Chapter 2

The ceiling of the chamber began to crumble, chunks crashing down and sending up clouds of dust.

The blood moon's light thickened into something almost liquid, flooding through cracks and the door's edges, pooling on the floor in a dark, viscous puddle. Twisted faces surfaced in the blood-red water, crying out with the wails of newborns.

My voice was raw, the burning in my veins now replaced by a bone-chilling cold. "What choice do you want me to make?

"Do you want to kill me to seal your brother away, or have me help you free him and let the abyss consume the world?"

Elin plunged her claws into her own shoulder, ripping open a bloody wound. She didn't scream.

She just stared at me, her eyes icy. "There's a third option. We can forge a new bond with our blood, binding his power to us. But the price is that we'll become the new seal, trapped in this chamber forever."

With that, she tossed the blood-soaked dagger at my feet. The hilt was wrapped in intricate Azharic script, and the blood on the blade glowed with an eerie, unnatural light.

I bent down to pick it up, and the moment the blade touched my skin, it hissed and burned, sending up a wisp of smoke.

"Why me?" I stared at her. "You could've done it. Why bother telling me any of this?"

"Because I can feel the regret in your blood," she said, a bitter smile tugging at her lips. "You've always fought against the hunger, refused to feed, even got married just to break away from the Coven.

"But fate never gave you a way out."

She pointed up at the ceiling, where thick, black liquid was starting to seep down, dripping around the altar. "My brother's will has already torn through the first seal.

"In less than three minutes, he'll break through and enter this world. When that happens, it won't just be you and me—every half-undead in Skjallheim will be burned up by his fury."

Huge cracks split the ceiling, and chunks of stone crashed down. I gripped the dagger tighter, the runes on its hilt blazing with searing light.

Deep inside, I could feel something ancient awakening: the Castine bloodline, power straight from the abyss itself. The glow raced up my arms, crawling over my skin as scale-like patterns shimmered just beneath the surface.

"Trust me," Elin whispered, stepping close and cradling my face in her cold, trembling hands. "This bond won't kill us. It'll make us the new seal—the balance that keeps the abyss at bay. I'll share this burden with you."

I saw myself reflected in her reptilian eyes. My own pale face, skin gleaming, and the shadow of horns just starting to break through my hairline.

It hit me that my blood had been calling out for this ritual all along. I drew in a shaky breath, pressed the dagger to my wrist, and slashed down hard.

The instant my blood hit the air, a storm of blood-red light exploded through the chamber. The runes on the walls blazed to life, flames shooting up and twisting our shadows into monstrous, warped shapes.

Elin reached out, pressing my bleeding wrist to the wound on her shoulder. Our blood sizzled and hissed together.

Pain ripped through me, like every bone in my body was being shattered and rebuilt. I gritted my teeth, fighting to stay conscious.

Light started to pour from Elin's body. The black claws shrank away, her eyes turned human again, and the bloody tears on her cheeks hardened into dark red crystals.

"We did it..." she breathed, slumping weakly against me. "But we're never leaving this place. The altar... We have to lay ourselves on it, let the seal accept us as its new guardians."

I picked her up and made my way toward the altar, step by step. With every stride, the cracks in the floor widened, and twisted faces emerged halfway from the darkness, reaching for my ankles.

I kicked them aside, gently laying Elin on the altar. Then I climbed up beside her, locking my fingers with hers.

The altar trembled violently, and the chains sprang up, wrapping around our arms and legs. The serpent's obsidian eyes faded, replaced by a gentle white light that radiated from the heart of the stone.

I could feel my consciousness drifting away, my body growing cold, but Elin's hand remained warm in mine.

"Will you hate me for this?" I asked, lowering my head.

She shook her head, closed her eyes, and a faint smile curved her lips. "Thank you for staying with me. At least... we won't have to deal with those pretentious aristocratic parties anymore."

I couldn't help but laugh, coughing up a few flecks of blood. The chamber started to collapse, dirt and stone raining down from above. But as soon as they touched the white light, they dissolved into dust.

The whole world was engulfed in silent, endless white.

I didn't know how long had passed before I opened my eyes. I found myself lying in an endless expanse of white light. Elin was close by, her body encased in a shimmering, translucent veil. She was awake, smiling gently at me.

"We made it," Elin said, her voice echoing from somewhere far away. "But the bond has only just begun. We'll need to sleep here for a hundred years, so the energy can stabilize.

"When the moon eclipses again, the seal will lift on its own."