The night was alive, pulsing with a rhythm that only I could feel. The blood-red moon had not vanished from the sky; it lingered like a warning, its light spilling across the rooftops and cobblestone streets. Every shadow seemed longer, more deliberate. Every alley whispered danger.
I had learned to move quietly, to sense the currents of magic in the air. My pulse still throbbed beneath my collarbone where the faint crown-shaped mark glowed, tiny sparks igniting when I focused. Kael had taught me that power is not just strength it is awareness, control, and fear turned into action. Tonight, I would learn just how dangerous it could be.
The first sign came in the alley behind my apartment. A low growl, barely audible over the distant hum of the city, sent a shiver down my spine. I pressed myself against the cold brick wall, eyes narrowing. Three Nightborn emerged from the shadows, their amber eyes glinting like coals. Unlike before, these hunters didn't hesitate. They moved with precision, predatory grace, circling toward me as if they had rehearsed this moment a thousand times.
My chest tightened. I had no weapons. No allies besides Kael, who was supposed to meet me here, and whose absence made the night feel heavier.
I closed my eyes, feeling the pulse of magic awaken beneath my skin. The crown-shaped mark burned bright, and with it, a surge of power I hadn't dared to summon before. I could feel the currents of the city itself bending toward me shadows stretching, faint whispers urging me to strike, to defend, to survive.
I opened my eyes and saw the Nightborn freeze mid-step. Their gaze had shifted, wary now, uncertain.
Kael appeared from above, dropping silently onto the cobblestones behind me. His coat fluttered, golden eyes locking onto the hunters. "Do not waste it," he commanded. "Channel it. Now!"
I did.
I thrust my hands toward them instinctively, and the air crackled with energy. A wave of force erupted, sending the Nightborn sprawling backward. Their growls turned to startled cries as the ground trembled beneath their claws. I gasped, overwhelmed by the raw power I had unleashed.
Kael landed beside me, his presence a grounding force. "Control it, Seraphine," he said, voice steady. "You cannot afford chaos. Not yet."
I inhaled deeply, focusing on the glowing mark, willing it to calm. The Nightborn recovered, circling again, but slower this time. They hesitated, sensing the awakening within me. I was no longer the frightened art student they had glimpsed weeks ago I was something else. Something dangerous. Something to be reckoned with.
The fight escalated quickly. Shadows lunged from every corner. A clawed hand swiped at me from the darkness, but I twisted, channeling a shockwave of power from my crown mark. One hunter screamed as the force threw it against the brick wall, leaving a deep gouge. Another tried to flank me, but Kael intercepted, moving like a shadow himself, blade flashing briefly in the dim light.
"Stay close," he barked, eyes never leaving the hunters. "You're stronger than you think, but they will test you."
I realized then the truth: this was not just about survival. Every encounter was a lesson. Every strike, a calibration of my own power. The Nightborn weren't merely enemies they were the mirrors showing me what I could become.
Time lost all meaning in the alley. The sound of shattering crates, the hiss of supernatural energy, and the low growls of the Nightborn merged into a symphony of chaos. I felt my power surge again, hotter, sharper, more controlled. For the first time, I realized I could manipulate more than just the energy around me I could bend shadows, draw them toward me, and create barriers of darkness that twisted like living walls.
A Nightborn lunged, teeth bared, aiming for my throat. My hands flared with crimson light, and it hit the barrier before it could touch me. The force threw it into a pile of debris, growling in pain and frustration.
Kael stepped forward, blade extended, moving fluidly between the remaining two hunters. His movements were poetry lethal, precise, commanding. And yet, even as I watched him, I felt the thrill of my own awakening. For the first time, I understood that the Blood Moon Crown wasn't just a mark. It was a connection a channel to the ancient power running through my veins.
When the last Nightborn fell, disappearing into the shadows with hisses of rage, I sank to my knees, trembling. My chest burned where the crown mark pulsed, and sweat drenched my hair. The alley was silent now, except for our breathing and the faint crackle of energy lingering in the air.
Kael knelt beside me, eyes intense. "You have power," he said. "But power alone will not protect you. You must learn control, strategy, patience. You are no longer just Seraphine Duval. You are the last Sovereign. And the world will demand more from you than you can imagine."
I wanted to ask questions a thousand burning questions but words caught in my throat. Instead, I nodded, exhausted, exhilarated, terrified.
"You have potential," Kael said softly. "And potential draws attention. That is both a gift and a curse. The Bloodmarked, the Veilcasters… they will come for you. Soon. And when they do, they will not hesitate to kill."
I shivered at his words. I had already seen what they were capable of. I had already felt it. And now, I understood the truth: my life, as I had known it, was over.
We left the alley together, moving through the misty streets. Kael's hand brushed mine once brief, deliberate, and electric before he pulled back. I realized then that I was being trained not just to survive, but to wield power I barely understood, to navigate a world where every shadow hid a predator, and every choice carried consequences that could ripple across centuries.
The city seemed alive around us aware, almost sentient. Magic pulsed in the streets, in the walls, in the very air. I could feel it responding to me, acknowledging me, challenging me. And I realized with a mix of fear and exhilaration that I had become part of something far greater than myself.
By the time we reached the hidden sanctuary beneath the city, my muscles burned, my mind raced, and my chest throbbed with the pulse of the crown mark. Kael looked at me, his expression unreadable, and said simply:
"Tomorrow, we escalate. You will face something you have never imagined. Only then will you understand the price of power."
I swallowed hard, anticipation coiling in my stomach like a living thing. Fear was there, yes sharp, biting, insistent. But it was accompanied by something else: exhilaration. Desire. The undeniable pull of destiny.
I was no longer just Seraphine Duval. I was awakening. I was alive. I was a Sovereign.
And the hunt had only just begun.