Kyra's heartbeat pounded in her ears. "So… you were there. You saved me."
Soraya's eyes shimmered with a sadness Kyra hadn't seen before. "I made a vow, long before you were born. Your mother was like a sister to me. And when she begged me, silent and bound, I knew what I had to do."
Kyra stood, pacing now, her fingers brushing against the cold walls of the cottage. "They hated me. Before I even existed. And the community—how did they react? Surely something like this couldn't stay secret."
A dark chuckle escaped Soraya's lips. "No, child. Secrets that large don't stay buried. Especially not when the storm breaks."
Flashback (continued)
March 17th. The night of the blood moon.
Elira's labor began in chains.
Hidden beneath the Elder Hall, in the deepest catacombs sealed with both witchcraft and vampire sigils, her cries echoed through ancient tunnels carved with forgotten magic. Lucien was close—close enough to feel her pain through the bond they'd formed—but not close enough to touch her.
The storm outside howled, lightning splitting the sky. The forest surrounding the hidden grounds of the Elder Hall stirred with unrest. Animals fled. The wind carried whispers.
Something ancient was being born.
As the hour neared midnight, the walls themselves began to tremble. Lights flickered, enchantments sparked. Witches who had never faltered in their chants suddenly stumbled. Vampires clutched their chests, sensing the surge of something primal.
And then she came.
Kyra.
Born in blood and magic. Her first cry shattered two crystals embedded in the chamber walls. The ground rumbled, and a raven—black as the void—crashed through the magically warded windows above and perched on the edge of her birthing cloth.
The witch who helped deliver her screamed and dropped her.
But Soraya caught her.
The child's eyes, though barely opened, glowed faintly violet for a second—just a blink—and then dimmed.
The elders gathered above were speechless. Power radiated from the infant. Power that shouldn't exist.
"She is not one of us," a vampire elder whispered. "She is something else."
"She is everything we feared," another murmured.
The community fractured overnight.
Factions rose—some calling her a herald, others a curse. Entire covens relocated, alliances were broken. The Crescent witches went into seclusion. The Nightwood vampires severed ties with the council entirely.
And in the chaos, Soraya vanished—child in hand—into the night.
End Flashback
Kyra sank back into her chair, her face pale. "So that's how it happened... March 17th... the blood moon."
"You were born on the night the world changed," Soraya said. "A girl with vampire strength, witch magic, and human soul. They feared you because they didn't understand what you might become."
Kyra clutched her chest, her breath shallow. "And my parents…?"
Soraya hesitated, then rose and walked to the window. The moon was just beginning to rise.
"We'll speak of them next. For now, you need to know who you are."