Smoke curled into the night sky, darkening the twin moons as Aeloria stared at the ruins of the only home she had ever known. The herb garden she planted with her own hands… the cottage her adoptive mother built stone by stone… all swallowed by the chaos she never asked for.
The Silent Order lay scattered across the valley, some unconscious, some unmoving—yet the danger wasn't over. The air still trembled with residual energy from Aeloria's accidental magic, and it called to things far beyond the valley.
She felt eyes everywhere.Watching.Calculating.Claiming.
The vampire, dragon, and Beastborn formed a protective triangle around her, each wounded in small ways, each breathing hard, their attention fixed outward.
But their bodies angled inward—toward her.
As if she was the center of gravity pulling them.
The vampire was the first to approach. His cloak billowed behind him, singed at the edges from dragonfire. When he removed it from around Aeloria's shoulders, it was only so he could fasten it properly, his cold fingers brushing her neck.
His touch sent a chill down her spine.
"We leave now," he murmured. "Before reinforcements come."
The dragon lord crossed his arms, golden tattoos flickering. "Funny that you think you decide when we leave."
"You want to debate leadership now?" the vampire snapped.
"I always want to debate leadership with you."
The Beastborn growled low, stepping between them before flames or fangs could fly. "Enough. The valley is compromised. We move."
Aeloria wrapped the cloak tighter around her trembling body. "Where… where are we going?"
All three men hesitated.That alone terrified her more than the assassins.
Finally, the vampire spoke. "To safety."
The dragon scoffed. "Speak plainly. She deserves the truth."
The Beastborn nodded. "She must be taken to the High Sanctum."
Aeloria's stomach dropped. "The— the Sanctum? The one in the legends? Where the three races swore the ancient truce?"
"That is the one," the vampire replied. "It is the only neutral ground left in Veloria."
"And the only place the Silent Order dares not enter," the dragon added.
Aeloria turned slowly, eyes scanning the bodies around the valley. "They came for me. Not for any of you."
The Beastborn stepped closer, his warmth surrounding her like a shield. "You awakened the Prophecy Mark. Every faction that fears its return will hunt you. Those who want to use you will chase you. And those who want to worship you…" His gaze sharpened. "They are the worst of all."
Aeloria's breath caught."Why me?"
The vampire met her eyes, crimson gaze piercing. "Because the Celestial Bond must be one of all three races."
The dragon completed the thought:"Vampire."
The Beastborn added:"Dragon."
And the vampire finished:"Beast."
Aeloria shook her head violently. "No. Impossible. I'm human. I bleed like one. I lived like one—"
The vampire lifted a single brow. "Did you not question why you never fell ill? Why wounds closed days faster than they should? Why plants respond to your voice?"
Aeloria's heart pounded.
She had wondered.But wondering didn't make it true.
The dragon took a slow step toward her, lowering his voice. It held heat, yes—but also truth.
"Your mother hid you in this valley for a reason. You were sealed. Protected. Your blood was kept dormant." He touched the Mark on her wrist with a reverence that made her shiver. "Tonight, that seal shattered."
The Beastborn added softly, "And the world felt it."
Aeloria's breathing grew shallow, panic rising. Her eyes darted across the burning valley—her home collapsing into ash. "If I go with you… If I leave… There's no going back, is there?"
"No," the vampire said gently. "Your life changed the moment the Mark flared."
The dragon nodded. "You step into destiny now."
The Beastborn extended a hand—large, warm, steady. "And you will not face it alone."
Aeloria looked at his hand.Then at the valley.Then at the sky, where smoke mingled with moonlight.
The world she knew had ended.
Now only one remained—the world of blood, fire, and fate standing before her.
She inhaled shakily. "What happens if I refuse to go?"
All three men froze.
Then the vampire stepped forward, his voice barely above a whisper, heavy with meaning.
"Then you die."
Aeloria's heart lurched.
The dragon's expression held none of the teasing warmth he'd shown earlier. Only somber fire. "And Veloria soon after."
The Beastborn bowed his head. "Your choice shapes the fate of kingdoms."
Silence settled over the valley.
Aeloria closed her eyes, chest tight with grief and terror.
But beneath it all…A spark pulsed inside her.A whisper of power, destiny, and something she'd always felt but never understood.
She opened her eyes.
"I'll go."
All three men released a breath they didn't know they'd been holding.
The vampire stepped closest. "Stay near me. They will come again."
The dragon smirked. "Let them."
The Beastborn cracked his neck. "I'm ready."
Aeloria turned her back on her burning valley—and stepped into the path that would change the world.