“Do you think that witch is strong enough to break the seals of the Caelum?” Marius asked his father.

“It doesn’t matter. Leila is awake now and will come for Damian.” Marcus continued, with a slow nod he said, “They will try to free him and unleash hell, but we…We need to act fast before they reach Duskfall.”

“What do we do?”

Marcus’s gaze darkened. “We strengthen the Chamber of Night. Bring in the witches. The old ones, with spells old enough. The elders who rule over their covens and carry their legacy. The Covenant”

“Are you sure?” Marius hesitated. “Using them means risking the balance.”

Marcus’s voice turned cold. “Balance was broken the day Liam was born.”

Beneath the sky of Caelum, Leila stood still, her crimson eyes reflecting the broken gates of Caelum.

“He’s still bound,” she said.

Liam looked up. “I tried but he said I’m not powerful enough.”

“You’re not the one who placed it,” Lady Virelle murmured, emerging from the shadows of the tomb.

Selene exhaled. “But you helped unbind Leila. Could you do the same for Damian?”

Leila turned to Virelle. “You bled for me once. Will you bleed again?”

Virelle’s mouth twisted into a smirk. “I didn’t come this far to turn away now.”

Liam met her eyes. “You’ll come with us to Duskfall?”

She nodded slowly. “If Damian rises, the world will shift again. I’d rather stand beside it than be buried beneath it.”

Leila stepped forward, placing a hand on Liam’s chest. “We must move before the witches strengthen the seal. Marcus won’t wait.”

Selene glanced at the fading Caelum horizon. “Then let’s not waste another second.”

In the Halls of Mirrors deep within Duskfall, Marcus knelt before the witches. The lead witch’s eyes were black pools of ink. “You summoned us for a hybrid boy?”

“He is more than that,” Marcus said. “He is the key to Damian.”

Another witch hissed. “And you fear him?”

“I respect what comes next,” Marcus replied.

The lead witch stood, robes dragging ash. “Then you will pay the price.”

Marcus bared his wrist. “Name it.”

“Your blood,” the lead witch rasped. “One drop for every life he takes.”

Without hesitation, Marcus sliced his palm. Blood splashed onto the mirrors. The Chamber of Night screamed.

Leila took a deep breath as they approached Duskfall. “City of my blood.

By the time they reached the outer rim of Duskfall, the skies had turned violet-black, and the cursed winds had begun to stir.

Virelle raised her fingers, feeling the air. “The witches, they were here not long.”

As they got closer to the Chamber of Night Leila nodded. “I can feel him. I can feel his blood.”

They crept toward the Chamber of Night. Its once-faded walls now pulsed with violent magic. Runes glowed white-hot.

Liam stopped. “This wasn’t here before.”

Virelle examined the sigils. “Marcus summoned The Covenant. These are blood-seals woven with mirror curses. If we touch them unprepared, we’ll be torn apart.”

Selene cursed under her breath. “So how do we get through?”

Leila’s voice was sharp. “We break the mirrors.”

Virelle turned. “You’d confront the covenant?”

“I faced the first vampire,” Leila said. “I’ll face them too.”

Liam stepped forward. “What do we need?”

“An anchor,” Virelle whispered. “A tether to the original binding.”

Leila’s eyes narrowed. “Me.”

Virelle nodded. “Only your blood can reverse the prison they made for him.”

Selene looked between them. “And what happens to you if you do this?”

Leila smiled. “Then my soul becomes his key.”

Liam grabbed her hand. “Mother, we do this together, we bleed together.”

Virelle raised her staff. “Then prepare yourselves. The Covenant will come for us once we begin.” Virelle began the incantation. Her voice rose with ancient power, syllables twisting the wind. The runes flickered, then dimmed.

Selene summoned a ring of fire to shield them. Shadows swirled behind the stone.

Liam pressed a hand to the seal. “He’s close.”

Leila stepped beside him, her palm glowing. “Damian,” she whispered. “Hear me.”

The gate cracked. And from within, a roar.

“Now!” Virelle shouted.

Leila and Liam placed their hands together on the seal. Magic surged between them, wrapping them in silver fire. The Chamber burst open. Smoke poured out, thick with old pain. The air smelled of rust and thunder. A shape emerged—tall, bound in black chains, eyes glowing deep red.

“Damian,” Leila whispered. His head lifted slowly. “Leila… Liam…”

Liam stepped forward. “We’re here.”

Chains slithered away. Damian fell to one knee, gasping.

Selene reached for him. “He’s weak—”

“No,” he growled. “Just waking.”

He stood tall, taller than Liam, and the ground beneath him cracked.

Liam stared up at him, awe and fury mingling. “They kept you locked like a beast.”

“I was a beast,” Damian said. “Now I remember.”

Leila touched his face. “We need you. The war has begun.”

Damian’s eyes burned. “Then let it end with fire.”

From the shadows, Marius appeared, daggers drawn. “You won’t leave here alive.”

Virelle snarled. “I’ll deal with him.” She vanished in smoke.

Marius turned, and screamed.

A heartbeat later, his body fell.

Leila turned to Liam. “Marcus will know.”

Damian’s eyes narrowed. “Then we bring war to him first.”

Liam nodded. “No more hiding.”

Together, they vanished into the dusk, the storm behind them and vengeance ahead.