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The world turned red.
The moment the Blood Moon rose, the air thickened, every breath dragging like molten iron. Wolves lifted their muzzles in instinctive howls, but the sound was fractured, desperate. The crimson glow soaked the forest, painting every shadow in blood.
And then the chanting began.
It came from everywhere at once, a low, rhythmic thrum that made the ground vibrate. Hollow voices, layered and many, speaking words too old to understand. The sound pressed against the skull, filling the head with whispers.
Aria staggered, clutching her temples. The fire inside her roared to life, straining against every boundary she’d built.
Daughter, the Hollow Queen’s voice slithered through her mind, velvet and cruel. Do you feel it now? The Blood Moon is yours. You cannot fight i
