Chapter 97: The Devil’s awakening
The wind of River Sile sang a mournful tune that evening.
The scent of roasting meat wafted through the clearing where Donato crouched beside a crackling fire, bare-chested, his muscles etched in the amber glow. Sweat glistened across his skin as he turned the skewered meat, eyes lost in thought.
Princess Elowen stood a few feet away, her heart thudding with feelings she could no longer hide.
Every time she looked at him, something inside her softened, despite the chaos surrounding them, despite the blood and the burden of the black book.
She admired his courage, his silence, his fire.
But tonight, she also carried a truth that could shatter everything.
"Donato," she called softly, her voice trembling.
He didn’t turn, the knife in his hand reflected the flames. "Hmm?"
She hesitated, taking slow steps toward him.
The shadows of the trees danced around them, the air heavy with something unspoken.
When she finally reached him, she placed her hand gently on his arm.
His skin was warm, strong, alive.
But Donato flinched. He pulled away sharply. "Don’t."
Elowen blinked, startled. "Don’t what?"
"Don’t touch me like that." His tone was low, guarded. "I told you before, I’m not interested in your kind of affection."
Her lips parted. "You are always so hard... so distant."
He stood, brushing his palms on his pants. "Because I have to be."
"I have something to tell you," she said, her voice breaking slightly.
He sighed and stabbed the knife into the earth. "If this is another confession of your emotions, I would rather not..... "
"We are cousins," she blurted out, eyes glistening.
The words cut the air like a blade.
Donato froze. Then turned. "What?"
Elowen swallowed hard. "You heard me right, We are connected by blood."
A long silence followed. Only the fire spoke, crackling softly between them.
Then Donato... of all reactions laughed.
He laughed so hard it startled her.
"It’s not funny...." she cried, tears gathering in her eyes.
"I know," he said, breathless between chuckles. "But I had to laugh to stop myself from screaming."
She stared at him in disbelief. "You are impossible."
"I’m alive," he said, a shadow of sadness passing through his gaze. "Now tell me how you found out."
She clasped her hands together. "Your brother and his wife came to Virenkai. They were received by my family. While they were there, they saw your father’s portrait hanging in our royal chamber. My parenr confirmed it. He once lived among us."
Donato’s smirk faded. His jaw clenched. "That means..."
"That means our bloodlines are bound," she whispered.
He dropped to his knees, rubbing his face. "No wonder..."
"No wonder what?" she asked softly.
He looked up at her, eyes dim. "No wonder I felt restrained around you. I didn’t understand why my heart refused to cross that line. Now I do. It wasn’t lack of desire..... it was nature’s boundary."
Elowen’s tears slipped freely. "And now?"
"We live with it," he said quietly. "It changes nothing about my respect for you. But it does explain everything."
She wiped her tears and gave a small, heartbroken smile. "You are always composed, aren’t you?"
He picked up the map lying beside the fire.
The golden lines that once shone like molten sunlight were now dim, fading rapidly.
"Elowen," he murmured, "look."
Her heart raced. "What’s happening?"
"The map my father gave me, it’s fading. If it vanishes completely, the path to the black book will be lost forever."
Fear swept through her. "If that happens, what then?"
Donato’s eyes darkened. "Then the book will disappear into the void, never to be found again. And the Morano line... might perish, if we aren’t careful enough."
"What do we do?" she asked.
He stared into the fire. "Last night, I had a dream. I heard a voice..... "
A scream cut through the forest.
"it was jackson"....
Donato’s head snapped toward the sound.
In a flash, he grabbed his cutlass and sprinted toward the noise. Princess elowen followed, lifting her skirts, her breath uneven.
"Jackson.... " Donato shouted.
They burst into a small clearing and froze.
They realized the person who claim to the Jackson all along their journey wasn’t Jackson..... It wasn’t Jackson at all.
It was Enzo, standing amid the shadows, his body flickering like heat mirage.
His form twisted unnaturally, melting away until his true face emerged... cold, cruel, and smirking.
"Donato," Enzo sneered, "you were always too trusting."
Donato gritted his teeth. "You have been impersonating him, using strange powers.?"
Enzo laughed. "Magic has its uses. Jackson was a pawn. His body... well, let’s just say it served its purpose."
Elowen’s voice shook. "You deceived us, Enzo."
He tilted his head. "Deception? No. Strategy. When that map fades completely, I will be the only one who knows the book’s resting place. The power will be mine."
Donato’s anger flared. "You are not leaving this forest alive."
He lunged forward, his blade slicing the air but Enzo’s form dissolved into smoke, vanishing into the night.
Elowen clutched Donato’s arm. "He’s gone."
"Not for long," Donato said coldly. "No one betrays a Morano and lives."
*******
Far Away, Beneath the City of Morano
The underground chamber reeked of damp earth and vengeance.
Lorenzo sat alone, a hood covering his face, candles flickering around him.
