Chapter 17
1347 Words
The Name Beneath the Stone
The silence inside the tomb became unbearable.
Not Lucian.
The words echoed endlessly through Isabella's mind.
Not Lucian.
For seven hundred years, legends had painted a tragic story.
A king mourning his lost queen.
A warrior who failed the woman he loved.
A ruler haunted by grief.
Yet now Malakar was claiming something entirely different.
Something far more complicated.
Something far more painful.
Lucian stood motionless.
His expression unreadable.
But Isabella could feel the tension radiating from him.
The restraint.
The control.
The effort it was taking not to tear Malakar apart.
"Tell her."
Malakar's voice dripped with satisfaction.
"Tell her who he was."
Lucian's jaw tightened.
"No."
The answer came instantly.
Cold.
Final.
Unfortunately, Malakar clearly wasn't interested in respecting boundaries.
The hunter laughed.
"He was your brother."
The world stopped.
The words crashed through the chamber like thunder.
Gasps erupted from every corner.
Several warriors visibly staggered.
Even Isabella felt her breath catch.
Brother?
Lucian had a brother?
A brother nobody had ever mentioned.
A brother who had died beside Queen Elara.
A brother she had apparently loved.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Seraphina closed her eyes.
Pain crossed her face.
The reaction alone confirmed it.
The story was true.
Or at least part of it.
Lucian's voice became dangerously quiet.
"His name was Orion."
The name settled heavily over the room.
Ancient.
Forgotten.
Important.
Malakar smiled wider.
"There it is."
The hunter looked almost delighted.
As though exposing old wounds was his favorite hobby.
"Orion Nightshade."
His crimson eyes shifted toward Isabella.
"The man Queen Elara was supposed to marry."
The revelation hit harder than the last one.
Supposed to marry.
Not merely loved.
Not merely desired.
Promised.
The tomb seemed to tilt around her.
A hundred questions rushed through her mind.
She barely knew where to begin.
Lucian's brother.
Elara's betrothed.
Dead for seven hundred years.
Nothing about this story resembled what she expected.
Nothing.
Then something strange happened.
The crystal coffin began glowing.
At first it was faint.
Barely noticeable.
A soft silver shimmer beneath the glass.
Then the light intensified.
The entire chamber illuminated.
Every symbol carved into the walls awakened.
Ancient runes flared to life.
Silver fire danced across the stone.
Everyone froze.
Even Malakar.
The hunter's smile vanished instantly.
"What is this?"
Nobody answered.
Because nobody knew.
The glow spread outward from Queen Elara's coffin.
Across the floor.
Across the walls.
Across the ceiling.
Power filled the tomb.
Ancient.
Royal.
Alive.
Then a voice echoed through the chamber.
A woman's voice.
Strong.
Beautiful.
Familiar.
"Enough."
The single word shook the tomb.
Every torch extinguished.
Every weapon vibrated.
Every heartbeat seemed to pause.
Isabella stared at the coffin.
Her pulse racing.
No.
Not the coffin.
The woman inside it.
Because Queen Elara's eyes had opened.
Chaos erupted.
Several Blood Hunters stumbled backward.
Warriors raised their weapons.
General Lyra immediately stepped in front of Isabella.
Protective instincts taking over.
Yet Lucian didn't move.
Couldn't move.
He stared at Elara as though the world had vanished.
As though seven hundred years had disappeared.
As though time itself had broken.
The woman inside the coffin slowly sat up.
Not alive.
Not exactly.
Her body remained untouched.
Preserved.
Yet her eyes shone with silver light.
A projection.
A memory.
A final message.
The realization swept through the chamber.
Queen Elara had left something behind.
A safeguard.
A warning.
A truth.
The silver-eyed queen looked around the room.
Past the warriors.
Past the hunters.
Past Malakar.
Until her gaze settled directly on Isabella.
The resemblance was uncanny.
Terrifying.
Looking at Elara felt like looking into a mirror that reflected another lifetime.
A sad smile touched the queen's lips.
"You finally came."
A sharp pain exploded inside Isabella's chest.
Not physical pain.
Emotional pain.
Loss.
Love.
Longing.
Emotions that didn't belong to her.
Yet somehow did.
The sensation nearly brought her to her knees.
Lucian caught her instantly.
Strong hands steadied her.
His touch grounded her.
Anchored her.
