The Vampire Nightmare

Chapter 11

The silver crown hovered above my head.

No one breathed.

The grand council chamber was so quiet that I could hear my own heartbeat pounding in my ears.

I stood frozen.

"I don't want this," I whispered.

The crown pulsed with a soft silver glow.

It didn't move.

It simply waited.

One of the council elders slowly rose from his throne.

His blue eyes were filled with disbelief.

"I've served the Royal Council for four hundred years."

"I have never seen the Crown awaken on its own."

Murmurs spread through the chamber.

"It recognizes her."

"It can't be."

"The prophecy..."

I looked desperately at Cassian.

"Please..."

"Tell me what's happening."

He stepped closer.

"The Crown isn't testing your strength."

"It's testing your heart."

Before I could ask what he meant, the silver light surrounding the crown exploded across the chamber.

I instinctively shut my eyes.

The floor vanished beneath my feet.

When I opened them again...

The council chamber was gone.

I stood alone in a peaceful meadow beneath a clear blue sky.

Warm sunlight touched my face.

The air smelled of wildflowers.

For the first time in days...

I felt safe.

"Where am I?"

"Inside the Crown."

The familiar voice came from behind me.

I turned sharply.

A young woman stood a few steps away.

She wore a flowing white dress embroidered with silver thread.

A delicate crown rested upon her dark hair.

She looked almost exactly like me.

The only difference was her glowing silver eyes.

My breath caught.

"Who are you?"

She smiled sadly.

"My name is Aurelia."

The name hit me like a wave.

"The queen?"

"Yes."

"The first Blood Queen."

I stared at her.

"You look like me."

She stepped closer.

"No."

She gently touched my cheek.

"You look like me."

Before I could respond, the peaceful meadow disappeared.

Darkness swallowed everything.

The scene changed.

Now we stood on a battlefield.

The sky burned crimson.

Vampires and wolves fought all around us.

The ground was covered in broken swords and fallen soldiers.

At the center of the battlefield...

A younger Cassian knelt before Queen Aurelia.

He was bleeding.

His armor was shattered.

Tears filled his crimson eyes.

"Don't do this," he begged.

"There has to be another way."

Aurelia smiled through her own tears.

"If I don't seal the Blood Crown..."

"...both worlds will perish."

She placed a gentle hand on his face.

"You must protect our future."

"I don't want a future without you."

My chest tightened.

The pain in Cassian's voice was unbearable.

Aurelia kissed his forehead.

Then she turned toward a towering pillar of crimson light.

Without hesitation...

She stepped into it.

A blinding explosion swallowed the battlefield.

The vision shattered.

I gasped as I found myself back in the meadow.

Tears streamed down my face.

"She sacrificed herself."

Aurelia nodded.

"To save both worlds."

I looked at her with trembling eyes.

"Why are you showing me this?"

"Because history is repeating itself."

A cold chill settled over me.

"What do you mean?"

She looked toward the distant mountains.

"The darkness that threatened our world centuries ago has awakened once more."

She turned back to me.

"But this time..."

"...it isn't Darius who frightens me."

My heart skipped a beat.

"Then who?"

Before Aurelia could answer, a deafening roar echoed across the sky.

The meadow cracked apart.

A giant shadow spread over us.

Aurelia's expression changed instantly.

"It's too late."

"They've found you."

The world shattered like broken glass.

I opened my eyes with a gasp.

I was back in the council chamber.

The silver crown still floated above me.

But everyone in the room was staring toward the palace windows.

Outside...

A massive dragon with crimson eyes circled the palace, blotting out the moon.

Then a second dragon appeared.

Then a third.

The invasion of Noctis had begun.