Blood Ties And Moon Fire

smelled of ash and death.Aria stood among the ruins, her silver hair streaked with blood and soot. The sword Luca left behind gleamed faintly beside her boot, the last proof

grip, like it still remembered him. "You promised," she w

faint whistle of the wi

eading slow tendrils of red light. It no longer burned it breathed. It puls

clutching her arm. "Wh

was soft, feminine, ancient. You were never meant to fight th

th hitch

d of the prophecy.Aria pressed her hands over her ears, but the voice only grew louder. Images flooded her mind Luca's crimson eyes, the witch's black smile, the

d. The fore

d in a pool of water near her feet but it wasn't her. Her pupils were slit like a pred

ispered agai

finish, she heard f

round, bla

ak, moving slowly through the smoke. The air shifted around them like m

Moon

e. "Who

t looked almost identical to Aria's. Her eyes glowed faintly blue. "I am Lysa

lower her

robes brushing the ashes. "The Bloodbound has risen. And if you do

prophecies anymore. They're just words peop

oftly, "was it prophecy or trut

o by the witch to punish the gods who defied her. She cursed their creations wolves born of moonlight, vampires born of shadow to destroy each other until the en

unded. "Then wh

ra whispered. "The witch twisted your bond, feeding on your p

ed. "Then there's n

er gaze sharp as moonlight.

ed slowly. "What

ur bloods wolf and vampire and command the curse from within.

murmured. "Wher

, there is no guarantee you will return as yourself. The Bloodbound

more. Her hands trembled, but her eyes

ly, a mix of pity and pride.

is the one who made the pact that birthed the prophecy. You

woman with Aria's eyes, kneeling before the moon, her hands soaked in blood. "Your mother made a vow beneath the Blood Moon. To end the war, she bound her soul to the shad

oftly. "It was about legacy. About the gods rewriting their mistakes through you."Ari

ul what you wish for, child. The

ned, their branches curling inward. The ground began to hu

whispered. "The witch

r sword. "Then

ees the witch's specters, her dark army reborn. Lysandra drew

The Bloodbound within y

teeth. "And if

ntrol th

When she swung, the air itself cracked, slicing through the ghost like fire through smoke. The curse burned

roke through the chaos. "Luca... if you can hear me... hold on. I'm coming for you."And then she van

very strike drawing out more of the power that burned inside her. The sword in her hand

der. The ground shook, and a ring of light erupted

d in two beside a blackened tree. Aria's heart clenched, but there

ia

arted arou

ere. The mark on her arm pulsed in response. The Blood Moon above

rest v

between the living and the cursed. The air shimmered with distant cries a

she crie

d behind her. Sh

er now, his skin paler, and his eyes glowed a deep black rimmed with

ce was calm, too calm. "

She took a step forward. The mist between them rippl

eeds on emotion. Every heartbeat you sp

he said. "I came

ment the witch bound us, there w

n't," he warned. "The curse... it's part of m

t didn't retreat. "Then

ight darknes

. "Then I'll fig

eyes, and the Luca she knew flickered t

ours," sh

em, forming shapes faces of the dead, arms

efy me? You belo

espite the pain slicing through her veins. When he

ver and blacktwisting together into a single

e shrieked, and

r teeth. "You d

d, she saw glimpses of Luca's soul fragmented, chained by black fire. She

ntly. "Aria... stop.

tears. "Then we'l

her childhood home, the burned forest, the moon b

n cold stone. The void was gone. She was inside

His eyes were no longer black but dark

slowly. "W

e've only moved from o

f obsidian, carved with runes that pulsed with the same red glow as thei

aid. "She bound it to both our soul

t. "If we destroy it, the bond between us may break. We could lose everyt

aised. The runes flared brighter, sensing their defiance. The ground trembled, and the w

ed her grip.

A flash of crimson exploded outward, sw

melted into a roar that came from inside her own chest. For a moment she thought they

t in two half silver, half crimson. At her feet lay the shattered remains of the al

, veins of red and gold weaving together under

she wh

nd fell, but faintly, like a candle struggling against wind. When she touched him, a surge of heat shot th

murmured. "You

it still feel l

edge of the horizon, whispering. "Because she never truly dies. The curse is

at her hands

yes softened

witch, the seer, the armies that had fallen. Aria rose to her f

d with he

e, I was taught that wolves obey the moon and vampires obey

The mark on her arm spread across her skin, wrapping around her neck l

eyes. "You're beco

ewriti

stretched across the plain. The whispers stopp

ch's, softer now, almost reverent. Blood of moon and

h the air. "Rule? No. I

, spinning faster until they became a ring of fire and shadow. She pressed her p

she said. "As long as it exists, neit

"You just made peace.

tears forming. "But

. "What do

to stay anchored. If I remain here,

just got each other back. T

was the only thing strong enough to

er, voice shakin

member me. Not as a curse, not as a queen. Just

ed his, and th

forests reborn, rivers glowing like silver veins. The moon turned white again. When the l

rm had vanished.

aw her Aria standing in the moonlight, hair drifting

his chest. "You didn't die," he whispered.

and the wind carried her voice,

nation. "Then I'll find you again,"

pered her name,Aria Moonwell, the Bloodbou

t followed, peace finall