"Hello, sister," the man said, his star-bright eyes burning with deadly purpose. "I've been looking for you for a very long time." Amara's heart stopped. The Crown of Luna around her neck glowed with warning light. "Sister?" she whispered. The man stepped further into Maeve's home, and the air itself seemed to bend around him. He looked exactly like Amara—same face, same build—but where her eyes glowed gold, his blazed like dying stars. "Did our dear mother never tell you?" His voice dripped with mock sweetness. "About her precious twin children?" Maeve grabbed a silver knife from her belt. "Daemon. You're supposed to be locked away." "Locked away?" Daemon laughed, the sound like breaking glass. "Dear Maeve, prison bars mean nothing when you're half-god." Jaxon moved protectively in front of Amara. "What do you want?" "What's mine," Daemon answered simply. "Half of our mother's power goes through sweet Amara here. I want it back." "It's not yours to take," Amara said, trying to stand. The Crown of Luna got heavier around her neck. "Isn't it?" Daemon's eyes flashed dangerously. "I'm the eldest.
The bigger twin. Mother should have given me everything." "Instead she split her power between both of you," Maeve said softly. "Because she knew what you'd become." Daemon's face twisted with rage. "She feared me! Cast me out! Left me to rot in the Shadow Realm while dear Amara got to play human!" "You chose darkness," Maeve shot back. "The Shadow Council didn't corrupt you—you corrupted them." Amara's mind reeled. "You're working with the Shadow Council?" "Working with them?" Daemon smiled coldly. "Little sister, I AM the Shadow Council. Every killer, every dark spell, every hunt for the royal bloodline—all me." The cottage shook as his power pressed against Maeve's protective walls. "You've been hunting yourself?" Jaxon asked in surprise. "Hunting her," Daemon amended, pointing at Amara. "For twenty years, I've looked for my darling twin. Every royal family we destroyed, every pack we slaughtered—all to flush you out of hiding." Amara felt sick. "All those innocent people..." "Died because you ran," Daemon finished. "But now I've found you. Now I can take what should have been mine from the beginning." He raised his hand, dark energy whirling around his fingers. But before he could strike, the cottage door burst open again. Kade stumbled in, blood still streaming from his wounds, supported by two of his soldiers. "Amara!" he gasped. "The Shadow Master—he's not—" He stopped when he saw Daemon. "Who is this?" "Her brother," Daemon said kindly. "And your death." He flicked his hand, and shadow magic slammed into Kade, sending him crashing into the wall. "Stop!" Amara screamed. Power burst from her, gold light clashing with Daemon's darkness. The cottage groaned under the magical pressure. Cracks emerged in the walls. "Impressive," Daemon said, barely pushed back by her power. "But you're still weak. Still playing at being human." "She's stronger than you think," Jaxon growled, shifting into wolf form. "A wolf?" Daemon laughed. "How quaint."
