Chapter 29: Blood Moon Ultimatum

Ivy’s fingers trembled as she clutched the phone, eyes fixed on the image of her unborn child—a photo from the future. The tiny face, the curve of the brow, the flicker of something inhuman behind that infant gaze—it sent a chill spiralling down her spine.

Beside the image was the message that wouldn’t stop replaying in her mind:

“The child must be delivered by the Blood Moon. Or we take both.”

She hadn’t even noticed Aiden and Killian staring at her until she dropped the phone.

Killian picked it up and cursed under his breath. “They’re watching timelines now.”

“What does that even mean?” Ivy choked out. “How is that possible?”

“They’re not just toying with us anymore,” Aiden said darkly, his eyes narrowing. “They’re preparing to strike.”

The Blood Moon Countdown Begins

Killian moved swiftly, pulling a dusty black notebook from his coat. “There’s a prophecy buried in one of the oldest texts. It talks about The Mother of Two Paths—a vessel marked at birth to carry both salvation and ruin.”

“You think that’s me?” Ivy asked.

Killian met her eyes. “There’s no doubt anymore.”

Aiden leaned over Killian’s shoulder as he flipped through the book. The page he stopped on was illustrated with two crescent moons—one dripping in gold, the other in blood.

A handwritten inscription read:

“Under the Blood Moon’s rise, one will cry. One will consume.”

“Only one soul may ascend. The other must be silenced.”

A cold silence fell between them.

Ivy stood and turned away from them. “There’s still so much I don’t understand. I feel like I’ve forgotten something. Like there’s a gap in my memory…”

Killian’s gaze sharpened. “What date?”

“Six weeks ago. The day I collapsed in the hallway,” she said. “You said something happened to me then.”

“You were abducted,” Killian said. “But your memory was wiped.”

Ivy spun to face him. “How do you know that?”

He looked guilty. “Because… I was there. Or at least, I tried to stop it.”

Aiden stood. “What are you saying, Killian?”

“Ivy was taken to the underground facility. I traced the signal too late. By the time I found her, she was already unconscious. I fought to get her out… but they had already done it.”

“Done what?” Ivy asked, barely above a whisper.

Killian hesitated.

“They didn’t just implant you with twins. They awakened something buried inside you—something genetic. From your bloodline. That’s why the Syndicate needs you alive until the birth.”

Meanwhile, in a dim chamber miles away, Syra knelt before an altar glowing with violet light.

“The vessel is active,” she said to the hooded figure behind her.

A raspy voice answered, “She’s awakening faster than expected. And the male vessels?”

“One is loyal. One… unpredictable. We’ll force the choice.”

Syra lifted a crimson dagger from the altar and held it to her chest. “By the Blood Moon, she will decide. Or we will.”

The room pulsed with light. Shadows gathered at the edges of the altar, whispering her name.

Back in his estate later that night, Aiden slipped into his private study and locked the door. He opened a hidden panel behind his bookshelf and pulled out a phone—untrainable, encrypted.

He dialled a number.

A cold female voice answered. “You weren’t supposed to call.”

“I want information,” Aiden said.

“About the child?”

“About which one is real. And which is… hers.”

There was silence.

Then, “You know the cost of that truth.”

“I’ll pay it.”

The voice sighed. “Then listen closely. Only one heartbeat belongs to you. The other is a pure Syndicate.”

The call ended with a single file dropping into his inbox.

Aiden opened it—and froze.

“God,” he whispered.

The next morning, Ivy stared into the mirror, noticing something she hadn’t before. Her eyes—usually a rich brown—had flecks of silver in them now.

Killian entered the room, pausing when he saw her.

“They’re starting to show,” he murmured. “The signs.”

“I feel like I’m being pulled in two directions,” Ivy said, her voice breaking. “One part of me wants to protect them both. The other… wants to destroy one before it destroys me.”

Killian came closer. “That’s the Syndicate’s influence. They’re amplifying the darkness inside you to trigger early labour. To elaborate the outcome.”

“I can’t do this,” she whispered. “What if I choose wrong?”

Killian took her hand. “Then let me choose.”

She yanked her hand back. “No. If anyone decides, it’s me. Not them. Not you. Me.”

But as she turned, a sharp pain lanced through her abdomen. Her knees buckled, and the mirror behind her shattered.

Blood.

A single line of it trickled down her leg.

Aiden stormed into the room moments later, eyes wild. “We need to talk—now.”

Killian helped Ivy onto the bed, glancing up at him. “What is it?”

Aiden looked at Ivy and held up his phone.

“This file… proves everything. Ivy, the Syndicate didn’t just awaken something in you. They cloned one of the twins.”

Ivy gasped. “Cloned?”

“Yes,” Aiden said. “The second child isn’t even yours in the traditional sense. They used your DNA—but altered it. That baby is meant to host Isla’s rebirth. They want to raise it into a goddess of war.”

Killian’s face darkened. “They created the perfect vessel. And now they’re waiting for the Blood Moon to complete the transfer.”

“When is the Blood Moon?” Ivy asked.

“Two weeks,” Aiden said. “And if we don’t stop them… that child will become Isla.”

That night, Ivy dreamed again.

This time she wasn’t in a chamber of mirrors.

She was in a hospital delivery room.

Her legs were strapped down. Her screams were muffled. A figure in red stood at her side.

“Push,” Syra said with a cold smile. “Push, my little vessel.”

Ivy screamed.

A moment later, a baby’s cry filled the air.

Then another.

But only one was handed to her.

The other… was wrapped in black silk and taken away.

She awoke with a scream, covered in sweat, her hands on her belly.

And the window?

It was open.

A tiny bloody handprint smeared the glass.