Seren didn't drop the rock.
The vampire stood at the edge of the clearing, sword dripping black blood from the Blightbeast he'd slain, eyes locked on the glowing brand on her shoulder. Rain had started to fall — soft at first, then harder — as if the forest itself were trying to drown the silence between them.
> "Who are you?" she demanded.
"A messenger," he said. "Or maybe a mistake. I'm not sure yet."
He sheathed the sword, slow and deliberate. Not out of trust — but control. Seren had seen that kind of poise before. Soldiers wore it like armor. This one wore it like skin.
> "You killed that thing," she said.
"You woke it."
"I didn't mean to—"
"The Blight never cares what you mean."
The way he spoke—like he wasn't afraid of her, but wasn't underestimating her either—unnerved her more than his fangs.
She circled around him, eyes sharp. "You're a vampire."
> "Kael," he said.
"I don't care."
"You will."
Something about his voice made her stomach twist. Not soft. Not cruel. Just... tired.
She tightened her grip on the stone. "You here to finish the job? My village wasn't enough?"
A flicker of emotion crossed his face—pain, guilt, regret—before vanishing like a breath in frost.
> "I didn't burn Ashgrave."
"But your soldiers did."
"They weren't mine."
The mark on her shoulder pulsed again. Kael's gaze flicked to it.
> "You don't even know what that means, do you?"
Seren took a step back. "I don't need to know. I just need to stay alive."
Kael stepped forward.
> "Then listen to me, Fireborn. You're not safe. And I'm the only one who can keep you from being bled dry before sunrise."
---
They moved through the forest like shadows.
Seren hated herself for following him, but the truth was — she had nowhere else to go. And part of her… part of her wanted answers. About the fire. About the mark. About why she could still smell ash when the flames were gone.
Kael walked ahead, silent, focused. The rain had slowed, but mist still curled around the trees like breath from a sleeping god.
> "Why help me?" she finally asked.
He didn't answer for a long time.
> "Because I saw you," he said at last. "In a vision. Before Ashgrave burned. Before you even woke your flame."
> "What did you see?"
"You standing over a field of bones. Wearing a crown of thorns. And behind you… the gods were screaming."
Seren stopped walking. "So you think I'm a weapon."
Kael turned, eyes unreadable. "No. I think you're a key."
> "To what?"
"Everything."
---
They reached a ruined temple before sunrise — half-swallowed by vines, cracked by centuries. A forgotten shrine to the God of Silence. Seren felt something shift under her skin the moment they crossed the threshold.
> "This place is cursed," she whispered.
"Good. That means they won't follow us here."
Kael lit a lantern, the flame inside blue and steady. "Rest. You'll need your strength. Tomorrow, we head to Verath. There's someone there who can explain what you are."
> "And what are you?" she asked, before she could stop herself.
Kael paused.
> "A prince. A monster. A prisoner."
He met her gaze.
"And maybe the only person who doesn't want your blood on a blade."
---
Seren curled against a cracked stone wall, her body aching, her mind louder than the storm outside.
She didn't trust him. She didn't even like him.
But deep down, a voice whispered:
> You need him.
And he needs you.