Chapter 68
Chapter 68
The morning came slowly. The sun tried to break through the thick smoke still rising over the kingdom, but the air was heavy with the night had left behind. The fire was gone, yet the silence it left felt worse.
Lyra stood in the courtyard, looking at what was once a proud part of her castle. Stone walls were cracked. Banners were burned. Soldiers worked quietly, lifting debris, searching for survivors. Every sound of clashing metal or dragging stone made her heart ache.
Her people bowed when they saw her, but she didn’t want that now. She wanted answers.
Kaelen walked beside her, his cloak torn, his expression unreadable. “The eastern tower collapsed completely,” he said. “They are attacked from inside, just as the guard reported.”
Lyra nodded. “Whoever did this knew the castle well.”
Kaelen’s eyes darkened. “It wasn’t a common attack. Someone planned this carefully.”
They stopped near the ruins of the tower. The ground was covered in ash and broken glass. Lyra knelt and picked up a piece of metal. A faint mark was burned into it, a sigil shaped like a spiral flame, crossed by a serpent.
Her brows furrowed. “This isn’t witchcraft,” she whispered.
Kaelen crouched beside her. “No. It’s something we can't identify .”
Lyra looked at him. “mysterious power ?”
He met her gaze. “This mark belongs to the Blood Covenant, an ancient order that existed before the vampire clans were divided. They followed no king or queen. Only power.”
Lyra’s heart skipped a beat. “And now they’re here?”
Kaelen nodded grimly. “It seems so.”
They stood in silence for a moment. The wind carried the smell of burnt iron. Lyra felt a strange pull inside her chest, the same feeling she’d had last night when the shadowy figure spoke about the heart before the eclipse.
“What do you think the heart means?” she asked softly.
Kaelen looked thoughtful. “It could be a relic. Or something… more personal.”
She turned to face him. “Personal?”
His jaw tightened. “Sometimes magic ties itself to living things to souls, memories, even love. If it’s what I think it is… it’s connected to you.”
Lyra looked away, her throat tight. “I keep seeing flashes when I fight,” she said slowly. “Moments that don’t belong to this life. A Sword ,Blood ,Your Face. And pain.”
Kaelen said nothing at first. His hand twitched as if he wanted to reach for her but stopped himself. “Those aren’t dreams, Lyra,” he said quietly. “They’re real memories sealed away to protect you.”
“From what?” she asked.
“From the truth,” he replied simply.
Before she could ask more, a young soldier approached quickly. “Your Majesty, we found something beneath the tower.”
Lyra straightened. “Show me.”
They followed him to a part of the rubble where a stone hatch lay half-buried. The soldier brushed off the dust, revealing old carvings along the edges. Lyra touched them gently and the symbols glowed faintly under her fingertips.
“This door wasn’t built with the castle,” Kaelen murmured. “It’s far older.”
Lyra drew a deep breath and looked at the soldier. “Open it.”
It took three men to move the heavy stone. As it lifted, a cold breeze swept out, carrying a smell of earth and the air was chilled. A staircase descended into darkness.
Kaelen stepped forward. “I’ll go first.”
Lyra shook her head. “No. We go together.”
They walked together slowly, torches flickering along the walls. The passage grew narrower the deeper they went, and soon they reached a chamber carved entirely of black stone. Strange symbols glowed faintly on the walls, pulsing like a heartbeat.
In the center of the room stood a pedestal. On it lay a sealed box made of silver and bone.
Lyra approached it carefully. “What is this place?”
Kaelen’s eyes scanned the markings. “A vault of memories,” he whispered. “Ancient vampires used them to store pieces of their souls… or to trap others’.”
Lyra hesitated. “You think mine is here?”
He looked at her, his expression serious. “If your memories were taken by force, this could be where they hid them.”
She reached toward the box. The moment her fingers brushed the cold surface, the room pulsed with light. Images flashed before her eyes a battlefield, a blood-red sky, and Kaelen standing before her with a sword through his chest.
Lyra gasped and staggered back. Kaelen caught her before she fell.
“Lyra! What did you see?”
Her breathing came fast. “You… you died. I saw it. I was holding you… and you told me something.”
Kaelen’s voice was rough. “What did I say?”
She shook her head, tears stinging her eyes. “I can’t remember.”
The light dimmed again, leaving only silence.
Kaelen gently helped her stand. “You’re remembering faster than I expected,” he said softly. “But it will hurt more each time.”
Lyra looked at the box again, determination burning through her fear. “Then I’ll endure it. I want the truth.”
Before Kaelen could stop her, she pressed her hand to the box once more. The runes glowed brighter this time, and the air grew heavy with magical power.
The box cracked open.
A faint light drifted out soft, golden, and warm. It swirled around Lyra before sinking into her chest.
Kaelen’s eyes widened. “Lyra, wait—”
Her vision blurred. Voices echoed in her mind laughter, promises, the sound of wings. Then a whisper, tender and aching: “If fate takes me from you, find me in the fire.”
The light faded. Lyra fell to her knees, gasping for breath. Kaelen knelt beside her, holding her shoulders.
Her eyes slowly opened. “Kaelen…” she whispered. “I remember your voice.”
He froze, his expression torn between relief and pain. “Then you remember… us.”
Lyra nodded weakly, tears slipping down her cheeks. “Not everything. But enough to know you were never my enemy.”
Kaelen looked away, his jaw tight. “No, Lyra. I was never your enemy… but I was the reason you lost everything.”
The torches flickered violently, as if reacting to his words.
Lyra stared at him, her heart pounding. “What do you mean?”
But Kaelen didn’t answer. Not yet. His eyes shifted to the shadows of the chamber, where somet
hing unseen began to move.
“Because,” he said quietly, drawing his sword, “the one who cursed you… is still here.”