Chapter 9 The Crimson Tide

The sea was never still anymore.

Each night, its waves pulsed with a faint red glow, as if the ocean itself remembered the blood spilled upon it. Luca stood at the edge of a cliff, cloak fluttering behind him, the Heart of the Bloodbound glowing softly in his hand. The wind was sharp and cold, but his mind burned with a single thought she's still here.

A month had passed since he reached the shore where Aria's voice had last called to him. He had built a small shelter near the cliffs, but sleep rarely came. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her her silver hair, her fierce gaze, her last smile before she became light.

And each time, the sea whispered her name back to him.

Tonight, though, the whispers were different. Louder. Urgent.

He walked closer to the edge, the moon glowing full and crimson above. "Aria?" he called softly. "Is it you again?"

The sea churned violently, red waves crashing against the rocks. Then, as the foam subsided, a figure emerged from the water cloaked in shadow, eyes burning like coals. Not Aria. Something older.

"Blood of moon," the figure rasped, "you carry her heart."

Luca stepped back, his grip tightening around the stone. "Who are you?"

"Once, I was her guardian. Now, I am her warning." The voice echoed like thunder in his bones. "The balance trembles. The curse you bound still feeds beneath the waves."

He frowned. "That's impossible. She destroyed the witch's heart-"

"Destroyed the vessel," the shadow interrupted. "Not the will. Magic that ancient does not die; it waits. And now it calls for a new host."

The wind howled through the cliffs. Luca's heartbeat thundered in his chest. "Then who?"

The figure's eyes gleamed. "The next bloodbound heir."

Luca froze. "There is no heir."

"Not yet," the shadow murmured, "but prophecy does not rest, and destiny does not end where love begins."

Before he could speak, the sea exploded in light crimson waves rising high into the air. The figure vanished, leaving behind only a whisper: Find her before the tide claims her.

Then the world went silent.

By morning, the sea was calm again, as if nothing had happened. But Luca couldn't shake the echo of that voice. He sat by the fire, staring into the flames, the Heart of the Bloodbound glowing faintly beside him.

He thought of Aria's last words When the moon bleeds again, it will be rebirth.

Rebirth.

Could she have meant this?

He rose quickly, determination replacing fear. "If the curse is searching for a vessel," he muttered, "then I'll find it before it finds her."

He set off inland, following the faint pulse of the Heart. The deeper he walked, the more alive it felt, as if guiding him somewhere. The forest here was untouched by war ancient, whispering with unseen life. Every leaf shimmered faintly under the red moonlight.

Hours later, he reached a clearing. At its center stood a girl no older than sixteen her eyes silver like Aria's, her hair dark as night. She was kneeling beside a stream, her reflection glowing faintly crimson.

The Heart in Luca's hand pulsed violently.

She turned, startled. "Who are you?"

He stared at her, unable to speak. The resemblance was impossible not exact, but undeniable. The same aura, the same quiet fire that once burned in Aria's eyes.

"I'm..." he hesitated, "a friend. What's your name?"

"Lyra," she said softly. "Lyra Moonwell."

The name hit him like a blade. Moonwell. Aria's family name. But how?

He took a cautious step closer. "Where are your parents?"

She looked down. "I don't know. I was found here when I was a baby. The elders said I came with the tide washed up from the sea the night the moon turned red."

Luca's heart pounded. The same night Aria vanished.

The Heart of the Bloodbound flared so brightly he had to shield his eyes. When he lowered his hand, Lyra was staring at it in awe.

"It's calling me," she whispered. "I can feel it... like it knows me."

"Don't touch it," he warned sharply.

But it was too late. She reached forward, and the moment her fingertips brushed the stone, a surge of crimson light burst between them. Luca fell to his knees as visions slammed into his mind Aria's face, her final words, and then something new: a child born under a bleeding moon, her soul intertwined with both wolf and vampire.

When the light faded, Lyra stood trembling, her eyes glowing red and gold. "I saw her," she breathed. "The woman of fire and moonlight. She said... I am her legacy."

Luca's voice was barely a whisper. "You're her daughter."

Lyra blinked, tears streaming down her face. "Then why do I feel her pain?"

"Because her blood still remembers," Luca said softly. "And it's waking up inside you."

The ground trembled beneath them. The sky darkened, and the distant sea roared again, glowing red.

Lyra clutched her chest. "It's calling me back."

Luca grabbed her shoulders. "No! You can fight it. You're not her curse you're her hope!"

The Heart pulsed between them, merging their energy. The red light spread outward, swallowing the forest in a blinding glow.

Then everything went still.

When the light faded, Lyra was unconscious in his arms. The Heart had changed no longer red and gold, but pure white, calm and steady.

Luca looked down at her and smiled faintly. "Looks like the Bloodbound has found its heir."

Above them, the moon glowed crimson once more not as a warning this time, but as a promise.

Somewhere beyond the stars, a familiar voice whispered through the wind: You found her, my love. Now protect her.

And Luca swore he would. Even if it meant facing the curse all over again.