Rigel was still weak, resting against the wall of the crumbling shelter as the rest of us gathered to discuss the next steps. His face was pale, but his gaze was as sharp as ever, tracking every word, every movement, every flicker of emotion in the room. Adrian, as usual, leaned casually against the opposite wall, his arms crossed, his expression unreadable.“We can’t wait any longer,” Adrian said, breaking the silence. “The rogue faction knows where we are. If we stay here, they’ll finish what they started. I can get inside their stronghold, get the intel we need, and—if the opportunity presents itself—take them out.”“No,” Rigel said flatly, his voice rasping from exhaustion but firm. “It’s too dangerous. You wouldn’t make it out alive.”Adrian shrugged, his tone almost flippant. “Maybe. But someone has to go, and it sure as hell can’t be you in your current state.”Rigel’s jaw clenched, his hand tightening into a fist. “We can find another way. Sending you in alone is suicide.”“Do
Rigel was sitting by the fire, his back straight despite the injuries he was still nursing. His face was turned away from me, his features shadowed by the flickering flames. I hesitated for a moment, unsure if I should disturb him, but something about his stillness made it impossible to walk away.“You’re quieter than usual,” I said, sitting down a few feet away.His gaze flicked toward me, sharp and assessing as always. Then, to my surprise, he sighed. “There’s a lot on my mind.”I waited, not pushing him. Rigel wasn’t one to share easily, but I’d learned that if you gave him enough space, he’d eventually say what he needed to.After a long silence, he spoke. “You asked me once why I’m like this. Why I’m so… overbearing.” He gave a bitter laugh. “You probably think I’m some possessive monster who doesn’t know when to let go.”“I don’t think that,” I said softly.He glanced at me, his expression unreadable. “Maybe you should.”He leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. The
The sanctuary was silent as we prepared to leave, but the silence wasn’t comforting—it was heavy, oppressive. Rigel stood by the door, his arms crossed and his face hard. He hadn’t stopped pacing since Adrian’s signal had gone dark. Every now and then, he’d stop, glance at me like he wanted to say something, then continue his restless movements.Selene sat at the table, her maps spread out in front of her, whispering softly under her breath. I didn’t need to ask what she was doing. Protective enchantments, probably. She liked to be precise about these things, especially when we were walking into something as dangerous as the rogue faction’s stronghold.“Are we just going to sit here all night?” Rigel finally snapped, breaking the quiet.Selene didn’t even look up. “We’ll leave when we’re ready. Charging in blind isn’t a strategy; it’s a death wish.”Rigel’s fists clenched, and his jaw tightened. “Every second we wait, Adrian’s closer to—”“Enough!” I said, my voice sharper than I inte
The rogue leader’s voice echoed through the chamber, dripping with malice. The darkness pressed against us, thick and stifling, as though the very air was conspiring to suffocate us. I clutched Adrian tightly, his weight a dead drag against me. His breathing was shallow, each exhale weaker than the last.“You walked into my web,” the rogue leader hissed, the sound slithering from every corner. “And now, you’ll all pay for your arrogance.”Selene muttered an incantation, her hands glowing faintly. A soft blue light spread around us, illuminating the room just enough to reveal the enemy: shadowy figures slipping out from the walls, their movements unnervingly silent. They surrounded us, cutting off every escape route.Rigel stepped forward, his sword gleaming in the faint light. “You’ll regret this,” he growled, his voice low and dangerous.The rogue leader emerged from the darkness, tall and imposing, his face twisted into a cruel smile. “Oh, I think not. You see, Adrian here has been
The tension in the air was so thick it felt like it could choke me. We’d barely escaped the stronghold, and the weight of everything was crushing. Adrian lay unconscious in the corner of the room, his breathing steady but shallow. Rigel hovered near the doorway, arms crossed, his jaw clenched tight. His silence was heavier than any lecture he could give.Selene sat at the desk, pouring over a pile of documents she’d salvaged from the stronghold. Her brow was furrowed in that way that meant she’d stumbled on something important but wasn’t ready to share it yet.I stood in the center of the room, feeling like a storm was raging inside me. My mark was still faintly glowing, though its warmth had finally dulled. The power that had surged through me during the fight was unlike anything I’d ever felt before—terrifying, uncontrollable, and devastating.“What the hell was that back there?” I asked, breaking the suffocating silence.Rigel turned slowly, his eyes narrowing as they met mine. “Th
The air inside the sanctuary was still, like the quiet before a storm. I hadn’t slept much since Adrian’s faint words the night before, his warning looping in my mind like a song I couldn’t shake: “Don’t trust…” Trust who? It was a question I couldn’t answer, and it gnawed at me.Rigel sat near the hearth, his gaze fixed on the flames dancing in the fireplace. His normally guarded face seemed softer, almost vulnerable, but his jaw remained tight as if he were wrestling with thoughts too heavy to share.“You’ve been quiet,” I said softly, breaking the silence.He looked up, his golden eyes meeting mine with a flicker of something I couldn’t quite name—something raw, unguarded. “Quiet doesn’t mean I’m not thinking,” he replied, his voice rough but low.I hesitated before stepping closer. “And what are you thinking about?”He stood, his towering frame almost intimidating, but I’d learned to see past the armor he wore. “I’m thinking about how close we came to losing everything,” he said,
