The Blood Thirsty ✨

CHAPTER SEVEN — The Artifact of Shadows

The city slept under a heavy veil of fog, the streets silent but for the occasional whisper of wind curling through alleyways. Lina and Nera had barely returned from the memory chamber, their bodies exhausted, their minds still spinning with fragments of the past. Yet sleep eluded them. Something prickled at the edges of reality—a shadow lurking, waiting for the right moment to strike.

“I can feel him,” Nera murmured, her hand brushing the air in front of her as though she could swat away an unseen presence. “Zoraver… he’s closer than before.”

Lina’s jaw tightened. “And he won’t wait. He never does. We have to be ready… now.”

Jaxon and Dante stood in the dim light of their safehouse, leaning against the cold stone walls. Their expressions were unreadable, but Lina and Nera could sense the tension coiled beneath their calm exteriors.

“You two are changing,” Dante said softly, his dark eyes fixed on Nera. “Not just your power, but your presence. You attract danger now—not by accident, but because it’s drawn to your awakening.”

“Exactly,” Jaxon added, his gaze on Lina. “Zoraver knows you survived the first trial. He’s testing you, probing for weaknesses. You’re not safe—not for a moment.”

An attack in the night.

No sooner had the warning been spoken than a sudden shiver of wind swept through the room, extinguishing the lanterns. Shadows thickened, stretching across the walls like living creatures. Lina and Nera instinctively grabbed each other’s hands, their combined energy flickering to life.

Then they saw them—Zoraver’s minions. Figures cloaked in black, moving with unnerving speed, eyes glinting red in the darkness.

“They’re fast,” Lina muttered, her fists glowing with golden fire.

Nera’s shadows surged around her, coiling like serpents ready to strike. “Then let’s show them what they’re messing with.”

The room erupted into chaos. Lina’s fire clashed with the minions’ dark energy, light and shadow dancing in a furious storm. Nera’s shadow tendrils lashed out with precision, striking down those who dared approach.

Amid the battle, Lina felt a pull—a tug in her chest, faint but insistent, leading her toward a hidden corner of the room. There, half-buried beneath broken stone and debris, was a small box, black as night but pulsating with a faint, violet glow.

“The artifact…” Lina breathed, recognizing it instantly from fragments of memory.

Discovery of the artifact.

Nera joined her, eyes wide. “It’s… calling to us.”

Jaxon and Dante moved to protect them, forming a protective circle as the minions advanced again. But Lina and Nera barely noticed the attack. Their focus was on the artifact, a small, intricately carved box adorned with runes that seemed to writhe under their gaze.

“It’s more than just a key,” Dante said, his voice low. “It’s a conduit. A link to your past lives and your full potential. Whoever controls it can awaken the power you’ve only glimpsed so far.”

Lina’s hands trembled as she opened the box. Inside lay two crystalline pendants, one glowing gold, the other deep violet. The moment their eyes met the sisters’ own, Lina felt a surge of energy unlike anything before. Memories, emotions, power—they all crashed into her at once, overwhelming and beautiful.

Nera’s pendant pulsed in response, shadow energy spiraling outward. Their powers resonated with the artifacts, harmonizing in a way that was almost intoxicating.

“You feel it too?” Lina whispered.

Nera nodded, breathless. “It’s like… everything we are, everything we were, and everything we can be—all at once.”

Power awakened.

The minions hesitated, sensing the surge of energy. Lina and Nera’s powers had grown, but it wasn’t just the strength—it was the control, the connection between them. Fire and shadow intertwined, golden light and violet darkness merging in an elegant, deadly dance.

Jaxon’s eyes narrowed as he watched Lina’s flames spiral higher, yet his expression softened with awe. Dante’s gaze lingered on Nera, a faint smirk tugging at his lips as he realized the full potential of her shadow manipulation.

“You’re ready,” Jaxon said finally, his voice barely audible over the chaos. “Ready for what’s coming. But…” His words faltered as he glanced at Lina, eyes darkening with unspoken desire. “…not yet ready to face him alone.”

Dante echoed him, looking at Nera. “And neither of you are ready to face your destiny without each other—or without us.”

The minions lunged again, but Lina and Nera moved with uncanny synchronicity. Lina’s flames formed protective walls, forcing the attackers back, while Nera’s shadows struck with surgical precision. The artifacts pulsed, feeding their energy, amplifying their power.

One by one, the minions fell, retreating finally into the darkness from whence they came. The room fell silent, save for the sisters’ heavy breathing and the hum of the artifacts’ energy.

Aftermath and tension.

Lina sank to her knees, clutching the golden pendant. Nera mirrored her, fingers brushing the violet crystal. Their bond was electric, intimate—not just as sisters, but as the shared soul they had always been.

Jaxon knelt beside Lina, his hand hovering just above hers. “You’re incredible,” he said softly, voice low enough that it was almost a caress. “Every moment… you’re stronger than I could have imagined.”

Lina’s pulse quickened at the nearness, the heat of his words brushing against her like fire. She met his gaze, heart hammering, feeling the dangerous pull of attraction.

Dante’s hand brushed Nera’s shoulder, grounding her as much as it stirred something deep inside. “You’ve come far,” he murmured. “And there’s so much more waiting for you… so much more you need to remember.”

Nera swallowed, aware of the tension that had begun to weave itself between them. The memory visions, the artifact, the danger—they were all threads in a tapestry that bound them together in ways that went beyond friendship or trust.

A whisper of the villain.

And then, faintly, almost imperceptibly, a shadow coalesced in the corner of the room. Zoraver. His presence seeped into their minds, cold and consuming.

“You touch the past… and yet you know nothing,” his voice hissed, echoing in their minds. “The artifact awakens your power, but it will also awaken your fear. Your longing. Your weakness.”

Lina gritted her teeth, fire flaring stronger. “We will not fear you, Zoraver,” she spat.

Nera’s shadow coiled around her, protective and ready. “We will not be your prey.”

Zoraver’s laughter, low and menacing, followed them as he retreated, but the echo lingered. The sisters’ hearts were still racing, not just from the fight, but from the intimacy of power and the silent, electric pull toward Jaxon and Dante.

They were awakening—not just to their past lives, but to a future that promised danger, desire, and the revelation of a power they were only beginning to understand.