BLOOD OATH OF ELARIS

CHAPTER 1

Town of Elaris

The town of Elone Aris lay hidden behind walls of emerald forest, so deep that strangers often swore it was only a legend. From the outside, it appeared idyllic cobblestone streets dusted with gold leaves in autumn, ivy-covered cottages, and a marketplace rich with color and spice. But the people of Elaris carried something the trees could not hide: an old fear, whispers that clung to their faces like a shadow.

Every sunrise began the same way. The temple bells tolled, deep and resonant, carrying across the rooftops like a warning. In the marketplace, bakers set out loaves still warm from the oven, their crusts steaming in the chill. The air smelled of woodsmoke, honey, and iron the scent of a town both thriving and watchful.

Liora Veylan, a beauty to behold with beautiful long flowing hair, and eye colors of sunset, hummed softly while walking. She knew every c***k in those streets. She moved with the familiarity of someone who had never stepped beyond the forest's edge. Her small shop on the corner of Alder Lane was filled with rows of glass jars:dried flowers, powdered roots, fragrant oils. A place where she finds calm. She had learned herbalism from her late mother, but her skill went beyond medicine. She could brew teas that eased troubled sleep, salves that knit wounds in days, and potions that made the heart race like first love. Her mother always whispered that her hands were guided by the spirits of the forest.

This morning, she was bent over a mortar, grinding violet petals into powder, when the shop bell chimed.

Kaelen Darrin ducked inside, tall enough that he had to lower his head to pass under the lintel. His blacksmith’s apron was dusted with silver filings, and his dark hair was sweaty. He set a small wrapped bundle on her counter.

“Good morning, " he said voice warm enough to melt the frost from the air. “You said you’d have the lavender oil ready?”

Liora's heart skipped, and she smiled, wiping her hands on her apron.“I have it here.” She reached for a small corked vial, the liquid inside glistening like liquid sunlight. “For your sister’s wedding.

He hesitated, glancing toward the door as though afraid someone might overhear. “Yes…Yes, she wanted something to calm her nerves before the Morning Rite.

Liora’s fingers stilled. The Morning Rite. Even after twenty-three years in Elaris, she still shivered when she heard those words.

The Rite was older than the cobblestones, older than the town’s founding. On the morning of every wedding, before the vows could be spoken, the bride was summoned to the Temple of the First Light. There, under the gaze of the High Priestess, and both families she would kneel, recite an oath, and give a drop of her blood into the silver basin. No one spoke openly of what the priestess did with that blood. The official tale was that it was a blessing, ensuring prosperity and fertility. But Liora had seen too many brides emerge pale and trembling, some with their eyes haunted forever.

Still, no one questioned it. In Elaris, to refuse the Morning Rite was to refuse marriage itself.

“Your sister will be fine,” Liora said, handing him the vial. Her words were gentle, but her mind flickered with unease. She’s marrying someone from the west side, yes?

Kaelen nodded, but there was a tightness in his jaw. The family of Marrek Fenn. Wealthy merchants.”

A silence passed between them, filled only by the soft hiss of the shop’s hearth. Liora had known Kaelen since childhood. They had shared stolen apples, run through the forest with grass in their hair, whispered secrets under the harvest moon. But in the last two years, something shifted an unspoken closeness that made her chest ache whenever he smiled at her.

And yet, like every couple in Elaris, their future was tethered to the Rite.

The shop bell chimed again. This time it was Mistress Caddra, a sharp-eyed woman who ran the bakery across the square. She swept in with a basket on her arm, her gaze flicking between Liora and Kaelen. “Talking again, are we? You two should be careful how much time you spend together. People talk, Kaelen and Liora looked at each other.

Kaelen’s shoulders tensed. “People will always talk.”

Perhaps, Caddra said, setting the basket on the counter with a thump.“But some names carry more weight than others. Especially when a wedding might be in the air.”

Liora met her gaze, steady.“If you have something to say, say it.”

Caddra’s mouth curved in a thin smile. Just remember, the Rite doesn’t lie. It never has. She turned and swept out, leaving the smell of cinnamon and the sting of her words behind.

Kaelen exhaled slowly. I should get back to the forge. He touched the edge of the counter, a lingering brush of his fingers that made Liora’s skin prickle. “I’ll see you tonight?”

“Yes,” she said. “At the lantern festival.”

When he was gone, Liora stood in the quiet shop, staring at the door, the fear of “what if “ She had grown up with whispers about cursed bloodlines, of families who had once broken the ancient oath and paid a dear price. But those were old stories, weren’t they?

Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something in Caddra’s warning that wasn't meant for his sister but for them.

Outside, the temple bells tolled again, each peal echoing through the air, slow and deliberate, as though time was holding its breath. The sound rolled over the rooftops, sinking into the marrow of the quiet streets, heavy with unspoken warning. It was not merely the passing of hours they announced, but a summons to something inevitable, an unseen reckoning drawing closer with each mournful chime. The vibrations seemed to linger, clinging to the walls, to the hearts of those who heard, whispering that whatever approached could not be delayed, only endured, as shadows deepened and fate crept nearer.