The air grew heavy, almost impossible to breathe, as the figure stepped through the shattered barrier. Darkness seemed to radiate from him, rippling like smoke, swallowing the light in its path. My heart pounded against my ribs, every instinct screaming at me to run, but my feet refused to move.Selene’s sharp intake of breath broke the silence. “No… It can’t be him.”Her face was pale, her usual composure slipping into raw fear. “Who is it?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.She didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she clutched at her necklace—a small, worn charm that I’d never seen her without—and her eyes filled with something I’d never seen in her before: dread. “He’s called Malrik,” she said, her voice shaking. “He’s the one who… who destroyed my family.”The shadowy figure stepped further into the sanctuary, his boots echoing on the stone floor. His features became clearer—a strikingly handsome face marred by an eerie, predatory grin. His eyes burned like embers, a deep r
The tension in the sanctuary was suffocating, not just from the rogue leader’s presence but from the words he hadn’t yet spoken. Malrik paced in slow, deliberate steps, his dark cloak whispering over the ground. He looked as though he owned the place, each step driving home the fact that we were at his mercy.“You’ve felt it, haven’t you?” he asked, his voice a silken thread laced with poison.I stood rooted in place, my body tense and trembling. The mark on my chest throbbed in time with my racing heartbeat, and I instinctively clutched at it. “Felt what?”Malrik turned, his lips curving into a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “The pull. The whispers in your mind. The power clawing at you to be released.” His eyes locked on mine, and I felt as if he could see straight through me.“He doesn’t feel anything except disgust for you,” Rigel cut in, his voice sharp as steel. He stepped protectively in front of me, his broad shoulders blocking Malrik’s view. “Whatever game you’re playing,
A Desperate SearchRigel couldn’t rest.Sleep was impossible when Daniel was still out there, trapped in the clutches of an ancient evil, slipping further and further away from who he once was.The world had already turned against him. The supernatural council had issued its final decree—Daniel was too dangerous to live.Every faction, every warrior, even supposed allies, whispered the same thing:“He’s lost. He’s gone. If you try to save him, you’ll die with him.”Rigel didn’t care.He had never cared about the odds.Because this wasn’t just about saving Daniel’s soul. It was about the truth.And the visions Daniel had been having—the ones of his past life, of his former self being betrayed—meant something far greater was at play.Someone had orchestrated all of this before.Someone had betrayed Daniel once before.And they were still here.Still close.A Hidden Trail of LiesThe answer had to be in the records.Rigel had spent hours, days, poring over ancient texts, searching for an
Falling into the AbyssDaniel was drowning.Not in water, but in darkness.It pulled him down, suffocating, smothering his thoughts, his memories, his very sense of self. He could no longer tell where his body ended and the ancient evil began. He was weightless, yet trapped, caught in a current he couldn’t escape.It whispered to him—soft, coaxing, like silk against his skin.“Stop fighting, Daniel.”“This is who you were always meant to be.”He gritted his teeth, pressing his hands against his temples.“No,” he rasped. “I won’t—”Pain exploded through his skull.Visions surged before his eyes like a thousand shattered mirrors, each shard reflecting a different version of himself. A different past.And then—he wasn’t Daniel anymore.The Past That Wasn’t His… Or Was It?The world shifted, and suddenly, he stood in a grand hall bathed in golden firelight.Marble pillars stretched toward a domed ceiling, intricate carvings of celestial symbols glowing faintly. Massive banners hung from t
A Line Drawn in BloodThe world had never felt colder.Rigel stood at the center of a battlefield that was seconds away from plunging into chaos.Daniel, the man he loved, the man who had once fought beside him, now stood against him, shadowed by an army that had pledged themselves to darkness.Behind Rigel, the council’s warriors—shapeshifters, sorcerers, and celestial beings—were ready to strike Daniel down at the first command.And Rigel knew.If he didn’t stop this war now, they would try to kill him.“Step aside, Rigel,” one of the council leaders commanded, voice sharp as a blade. “Daniel is no longer the man you knew. He has chosen his side.”Rigel’s hands curled into fists.“Then you’ll have to go through me first.”A ripple of silence spread through the battlefield. Disbelief. Shock. Even Daniel tilted his head slightly, as if trying to understand what Rigel had just done.“You don’t have to die with him,” another warrior spoke, her voice laced with urgency. “This isn’t your
