The Vampire Nightmare

Chapter 17

The voice faded.

Silence followed.

No one in the Hall of Memories dared to speak.

I looked at the First King.

"What happens during the trial?"

His golden eyes rested on me.

"The Blood Crown does not judge power."

"It judges the soul."

"And if I fail?"

A shadow crossed his face.

"The Crown will reject you."

"What does that mean?"

Before he could answer, Seraphine spoke.

"It means you'll die."

The words struck me like ice.

My mouth went dry.

Cassian stepped closer.

"That's only one possibility."

Seraphine shook her head.

"No."

"It's the truth."

"The Blood Crown has never accepted a weak heart."

I clenched my fists.

"I didn't ask for this."

"No one ever does," the First King replied.

A low rumble echoed through the chamber.

The floating crystals began spinning around me.

Faster.

Brighter.

The silver light surrounding my wrist spread across my entire arm.

It didn't hurt.

It felt...

Warm.

Alive.

Then the floor beneath my feet disappeared.

I gasped as I began falling into a sea of silver light.

"Aria!" Cassian shouted.

He reached for me.

Our fingertips almost touched.

Almost.

Then the light swallowed me.

------------------

I landed gently on soft grass.

For a long moment, I lay still, staring at an endless blue sky.

The blood-red moon was gone.

The darkness was gone.

Everything was peaceful.

Birds sang in the distance.

A gentle breeze carried the scent of flowers.

I slowly sat up.

"Where am I?"

A familiar voice answered.

"Your first trial."

I turned.

Queen Aurelia stood beneath a towering white tree.

She wore the same silver crown I had seen in the visions.

Her smile was kind.

But her eyes held sadness.

"You came."

"I didn't have a choice."

"No."

"You didn't."

She walked toward me.

"The Crown has brought you to the Valley of Truth."

"What am I supposed to do?"

She stopped only a few feet away.

"Answer one question."

"Only one?"

She nodded.

"But be careful."

"The Crown knows when someone lies."

A chill ran down my spine.

"What question?"

Aurelia raised her hand.

The peaceful valley disappeared.

In its place appeared images from my life.

My grandmother.

Lily.

My childhood.

My nightmares.

Cassian.

Kael.

Even Darius.

Every important moment floated around us like living memories.

Aurelia looked into my eyes.

"Tell me, Aria."

"If you could return to your old life..."

"...and forget everything that has happened..."

"...would you?"

The question caught me off guard.

I looked at the images.

At my grandmother smiling as she served breakfast.

At Lily laughing on campus.

At the quiet life I used to think was ordinary.

Part of me wanted to say yes.

To wake up in my bedroom.

To believe none of this had ever happened.

Then I remembered the frightened people in Noctis.

The dragons.

The war.

Cassian risking his life for me.

The answer became clear.

I looked back at Aurelia.

"No."

She smiled.

"Why?"

"Because if I walked away..."

"...everyone else would have to face this nightmare without me."

The white tree behind her burst into brilliant silver light.

The valley trembled.

Aurelia's smile widened.

"You have passed the First Trial."

Before I could say anything, the light dimmed.

Her expression turned serious.

"But the second trial..."

"...will demand something far more painful."

The ground shook violently.

The valley cracked apart.

A cold, familiar voice echoed through the darkness.

"Let's see how much you're willing to sacrifice."

Darius.

The sky split open.

A giant black doorway appeared above the valley.

From it stepped my grandmother.

She looked frightened and confused.

"Aria?"

My heart stopped.

"Grandma?"