Night in Ravenspire was louder than day.
Lanterns lit the streets like glowing red stars. Music spilled from taverns. Laughter echoed from gambling dens. People danced like tomorrow did not exist, because in Ravenspire, tomorrow was never promised.
The Raven Guild Hall stood above it all like a silent predator.
Inside, the training grounds were filled with bodies.
Sweat.
Steel.
Blood.
Not from killing.
From survival.
I stood in the center of the hall, dressed in simple training clothes provided by the guild. A black shirt, fitted trousers, and leather wrist wraps.
Kael stood beside me, arms folded.
He looked uncomfortable.
Not because of the training.
Because of the people.
Ravenspire people did not stare politely.
They stared like they were measuring how much you were worth.
Across the room, Varric leaned against a pillar, watching me with eyes full of suspicion.
The girl in the red cloak stood nearby too, whispering with her friends and glancing at me like I was dirt on her boots.
She was beautiful in a sharp way, with long dark hair and arrogant posture.
She walked toward me slowly.
Her lips curled.
"So you are the lucky girl," she said.
I stared at her calmly.
She smirked.
"My name is Lyra," she continued. "And I have been training in this guild for four years."
Her gaze swept over me.
"And you walk in here with a pretty face and one lucky win, and suddenly Darius wants you"
Her voice dripped with bitterness.
Kael leaned closer to me.
"She is jealous," he whispered.
Lyra's eyes snapped to Kael.
"And who is that," she asked, disgusted. "Your pet thief"
Kael smiled.
"I prefer the term handsome criminal," he replied.
Lyra scoffed.
Then she stepped closer to me.
"You will not last," she said softly. "Girls like you break fast."
I tilted my head.
"Girls like me," I repeated.
Lyra smiled.
"Soft girls," she said. "Girls who think they can hide behind clever tricks."
Her voice sharpened.
"This is Ravenspire. Here, luck runs out."
I stared at her.
Then I stepped closer, my voice calm.
"Then you should pray your luck does not run out first," I replied.
Lyra's smile faded.
Her eyes narrowed.
Kael muttered under his breath.
"Oh, she is definitely going to hate you now."
Lyra walked away, her cloak swinging behind her like she owned the place.
Kael exhaled.
"I do not like her," he whispered.
"I did not ask you to," I replied.
Then a loud whistle echoed.
Darius Crowe stepped into the training grounds.
The hall quieted instantly.
His eyes swept across the trainees like a blade.
"You want to survive in Ravenspire," he said.
No one answered.
Darius continued.
"Then you train until your body stops begging," he said. "And when it stops begging, you train harder."
He pointed at the arena.
"Tonight is endurance training."
Groans echoed.
Darius's expression did not change.
"Pairs," he ordered. "If your partner falls, you carry them. If you cannot carry them, you both fail."
The crowd shifted immediately.
People moved into pairs quickly.
Kael looked around, confused.
"Pairs," he muttered. "Who am I pairing with"
Nobody approached him.
Kael's expression tightened.
Then a large trainee stepped forward, smirking.
"I will take the thief," the man said.
Kael's eyes widened.
"No," he said quickly. "Actually I am very tired already. I might faint."
The large trainee laughed.
"I will enjoy breaking you," he said.
Kael forced a smile.
"This is why I hate guilds," he whispered.
I did not have time to respond.
Because Lyra stepped in front of me.
"I will take her," she said coldly.
I met her gaze.
So she wanted to prove something.
Fine.
Darius nodded.
"Good," he said. "Begin."
The endurance trial started immediately.
We were forced to run laps around the guild hall courtyard with heavy weights strapped to our backs. The stones under our feet were cold, but the air was thick with sweat and breath.
Lyra ran beside me, her expression fierce.
At first, she was faster.
She wanted to show dominance.
But she did not know one thing.
I had already died once.
Pain did not scare me anymore.
Minutes passed.
Then an hour.
Then another.
Bodies began to fall.
Some trainees collapsed.
Some vomited.
Some cried.
Darius did not stop it.
He only watched.
Lyra's breathing became heavier.
Her pace slowed.
But she refused to show weakness.
She glanced at me, expecting me to struggle.
But I kept running.
Calm.
Steady.
Lowkey.
Not showing magic.
Not showing blood threads.
Just willpower.
Lyra's eyes narrowed.
"How," she hissed.
I did not answer.
Because if I answered, she would hear the truth.
I was not running with a body of a merchant girl.
I was running with a soul that had already burned in flames.
Across the courtyard, Kael was suffering.
His partner, the large trainee, was clearly enjoying it.
"Move faster," the man barked.
Kael stumbled.
"I am moving," Kael hissed. "My legs are just… short."
The man shoved him.
Kael almost fell.
My eyes narrowed.
Kael caught himself, but his face changed.
Not funny.
Not playful.
Cold.
He looked at the man with eyes that suddenly held danger.
The man laughed.
"What are you going to do, rat"
Kael did not respond.
He just kept running.
But his jaw was clenched.
His fists were shaking.
And for a second, I saw it.
The part of him that did not joke.
