Chapter 1
18 YEARS AGO
NOCTURNE
“Vladimir, you are a disgrace to House Draven!”
Malachar Valerius’s furious voice echoed throughout the ancient throne hall.
The powerful vampire king rose from his throne, crimson eyes burning with rage as he stared at the man standing before him.
“You are the Blood King of House Draven!” he thundered. “Yet you chose to betray your bloodline for a witch.”
The room fell silent.
Every vampire noble present lowered their heads.
None dared to interfere.
Vladimir Draven remained standing, his expression cold and unreadable despite the hostility directed at him.
Malachar’s fury only intensified.
“You were supposed to destroy the Witch Princess of House Ravenshade.”
His voice darkened.
“Instead, you fell in love with her.”
A dangerous silence followed.
“The child she carries will bring ruin to every realm.”
For centuries, vampires and witches had been sworn enemies.
Their bloodlines never mixed.
Their worlds never crossed.
Yet Vladimir Draven, the Blood King of House Draven, had broken every law ever written.
He had fallen in love with Elaria Ravenshade.
And now she was carrying his child.
A child unlike any other.
The first hybrid in history.
Rumors had already spread throughout the supernatural world.
Witches had foreseen it through prophecy.
Vampires had seen fragments of the future through blood visions.
The wolves had sensed it through ancient instincts passed down through generations.
Everyone had reached the same terrifying conclusion.
The child would change the fate of the Three Realms.
And not everyone believed that change would be for the better.
“You have doomed us all,” Malachar hissed.
Then he raised his hand.
Dark crimson energy gathered around his fingers.
“If the child cannot be killed...”
His eyes glowed.
“Then I shall curse it.”
At that exact moment, thunder shook the kingdom.
Rain poured heavily over Nocturne.
Far away from the throne hall, hidden deep within the forests beyond the capital, Elaria Ravenshade cried out in pain.
Her labor had begun.
For months, her body had grown weaker.
The unborn child carried the blood of both a Pure-Blood Vampire and a Pure-Blood Witch.
The power growing inside her was unlike anything the world had ever seen.
Yet she endured every hardship.
Every sleepless night.
Every moment of pain.
Because she already loved her child.
Inside a hidden sanctuary, Vladimir’s loyal guards stood watch while healers desperately tried to help Elaria.
Outside, loyal members of House Draven fought against assassins sent to eliminate the child before birth.
Steel clashed.
Magic exploded.
Blood stained the rain-soaked ground.
The battle had already begun.
Then, at the very moment the child entered the world, Malachar completed the curse.
Across the realms, dark energy surged.
The curse pierced through fate itself and attached itself to the newborn girl’s blood.
A curse meant to destroy her.
A curse that would one day spread through her blood and words.
A curse that would make others fear her existence.
But even Malachar did not realize that the curse would become part of her power.
The baby cried.
And for a brief moment, the storm outside stopped.
Elaria looked down at her daughter.
Tears filled her eyes.
The infant had a full head of ash-white hair.
One eye shimmered gold.
The other glowed violet.
A child born from two worlds.
A child destined to belong to neither.
“We don’t have much time,” Vladimir said quietly.
His voice was calm, but Elaria could hear the urgency beneath it.
The enemies searching for them would arrive soon.
They had already made their decision.
The Human Realm.
It was the only place where their daughter might survive.
That same night, beneath the cover of darkness, Vladimir and Elaria crossed into the Human Realm carrying their newborn child.
Miles away, in a small town, Marian Wright sat silently in her living room.
Earlier that day, she and her husband, Nicanor Wright, had received devastating news from their doctor.
They would never have children.
The diagnosis had shattered them.
Still, Nicanor never blamed his wife.
He remained by her side.
Loving her as deeply as he always had.
As fate would have it, they were the first humans Vladimir and Elaria encountered.
When Elaria looked into their future, she saw kindness.
Compassion.
Love.
Everything her daughter would need.
The decision was made.
Standing outside the Wright residence, Elaria held her baby tightly against her chest.
Her hands trembled.
Every instinct as a mother screamed for her not to let go.
Vladimir gently removed a silver necklace from around his neck.
The necklace had belonged to House Draven for more than a thousand years.
Carefully, he placed it beside the infant.
Engraved upon the pendant was a single name.
DRAVEN.
Elaria kissed her daughter’s forehead.
Tears rolled down her cheeks.
“I’m sorry, my child.”
Her voice broke.
“We are not abandoning you.”
She held the baby one last time.
“We are trying to save you.”
Vladimir leaned down and kissed his daughter’s forehead as well.
“Live.”
It was the only thing he could bring himself to say.
Together, they placed the infant on the doorstep.
Then they disappeared into the night.
Moments later, the baby began to cry.
Inside the house, Nicanor and Marian looked at one another in confusion.
“Did you hear that?” Marian asked.
Nicanor nodded.
The crying grew louder.
He quickly opened the front door.
Both of them froze.
A baby lay wrapped in a blanket.
Beside her rested a silver necklace.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then Marian burst into tears.
Not tears of sadness.
Tears of joy.
The child immediately reached toward her.
As if she already knew.
As if fate had brought her there for a reason.
Marian carefully lifted the infant into her arms.
The baby instantly stopped crying.
Nicanor smiled through his own tears.
Neither of them questioned the miracle.
Neither of them hesitated.
They simply welcomed her.
Loved her.
And chose her.
“What should we call her?” Marian whispered.
Nicanor looked down at the sleeping child.
A strange feeling of peace settled over him.
Then he smiled.
“Ckeilym.”
Far beyond the Human Realm, hidden beneath the storm clouds of the Three Realms, an ancient prophecy awakened.
And with it...
The fate of the world began to change.
