CHAPTER NO 16
"The Blood Oath"
The forest seemed endless. The further they rode, the quieter the world became until even the sound of the horses faded, swallowed by the mist.
Selene held tight to the reins, her heart beating fast. She could feel Nyra's presence beside her, the warmth of her aura like a small flame against the cold night.
They didn't speak for hours. Only when they reached the ruins of an old chapel did Nyra finally stop.
The building was broken its stone walls carved with strange symbols, its roof open to the stars. The air smelled of rain and ash.
"This is where my kind first took the Blood Oath," Nyra said quietly. "Long before the throne, before the wars. It's where vampires swore to never love a mortal."
Selene's voice trembled. "Then why are we here?"
Nyra dismounted, her boots crunching on old stone. "Because I'm ready to break that oath."
Selene's breath caught. "Nyra…"
The vampire princess turned to her, eyes soft but fierce the kind of gaze that made the world fall away. "They call me cursed because I care. Because I see you not as prey, not as prophecy but as mine."
Selene took a step forward, her heart trembling between fear and longing. "You'll lose everything for me."
Nyra shook her head. "No. I'll finally gain something worth losing for."
The wind picked up, carrying the scent of iron and rain. The old symbols on the chapel walls began to glow faintly ancient runes responding to her bloodline.
Nyra drew her dagger. "If we are to survive what's coming, we must bind our fates not as ruler and mortal, but as equals."
She pressed the blade to her palm and let a drop of blood fall onto the stone floor. It shimmered like a ruby in the moonlight.
Selene hesitated, then did the same. Their blood met, twisting together until the stone cracked, and a faint red light rose between them.
The air grew heavy. The runes flared brighter, wrapping them in a circle of burning symbols.
Selene's voice shook. "What is this?"
"The Blood Oath," Nyra said. "Our souls tied as one. You'll share my power and my curse."
The light pulsed once, then sank into their skin. Selene gasped she felt warmth spread through her veins, her heartbeat echoing in rhythm with Nyra's.
When she looked up, their eyes matched one red, one blue glowing like twin stars in the dark.
Then, as quickly as it began, the magic faded. The runes dimmed. The air went still again.
Selene sank to her knees, breathless. "I feel… alive. Like the world can hear me."
Nyra knelt beside her. "It can. You're part of it now. Part of me."
They sat in silence for a while, listening to the sound of rain hitting the broken stones.
Then Selene whispered, "If the Council finds out.
"They will," Nyra said. "But when they do, it will be too late."
Selene looked at her, confused. "Too late for what?"
Nyra stood, her cape snapping in the wind. "For them to stop us."
Lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the valley below. In the distance, a dark city rose spires of obsidian and glass, lit with crimson fire. The Vampire Capital, their final destination.
Nyra turned to Selene, her eyes fierce with purpose. "That's where the prophecy ends. Or begins again by our hands."
Selene stood beside her, the blood-mark on her wrist faintly glowing. For the first time, she didn't feel small. She didn't feel cursed.
She felt powerful.
The Blood Oath had changed them both. And as thunder rolled across the sky, Selene whispered,"Then let them come."