The part of him that wanted to kill.
The endurance training ended at midnight.
Only a few remained standing.
Lyra collapsed to her knees, breathing hard.
Kael collapsed too, lying flat on his back like a dead man.
Darius stepped forward.
His gaze swept across the survivors.
Then his eyes landed on me.
"You did not fall," he said.
I bowed slightly.
"I did not want to," I replied.
Darius's lips twitched slightly.
Almost approval.
He turned to Kael.
"You," he said.
Kael lifted his head weakly.
"Yes," he gasped.
Darius stared at him.
"You are still alive," he said.
Kael smiled painfully.
"I hate you," he whispered.
Some trainees laughed.
Darius ignored it.
He raised his hand.
"Enough," he said. "Get rest. Tomorrow, combat training begins."
The trainees slowly dispersed.
I walked toward Kael.
He was sitting up now, rubbing his shoulder.
"You almost died," I said.
Kael laughed softly.
"I almost died many times," he replied.
Then his voice lowered.
"But tonight… reminded me of something."
I stared at him.
Kael looked away.
"My sister," he whispered.
His jaw tightened.
"She used to run like that," he said. "Always stubborn. Always refusing to fall."
His eyes darkened.
"Until the day they took her."
I stayed silent.
Kael exhaled slowly.
"Sometimes," he said quietly, "I wonder if she is still alive. If she remembers me."
His voice cracked slightly.
Then he forced it back down.
"And sometimes," he added, "I wonder if I should have died instead."
The words hit me harder than I expected.
Because I knew that feeling.
Kael looked at me suddenly.
"And you," he said. "You look like someone who also lost everything."
I did not answer.
Because the truth was too heavy.
Instead, I turned away.
"We should sleep," I said.
Kael nodded.
But his eyes stayed distant.
BACK IN THE CAPITAL
Far away from Ravenspire, the Blood Kingdom's capital was silent.
Not lively.
Not breathing.
Silent like a grave.
Deep beneath the Blood Court, hidden chambers pulsed with crimson light.
Chains rattled.
A girl screamed.
Selene Frost lay on a stone altar, her white dress torn and stained with blood.
Her wrists were bound by glowing runes.
Her body convulsed as black venom spread through her veins like fire.
She screamed again.
"STOP!" she cried. "STOP IT!"
A masked elder stood above her.
His voice was calm.
"You wanted power," he said. "This is power."
Selene's eyes rolled back.
Her nails dug into the altar.
Blood spilled.
Then something moved under her skin.
Like snakes crawling inside her body.
Selene's scream turned into a laugh.
A twisted laugh.
Her pupils split.
Thin and vertical.
Snake eyes.
The elder nodded slowly.
"The Serpent Bloodline has accepted you," he murmured.
Selene's body rose slightly, her spine arching unnaturally.
Her mouth opened.
And when she spoke, her voice was not fully hers.
"Where is she," Selene whispered.
The elder's eyes gleamed.
"Elara Nightborne," he replied.
Selene smiled.
A smile too wide to be human.
"I can smell her," she whispered.
The elder stepped closer.
"Good," he said. "Then hunt her."
Selene's smile grew.
"I will," she murmured.
Then her eyes turned toward the shadows.
"And Lucien," she whispered softly. "Bring him to me."
In the upper chambers of the Blood Court, Lucien Valemont stood alone.
His fists were clenched.
His eyes were stormy.
In front of him lay a sealed council letter.
A command.
CAPTURE ELARA NIGHTBORNE
DEAD OR ALIVE
FAILURE WILL BE PUNISHED
Lucien crushed the letter in his hand.
His jaw tightened.
His mind replayed the moment he had seen Elara's crown mark.
The moment he had felt his blood tremble.
The moment he realized the future was real.
Lucien whispered to himself.
"Elara…"
Then his eyes hardened.
"I will find you first," he said.
His voice became a vow.
"And I will not let them touch you."
But deep down, he feared the truth.
Because he did not know if Elara would ever forgive him.
And worse…
he did not know if he deserved forgiveness.
⸻
THE BLOOD COUNCIL
In the deepest hall of the Blood Council, seven elders sat in a circle.
Their masks were carved with ancient runes.
One of them spoke.
"The Forgotten Queen's blood has awakened," the elder said.
Another elder's voice was cold.
"Then the throne seal will weaken."
A third elder laughed softly.
"Good," he whispered. "Let the girl run. Let her grow."
The first elder leaned forward.
"Because when she is strong enough…"
His voice lowered.
"…we will take her blood and open the sealed throne ourselves."
The room fell silent.
Then the eldest elder spoke.
"Release the serpents," he ordered.
"And prepare the Blood Eclipse ritual."
⸻
Back in Ravenspire, I stood at the inn window, staring out at the lantern lit streets.
I did not know why.
But I felt it.
A chill.
Like something was moving toward me.
The Queen's voice whispered.
The serpent has awakened.
My crown mark burned faintly.
And for the first time since leaving the capital…
I understood.
Even if I hid in Ravenspire…
the kingdom's darkness would still follow.