He gestured casually, and Jaxon froze mid-leap, suspended in the air by unseen force. "Jaxon!" Amara reached for him, but Daemon's power held her back too. "Now then," Daemon said, walking slowly toward her. "Let's talk terms. Give me your half of mother's power, and I'll let your little friends live." "Never," Amara spat. "No?" Daemon shrugged. "Then watch them die." He tightened his fist, and Jaxon howled in pain as the unseen force crushed him. "Stop! Please!" Amara begged. "The power, sister dear. Hand it over." But Maeve stepped between them, her one good eye blazing with ancient rage. "You want power, boy? Let me show you real power." She threw off her cloak, showing skin covered in glowing tattoos—symbols of the old magic, the first magic, from before the gods walked the earth. "Impossible," Daemon breathed. "You're—" "The Last Witch," Maeve finished. "Guardian of the old ways. And you, child, are trespassing in my land." She raised her hands, and the cottage changed. The walls became living trees, the floor turned to soft dirt. They were no longer inside—they stood in a holy grove that existed between worlds. "A pocket dimension," Daemon hissed. "Clever. But it won't save them." "Won't it?" Maeve smiled sadly. "Here, in the space between spaces, I make the rules." She snapped her fingers, and Daemon's hold on Jaxon broke. The wolf dropped to the ground, breathing. But Daemon wasn't finished. "You cannot hold me forever, witch. And when I break free—" "You won't," said a new voice. Everyone turned as another person emerged from the glowing trees. Elder Thorne stepped into the grove, very much living and carrying a staff that pulsed with silver light. "You!" Daemon snarled. "I killed you!" "You killed my body," Thorne answered calmly. "But here, in Maeve's sacred space, death has no meaning." He pointed his staff at Daemon. "It's time you learned the truth about the prophecy, boy." "What truth?" Amara asked softly. "That it was never about one chosen savior," Thorne explained. "It was about two. The twins of the Moon Goddess—one light, one dark. Together, they were meant to bring order to the supernatural world." "Lies," Daemon spat. "Is it?" Thorne's eyes were sad. "Your mother didn't cast you out, Daemon. She sent you away to protect you from those who would use your power for evil. But you chose to accept the darkness anyway." "She abandoned me!" "She loved you," Thorne said softly. "Both of you. The prophecy speaks of reuniting the twins—not one killing the other." Amara looked at her brother. Beneath all that rage and darkness, she could see pain. Loneliness. A child who felt unloved. "Daemon," she said softly. "We don't have to be enemies." "Don't we?" His star-bright eyes flickered with something that might have been hope. "You have everything I ever wanted. A family. Friends. People who care about you." "You could have that too," Amara offered. "If you stop this madness." For a moment, Daemon wavered. The darkness around him flickered. But then Celina's voice cut through the wood like a knife. "How touching," she sneered, stepping out from behind a tree. "The lost twins reunited at last." "Celina!" Kade stumbled to his feet. "How did you get here?" "The same way I've been getting everywhere," Celina answered, her eyes glowing with that terrible red light. "Shadow magic." She raised her hand, and dark energy crackled around her fingers. "You see, Daemon, I've been using you just as much as you've been using the Shadow Council." "What?" Daemon spun toward her, confusion replacing anger. "Did you really think a half-god could be manipulated so easily?" Celina laughed. "I've been feeding you lies for years, shaping your hate, directing your search. All to bring you here, to this moment." "Why?" Amara demanded. "Because, dear girl, I need both of you in one place to complete the ritual." She pulled out a curved knife made of black metal. Ancient runes covered its blade. "The God-Killer," Maeve gasped. "Impossible.
That blade was destroyed centuries ago." "Remade," Celina corrected. "By the Shadow Council's best smiths. One cut from this blade will drain all heavenly power from its victim." She smiled coldly. "Kill both twins with the God-Killer, and I take their mother's power. All of it." "You're insane," Jaxon growled. "I'm ambitious," Celina shot back. "With a goddess's power, I'll remake the supernatural world. No more Alphas. No more Lunas. Just me, ruling over all." She lunged at Amara with the God-Killer raised high. But Daemon moved faster. "No one kills my sister but me!" he yelled, catching Celina's wrist. The two dark magic users struggled for control of the blade. "Daemon!" Amara called out. "Stay back!" he snapped, still fighting Celina. "This is between us!" But Celina was stronger than she looked. With a burst of shadow magic, she broke free and slashed at Daemon with the God-Killer. The blade caught