Free Web NovelChapter 151: Chapter 151
Riley’s POV
"Dead."
That was all he said.
No pause, no softening, no emotion in his tone, just that one word delivered in a way that sounded final, like it had been locked away for a long time and he had already decided it was not something he was going to feel again.
But I didn’t believe that. Because I could see it.
It was small, almost unnoticeable if you weren’t paying attention, but I was, and I saw the way his jaw tightened just a little after he said it, like something in him reacted before he shut it down again.
"How?" I asked, my voice quieter now but still steady because I needed to know.
He let out a long breath, like he was already tired of this conversation but still willing to continue it.
"It’s a long story," he said.
"Then tell it," I replied immediately.
His eyes flicked to mine for a second, and I could tell he wasn’t used to being pushed like that, but he didn’t snap at me this time.
"I’ll cut it short," he said. "Because you’ll definitely know all these at some point,"
I folded my arms slightly, not moving away, not backing down, because if he was going to say something, then I was going to hear all of it.
"There was a prophecy," he started, his voice calm but distant, like he was telling me something he had heard many times before and had memorized without wanting to.
I didn’t interrupt.
"A prophecy about a bloodline," he continued. "The bloodline of Emberwyn."
It hit me at once. Emberwyn? I repeated in my head but still stayed calm. Okay this was beginning to make sense.
"He was the strongest witch to ever exist," Gunnar said, his tone still cold but clear. "The one who shaped Crescent Hollow."
My brows pulled together slightly at that.
"He managed everything in crescent with the help of the fucking Moon Goddess" Gunnar continued. "Witches, vampires, werewolves, blood tithers, shadow walkers, night binders, even the cursed ones that no one speaks about openly."
I blinked slowly.
Okay... that was a lot.
And I was trying really hard to process it properly, but a part of my brain just went, ’this sounds like a full movie series with at least ten parts and a very expensive budget.’
Like seriously, if someone put this in a cinema, I would sit there with popcorn and not blink for two hours straight.
But I forced myself to stay focused because Gunnar was still talking, and the look on his face told me this was not something to joke about out loud.
"They all fear him," he said. "Even after his death."
That made my stomach tighten a little.
"His bloodline didn’t have more than one child in a lifetime," Gunnar added. "Not until the last generation."
I frowned slightly, trying to follow."What happened?" I asked.
His gaze stayed steady on me.
"His wife gave birth to two children," he said.
I blinked."Two?" I repeated.
He nodded once."Two daughters."
I waited for him to continue, because something about the way he said it told me that was where the problem started.
"The prophecy from Satyres called it cursed," he said.
Of course it did.
Because nothing about this story sounded normal at all.
"What kind of curse?" I asked.
His eyes did not leave mine.
"One of them was meant to die for the other to live," he said.
My stomach dropped a little.
"That’s..." I started, then stopped, because I didn’t even know how to finish that sentence.
"It doesn’t end there," Gunnar continued.
Of course it didn’t.
"If the wrong one lives and the right one dies," he said slowly, "then Crescent Hollow falls and hurts humans, hunt them down and kill, even outside crescent hollow,"
I felt my throat go dry.
"And not just Crescent Hollow," he added. "Obsidian Veil too."
Okay.
Now this was getting very serious.
Like extremely serious.
Like end-of-the-world type serious.
And I stood there, staring at him, trying to wrap my head around everything he was saying while also trying not to panic.
"So basically," I said slowly, trying to process it in my own way, "one of the daughters had to die for one to live and if the wrong person still dies, then everything goes down?"
"Yes," he said simply.
I let out a breath."That is messed up shit, that’s insane," I muttered.
He didn’t react to that. ƒreewebɳovel.com
"That was how it started," he continued, ignoring my comment.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"People found out," he said. "About the prophecy. About the children."
I felt a chill run through me.
"And they didn’t leave them alone," he added.
I gave him a look.
"Obviously not, they wouldn’t" I said under my breath.
"They wanted them," he said.
"Wanted them?" I repeated, confused.
"They craved them," he corrected, his tone slightly sharper now. "They wanted the power tied to their blood."
My brows pulled together again.
"What fucking power?" I asked.
"There were rumors," he said, his gaze steady, "that a taste of their blood could make someone powerful. Stronger than anything else. Almost impossible to kill."
I blinked.
Okay.
Now this was definitely a movie.
Like I could already see it, people running around chasing two kids because of their blood like it was some kind of forbidden energy drink that turns you into an unkillable monster.
But again, I did not say that out loud.
Because Gunnar was not joking.
"At first, it was quiet," he continued. "People watching. Waiting for the right moment"
"And then?" I asked, impatience wearing heavy in my voice because this sounded so fascinating and interesting all the same but serious.
"It turned into a hunt," he dropped the words.
"They were chased deeper into their own kingdom," he added. "Hunted by people who wanted power more than anything else."
"That’s insane," I said, shaking my head slightly.
"It is reality, Riley" he replied.
I went quiet again.
Because he was right.
"They had no choice," he continued. "Emberwyn and his wife hid them. Kept them away from everyone. Protected them until they were a little bit old enough to survive atleast and walk and run"
I swallowed slowly.
"And the girl?" I asked. "The one you liked?"
His expression did not change much, but I saw the shift again.
"She was one of them," he said.
My eyes widened.
"Wait... what?" I asked.
"The elder one," he said.
I felt my heart pick up slightly.
"What was her name?" I asked, my voice quieter now.
He paused for a second.
"Carian Svetlana Emberwyn."
The moment he said that name, something in my chest tightened in a way I couldn’t explain.
And before I could even process that, he started walking towards me with his gaze locked onto me intensely.
And I froze because I could already feel the deadly Gunnar aura coming back.
"What?" I asked, feeling suddenly self-conscious under the way he was looking at me as I moved backwards.
He just kept walking to me like he was trying to see something I didn’t understand.
Like he was comparing something in his head.
Like he was remembering something.
"Gunnar?" I called, my voice a little unsure now.
He didn’t respond to that either.
Then finally, after what felt like too long, he spoke again.
"The younger one," he said slowly.
I swallowed. My heart was beating faster now and I didn’t even know why.
"Aemoria Morvayne Emberwyn."
