Lisa’s POV 

The silence in the hall felt heavy, like the air itself was waiting. My heart was still aching from the weight of everything Morana had revealed. My mother’s diary lay against my chest, my fingers clutching it as though it might dissolve if I let go. 

Althea, my mother. She had been tricked, hunted and broken. And in the end, she had died by Fenric’s hand. Her sacred blood had stained the altar of a demon god. 

I felt sick just thinking about it. 

Sierra’s voice brushed against my thoughts, soft at first, then sharp with anger. He stole everything from her. Her mate, her life, her future. He stole your family. And now, he wants you too. 

I closed my eyes. I was trying to breathe but the pain sat in my chest like fire. My throat felt raw from crying. I wanted to scream but the sound refused to leave my body. 

When I opened my eyes again, Morana was still watching me. Her silver gaze was cold and steady, but there was something softer hidden beneath it….something almost protective. 

“Lisa,” she said, her voice low. “You must understand why your blood matters.” 

I swallowed hard. “Why me? Why does it always have to be me?” 

Morana didn’t flinch at the crack in my voice. She stepped closer. Her cloak brushed against the marble floor. “Because you are your mother’s daughter. You carry the same sacred blood. The blood Fenric spilled 

long ago.” 

Her words twisted my insides. I looked down at my trembling hands. “But he killed her. He sacrificed her 

already. Why… why wasn’t that enough?” 

Morana’s expression darkened. She shook her head slowly. “Because her sacrifice failed. Even with Althea’s blood, the demon’s curse remained unbroken. Fenric thought that by killing her, he would free himself. But he was wrong. The curse only bound tighter. Now, his immortality has become his prison.” 

I blinked at her, stunned. “So…. he still wants my blood. He thinks it will work this time.” 

“Yes” Morana’s tone was sharp and final. “Because the same sacred blood has been born again. He believes you are the key. But what he does not know, Lisa, is that your blood can also be his undoing.” 

Sierra growled in the back of my mind. Good. Let us use it against him. Let him choke on his own curse. 

I wrapped my arms around myself. I was shaking. My stomach twisted with fear and dread. “What do you 

mean?” 

Morana raised her chin. “Your blood will guide us. It remembers what happened. Just as your mother’s blood once stained the altar, yours can show us the way back to where it all began. Through you, we can 

1/4 

Chapter 173 

find the altar’s location. The place of the first sacrifice.” 

Her words struck deep. I shivered. My heart thundered in my chest. “And then what?” 

+25 Porte 

“Then,” Morana said, her voice low, “we will destroy the altar. We will break the curse and make Fenric mortal again. Only then can he finally die.” 

The room fell silent. I felt everyone’s eyes on me. Kael’s were sharp and stormy but Rylan’s were steady and protective. Morana appeared cold but determined. 

My throat tightened. “So… you’re saying you need my blood.” 

Morana gave a single nod. “Yes. Only through your blood can we find the path.” 

My hands trembled at my sides. I didn’t know what scared me more, the thought of bleeding for this ritual or the truth that Fenric would never stop hunting me if I refused. 

Sierra’s voice was firm in my mind. We will do this. For your mother. For everyone he has destroyed. We 

will not run from this destiny, Lisa. 

I exhaled shakily. My voice trembled as I whispered, “Then… do it.” 

Morana’s silver eyes flashed. “Stand in the center of the hall.” 

My legs felt weak, but I forced myself to move. The floor was cold beneath my bare feet as I stepped into the middle of the room. My breath came fast and shallow. 

Morana crouched down and pulled a small black leather bag from her side. She began removing strange objects: a vial of ash, a pouch of coarse salt, bundles of dried herbs, a handful of black candles and a 

small copper bowl. 

The air grew heavier with each item she laid down. 

She looked toward Rylan. “A flame.” 

Rylan blinked, then quickly pulled a lighter from his pocket. He crossed the hall and handed it to her. His hand brushed mine for just a second. It felt warm and reassuring. “It’s going to be alright,” he whispered. 

I tried to nod but my throat was too tight. 