The world felt wrong. Something had shifted—something irreversible. The moment the temple fell into darkness, the supernatural world knew. Across realms, in the deepest corners of the world where shadows whispered secrets, the air changed. Something new had awakened. Or rather—something very, very old. The council was the first to sense it. The moment Daniel disappeared, the High Seers’ sacred flames went out. The oldest vampires found their blood turning cold. The fae felt the balance of magic shift. Even the rogue leader, miles away, staggered, clutching his chest as the dark power he had once served was drowned out by something much greater. Something he didn’t recognize. For the first time in centuries, the supernatural world was unified—not by alliances, not by treaties, but by a singular, overwhelming terror. Daniel was gone. And something else was in his place. Rigel’s Desperation “Bring him back!” Rigel’s voice was raw, hoarse from shouting. He was still kne
Daniel had never felt so clear-headed. So strong. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, he wasn’t drowning in fear or doubt. He wasn’t fighting against something he couldn’t control. He was the control. Power thrummed through his veins—dark, intoxicating, and endless. He could feel the ancient force within him, guiding his steps, sharpening his thoughts. He stood at the head of Veyron’s army, gazing down at the battlefield stretched before him. A sea of supernatural warriors stood at the ready—creatures of the night, rebels who had long abandoned the council, and shadows that slithered through the ground like liquid death. And yet, despite their numbers, Daniel knew exactly where his eyes were drawn. Rigel. Standing defiantly, sword in hand, eyes burning with something painfully familiar—love and fury, hope and heartbreak, all at once. “Daniel,” Rigel called, voice cutting through the tension like a blade. “You don’t have to do this.” Daniel tilted his head, taki
The Darkness Takes HoldDaniel had never felt so clear-headed. So strong.For the first time in what felt like an eternity, he wasn’t drowning in fear or doubt. He wasn’t fighting against something he couldn’t control.He was the control.Power thrummed through his veins—dark, intoxicating, and endless. He could feel the ancient force within him, guiding his steps, sharpening his thoughts.He stood at the head of Veyron’s army, gazing down at the battlefield stretched before him. A sea of supernatural warriors stood at the ready—creatures of the night, rebels who had long abandoned the council, and shadows that slithered through the ground like liquid death.And yet, despite their numbers, Daniel knew exactly where his eyes were drawn.Rigel.Standing defiantly, sword in hand, eyes burning with something painfully familiar—love and fury, hope and heartbreak, all at once.“Daniel,” Rigel called, voice cutting through the tension like a blade. “You don’t have to do this.”Daniel tilted
The Moment of SurrenderDaniel didn’t struggle.The moment he let the darkness swallow him whole, a cold, terrifying stillness settled over his body. It wasn’t painful. It wasn’t violent.It was acceptance.For weeks, he had been fighting—clawing, screaming, breaking—trying to hold on to something that was never meant to last. Trying to fight a war he had already lost.But this?This was peace.Veyron stood beside him, an eerie smile curling at the edges of his lips.“Finally,” he murmured. “You understand.”Daniel turned his head slightly, catching a glimpse of Rigel in the distance. He could still hear the echoes of his voice—pleading, furious, desperate.“Daniel, please!”But it was too late.The choice was already made.Daniel let out a slow, steady breath and closed his eyes. When he opened them again—they were completely black.Rigel’s DevastationNo.This wasn’t happening.Rigel’s hands were shaking. His lungs burned. His heart was shattering inside his chest.“Daniel!” he roar
The Moment Everything ChangedRigel’s body shook violently, the invisible force crushing his throat. He couldn’t breathe.Daniel’s voice was distant, panicked, but Rigel couldn’t focus on anything except the burning pain in his lungs.Veyron was going to kill him.The realization sent a violent surge of magic through Rigel’s veins.With sheer, desperate willpower, he twisted his hand in a cutting motion, summoning a burst of white-hot energy. It shattered the unseen hold on his body, and he dropped like a stone, coughing violently.Before he could recover, a shadow loomed over him.“You’re persistent,” Veyron murmured, his eyes gleaming with amusement. “I respect that.”Rigel spat blood onto the ground and forced himself up, his entire body aching. “Go to hell.”Veyron simply smirked. “Oh, I plan to. And I’m taking Daniel with me.”Rigel’s chest tightened. His heartbeat was loud, deafening. He turned his gaze toward Daniel—who hadn’t moved.He was just standing there.Frozen. Shaken.
Daniel sat in silence, his hands gripping the arms of the stone chair as the council’s voices echoed through the grand chamber. The walls of the ancient hall loomed around him, adorned with tapestries depicting wars, betrayals, and supernatural history—stories that now felt disturbingly familiar in his mind. Because this wasn’t just history. It was his history. And Rigel’s. He risked a glance at Rigel, who stood beside him with his arms crossed, his jaw clenched so tight it looked like it might shatter. He hadn’t said a word since Daniel had told him the truth—about the vision, about their past, about the curse that seemed to wrap around them like an inescapable noose. And Rigel was terrified. Not of Daniel. But of losing him. The council members, seated in a crescent of towering thrones, spoke in low, urgent tones. “If he was a danger then, he will be a danger now.” “The prophecy has warned us time and time again—his existence alone could tip the balance.” “Can he truly r