The wind was sharp enough to cut skin, slicing through the dark as the moon hung swollen and crimson in the sky. The air was electric—charged with the kind of pressure that meant something ancient was about to wake. Selene stood at the cliff's edge, her hair whipping wildly, heart pounding with the force of a war drum. The ocean below roared like an unchained beast, throwing white foam into the air as if the sea itself was impatient for blood. Behind her, footsteps crunched on the frost-laced earth. She didn't need to turn to know it was Rhylen—his presence was a fire she could feel without looking. "You shouldn't be here," she whispered, though the wind tried to snatch her words away. "Neither should you," he shot back, voice low, threaded with that dangerous mix of amusement and command. When he stepped closer, the heat between them was almost painful. "The Crimson Moon means the gods are awake. And when the gods are awake… secrets don't stay buried." Selene swallowed hard. That was exactly what she feared.
From the shadows, another figure emerged—Kael. His silver eyes were like ice catching moonlight, cold and beautiful. "Rhylen," he said with quiet venom. The air between the two men was immediately charged, as if the mere act of sharing space was a challenge neither was willing to back down from. Selene could feel the tension coil, sharp as a drawn blade. "You're following her again," Kael accused. "Protecting her," Rhylen countered. "From you, if necessary." "From me?" Kael stepped forward, his height and raw power making him seem like a living shadow. "Do you even know what she is, Rhylen? Or are you too busy trying to get between her and her destiny?" "I know enough to keep her alive," Rhylen growled. "And I know she doesn't need you controlling her fate."
Selene's patience snapped. "Enough!" she hissed, stepping between them, shoving against the solid walls of muscle they both presented. "If you two want to kill each other, fine, but not tonight. Not when—" The ground shook violently beneath them, cutting her off. The ocean roared louder, as if something massive was rising from its depths. A pulse—not of sound, but of pure force—rolled out from the horizon, striking them in the chest. Selene stumbled, clutching her head as an alien whisper slithered into her mind. Daughter of Blood… the hour has come.
Her vision blurred. Images flashed: a temple drowned in moonlight, a river of blood spilling over obsidian steps, and a crown forged from bone. She gasped for air, realizing her knees had buckled. Rhylen caught her instantly, his arms locking around her, but Kael's hand shot out and gripped her wrist, refusing to let go. "You heard it too," Kael said darkly. Rhylen's jaw clenched. "What did you hear?" Selene shook her head, terrified by the weight of the truth forming in her chest. "It's not just the gods waking," she whispered. "It's him."
Kael's eyes narrowed. "The First Blood." Rhylen went still. "That's just legend." "So is she," Kael replied, tilting his chin toward Selene, "and yet here she stands."
Before Selene could speak, the sky split with a violent crack of thunder—not from clouds, but from the moon itself. A jagged beam of blood-red light slammed into the cliffs not far from them, blasting stone into shards and spraying the air with heat. Where it struck, a figure began to form—not of flesh, but of shadow and fire, shifting and pulsing like it was being pulled from another realm. The voice returned, louder this time, echoing from the very air: Blood calls to blood. Kneel, or be broken.
Kael stepped forward without hesitation, his body already half-shifting, claws glinting in the moonlight. Rhylen moved too, drawing the black-forged blade that had always seemed older than him. But Selene… Selene felt something else. A pull. Deep in her bones. The moon's bloody glow was crawling over her skin, into her veins, and her heartbeat was syncing to the ancient rhythm she had heard in dreams. Her chest tightened, not with fear—but with hunger. Power-hunger.
Her hand trembled as she reached out toward the blood beam. Pain exploded up her arm, but she didn't pull away. Instead, the light coiled around her fingers, winding up her wrist like a serpent made of molten fire. She heard Kael call her name. Heard Rhylen's curse as he tried to pull her back. But it was too late. The light surged into her body. For a heartbeat, there was nothing but blinding agony… and then silence.
When her vision cleared, the world looked different. Every shadow was sharper, every heartbeat around her was clear as a drum. Her skin glowed faintly under the crimson moonlight, and when she exhaled, her breath shimmered with power. Rhylen stared at her like she was a weapon forged before his eyes. Kael smiled—slow, dangerous, like a man who had just been proven right. "The Bloodline of the First," he said softly. "You're his heir."
Selene's stomach twisted. She had suspected she was different. Stronger. But this… this was more than she had ever dared imagine. "I'm not his," she spat. "I'm no one's." "That's where you're wrong," the shadowed figure said, its voice dripping like molten iron. The form had solidified now—a towering being in armor that looked hammered from starlight and ash. Its eyes were twin voids, but when they fixed on her, she felt the weight of eternity pressing down. "You are mine, child. My blood burns in your veins. And you will either rule in my name… or burn defying me."
Before she could answer, the ground cracked open beneath them. The cliff's edge crumbled, sending stone tumbling into the boiling sea. Rhylen grabbed her waist, yanking her back, while Kael leapt to higher ground with inhuman grace. The godlike figure simply floated above the chaos, unbothered. "I will return when the moon bleeds again," it said, fading back into the rift of red light. "And then, Selene… the world will kneel."
Silence fell, but it was a suffocating one. The only sound was the crash of waves below. Selene stood frozen, her body still trembling from the power coursing through her. Rhylen's hands lingered on her, grounding her, but his voice was hard when he spoke. "We need to hide you. Before every blood cult, rogue pack, and power-hungry godsnare in the realms comes hunting." "Or," Kael interrupted, "we gather them first. Make them kneel to her before they even try to fight. If she's the heir of the First Blood, she doesn't hide. She rules."
The two men locked eyes, their rivalry no longer just about her heart—it was now about her crown. And Selene… Selene realized she was no longer the girl who just wanted to survive. That hunger was still there, deep and dark, whispering to her. Maybe Kael was right. Maybe running was for prey. Maybe it was time to hunt.
She straightened, stepping out of Rhylen's hold. "We don't hide," she said, voice steadier than she felt. "We find the others. We find the gods. And if they want me to kneel…" She looked at the bloody moon above and smiled coldly. "…they'll have to force me."