I knew something was coming, but nothing could have prepared me for this.
Necro had been quiet for a while, too quiet. It should have been a warning. Every move they made, every whisper they planted in the shadows, had led to this moment—the Ritual of Darkness. The name alone sent a chill down my spine, but when I learned the truth of what it really meant, it took everything I had not to lose it.
The Ritual of Darkness wasn't just some blood spell. It was a curse—something far worse than anything we'd ever seen. Necro had figured out a way to break the bond between the Blackthorn and Vortex bloodlines, cutting us off from each other and from the power that had kept us alive, kept us dominant, for generations. And once that bond was shattered? Necro would control everything.
Every family member who had ever been tied to our bloodline would be vulnerable. Weak. Susceptible to Necro's manipulation. And once they had control, the entire neighborhood would fall under Necro's rule. I could already picture it: the streets, empty but for Necro's shadow stretching across every building, every home, every corner.
The worst part? The ritual had to happen during a lunar eclipse. It was the only time when the power of the moon would align with the blood magic—when the veil between life and death was at its thinnest. A ritual like this... It wasn't something you could walk away from. The consequences would be devastating for anyone who participated.
It was almost like Necro wanted us to make the choice: Do we try to stop it and risk everything? Or do we let them finish what they started and lose everything?
The Blackthorns and Vortexes were still reeling from the recent betrayals. We were already on the edge, fighting both the enemy in front of us and the enemies within our own ranks. Every trust broken, every hidden alliance uncovered—it had all left us fractured. If we had been a family once, we weren't anymore. And that made stopping Necro even harder.
I stood in the middle of the Blackthorn estate, the tension in the air thicker than ever. Empress paced, her face dark, a storm brewing in her eyes. I knew she could feel it too—the weight of what was coming, pressing down on all of us.
"We need to stop the ritual," she said, her voice tight. "Now."
But even as the words left her lips, I knew how hard that would be. Everyone had their own agenda. Noctis was still keeping his distance, only coming to the table when it suited him. He was all about power, all about control. But this was bigger than any of that. This wasn't just about dominance. This was about survival.
"We can't let Necro get to the bloodlines," I said, my voice harsh with frustration. "If they succeed, it's over for all of us. We'll be nothing."
Noctis, arms crossed, finally looked at me. His expression was unreadable, but there was a flicker of something there. Fear, maybe. Or just the weight of knowing how badly we'd fucked up. "I'm aware," he muttered. "But it's not that simple, is it?"
I turned to face him, my patience thin. "What the hell are you talking about? You think we can just let this happen? You think we can just let Necro walk in and take control?"
"No," he said, his voice low, but there was a hardness in it. "But you think our families can just band together now, after everything that's happened? After all the lies and betrayal? It's too late."
His words hit harder than I expected. Too late. That's exactly how it felt. Too many things had broken. Too many alliances had been shattered. Our families had been at each other's throats for so long that it was hard to even remember what it meant to work together.
But if Necro completed the ritual... if they succeeded... we would all be nothing but pawns.
We had no choice but to try.
The night of the lunar eclipse arrived quickly, the moon hanging high in the sky, a cold, eerie light spilling over the neighborhood. It was time. Necro's ritual was set to begin.
I could feel it in the air—the electricity, the power that swirled around us like a storm about to break. The ground beneath our feet felt unstable, as if the universe itself was holding its breath.
I'd never seen Necro in person before, but I could feel their presence even from a distance. They were here, in the heart of the neighborhood, ready to perform the ritual that would destroy everything. And worse, they weren't alone. Vex and Frost, two faces I thought I could trust, were standing with Necro. The traitors.
I pushed through the crowd, the whispers around me growing louder. It was chaos—people from both families were scrambling, trying to find a way to stop the ritual, but no one knew where to begin. Every effort seemed pointless, doomed to fail before it even started.
Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw it.
Empress and Noctis, standing together, their faces taut with anger and fear. They knew what this was. We all did.
The blood magic was starting. A circle of light began to form around Necro, Vex, and Frost. Their words came in a language that felt ancient, dark—foreign. And with each chant, the air thickened, heavier, as if the world was bending under the weight of their power.
I knew we had to act. I looked at Empress, and for the first time, I saw something different in her eyes. Not just the anger I'd seen before. But fear. Fear of what might happen if we didn't stop this.
"Now," I said to her, my voice urgent. "We fight. Together."
The ground shook beneath our feet as Necro's power surged. But this time, something felt different. The bond was still there—just barely—but it was enough. We had one chance.
I moved toward Necro, my heart pounding, knowing this would be the last fight. Knowing we had no choice but to face it together—or face oblivion.
The ritual was already in motion. But we weren't out of the fight yet.
Not by a long shot.