The moon hung over the kingdom of Astralline like a severed head, bleeding pale, cold light onto the stone floors of the royal balcony. Inside the master suite, Prince Kaelen gripped the cold marble railing, his knuckles turning white. His breath came in ragged gasps, coming out as mist in the freezing night air.But the cold was nothing compared to the fire inside him.
Inside his veins, something was screaming. It wasn't just pain; it was a pulse—a rhythmic, violent throb that felt like liquid lead pouring through his heart.
"Not tonight," he whispered, his voice jagged. "Not yet."
But the Crimson Curse was an uninvitedguest that didn't care for royal decrees or silent prayers. A sharp, searing heat ignited in his chest, spreading like wildfire toward his eyes. He collapsed to his knees, his forehead thumping against the floor. As he struggled to breathe, the shadows in the corners of the room began to writhe. They didn't just move; they thickened,detaching themselves from the walls like dark ink dropped into clear water.
The Voice in the DarknessAs Kaelen lay on the floor, a low, distorted whisper echoed in his mind. It was a voice that sounded like his own, but stripped of all humanity—ancient, hungry, and cruel.
"Why do you fight the inevitable, littlePrince?" the voice hissed. "The blood of the Fallen doesn't want to be hidden. It wants to burn. Let it out. The world is so much prettier when it's on fire."
"Never," Kaelen hissed through gritted teeth. He pictured the city outside the palace walls—the thousands of innocent families, the children, the markets. If he lost control now, the shadows would explode outward, and by sunrise, Astrallinewould be nothing but a graveyard of ash.
With a roar of agony, he slammed his fist into the stone floor. To his horror, the marble didn't just crack—it disintegrated into fine black dust where his skin touched it. Red, rhythmic light began to pulse under his skin, glowing through his veinslike a demonic map.
An Unexpected WitnessSuddenly, the heavy oak doors of his chamber creaked open. The sound was small, but in the silence of the night, it felt like a thunderclap.
"Your Highness? I... I heard a sound from the hallway. Is everything alright?"
Kaelen froze. It was Elara, the newhandmaiden who had been assigned to the royal wing only a week ago. She stood in the doorway, a small lantern trembling in her hand. The soft golden light flickered across the room, hitting Kaelen's hunched figure.
"Go... away!" Kaelen growled, his voice vibrating with a terrifying, inhuman resonance.
But Elara didn'trun. She took a step forward, the lantern light revealing the chaos of the room. The shadows were now nearly six feet tall, swirling around the Prince like dark wings. Kaelen turned his head just enough for her to see his face. His eyes were no longer the deep sapphire blue the kingdom admired—they weretwo burning, liquid pools of crimson, glowing with a malevolent light.
"Your eyes..." Elara whispered. She didn't sound terrified. She sounded... shocked.
The Secret of the Silver DaggerKaelen lunged toward her, not to attack, but to push her out and lock the door.However, the curse had altered his perception. He moved too fast—a blur of shadow and red light. He stopped just inches from her, the sheer pressure of his aura knocking the lantern from her hand.
The lantern shattered. Oil spilled across the floor, and the flame caught, creating a ring of fire between them.
"I told you to leave!" Kaelen screamed, hisshadows lashing out and cracking the stone walls.
Instead of screaming, Elara reached into the hidden folds of her tunic. Her movements were calm, practiced. She pulled out a small, curved dagger made of strange, dull silver. As the red light from Kaelen's eyes hit the blade, ancient runes etched into the metal began to glow.
They were the exact same runes that were
currently burning into Kaelen's skin.
Kaelen stopped. The shadows around him flickered and retreated slightly. "Where did you get that? That is the mark of the Forbidden Guard."
"The guard your father executed ten years ago?" Elara said, her voice steadying. She stepped through the circle of fire, ignoring the heat. She pointed the dagger at his heart. "I didn't come here to serve youwine and change your linens, Kaelen. I came to see if the rumors were true. I came to see if the Prince was the monster my father described."
The Final TwistKaelen felt the fire in his blood cooling, replaced by a cold dread. "Your father?"
"My father was the Captain of the Guard. He didn't die for a crime; he died becausehe knew what you were," she said, her amber eyes turning dark. "But you... you aren't the only one carrying the blood of the Fallen."
With a swift motion, she pulled back her left sleeve. There, on her pale wrist, was a glowing red mark—a brand of a serpent biting its own tail. It was pulsing in perfect, terrifying synchronization with Kaelen'sown heartbeat.
"The curse isn't a disease, Kaelen," she whispered, her voice dropping to a chilling tone. "It's a key. And tonight, we just unlocked the door to the abyss."
As she spoke, the floor beneath them began to vibrate violently. The red light from both their marks merged, hitting the center of the room. A hidden seal on the floor, lost for three centuries under theroyal rugs, began to glow and rotate. With a heavy, grinding sound of stone against stone, a hidden trapdoor began to slide open, revealing a dark, spiral staircase that led deep into the foundations of the palace—into a place that appeared on no map.
A cold, ancient wind blew up from the darkness, carrying the smell of old blood and magic.
"My family has waitedthree hundred years for this moment," Elara said, stepping toward the edge of the darkness. She looked back at Kaelen, a small, dangerous smile on her lips. "Now, my Prince, shall we go find out what your father was so afraid of?"
Kaelen looked at the girl, then at the dark abyss below. He realized then that his life
as a Prince ended the moment that door opened. His life as a monster was just beginning.