CHAPTER 029Lucia stirred awake; the room was dark and cold. Her head pounded, and her limbs felt heavy, restrained. She tried to blink it all away and make sense of the place she was. Damp stone stank; she could almost smell blood in the tang of that metal smell.She pulled against the leather straps that bound her wrists to a wooden chair; her wrists burned. The confusion began to clear, and a sharp pang of anger replaced it. The betrayal, the memory of what happened, flooded back, and she clenched her teeth. The whispered apology before the darkness took her, Dante’s calm voice.Footsteps echoed down a corridor, getting louder. She forced her breathing to quicken, to calm. Dante stepped in, and the door creaked open, his face hidden by the dimmer light of a single overhead bulb.She spat, her voice raw but steady, 'You.' “You trusted me and this is what you do?”She caught him flinch, barely noticeable. His hands tucked into his coat pockets, he stepped closer. He spoke low, almost
CHAPTER 030Her body burned as if all had been drained, leaving only the felt hollow shell. Her skin took the sharp chill of the steel table, and she struggled to pull in a shallow breath that almost sounded like a loss she wasn’t sure she would win. The room was filled with metal and antiseptic, as machines hummed faintly, but the voices that filled the room were cold and calculating, the worst of all.Matteo’s voice echoed smugly, triumphant, “Her blood is unparalleled.” “It’s power in liquid form. “A few more vials, and I’ll be in the black.”Her body wouldn't move; she wanted to scream, to lunge at him and wipe that smirk off his face. Her veins burned from whatever drug they had pumped into her; her muscles were leaden. The restraints around her wrists dug in her skin, refusing to shift.“One of these will knock you on your ass,” another voice cautioned. "It's a hybrid's regenerative properties. If you drain her too quickly, they might collapse."Regenerative properties. That’s w
chapter031At the Lupari estate, darkness covered everything, and candles lit only Matteo's study room. Following Lucia's mysterious death, everyone felt uneasy.Dante leaned against the window, trying to make sense of what had happened while watching the stars move above.He felt something important about Lucia had escaped him, which would have made a difference, Matteo moved toward the room, and his quiet footfalls sounded on the wooden surface. Relief met sorrow in his gaze. "Dante," he started with a firm but heavy voice, "you need to hear something important."His eyes showed puzzlement as Dante looked toward his half-brother. "What is it, Matteo?"Matteo paused to control his nerves, then lifted his eyes to Dante.Though Lucia worked alongside us, she shared something more special as our blood relative. She was our sister."Dante's eyes widened in disbelief. "Our sister? How is that possible?"Matteo offered the news solemnly that we both descended from the same father."Lucia is o
Chapter 032 Darkness enveloped Lucia as she awoke while her head pounded with pain, she attempted to move her arms but discovered cold metal bands had tightly bound her wrists. Chains.Her body filled with terror as she fought against the restraining chains. "Where am I?" she whispered, her voice trembling, the small space felt damp, and stone walls pressed against her as if they wanted to suffocate her.The heavy, musty air made drawing breath into her lungs difficult. Thick shadows produced strange forms across the walls, which caused Lucia's heartbeat to quicken. She inhaled deeply to regain control of her emotions."Let me go!" she screamed but received no answer except the distant sound of water dripping.Days passed, or maybe weeks,the duration of her captivity seemed endless.Lucia had no memory of herself, arriving at this place, or anything else. Her mind was a blank slate. The only sensations Lucia experienced were the freezing metal chains and an intense desire to break fre
Chapter 033Alessandro guided Lucia through the magnificent entrance of the Velvet Night Gala.The entrance revealed a splendid hall where people talked while soft music played, chandeliers hung from the ceiling, creating a warm atmosphere for the elegantly attired crowd.Lucia stared in awe at the scene before her, she felt tiny and lost among the crowd yet held onto Alessandro's arm for support.Alessandro spoke quietly to Lucia and said, "Stay close." His gaze moved across the entire room while he spoke.The important people we need to meet tonight await our arrival.Lucia’s heart pounded. "Where are we going?" she asked softly. Alessandro led her to the VIP lounge. "They need to see you, Trust me."The corridor featured plush red carpets and ornate decorations that stretched throughout the entire length. Many people directed their attention toward Lucia.Every corner of the room brought curious stares from well-dressed men and women who watched her. A dark-suited man of average heig
Chapter 034Lucia's shallow breaths and motionless body did not hide her mind's active state, she saw flashes, Flickering images.The mist of her consciousness concealed a forgotten memory a man's voice, matteo, you must keep the truth from her.The atmosphere in the dream felt heavy with intense pressure.The walls displayed elongated shadows that moved like wisps of smoke, a second voice emerged, controlled yet strained.“She has to, we must eventually reveal the truth because keeping her ignorant will not last forever, lucia faced them while her heartbeat raced.She tried to see their faces, the words burdened her heart like a concealed secret, the walls blurred.The air turned colder, she found herself in the middle of a dimly lit hall with her bare feet touching the freezing stone floor. a distant voice called out her name from somewhere in the darkness.A faint whisper vanished in the wind, She turned, the voice grew louder, she tried to run toward it, then darkness.A sharp int