Shadows danced across walls scribbled with symbols and a massive lunar calendar marked with crimson ink.
"Luca stole her," he muttered, tracing his finger along Alessia’s picture pinned on the wall. "But not for long."
He turned to the open book before him, its pages shimmered faintly, breathing like a living thing. "The eclipse approaches. The blood moon rises in fifty days. That day... the red moon child will bleed or ascend."
He smiled beneath the hood. "And when that happens, the Moranos will fall, and I will rise. I will be the one who bends destiny."
He looked up at the ceiling as if speaking to the heavens. "You thought death took me, Luca. But death serves me now."
******
Back at the Morano Estate
The night was serene, deceptively calm. Alessia stood by the balcony, dressed in a silk robe, her hair cascading down her shoulders like a river of gold.
Below, the garden shimmered under moonlight.
Behind her, Luca Morano approached, his footsteps silent.
He slid his arms around her waist, pulling her close.
"You look like a dream," he murmured against her neck.
She smiled softly. "Then don’t wake me up."
He turned her to face him, his eyes dark with tenderness. "You know, every time I look at you, I forget the world exists."
She chuckled. "And every time you say things like that, I forget how dangerous you are."
"Maybe love made me worse," he said, brushing a thumb against her lips.
She smirked, taking the glass of wine from the table. "Then here’s to being dangerously in love."
But as soon as she sipped, her smile faltered.
She frowned, confused. "My drink... it is tasting salty."
Luca raised an eyebrow. "Salty?"
Her face contorted. "Luca... my stomach..."
The glass fell and shattered. Alessia’s knees buckled.
.... "There was blood".
It trickled down her legs, staining the marble.
"Alessia... " Luca caught her in his arms, panic slicing through his composure. "Someone get the doctor... Now...
Maids rushed in, voices trembling as they tried to help.
Luca’s heart thundered. "Hold on, amore. I have got you."
Her fingers clutched his shirt. "It hurts, Luca... my babies..."
He lifted her, his hands trembling, and ran down the grand staircase. "Prepare the car, We are going to the hospital, immediately."
Just as he reached the front hall, Fredo burst in, face pale and breathless.
"Boss, Sir Marcelo and his men.... they are attacking the guards, They are trying to break through the gates". .
Luca froze. "What?"
"They have also come in decorated cars, saying they are here to take their bride home... "
Luca’s jaw tightened. "Bride?"
Fredo nodded nervously. "They brought boxes of gold, saying it’s her dowry if you hand her over."
Luca let out a bitter, humorless laugh, fury shaking his entire frame. "Dowry? My wife is bleeding inside, and they come to trade her like a prize?"
He looked down at Alessia, pale and weak in his arms. Her eyes fluttered open. "Luca..."
"I’m here," he whispered. "I swear I will protect you."
He turned to Fredo. "Get the medics ready. I will deal with them myself."
"Boss, your eyes.... " Fredo started.
But Luca didn’t hear him.
His veins were already darkening, shadows crawling across his skin.
His heartbeat pulsed like thunder.
He stepped outside.
The night air shifted as he approached the gate.
The Morano guards struggled against Marcelo’s men, who laughed and waved the car draped in balloons. The gold boxes gleamed under fluorescent light.
Marcelo, tall and arrogant, smirked when he saw Luca. "Ah, the mighty Morano. Let’s make peace, yes? Hand over Alessia, take these golds, and let us all go home."
Luca’s lips curved in a dangerous smile. "You came all this way to die?"
Marcelo shrugged. "Everything has a price, even love."
Luca’s voice dropped, thunderous and raw. "Then pay with your life."
He turned to his men. "Seize them."
The night exploded into chaos. Bullets screamed through the air.
Marcelo’s men fell one after another as the Morano guards advanced like shadows of death.
But Luca’s focus wavered when a faint cry pierced the air.....
"Luca... where are you?" Alessia’s voice, weak, desperate. "Please take me to the hospital... it hurts..."
His rage deepened.
Marcelo, bleeding from the shoulder, laughed hoarsely. "Go on, run to her. Maybe she will live long enough to see you crawl."
Luca’s entire body trembled as the darkness within him fully awakened. "Today isn’t my Anniversary...and I might spill blood". He said and his voice sounding thunderous.
His hands cracked with power, his eyes burning red like molten lava.
He turned back to Marcelo, his voice low and deadly. "Today isn’t my anniversary..." he said again for the second time.
He took a step forward.
"...but blood must spill." he concluded.
Marcelo’s face paled. "Stay back.... " He raised his gun, hand shaking, and fired.
The bullet struck Luca’s chest....
..... and fell harmlessly to the ground, crushed like a seed.
Luca kept walking.
Marcelo stumbled backward, eyes wide with horror.
"What... what are you?"
Luca’s voice rumbled like a storm. "The devil you shouldn’t have called."
And as he advanced, his shadow swallowed the light....