CHAPTER FOUR
739 Words
CHAPTER 4: THE ORACLE’S WARNING
(Damian’s POV)
The wind howled through the streets of Ravenshade, carrying the scent of rain and something darker—the promise of blood.
Selene moved beside me, silent and determined, her body tense as we slipped through the city’s back alleys. We needed to find the Oracle before Lucian Graves did.
But I had a feeling we were already running out of time.
"You sure about this?" I asked, my voice low.
Selene shot me a sharp look. "I don’t have time for doubts, Damian."
"Yeah? Well, I do." I exhaled, rolling my shoulders. "Oracles don’t just hand out answers. And if Devereaux’s second-in-command is already looking for her, that means she’s in danger—or she’s working for him."
Selene didn’t hesitate. "Then we find out which."
I watched her for a moment. The fire in her eyes hadn’t dimmed, not even after all these years. But there was something else there, too—something raw, something I wasn’t sure she even realized she was showing me.
She was afraid.
Not of the fight. Not of Devereaux.
But of losing.
Selene had always been the strongest person I knew. But strength wasn’t just about fighting—it was about carrying the weight of every battle, every loss, and still standing tall.
And I wasn’t about to let her carry this alone.
"Alright," I murmured. "Let’s go find your Oracle."
---
(Selene’s POV)
The Oracle lived where no sane person dared to tread—the Veil.
It wasn’t a real place. Not in the way most people thought. It was a space between the worlds, a crossroads where magic and madness intertwined. The entrance shifted constantly, appearing only when the Oracle willed it.
Tonight, we found it in the ruins of an old cathedral.
The stained-glass windows had shattered long ago, leaving only jagged edges like the teeth of a beast. The air inside was thick with incense and whispers—voices that didn’t belong to the living.
And then, she spoke.
"You walk dangerous paths, Selene Vaughn."
The voice slithered through the air, wrapping around my spine like cold fingers.
The Oracle stepped from the shadows, her form shifting—young, old, ageless. Her eyes were silver pools, reflecting things that hadn’t yet come to pass.
Damian stiffened beside me. I didn’t blame him. The Oracle had that effect on people.
I met her gaze. "We need answers."
She smiled. "Answers come at a price."
"Then name it."
She tilted her head, considering me. "A storm is coming, Crimson Huntress. The past and future are colliding, and you stand at the center of it."
I clenched my fists. "I don’t have time for riddles."
She laughed softly. "Oh, but riddles are the language of fate." She stepped closer, her gaze shifting to Damian. "And you, cursed one… your time is unraveling."
Damian’s jaw tensed. "I know."
Her expression darkened. "No. You don’t."
The air in the room thickened. The shadows twisted.
Then, in a voice that wasn’t quite hers, she whispered—
"The Crimson Moon will rise, and when it does, only one of you will survive."
Silence.
The words hung between us, heavy, suffocating.
Damian’s breathing was rough. Mine wasn’t much better.
I stepped forward. "What does that mean?"
The Oracle’s eyes flickered, as if the vision had already begun to fade. "It means your fates are already bound. And unless you break the chains Devereaux has woven, the curse will take him. And you…"
She touched my arm, and suddenly—
I saw.
Blood. Fire. The city in ruins. Damian on his knees, his body twisted, monstrous, his golden eyes empty of the man I once knew.
And me—standing over him, blade in hand, ready to strike.
I gasped, stumbling back. The vision shattered.
The Oracle’s voice was softer now. Almost sad.
"Choose wisely, Selene. When the time comes, you will have to decide. Him… or the world."
I swallowed hard, my heart hammering. "Tell me how to stop it."
She hesitated.
Then, finally, she spoke.
"The curse is bound to blood. To break it, you must sever the bond that ties him to Devereaux."
Damian stiffened. "And how do we do that?"
The Oracle’s silver eyes locked onto mine.
"You already know the answer."
My stomach twisted.
I did.
And I hated it.
Because there was only one way to sever a blood bond.
Devereaux had to die.
- Writer
