The cradle burned with light.
Selene pressed her hands to its edges, fire dancing across her palms, her body trembling as if her own heartbeat fed the flames. Her son lay within, swathed in silken cloth, golden eyes wide and fixed not on her—but on the door.
"They are here," he whispered again. Calm. Too calm for a child.
Ice carved down her spine.
The storm outside howled, the ancient stones of the stronghold quivering as if Mars itself recoiled. Selene glanced once more at her son, sparks flickering along his lashes, and whispered back:
"Then let them come."
The doors shuddered. A crash split the silence. Screams erupted from the outer halls—her guards, her people. The Beast's roar followed, raw and furious, shaking the walls like thunder.
And then—the door broke.
---
A dozen figures stumbled in—her own guards, armor blackened, veins glowing with venom. Eyes like pits of shadow, mouths twisted beyond recognition. Wolves slinked at their feet, silver-eyed, foam dripping from fangs.
Selene spread her arms. Flames erupted outward, scorching the air, hissing over steel. Shadows hissed and recoiled. Wolves leapt, their pelts igniting midair, falling in smoking heaps.
Still—they kept coming.
She planted herself before the cradle, fire roaring higher, chest heaving with fury and fear.
"You will not touch him!"
One guard faltered, his face flickering with the man he once was—the captain who swore his life to her. His mouth moved, trembling. Words alien, venom dripping.
"She comes," he rasped. "The daughter of wolves. The venom heir. She will feast upon your son."
The words burned deeper than blades.
Selene unleashed a torrent of fire, incinerating him in a storm of ash and molten steel.
---
The Beast burst through the doorway, blades soaked in blood, shadows wild, barely under control. No longer man—he was a storm incarnate, cutting through wolves, splitting corrupted guards, roaring so loud the stones shook.
"Keep the boy safe!" he bellowed, eyes aflame with a madness as fierce as the venom invading her halls.
The enemy pressed harder. Wolves poured from cracks in stone, shadows bleeding from walls. The air stank of venom, thick as smoke. Selene coughed, her flames sputtering.
Her son's voice cut through the haze.
"Mother," he whispered from the cradle, untouched by fear. "Burn brighter. Do not hold back."
Ancient words. Commanding. They lifted her from despair. Flames surged anew, weaving with the Beast's shadows. Together they carved a circle of fire and night, pushing the corrupted back inch by inch.
But for every guard that fell, another shadowed figure took his place. For every wolf burned, three more emerged. Endless. A tide of venom.
Selene's heart thundered. This was no mere strike. The Silent War had come inside her halls. At her son's cradle.
---
Far beneath the Venom Throne, Nyla closed her eyes.
Through wolves and venom, she saw Selene's chamber. She saw the fire, the cradle, the golden-eyed child.
"He is small," she whispered, silver eyes glinting. "Small… but dangerous. Mother was right. He is the only threat."
Lyra's hand brushed through Nyla's hair, venom glistening at her fingertips. "Then unmake him, my wolf. Drink his fire. Replace it with yours."
Velkar laughed. "Let them burn themselves out. When the flames die, only shadow remains."
---
Back in the chamber, Selene staggered. The venom thickened the air, clawing at her lungs. The Beast cut down another wolf, claws slick with black ichor. His control frayed, shadows climbing his arms like chains.
"No!" Selene shouted, fire sparking from her throat. She seized his wrist, flames searing the shadow-chains. "Not now! Stay with me!"
His gaze met hers, agony flickering beneath fury.
"If they touch him—I will drown this world in blood."
"And if you do," Selene hissed, forcing his face closer, "we lose him anyway."
The words struck deep enough. The Beast's shadows twisted, then loosened. His blades swung in rhythm with her fire. Together, flame and shadow carved their defense.
---
Then—a lull.
The venomous tide receded. Wolves retreated into smoke. Guards collapsed, lifeless. Selene panted, fire dimming, body trembling. The Beast lowered his blades, chest heaving.
For a heartbeat, silence.
Then the child spoke.
"She is here."
Selene froze.
The cradle darkened. Shadows curled within, wrapping her son's form. Not Velkar's work—another will. Another presence.
A voice, soft and silken, slithered across the chamber.
"Hello, Aunt."
Selene's blood turned to ice.
Shadows formed a face—a girl's face, pale and sharp, silver eyes gleaming with venomous triumph. Nyla. Lyra's daughter.
"Your fire burns bright," she hissed, "but fire dies. My wolves taste your halls already. My venom seeps into your stones. When the moment comes, I will take what should have been mine."
Selene's fire surged higher. "You will never touch him!"
Nyla's silver gaze locked on the golden eyes in the cradle. Lips curling into a smile.
"Oh, but he calls to me already. Flame and shadow—half mine, half curse. You cannot keep him from me."
The cradle shook. Golden eyes blazed brighter. Sparks danced across lashes. Shadows coiled like living guardians.
For the first time, the child spoke—not a whisper, but a command.
"Begone."
The shadows recoiled. Nyla's face twisted, burning, screaming, then shattered into smoke.
Silence returned.
Selene clutched the cradle. Her son's gaze was calm, endless, as if nothing had happened.
Then—a scream beyond the door. Kael's voice.
"Forgive me, my queen!"
And then—steel cut flesh.
---
A tremor ran through the chamber. Flames flickered wildly. Shadows shrieked and recoiled. Selene's grip on the cradle tightened.
The child stirred, golden eyes narrowing. Sparks flared. The chamber itself seemed to bend to his will.
"Mother," he whispered. Voice soft, yet unmistakably commanding. "Do not falter. They are mine to face."
Selene's breath caught. She felt the weight of prophecy, destiny, and love collide in a single heartbeat.
Outside, the shadows waited. Inside, the fire burned. And somewhere beyond the walls, Nyla prepared for the strike that would decide all.
The Silent War had only just begun.
The air shifted. A low hum vibrated through the walls, almost like a warning. Nyla froze, her instincts screaming.