The glowing orb, now dimmed and inert, sat like a sentinel over Caveen's suspended form. The boy, unconscious but alive, drifted gently inside a containment sphere. Whispers echoed like falling dust through the high-vaulted chamber.
High Scribe Venemar stood, his gaze like winter steel. "We are now faced with a threat that cannot be ignored. The dark blood of the Carellos flows through this child. If left unchecked, he may become the next harbinger of ruin."
Lorae, the witch councilor, rose next, her violet robes swaying like mist. "He is not a harbinger. He is a child. And the magic he possesses is dormant. No signs of corruption, no aggression. What we saw today was reflexive magic. A shield."
"And when he becomes aware of it?" growled Jarak, Alpha emissary. "He is the child of a vampire prince's daughter and the Lycan Alpha. Already that is unstable. Add Carellos witch blood, and you breed catastrophe."
Elva, the seer, leaned forward. "We must tread carefully. If we act out of fear, we may drive him to that very catastrophe."
"What do you propose, Elva?" asked Venemar.
"Let me look into his timeline," she said softly. "There may be a thread that shows what path he will walk. I need time, and the boy must be allowed to awaken naturally."
"We should inform Valus," Lorae interjected. "He is the boy's grandfather."
Venemar slammed his staff on the floor. "No. Valus withheld the existence of this child. Of Maika's heritage. Of Vienna's treachery. The council has been blind too long."
"And Carl?" Jarak asked. "He will not remain idle. He will search. And when he finds this place..."
"He won't," Venemar said. "I will invoke the Veil of Dissonance. The location will be hidden even from Lycan tracking."
There was a long pause. Then the Scribe of Forgotten Lore stepped forward again. His voice was no more than a breeze. "You all argue over possibility. But destiny has begun to unravel. The twins of Valus are anomalies. The return of the dark Carellos is not a question. It is a storm coming."
"Then we prepare," Venemar said darkly. "Seal Caveen's powers. Observe him. And if signs of darkness emerge... we act."
A heavy silence followed.
The fate of the child hung in the balance—not as a weapon, but as a seed of a future none of them could yet understand.
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The night air was thick with tension as Maika stood atop the balcony of Valus's palace, the moonlight painting her pale skin in a ghostly silver. Her mind was ablaze with rage and anguish. The council had taken her son—her only child—and now they were debating what to do with him, as though he were a weapon to be evaluated, not a child to be protected.
She clutched the iron railing tightly, her knuckles turning white. The wind howled, whispering threats she could no longer ignore. She had seen flashes of Caveen in her dreams—strapped to an obsidian chair, magical runes swirling around him, his bright eyes dull with confusion and fear. They were studying him like a lab rat, looking for weaknesses… or power.
Maika turned from the railing and stormed inside. Her boots clicked against the marble as she made her way down the corridor. Servants bowed or scurried out of her way—none dared approach her in her fury.
She flung open the double doors of the war room, where Carl, Valus, and Vantessa were already waiting. Maps, sigils, and magical blueprints were scattered across the table.
"We don't have time to wait on the council's 'mercy,'" Maika growled, stepping into the room like a storm. "They're experimenting on Caveen. They want to know if he's more vampire, more lycan—or if the witch blood in him holds enough darkness to make him a weapon."
Carl's eyes were bloodshot. He hadn't slept since Caveen was taken. "I'll tear their fortress stone by stone if I have to. No more hesitation."
Valus remained silent, brooding near the hearth. "We must be careful. Declaring war on the council means declaring war on every faction they've manipulated into believing they're neutral peacekeepers."
Maika spun on him. "This is your grandson, Father. Your blood. Your daughter's son. And they've caged him like a beast!"
Vantessa, who had been quiet until now, raised her hand gently. "I've heard whispers. The council sensed something unique in Caveen—his aura shifted during analysis. Not just vampire. Not just lycan. But the mark of the Carellos."
Maika's breath caught in her throat. "You mean... black magic?"
Vantessa nodded. "Not active. Dormant. Like an ember buried under snow—but embers can be fanned into flame."
Carl slammed a fist into the table. "They'll kill him if they think he's a threat."
"No," Vantessa said calmly, her expression grim. "Worse. They'll raise him as one. Mold him into a weapon, turn him against all of us."
Valus stood now, his demeanor shifting from stoic to authoritative. "Then we must stop them. Not with brute force—but with precision. Strategy. We know where they've taken him—Sector 7, the hidden facility beneath the ruins of Elvaran."
Maika's eyes flashed with sudden clarity. "I'll go. Alone if I have to."
"You won't," Carl said immediately. "I'm going with you."
"And I," Vantessa added, "will give you a way in."
She reached into her satchel and pulled out a glowing sigil stone, pulsing with enchanted energy. "This will cloak your aura from the wardens. But it only works for one hour. After that, they'll sense you. You'll need to get to Caveen by then—or risk triggering the fortress defenses."
Maika took the stone and nodded, her face resolute.
Valus stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. "If they try to use him—force him to awaken that blood—you must be the one to stop it. He's young. Conflicted. A child of three legacies. You're the only one who can anchor him."
Maika's throat tightened. "I will bring him back. Whatever it takes."
Carl wrapped an arm around her waist. "Then we leave tonight."