The Night Smelled Of Blood
Basid Stood Over The Burning City, His Crimson Eyes Reflecting The Screams Below
He Had Returned—Not For Revenge Not For Power But For Hunger
The Wind Carried Ashes Like Snowflakes Twisting Through The Blackened Sky
Every Street Beneath Him Was Painted In Smoke And Fire But It Was Not Enough
He Hungered For More Not Just Flesh Not Just Blood But Something Deeper Something Eternal
For Centuries His Name Had Vanished From Tongues Replaced By Weaker Legends By Softer Monsters
But Now That Name Would Rise Again Like A Curse Whispered In Every Shadow
He Moved Silently Through The Crumbling Tower That Overlooked The Ruins
Stone Cracked Beneath His Feet Weakened By Time But He Walked As If He Had Never Slept
The World Had Changed But The Smell Of Fear Had Not
It Still Clung To The Bones Of Mortals Sweet And Ripe Like A Harvest Long Awaited
He Closed His Eyes And Listened To The Distant Cries Echoing Through The Hollow Streets
They Were Not Prayers They Were Screams Of Realization That The Nightmare Was Real
That The One They Buried Beneath A Mountain Of Spells And Iron Had Broken Free
Basid Was Not Born In A Cradle He Was Forged In A Tomb
The First Of His Kind A Hybrid Of The Old Bloodlines And Something Far More Vile
His Existence Had Been A Mistake A Blasphemy That Could Not Be Controlled
The Elders Had Tried To Destroy Him The Priests Had Tried To Cleanse Him
They Failed All Of Them And The Price Was Cities Reduced To Ash And Rivers Turned Red
And Still They Had Tried Again And Again Until They Sealed Him In The Depths Of The Forgotten Lands
Buried Alive Bound In Chains Forged From Moonstone And Drenched In Angel Blood
But Nothing Lasts Forever Not Even Curses
When The Blood Moon Rose Three Times In One Season The Seal Weakened
When The Descendant Of The High Priest Died Unblessed The Chains Cracked
And When A Girl With Eyes Like Storms Whispered His Name In Her Dreams The Coffin Shattered
And Now Basid Walked Again Beneath A Sky That Feared Him
The Ground Itself Trembled As He Passed Through The City's Bones
He Entered The Heart Of The City A Temple Now Collapsed Into Dust And Flame
Statues Once Carved In Honor Of Gods Now Lay Broken Faces Melted By Fire
He Smiled A Smile That Held No Joy Only Memory
This Was Where They Had Tried To Destroy Him Where They Spoke Sacred Words And Lit Sacred Fires
But There Was Nothing Sacred Left In The World And The Gods Had Grown Silent
He Reached Down And Plucked A Bone From The Rubble Still Warm From Recent Death
He Lifted It To His Lips And Drank Not Blood But The Echo Of The Soul That Clung To It
He Saw Visions Of The Victim A Boy Aged No More Than Twelve Screaming As Fire Swallowed His Home
Basid Closed His Eyes And Savored The Terror It Nourished Him More Than Blood
The Hunger Was Always There A Constant Thirst That No Feast Could Quench
But Tonight It Stirred Differently As If Something Ancient And Forgotten Had Been Awakened With Him
He Could Feel Eyes Watching From The Darkness Not Mortal Not Human
Other Things Had Survived In The World Beasts And Shades And The Echoes Of Those Who Had Once Been Called Gods
They Feared Him Still But Their Time Would Come For He Would Not Spare Them This Time
A Sound Drew His Attention A Soft Footstep Not Far A Bold One
He Turned Slowly His Cloak Dragging Over Ash As He Moved With Grace And Death
She Stood There A Girl No More Than Seventeen Her Hair Tangled Her Eyes Defiant
She Held Nothing In Her Hands No Weapon No Charm But Something Glowed Around Her
An Aura A Mark Something That Called To Him Not Like Prey But Like Destiny
He Could Smell No Fear In Her And That Intrigued Him
He Had Not Felt Intrigue In Over Five Hundred Years
She Spoke Her Voice Low But Steady
Youre The One They Warned Us About
Her Words Carried No Tremble No Doubt
He Said Nothing At First Only Observed Her His Crimson Gaze Unblinking
The Moon Reflected In Her Eyes And In That Reflection He Saw A Memory A Prophecy A Thread
The Blood Key He Whispered More To Himself Than To Her
She Flinched As If The Words Struck Something Deep Within
You Should Run He Said Finally But There Was No Threat In His Voice Only Truth
She Did Not Move Did Not Blink
Then Kill Me If You Must She Replied Her Words Sharp As Steel
He Laughed Then A Sound Like A Shiver In The Spine Of The World
Kill You No Youre Not Here To Die Youre Here To Begin
She Did Not Understand But She Would Soon Enough
He Turned Away From Her And Walked Into The Fire Unburned
The Flames Parted For Him Like Curtains And The Shadows Danced In His Wake
She Watched Him Vanish Into The Smoke And Somehow She Knew This Was Not The End
This Was The Start Of Something Greater Something Terrible
Far Away In A Tower Buried Beneath The Ocean A Bell Rang For The First Time In A Thousand Years
The Old Ones Stirred In Their Slumber Their Eyes Opening Slowly In The Deep
The Return Of Basid Meant The Return Of The War That Had Once Split The Realms Of Night And Flame
And The Girl Who Watched Him Walk Into Fire Was Not Just A Witness She Was The Flame
The Sky Had Forgotten How To Breathe
Ash Still Drifted In The Air Like Ghosts Searching For Skin To Burn
Basid Had Walked Into The Fire But The Fire Had Not Touched Him
Elira Stood Frozen Beneath The Crimson Moon
