignia roamed the village, dragging humans from their homes and tearing through anything in their path. Hunters were already there, fighting to protect the villagers, but they were outnumbered and disorganized.

“We split up,” Kael said, his tone all business now. “Selene and I will cover the south side. Lucian, you and Aria take the north.”

Lucian nodded, though he hesitated before letting Aria out of his sight. “Stay sharp,” he said, his voice low.

“You too,” Kael replied, his expression unreadable.

The group separated, plunging into the chaos. Aria and Lucian moved swiftly, cutting through the smoke and rubble as they headed toward the heart of the village. A vampire lunged at them from the shadows, but Lucian dispatched it with brutal efficiency, his blade flashing in the firelight.

Aria kept pace, her own movements fluid and precise. She caught sight of a family cornered in an alleyway and sprang into action, her crossbow releasing a bolt that pierced the heart of their attacker.

“You’ve gotten faster,” Lucian remarked, a hint of admiration in his voice.

Aria gave him a quick smile, adrenaline coursing through her. “I’ve had good teachers.”

The momentary exchange was cut short as another wave of vampires surged toward them. They fought back to back, their movements seamless as though they’d been fighting together for years.

A particularly large vampire snarled and charged at Aria, its fangs bared. Before she could react, Lucian was there, his blade slicing through the air in a deadly arc. The creature crumpled at her feet.

“I told you to stay close,” he said, his voice tight with concern.

“I can handle myself,” she shot back, though the look in his eyes made her pulse quicken.

He stepped closer, his expression softening. “I know. But that doesn’t mean I won’t protect you.”

For a brief moment, the chaos around them seemed to fade. The intensity of his gaze held her captive, and she felt the weight of unspoken words between them.

But the sound of a child crying broke the spell. Aria turned to see a young boy huddled beneath a collapsed cart, his face streaked with soot.

“Go,” Lucian said. “I’ll cover you.”

Aria nodded and darted toward the boy, pulling him free just as another vampire descended on them. She raised her crossbow, but before she could fire, Lucian was there again, dispatching the creature with ruthless precision.

“You’re making this a habit,” she said, breathless.

He smirked, his fangs glinting in the firelight. “You’d miss me if I didn’t.”

They returned the boy to his family, but the village’s ordeal was far from over. As the last of Evangeline’s forces retreated, leaving behind only carnage, Aria felt a heavy weight settle on her shoulders.

Kael and Selene rejoined them, both bloodied but alive. Kael’s eyes flicked between Aria and Lucian, his expression unreadable.

“We saved as many as we could,” Selene said grimly, wiping her blades clean.

“But it’s not enough,” Kael added, his voice low. “This is just the beginning.”

Aria looked out over the burning village, her heart aching for the lives lost and the ones they couldn’t save.

“Evangeline is playing with fire,” she said, her voice steady despite the turmoil within her. “And if she wants a war, she’s going to get one.”

Lucian stepped closer, his presence a quiet reassurance. “We’ll stop her, Aria. Together.”

She turned to him, the intensity of his words settling deep in her chest. For the first time in what felt like forever, she allowed herself to believe it.

But as they prepared to leave the village behind, the faint echo of Evangeline’s laughter carried on the wind, a haunting reminder that their battle was far from over.