The tunnel walls pressed close around them as they descended deeper beneath the Sanctuary—rough stone scraping their shoulders, the air thick with the scent of damp earth and old magic. The silence was almost unnatural, broken only by Lucien's uneven breaths and the distant echo of water dripping somewhere in the darkness.
Elara kept one arm wrapped around him, supporting his weight as he limped beside her.
"We need to stop," she whispered when he stumbled. "You're not healed yet."
Lucien shook his head weakly. "No… not here. The Elders will follow our scent."
"But if you collapse—"
"I won't."
He wasn't convincing, but his determination was iron.
Elias moved ahead of them, torch raised, the flickering light throwing distorted shadows along the curved passage.
"We're close," he murmured. "This catacomb leads to the ancient exit. No Elder has used it in centuries."
"Why?" Elara asked.
Before Elias could answer, Marcellus's voice echoed faintly in her memory.
"Because what lies at the end was sealed for a reason."
A shiver crawled down her spine.
"Elias," she whispered. "What exactly is at the end of this tunnel?"
He hesitated.
Too long.
"Elara," he said carefully, "the Sanctuary wasn't built on sacred ground. It was built… over something else."
Lucien lifted his head, eyes sharpening despite the pain.
"What else?"
Elias swallowed.
"The oldest prison of our kind."
The air went cold.
Elara felt Lucien tense beside her, his voice dropping into a low, dangerous rumble.
"You took us into the catacombs of the Devourer?"
Elias's expression tightened. "We had no choice. The Elders sealed every other exit. This is the only path left."
"Elara," Lucien whispered hoarsely, "we cannot go deeper. That creature is older than vampires, older than humans. It does not live—it hungers."
Elias snapped, "And staying behind means execution. Choose one danger or the other."
The tunnel vibrated faintly.
As if something far below had just breathed.
Elara's pulse quickened. She gripped Lucien's hand tighter.
"Whatever is down there," she whispered, "we'll face it together."
Lucien's gaze softened painfully. "You shouldn't have to face this at all."
"But I will," she said.
Because she meant it.
Because she chose him.
Elias stopped suddenly, torch shaking in his hand.
"What?" Elara asked.
He pointed.
The tunnel had widened into a cavern—and at its center stood a massive stone arch covered in ancient runes, cracked from centuries of pressure. A faint, pulsing darkness leaked through the fractures like smoke.
"That's it," Elias whispered. "The Gate of Forgotten Blood."
Lucien stiffened. "Elara… stay behind me."
"I can't, you're hurt—"
"I said behind me."
He pushed her gently back with the last of his strength.
The darkness behind the cracked gateway shifted.
Then… it spoke.
Not with a voice, but with a presence—cold, vast, ancient.
A whisper that seeped into the bones.
"At last…"
Elara staggered as the air grew heavy, her lungs struggling to pull breath.
Elias dropped to one knee, clutching his chest. "No—no, it's awake—"
Lucien pulled Elara against him despite trembling violently. "Don't let it into your mind. Resist it."
But the whisper pressed deeper.
"Child of Light… I smell you…"
Elara gasped, her heart thundering painfully.
Lucien snarled, fangs lengthening, eyes glowing with fury as he fought the shadows curling toward them.
"Stay away from her!"
"Bound in blood… cursed in destiny…"
The whisper deepened into a growl.
"Your bond… is the key…"
The darkness surged outward.
Elara cried out as a wave of cold slammed into her, forcing her to her knees. Her hands glowed instinctively—her healing light flaring in desperate defense.
Lucien shielded her with his body, even as the shadows burned his skin.
Elias shouted, "Elara! You must center your power—ground it—don't let the Devourer latch onto your bond!"
She tried.
But the darkness was relentless.
It clawed at her mind, ripping at memories, seeking weakness.
Seeking an opening.
Lucien's voice pierced through the terror.
"Elara! Look at me!"
She forced herself to meet his gaze.
His eyes—silver and trembling—held her. Anchored her.
He cupped her face with shaking hands.
"Breathe," he whispered. "With me."
She did.
Once.
Twice.
The glow in her chest steadied.
The shadows recoiled slightly—as if burned.
Lucien exhaled in relief. "Good… very good…"
But then the darkness surged again—more aggressively, sensing her resistance.
Elias screamed, "It wants your bond! It wants the power created by you two—"
Elara's eyes widened.
"It's feeding on us!"
Lucien groaned as the shadows tightened around him. His knees hit the ground.
He couldn't take much more.
She wouldn't let him suffer.
Not again.
Elara grabbed Lucien's face, forcing her light outward, flooding her palms with golden fire.
His eyes widened. "Elara, don't—your body can't handle—"
"Just trust me!"
She pressed her glowing hands to the darkness tethering itself to them—
And released everything.
The cavern exploded with light.
Golden waves tore through the shadows, ripping them back from Lucien, from Elias—from the entire chamber.
The Devourer shrieked, a sound so ancient and furious it shook the stone walls.
The gateway cracked further.
But for one breath—one precious heartbeat—
There was silence.
Lucien stared at her, stunned.
"Elara… you—"
She collapsed.
His arms caught her a second before she hit the ground.
Her chest heaved, her skin pale, her healing core flickering weakly.
"No—Elara, stay with me," Lucien begged, panic trembling in his voice.
She forced a small smile.
"I'm… okay…"
But she wasn't.
Elias rushed over, breathless. "Lucien, her power is draining faster than she can recover."
Lucien held her close, devastating fear shadowing his face.
The darkness whispered once more.
"Bring her deeper… and she will live…"
Lucien's blood ran cold.
It was tempting him.
Offering her life… at a price.
Elara weakly shook her head, clutching his shirt.
"Don't… listen…"
He looked into her fading eyes—and made a vow in a voice barely above a whisper.
"I will not let the darkness claim you."
He lifted her gently, cradling her against him with a strength he didn't have a moment ago—strength born of fear, love, desperation.
"Elias," Lucien said, voice sharp, "show me the exit. Now."
Elias nodded.
But the Devourer laughed softly—
A sound that promised one thing:
It wasn't finished with them.