Her Heart Did Not Pound Though It Should Have
Her Body Did Not Shake Though She Had Just Faced A Creature From Forgotten Myths
Something In Her Had Stirred Something Old And Untamed
She Did Not Understand What Basid Meant When He Called Her The Beginning
But The Word Echoed In Her Blood And Her Bones As If They Had Been Waiting For It
She Took A Step Forward Into The Flames But They Did Not Part For Her
They Bit At Her Skin And Smoked At Her Clothes Until She Stepped Back Coughing
Basid Was Gone But The World He Had Brought With Him Was Not
The Shadows Had Shifted Their Shape The City Had Changed Its Smell
There Was No More Hope In The Air Only Smoke Blood And Destiny
Somewhere Beneath The Cracked Stones Of That Dying Temple The Earth Groaned
And From Deep Below A Grave Opened Without Sound
A Hand Clawed Its Way From The Soil Not Dead Not Alive
The Grave Was Not For A Corpse But For A Guardian
One Who Had Been Placed There When Basid Was First Bound
A Creature Older Than Men And Far More Loyal Than Any God
Its Eyes Opened Slowly Reflecting The Same Blood Moon That Now Lit The Sky
It Smelled The World Knew The Seal Was Broken Knew Basid Walked Again
And With A Growl That Could Split The silence Of Death It Crawled From The Earth
It Did Not Speak It Had No Mouth It Was Made To Protect Not To Preach
Its Body Was Bone Wrapped In Chains Its Face Hidden In Iron
But It Moved With Purpose And Rage And The Memory Of The One It Served
Elira Did Not Know Why Her Feet Carried Her Away From The Temple
But Something Pulled Her A Force That Felt Like Instinct But Smelled Like Blood
She Passed Burned Streets Empty Homes And Broken Churches
She Passed The Carved Statues Of Angels That Now Wept Black Liquid From Their Eyes
And All The While She Felt It Behind Her Something Following Something Crawling
In The Distance She Saw The Tower Of The Library Still Standing
Its Walls Cracked But Whole Its Windows Broken But Unburned
She Ran Toward It With No Thought Only Desperation
If There Were Any Truths Left In The World They Would Be Written There
The Door Screamed As She Pushed It Open And The Dust Welcomed Her Like A Blanket
Inside The Silence Was Heavy Not Peaceful But Buried Like Secrets
The Books Whispered Even Without Wind Pages Flickering As If In Warning
She Moved Through The Stacks Until She Reached The Old Section
And There Among The Forgotten Tomes Lay A Book That Did Not Belong
It Was Black With A Cover That Seemed To Breathe With Every Second
The Title Was Not In A Language She Understood But Her Eyes Still Read It
The Legend Of Basid The Devourer Of Dawn The Flame Of The Final Night
She Reached For It And The Room Changed
The Air Grew Thicker The Walls Closer The Candles Lit Themselves In Silent Panic
And Then A Voice Spoke Not Aloud But Inside Her
You Are The Key And The Lock The End And The Beginning
She Dropped The Book But It Floated Before Her Refusing To Fall
Its Pages Turned Rapidly Until They Stopped At A Drawing
A Woman In Flames Holding A Sword Of Bone Standing Before A Man With Crimson Eyes
It Was Her The Drawing Was Her Face Her Hair Her Eyes But Her Stance Was Not One She Knew
She Looked Powerful Fearless And Behind Her Basid Stood With His Hands Raised Not In Battle But In Oath
She Stepped Back But The Pages Turned Again This Time Faster This Time In Fire
The Last Page Showed The World Split Into Two One Side Dark One Side Burning
Between Them Stood A Throne Made Of Skulls With No One Sitting On It
And Then The Candles Went Out
She Screamed And Turned But Something Caught Her Arm Cold And Heavy
The Guardian Had Found Her Its Chains Wrapped Around Her Wrists Before She Could Run
It Did Not Speak But She Heard Its Message In Her Mind
Come With Me Or Die In The Dust Like The Rest
She Fought But It Was Useless Its Strength Was Beyond Mortal
It Dragged Her Through The Streets Past Shadows That Watched But Did Not Move
And Then It Stopped At A Ruined Chapel Where The Ground Was Still Fresh With Blood
There Basid Waited His Back To Her His Cloak Moving As If In Wind Though The Air Was Still
He Turned Slowly As If He Had Known She Would Come
His Eyes Were Not Red Now They Were Gold And Glowing
He Raised A Hand And The Guardian Released Her Without A Word
She Fell To The Ground But He Caught Her Before She Could Touch It
And For A Moment The World Was Still Again
You Found The Book He Said His Voice Low As Stormclouds
She Nodded Though She Did Not Understand Why She Had Even Looked For It
Good He Whispered You Were Meant To
What Am I She Asked Her Voice Breaking
He Touched Her Cheek Gently With A Hand That Could Crush Stone
You Are The Last Fire In A World Of Ash He Said And I Am The Darkness That Needs You
She Wanted To Run Wanted To Scream But Her Body Would Not Move
Something Ancient Had Wrapped Around Her Soul And It Felt Like Belonging
From A Distance A Bell Rang Again The Same One That Rang In The Depths Of The Ocean
Its Sound Reached Even This Forgotten City And The Stars Above Shifted Their Places
Somewhere Far Away Something Opened Something That Had Stayed Closed Since The Age Of Blood
The War Was Not Beginning It Was Already Here
And In That Moment Beneath The Blood Moon She Realized She Would Never Be Mortal Again