Chapter 035Lucia rested at the massive window of Alessandro's penthouse while her fingers moved across the glass surface. The city's endless stretch below received its illumination from streetlights that cast a golden hue.The surrounding silence did not match the intensity of emotions that swirled within her.She turned, glancing at Alessandro. The marble countertop served as his resting point while he held a glass of dark wine. His intense stare focused on her face like it did many times before—observing and waiting for something.She spoke without turning her face while maintaining her gaze on him.A faint smile appeared on his lips. “Can you blame me?”Lucia released a small breath while shaking her head. “I don’t understand you.”Alessandro placed his glass on the counter before deliberately approaching her. “What’s there to understand?”She held her head high while maintaining her stance. You treat me as if I exist only to serve your mysterious game, but moments later, you obse
Chapter 036Lucia watched from the window as the blood moon illuminated the city beneath her. This night carried a special significance that set it apart from all others.The truth she had hidden through confusion and fear emerged clearly from her mind, which had previously been distant and foggy.The memories returned to her in powerful waves. The broken pieces of memory assembled themselves into a complete picture.The truth became visible to her as if it were day. She remembered her previous existence and the curse that forced her to stay in this world while facing her destiny.After her memories returned, she discovered the horrifying truth: she was the one responsible for killing the children.The poison that flowed through her body demanded to be used as a weapon.Her eyes shifted from the window to focus on Alessandro.He served as her sole support throughout this dangerous game. His eyes revealed both doubt and interest as he observed her just like he had done when they first m
Chapter 178Alessandro stood in the center of the ancient chamber, his arms raised high, fingers trembling as dark energy swirled around him like a living thing.He could feel the ritual pulling at him, drawing every ounce of his being into the abyss.The Heart of Lunaria glowed at his feet, its radiant light contrasting sharply against the creeping darkness that now surrounded him."This is it," he whispered to himself, the words heavy with a strange mix of excitement and fear. "No more pretending to be human. No more limits."The air crackled, thick with the power he was awakening. His heart raced as the energy surged through him, filling every pore, every fiber of his being. He could sense the power of a god, pulsating within his fingertips.The ritual, long and agonizing, had finally reached its peak. He could hear the whispers of ancient beings calling to him, their voices a chorus in his mind.But this power— it was not just power. It was a dark promise, a gift that demanded sac
Chapter 171With his boots digging a little into the charred ground, Dante stood at the edge of the battleground. The last remnants of moonlight were sucked up by the heavy clouds that rolled like a brewing storm, causing the sky above to churn with an unnatural darkness.The once-bright light flickered, struggling to stay in place as the Celestial Nexus shook under the weight of the impending chaos.It was this. This was his last stand.A gust of wind blew through, carrying the smell of burning ozone and something worse—the stench of decay, of the darkness edging closer.Dante's fists clenched, Though he knew the truth deep down, every nerve in his body begged for action. He couldn't abandon this battle."Dante!" The sound of distant thunder was broken by Lucia's voice. She showed up next to him, her eyes burning with desperation, her silver hair whipping wildly. "This is not necessary for you to do! We can figure out another way—""There isn't another option." His heart thumped like
Chapter 170Under Valeria's feet, the ground shook and the ancient stone floor cracked. The smell of burning magic permeated the air, the traces of Eldrin's cosmic anarchy still hanging there.Her vision faded, and she staggered backward, clutching the edge of a broken pillar. Every breath seemed to be her inhalation of fire."Lucia!?" Her voice hardly reached the howling winds whirling with unadulterated intensity. She could hear Nero yelling, his voice strained and urgent, some distance away.Her attention then turned to the impossible view before her—a rippling distortion in the air, shifting like liquid glass, opening and closing like a wound in reality itself.Her mind slithered with a deep voice."Do you, child, feel it? Is the ability dormant in your blood?She held her head, a sharp pain cutting across her skull. The voice was not emanating from beyond. She knew it inside her. There was something ancient and deeply ingrained within her. Her pulse throbbed again through her rib
