Chapter 7: Crimson Ashes and a Crown of Secrets
The battlefield still steamed with the scent of scorched flesh and torn earth. Smoke drifted like spirits over the valley of Argen Reach, and the ash of fallen foes darkened the clouds above. But amid the ruin, the living still breathed—and from their broken circle, a new bond was forged.
Liam stood at the edge of the blood-soaked field, watching the sunrise struggle to break the veil of battle. His armor was cracked and bloodied, his body screaming with exhaustion, but he did not waver. Behind him, the Queen lay upon a velvet-draped stretcher, her chest rising shallowly, a bandage soaked with crimson pressed against her side.
"She will live," Eron said, kneeling beside her. "But she needs time. The blade that struck her was no ordinary steel—it was laced with Void Silver."
Liam's jaw clenched. "Void Silver... from the Rift."
"The same that Virex used when he betrayed the throne," Eron confirmed grimly.
The Queen stirred weakly, her eyes flickering open. "You won," she whispered.
"No," Liam replied softly, holding her hand. "We did."
But even as he said it, he felt a tremor through the bond. A disturbance. The war was over—but peace had not yet come.
---
The Return to Noctis Sanctum
They traveled back in silence.
The wounded filled the caravans. The dead rode in silence atop black wagons, wrapped in the colors of their clans.
The Queen was kept in a healing ward guarded by Elder mages and bloodbinders. Her skin remained pale, her pulse faint. Each hour Liam visited, sitting at her bedside, unwilling to leave. The throne had never mattered to him. But she did.
"I should be out there," he muttered one night as Eron brought him food he didn't touch.
"You're the last thing holding this kingdom together," Eron replied. "You've become what the court feared: a mortal who could change everything. Even her."
"But at what cost?" Liam asked.
Eron paused. "Ask her that when she wakes."
---
Dreams of the Forgotten
That night, Liam fell into restless sleep beside her, the bond keeping his mind tethered to hers.
But the dream he walked was not his.
It was hers.
He saw a younger version of the Queen, barely more than a girl, kneeling in a crypt, her hands dripping with blood not her own. Her mother lay dead beside her. Virex stood in the shadows, whispering lies.
"Power must be taken. Not given. Love makes you weak."
The younger Queen wept—but nodded.
Liam reached out to her, even in the dream.
"I'm not him," he whispered.
She turned—and saw him.
And for the first time, her younger self smiled.
Then he woke—gasping for air.
The Queen's hand was wrapped in his.
"I saw you," she said softly, her voice hoarse.
"And I saw you," he replied.
They didn't need to say more.
---
Thorns Among the Roses
The castle stirred in strange rhythms as the Queen healed.
Whispers filled the halls. Rumors that Virex's death had left a vacuum—not just of power, but of secrecy. A Vault once guarded by his blood was now unsealed… and whatever it held was no longer bound.
"It's a crown," Elder Ash told Liam. "Not just of rule. Of memory. It contains the first king's will. The original vampire. The true progenitor."
Liam frowned. "And now it's... loose?"
"More than loose. It's hunting."
They found the first corpse a day later—one of the Queen's informants—drained not of blood, but of thought. His eyes were black pits, his mind erased.
The Vault Crown was sentient.
It wanted a new host.
---
The Thorn Throne
When the Queen returned to court, she wore black, not crimson. Not in mourning, but in warning.
"The Crown has awakened," she declared. "It seeks not loyalty—but domination."
The Elders argued. Some called for it to be destroyed. Others to be worn by Liam, binding him fully to vampirekind.
But the Queen refused.
"He is more than what we are," she said. "He is both bridge and blade. And I will not have him shackled by ancient ghosts."
Still, Liam could feel it. The Crown called to him.
One night, drawn by whispers, he walked alone into the old catacombs.
There it was.
Floating above a pedestal of bone, the Crown of Thorns—twisting metal, runes that pulsed like heartbeat, and a voice.
"You could be more than their hero. You could be their god."
Liam reached out—and then stopped.
"I don't need you," he said. "I already have what I want."
The Crown shuddered—and screamed.
But it could not bind him.
Not yet.
---
Ella's Discovery
Meanwhile, Ella had grown restless.
She wandered the castle, curiosity outweighing caution. In the archives, she discovered a hidden chamber—one sealed for centuries. Inside were records of a prophecy—about a hybrid born of contract, flame, and will. A mortal who would either unify the realms—or burn them both.
She brought it to Liam.
"This is you," she said.
"No," he replied. "It's a warning."
"But you survived the blood pact. You killed Virex. You resisted the Crown."
"I didn't do it alone," he said. "And I don't plan to."
---
Shadows at the Border
Then came the rider.
A lone vampire—barely alive—dragging himself through the mist outside the castle gates.
"They're coming," he rasped.
"Who?" the Queen asked.
But he died before he could answer.
Scouts returned with tales of creatures that bled shadows, not blood. Creatures that moved in silence and devoured whole villages.
Not undead.
Not vampire.
Something... older.
From beyond even the Rift.
The Queen summoned the council.
"This is no longer just about us," she said. "This is about the fate of all realms."
And then she looked at Liam.
"You will lead the next charge."
---
A Crown of Flame
Before dawn, Liam stood in the courtyard. Soldiers gathered—vampires, mortals, hybrids.
He wore black armor lined with crimson veins of power. His blades were reforged from Void Silver and sacred ash. The Queen stepped forward and placed a final kiss upon his brow.
"This is not goodbye," she said.
"No," he replied. "This is the beginning."
Then she handed him the one thing he never expected.
The Crown.
"Take it," she whispered. "Not to rule—but to protect."
He placed it upon his head.
And for a moment—just a moment—the stars flared brighter.
---
[End of Chapter 7