The weight of Draven's words clung to Selene like frost in the air.
"Unless, of course… you're not just fireborn."
The whisper of doubt had been planted. And like a creeping vine, it coiled around her thoughts, tightening, suffocating.
Selene clenched her fists, trying to shake the uneasy feeling settling deep in her bones. The magic inside her wasn't weakening—it was thrumming. Growing stronger in the very place that should have consumed her.
Lucian's grip on her wrist was firm, as if he feared she might drift away into the darkness surrounding them. His silver eyes were hard, unreadable, but Selene could sense the storm beneath his surface.
Draven had unraveled something in him.
Something Lucian didn't want to face.
Draven leaned against the twisted trunk of an ancient tree, arms crossed, his crimson eyes gleaming with amusement.
"You look troubled, cousin," he murmured.
Lucian's jaw clenched. "We're leaving."
Draven sighed, shaking his head. "Still running, I see." His gaze flickered to Selene. "And you, little flame? Do you run too? Or do you burn everything in your path?"
Selene narrowed her eyes. "I don't trust you."
Draven grinned. "Good. That means you're smarter than most."
Lucian exhaled sharply. "Enough. We don't need your riddles."
Draven tilted his head, his amusement never fading.
"No, but you do need answers."
Lucian stiffened.
Selene hesitated. Because—he wasn't wrong.
She needed to understand why her magic wasn't reacting the way it should. Needed to understand why the Shadowwood felt familiar even though she had never stepped foot here before.
Lucian's fingers tightened around hers. "We're not staying."
Draven sighed. "You always were the stubborn one."
He turned, taking a few slow steps deeper into the mist. Then he paused, glancing back over his shoulder.
"Follow me if you want to know the truth."
Selene's heart thumped.
Lucian hesitated.
Selene looked up at him, searching his face.
"Lucian," she murmured. "We need to know."
Lucian's silver eyes flickered between her and Draven, tension carved into every line of his body.
But then—a slow exhale.
"…Fine."
Draven's smirk widened.
"Then keep up."
Secrets of the Shadowwood
The deeper they walked into the Shadowwood, the colder the air became.
Selene wrapped her arms around herself, feeling the unnatural chill seep through her skin. Lucian stayed close, his gaze sharp, watching for any sign of danger.
Draven moved effortlessly through the mist, his long coat billowing behind him like a shadow.
"I don't suppose you remember the old hall, do you?" Draven mused.
Lucian didn't answer.
Selene frowned. "Old hall?"
Draven shot her a glance. "The Shadowborn stronghold. Or what's left of it."
Selene's stomach twisted. "You mean… your family's castle?"
Draven chuckled. "Castle is a generous word for it now. But yes."
They continued walking until the trees began to thin, revealing something massive in the distance.
Selene's breath caught.
Ruins.
Twisted spires of black stone jutted toward the sky, their once-proud forms now fractured and crumbling. Vines and creeping ivy coiled around broken archways, and the remnants of what must have been a grand entrance lay shattered across the ground.
The air here was thick. Heavy.
And Selene felt it hum in her veins.
Lucian's expression was unreadable, but his grip on her hand tightened.
"This place is cursed," he muttered.
Draven smirked. "Not cursed. Forgotten."
Selene stepped forward hesitantly. "What happened here?"
Draven's expression darkened.
"The Shadowborn were powerful. Too powerful." He glanced at Lucian. "We were a threat. And you know what happens to threats."
Selene swallowed. She had heard of fallen kingdoms, of bloodlines erased from history. But standing here, amidst the ruins of a forgotten empire, made it feel real.
Lucian's voice was quiet. "The massacre."
Selene's pulse skipped.
Draven nodded. "You were young. But you were there."
Selene looked at Lucian in surprise. "You were here when—"
Lucian cut her off. "I don't remember." His voice was clipped, guarded. "I was barely old enough to understand what was happening."
Draven's gaze sharpened. "Then maybe it's time you did."
Lucian glared at him. "And why would I trust anything you say?"
Draven's smirk faded slightly.
"Because, cousin, you're standing on the last remnants of our people. And you deserve to know the truth."
Lucian said nothing.
Selene stepped closer to him, feeling the weight of his past pressing down on him.
"Lucian…" she whispered.
His silver eyes flickered to hers, and for the first time—she saw it.
The quiet, buried pain.
He had spent centuries running. Fighting. Trying to bury the pieces of himself that had been shattered here.
And now, standing in the ruins of his past—he couldn't run anymore.
Lucian exhaled slowly.
"…Tell me."
Draven's crimson eyes gleamed.
"Good."
The Truth Revealed
Draven turned toward the ruins, leading them through the shattered corridors of the once-grand stronghold.
The deeper they went, the colder it became.
Selene noticed something strange—faint symbols carved into the walls. Ancient runes, pulsing with a faint, silvery glow.
Lucian frowned. "These weren't here before."
Draven's voice was quiet. "No. They appeared after the fall."
Selene traced a symbol with her fingertips. A strange warmth pulsed beneath her touch.
And then—a whisper.
Not a voice. Not words.
But a feeling.
A presence.
She gasped, stepping back. "What was that?"
Draven watched her carefully. "The past lingers here, little flame. The magic remembers."
Selene shivered.
Lucian studied the runes, his eyes darkening.
"These are blood-bound seals."
Draven nodded. "Yes. And there's only one way to unlock them."
Lucian's eyes flickered. "Blood."
Draven smirked. "You always were the clever one."
Selene tensed. "Wait—you're saying these seals are tied to Lucian's bloodline?"
Draven's smile widened. "Exactly."
Lucian stiffened.
Selene's pulse raced.
Because if that was true…
Then the secrets of the Shadowborn weren't lost.
They were merely waiting.
Waiting for Lucian to return.
Waiting to be unlocked.
Selene exhaled slowly.
Whatever lay behind those seals—whatever truth had been buried in these ruins—was about to be revealed.
And something told her…
The answers they found would change everything.
End of Chapter Thirty-Three