Chapter 169Eldrin gazed out over the wide-open space of the darkened sky from the edge of the temple's magnificent balcony.The stars above, once constant and predictable, now fluctuated, flickering like dying embers from a storm.His fingers twitched in anticipation as he grinned to himself. It was this—his time. Everything Lucia and her allies had painstakingly built collapsed with the start of the gambit."Everything is aligning perfectly," Eldrin muttered to himself, his voice hardly audible above the roaring wind that blew through the open areas of the temple.The power crackled all around him, a cosmic force that was both thrilling and terrifying.The unraveling was intensifying, encroaching on reality itself like a sickness.He had meticulously woven the delicate thread of the celestial event he had triggered over centuries, but now it was falling apart, and there was no turning back.His surroundings were starting to change, first slowly, like a ripple in the air, and then mo
Chapter 168Every breath Sophia took served as a small reminder of the power coursing through her as her body lay in the shadows of the dimly lit room.The magic within her erupted like a wild storm, hungry and uncontrollable, despite the fact that her resurrection had been partial and brittle. She was more than just the Sophia Roselli they were familiar with.But she was more than that. It wouldn't take long for Lucia and the other people standing beside her to realize she was a formidable opponent.Her eyes opened slowly; in the dim light, the slight glow of her irises almost seems unnatural. The air around her was heavy with the weight of her new life.Her body ached as if it were separating from the inside, but each painful movement was a reminder that she was alive living in a way she had never experienced before. The black, twisted magic inside her was undeniably powerful.She stood up, her movements startlingly silent, like a predator preparing to strike, She ran her hand over
Chapter 167The air in the concealed room was dense with the scent of smoke and plants, the walls throbbing with the gentle hum of dark energy.Kalyndria stood in the middle, her fingers tracing the complex glyphs engraved into the floor under her feet.The room appeared to shrink, the shadows moving closer, pushing in on her as if the very power she was about to unleash was alive, ready to take form.Eldrin loomed behind her, his presence towering, quiet, but his dark power palpable.She could feel the weight of the deal in her chest, like a big stone lying on her heart. This was no ordinary partnership.What she was going to do would alter everything. Powering this immense came at a price, but she was eager to pay it. No, she needed to pay it. The expense would be worth the outcome. The ritual was set. Eldrin's voice shattered the silence, its tone harsh and low, as if he were speaking through the very air itself. “You are certain, Kalyndria? Once we unleash the magic we summon, th
Chapter 166The acrid smell of dust and ancient power was carried by the wind as it howled down the chilly stone hallways.Alessandro stood in front of the altar, his angular features shadowed by the faint flicker of lighting.With each long, steady breath, he reminded himself of the weight he was carrying—the weight of the sinister ritual he was going to carry out. The only sound to break the stillness in the room was the gentle rustling of his coat on the chilly stone floor.There was a noticeable tension in the air, as if the chamber's walls knew about the evil powers Alessandro was about to unleash. He would transcend tonight. Above all, he would ascend and assert the authority that had escaped him for ages.He could approach the item that had been missing for so long—the Heart of Lunaria. A tingle ran through his veins at the notion. The ceremony was nearly complete,The incantation was the last thing he needed.The ancient relics that rested on the stone altar, each steeped in
Chapter 165Dante stood at the edge of the dark, swirling portal, his heart pounding in his chest. The air around him hummed with the energy of it, an unnatural pull that made his skin crawl.His fingers gripped the hilt of his dagger, the metal cold against his skin. He wasn't sure what haunted him more—the portal's power or the darkness it seemed to call to."You’ve come this far, but are you really ready?" a voice whispered inside his mind, familiar and cruel. "Do you think you can just undo the things you’ve done? Do you think you can really save anyone? Even you?"Dante ignored the voice, clenching his jaw. He knew it wasn’t real, not in the way a person was.It was the darkness that lived inside him, always trying to pull him down, to remind him of the past he couldn’t escape. But he wasn’t going to let it win now.He stepped forward, the ground beneath him trembling. The portal pulsed, a deep, resonating hum filling the air, and he felt it—every inch of it—a hunger that wanted
Chapter 164The air inside the temple was thick with the scent of burning incense and something else—something bitter, electric. Shadows flickered along the stone walls, shifting like living things.Valeria pressed a trembling hand to her temple, feeling the weight of the prophecy humming beneath her skin. It was coming. She could sense its pulsing presence, yearning for a voice.But so could they.Dark figures loomed at the entrance, their presence seething with an energy that made the candles shudder and flicker wildly.The enemy had come for her sight— for the truth woven into her bones. Should they taint her visions, the prophecy would perish irrevocably. Lucia would be lost forever.She could not allow it.Lucia’s voice rang out behind her, sharp with urgency. “Valeria, we have to leave! Now!”Valeria’s lips parted, but no words came. Her vision blurred, splitting into two realities—the present, where her body trembled with exhaustion, and the near future, where blood painted the