The queen's gaze shifted toward him.
For the first time, emotion cracked her calm expression.
Affection.
Gratitude.
Heartbreak.
"You kept your promise."
Lucian's face paled.
No one missed it.
No one.
Malakar recovered first.
Naturally.
Villains rarely stayed shocked for long.
"You see?"
He spread his arms dramatically.
"The truth comes at last."
The hunter pointed toward Lucian.
"He wasn't the one she chose."
The cruel smile returned.
"He was only the brother left behind."
The words hung heavily.
Designed to hurt.
Designed to wound.
Designed to destroy.
Yet something wasn't adding up.
Not anymore.
Because Elara wasn't looking at Lucian with regret.
Or disappointment.
Or guilt.
She was looking at him with trust.
Deep trust.
The kind built over years.
The kind that survived tragedy.
The kind that couldn't be faked.
Queen Elara slowly turned toward Malakar.
And for the first time...
The legendary queen looked angry.
The temperature in the chamber dropped instantly.
Silver energy crackled through the air.
"You always misunderstand love."
Malakar's smile faltered.
Only slightly.
But Isabella saw it.
The hunter didn't like being corrected.
Especially not by a dead queen.
"Orion was my heart."
The words echoed softly.
Painfully.
Lucian closed his eyes.
Briefly.
As though hearing the truth still hurt after all these years.
"Lucian was my family."
The chamber fell silent.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
The distinction mattered.
It mattered deeply.
Elara's silver gaze remained fixed on Malakar.
"And family is not lesser."
Something inside Lucian seemed to break.
Not visibly.
Not dramatically.
But Isabella felt it.
Seven centuries of guilt.
Seven centuries of self-blame.
Seven centuries of believing he had failed everyone.
And now the woman he mourned was speaking directly to him.
Telling him otherwise.
The moment felt sacred.
Private.
Yet everyone witnessed it.
Then the queen turned toward Isabella.
The silver glow surrounding her intensified.
"Listen carefully."
Every instinct screamed that this was important.
Perhaps the most important thing she had ever heard.
"The Blood Hunters are not seeking the Lunar Heart."
Confusion swept through the room.
Not seeking it?
Then why were they here?
Why risk everything?
Why desecrate the tomb?
Malakar's expression darkened.
For the first time, genuine concern appeared in his crimson eyes.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The queen continued.
"They seek the Gate."
The word echoed strangely.
Anciently.
Dangerously.
A ripple of fear spread through the older warriors.
Even Seraphina looked alarmed.
"What gate?" Isabella asked.
The queen's gaze softened.
"The gate beneath the mountain."
The mountain.
Again.
Everything seemed connected to the mountain.
Everything.
"Long ago, the Moon Goddess sealed away something terrible."
A chill swept through the chamber.
The queen's voice lowered.
"Something that should never wake."
The silence that followed was suffocating.
Even Malakar looked uncomfortable.
And that terrified Isabella.
Because people like Malakar didn't scare easily.
The queen's eyes met Isabella's.
"You are not merely my descendant."
A pause.
"You are the seal."
The world stopped.
The words hit harder than any revelation before.
Not a queen.
Not an heir.
Not a chosen ruler.
A seal.
A living seal.
A prison lock.
The implications were horrifying.
If she died...
If the seal broke...
What exactly would be released?
Suddenly, the tomb shook violently.
A massive explosion echoed outside.
Stone rained from the ceiling.
Warriors shouted.
Chaos erupted.
The projection flickered.
Queen Elara's image destabilized.
Time was running out.
Malakar smiled.
Slowly.
Triumphantly.
"You should have remained silent."
The hunter stepped backward.
Toward the shadows.
Toward an exit Isabella hadn't noticed before.
"The Gate will open."
Lucian moved instantly.
But crimson symbols erupted around the chamber.
A trap.
Ancient magic.
Powerful magic.
The floor cracked.
Walls shattered.
The entire tomb began collapsing.
Screams filled the air.
People ran.
Stone crashed down around them.
And amid the chaos, Queen Elara spoke one final sentence.
A sentence meant only for Isabella.
"Trust the king."
Then the projection vanished.
The silver light disappeared.
The tomb began to collapse completely.
And Malakar escaped into the darkness.
Leaving behind destruction.
Questions.
And a terrifying promise.
The Gate beneath the mountain was real.
And someone intended to open it.
- Writer