Morana took the lighter and struck it. One by one, she lit the candles. The flames flickered unnaturally tall. Their glow was dark and eerie, casting long shadows on the walls. She sprinkled the ash in a wide circle 

around me, then poured a line of salt to seal it. The circle closed like a cage and I shivered. 

Her voice rose in a tongue I didn’t recognize. 

“By ash and shadow, by salt and flame, 

Reveal the path, reveal the name. 

Through blood remembered, through bonds undone. 

Show us the place where it all begun.” 

2/4 

+25 Points 

The sound of her chant echoed in the air like it wasn’t just her speaking but a hundred voices layered together. My skin prickled. 

Suddenly, she stopped. Her eyes snapped open. 

Her expression turned sharp. “Something is wrong.” 

My chest tightened. “What do you mean?” 

Morana stepped into the circle and grabbed my wrist. She closed her eyes. For a long moment, she was 

silent. Then she hissed softly. “He has bound you. Fenric has placed a spell on you, Lisa. That is why your power does not answer.” 

A jolt of fear shot through me. “He…he did what?” 

Sierra snarled viciously inside me. The coward. He is trying to keep us weak. 

Morana’s face hardened. “Yes. It is a binding, meant to keep your power dormant. To make you easier to 

control. It is clever but not strong.” 

My lips trembled. “So what does that mean? Can you…can you fix it?” 

Morana reached back into her bag and pulled out a small vial filled with fine red powder. “Do not move,” 

she instructed. 

I held my breath as she tossed the powder into the air around me. It shimmered and fell like crimson 

snow. Then she uncorked a small flask and poured a thick and dark liquid across my shoulders. It burned 

cold against my skin. 

Her voice rang out in another chant. It was sharper and more forceful: 

“Chains of silence, I break your hold. 

By blood unbound, by truth retold. 

Return the gift, restore the flame, 

I cast you out, I break your claim.” 

The air around me shuddered. I gasped as a sudden weight lifted from my chest. My body felt lighter, like 

a knot deep inside me had finally come undone. Sierra howled triumphantly in my head. Yes! We are free 

again! 

Morana’s lips curved into the faintest smile. “It is done. You are unbound.” 

I sagged with relief. My body was trembling. 

“Now,” Morana said firmly, “we continue.” 

She pricked my finger with a silver pin and let the blood drip into the copper bowl. I watched as the dark drops fell, each one seeming louder than the last. 

The flames around me flickered wildly. They were bending unnaturally all at once toward the southern 

3/4 

Chapte 119 

wall. 

I shivered. 

Morana’s chanting rose again. It was rhythmic and fierce: 

“Blood of sacred line once shed, 

Guide us now where angels dread. 

Ash and salt, with fire combined, 

Reveal the altar, etched in time.” 

25 Points 

The blood in the bowl hissed as if it was alive. It spread across the floor, snaking through the ash and salt, 

weaving lines that glowed faintly red. 

The lines began to form shapes. There were mountains, rivers and valleys. My eyes widened as the image 

sharpened. It wasn’t random. It was a map. 

I gasped. “It’s… it’s showing us…” 

The glowing lines curved, connected, then stopped in a jagged mark at the very edge. A place marked in 

crimson flame. 

Morana’s eyes gleamed. “The altar.” 

The flames of the candles shot higher. They were bending violently toward the map. The scent of smoke 

and blood filled the air. 

Kael stepped closer to the circle, his fists clenched. “Where is it?” 

Morana’s voice dropped into a grim whisper. “Deep within the Ruins of Eldermoor. The place where Fenric bound his soul to the demon… where Althea’s blood was spilled.” 

My knees went weak. The air was heavy, pressing against my chest. The ruins. The curse. My mother’s 

death. All of it was waiting for me there. 

Sierra’s voice whispered inside me, fierce and determined. This is it. This is where we end him. 

I stared at the map glowing in ash, salt, and blood. My hands trembled. My heart was pounding so hard I 

thought it would break. 

The truth lay before us. 

And it terrified me. 

Comments 

LUCK DRAW >