him across the chest, and Daemon screamed as golden light poured from the wound. "His power!" Maeve gasped. "The blade is draining his divine essence!" Daemon fell to his knees, his star-bright eyes darkening. "Brother!" Amara rushed to his side, ignoring the risk. "Foolish girl," Celina hissed, raising the God-Killer again. "Now I'll have both your powers." But as she brought the blade down, something incredible happened. Amara grabbed Daemon's hand, and their powers combined. Light and darkness swirled together, forming something new. Something fair. Something that made the God-Killer blade crack and shatter in Celina's hands. "Impossible!" Celina screamed. "Not impossible," Elder Thorne said with wonder. "The true forecast. The twins united, bringing balance to all magic." The merged power of light and evil spread outward, healing Daemon's wounds and strengthening them both. But Celina wasn't finished. She pulled out another weapon—a crossbow filled with silver bolts. "If I can't steal your power, I'll just kill you both the old-fashioned way!" She shot the crossbow at Amara's heart. Time slowed. The silver bolt flew through the air, directed perfectly at Amara's chest. But in that frozen moment, Amara made a choice. Instead of dodging, she threw herself in front of Daemon, protecting him with her body. The silver bolt punched through her arm, sending her crashing to the ground. "Amara!" three voices cried at once—Jaxon, Kade, and Daemon. As Amara's blood hit the sacred dirt of Maeve's grove, something awakened. The trees began to glow. The ground itself pulsed with power. "The Grove of First Magic," Maeve whispered in awe. "It's responding to royal blood." Ancient spirits rose from the earth—wolves, bears, great cats, all the first children of the magical world. They surrounded Celina, their ghostly eyes burning with judgment. "You have spilled innocent blood in sacred ground," they spoke as one. "The penalty is banishment to the Shadow Realm." "No!" Celina screamed as the ghosts began to drag her away. "I was so close!" "You were never close," said a new voice. Everyone turned as a figure of pure light descended from above. It was a woman who looked like an older version of Amara, with eyes like liquid moonlight. "Mother," Daemon breathed.
The Moon Goddess herself had come to the grove. "My children," she said, her voice like silver bells. "You have found each other at last." "Mother, I—" Daemon started, but she stopped him with a gentle gesture. "I know, my dark son. You have done terrible things. But your sister's sacrifice has shown that love can still reach your heart." She turned to Amara, who was bleeding on the ground. "And you, my beautiful daughter. You decided to save the brother who hunted you. True strength lies not in power, but in mercy." The Moon Goddess raised her hands, and healing light surrounded Amara. But as the silver bolt vanished and her wounds closed, something else happened. Amara's belly began to glow with that familiar golden light. "The child," Jaxon gasped. "Is it—?" "The baby is fine," the Moon Goddess promised him. "But its birth has been accelerated by the magical forces in this grove." Amara's eyes opened as she felt the first contraction. "Now?" she gasped. "But it's too early!" "Not too early," her mother said softly. "Right on time.
The Moonborn child will enter the world tonight, under the light of the blood moon." Everyone looked up. Sure enough, the moon above was turning deep red. "But the prophecy—" Elder Thorne began. "Was only half the truth," the Moon Goddess finished. "Yes, the Moonborn child will join the packs. But first, it must survive its birth." She looked seriously at her children. "The Shadow Realm is weakening. Celina's exile has torn holes in the barriers between worlds. Ancient evils are stirring." "What kind of evils?" Kade asked, finally finding his voice. "The First Darkness," the Moon Goddess answered. "The thing that existed before light, before magic, before gods. It seeks to devour all divine power and return the world to primordial chaos." Another contraction hit Amara, stronger this time. "The baby's coming," she gasped. "And so is the First Darkness," the Moon Goddess said grimly. "It will arrive with the child's first cry, drawn by the birth of new divine power." She began to fade, her form becoming transparent. "Wait!" Daemon called. "Don't leave us!" "I cannot stay," their mother answered sadly. "But you have each other now. Light and darkness, united. That is the only power strong enough to face what's coming." As she disappeared totally, her final words echoed through the grove: "Protect the child. The fate of all worlds rests on it." Then she was gone, leaving them alone in the sacred grove as Amara's labor began in earnest. And in the distance, something roared with a sound older than time itself. The First Darkness was coming. And it was hungry.