Chapter 5: The Hidden Bloodline

The room fell deathly silent.

The glowing symbol slowly faded from the cracked wall, but the tension remained.

Evelyn looked from Thaddeus to Orion, searching for answers.

"Will someone please tell me what's happening?" she demanded.

Thaddeus kept his eyes fixed on the wall.

"That symbol belongs to an ancient coven that disappeared centuries ago."

"Disappeared?"

"No," Orion corrected quietly.

"They were hunted into extinction."

"By whom?"

Neither man answered.

Ryland finally broke the silence.

"By us."

Evelyn's stomach tightened.

"You... wiped out an entire coven?"

Thaddeus looked at her without remorse.

"They tried to enslave every supernatural race."

"We ended the war."

"By killing everyone?"

"Sometimes that's the only way wars end."

His calm reply sent chills down her spine.

She stepped backward.

"Who are you people?"

"The monsters everyone fears," Ryland answered honestly.

"But we don't want to be your monsters."

Before Evelyn could respond, Orion placed an old leather-bound book on the table.

Dust covered its faded black cover.

"I've seen that symbol before," he said.

"Only once."

Carefully opening the ancient pages, he searched until stopping at a weathered illustration.

The exact same crescent moon surrounded by silver flames.

"The Mark of the First Bloodline," Orion read.

"A family blessed by both light and darkness."

Evelyn frowned.

"What does that mean?"

"It means," Thaddeus answered, "someone believed your bloodline vanished centuries ago."

"Yet somehow... you survived."

"That's impossible."

"Is it?" Ryland asked.

"You survived tonight when ordinary humans wouldn't have."

Only then did Evelyn notice something strange.

The bruises on her arms had completely disappeared.

"They were here a few minutes ago..." she whispered.

Orion nodded.

"Your body is healing much faster than a normal human's."

"No..."

She shook her head repeatedly.

"There has to be another explanation."

"There isn't," Thaddeus replied.

"Your blood awakened the moment those hunters attacked."

"Which means they weren't trying to kill you."

"They wanted to capture you."

"Why?"

"Because someone needs your blood for something."

The thought made Evelyn's heart race.

"I don't even know who my real parents were."

The room became quiet again.

"You were adopted?" Orion asked gently.

She nodded.

"I was only a baby."

"My adoptive parents died when I was sixteen."

"I've been alone ever since."

Thaddeus's expression darkened.

"Did they ever tell you where they found you?"

"No."

"Any documents?"

"Nothing."

"Then someone erased your past," Orion concluded.

"Deliberately."

Ryland cursed under his breath.

"This keeps getting worse."

Just then, alarms echoed throughout the mansion.

Red lights flashed across every hallway.

"Perimeter breach," a computerized voice announced.

"Unknown magical presence detected."

Thaddeus instantly stood.

"Stay here," he ordered Evelyn.

"Absolutely not!"

"You wanted answers."

"Well, I'm coming too."

"It's dangerous."

"Everything since meeting you has been dangerous."

For a brief moment, Thaddeus almost smiled.

"Fair enough."

The four hurried downstairs.

Outside, thick black fog covered the entire estate.

"That's not natural," Orion whispered.

"Someone's hiding inside it."

Ryland sniffed the air.

"I smell blood... and witches."

A chilling laugh echoed through the darkness.

"So... the Dark King finally found her."

A hooded figure stepped from the mist.

Another followed.

Then another.

Within seconds, nearly twenty cloaked strangers surrounded the mansion.

"Who are you?" Evelyn whispered.

The leader slowly removed his hood.

His pale face was covered in glowing black runes.

"We've searched for the Last Blood Heir for over a hundred years."

His cold eyes settled on Evelyn.

"And tonight... our search ends."

Dark magic erupted from his hands.

The battle had begun.