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“One minute you think you know what the hell you’re doing, and then the next some power-hungry asswipe is stepping into your spotlight.

Dammit. Make a note, Sisters. Power-hungry asswipes are not allowed into the club.

And no, I have no idea of what club I am referring to. Just go with it.” ~ Celise

C elise’s laughter— a sound as sharp and cold as broken glass—shattered the silence in the dense, shadowy forest. She thrived on the power coursing through her veins, the intoxicating dominance that the Nushtonia granted her.

Her sisters stood nearby, their expressions a mix of awe and perhaps a little growing unease.

Celise knew, even for them, her ambitions stretched into a realm of darkness they hadn’t fully anticipated.

But none of them dared voice their doubts.

They wouldn’t because they owed her. She’d saved them from an unworthy death and brought them back to rule by her side.

“We’ll open the Realm of the Dead.” Celise ran a finger over lips as she thought. “And once its ruler sees that our goals align, he’ll join us. Together, we’ll dismantle this broken world and rebuild it into something worthy of the power we command.”

“Assuming he doesn’t kill us first,” Crestia muttered, earning a glare from Celise.

Limaria elbowed her sister in the side, giving her a sharp gaze.

Celise didn’t respond to the quip. Instead, she turned her attention to the Nushtonia and began flipping through its ancient, brittle pages.

The book’s magic hummed under her fingertips, vibrating with a dark energy that made her skin tingle.

She could feel its hunger, its desire to be used.

The book wasn’t just a tool; it was alive, sentient, and it reveled in chaos as much as she did.

Before she could delve further into its secrets, the sound of heavy footsteps rustling through the underbrush drew her attention.

Her sisters stiffened, their hands instinctively going to the weapons they carried.

The supernaturals who had been lingering in the shadows—the ones who had allied themselves with Celise’s cause—melted back into the trees.

She noticed that though they seemed willing to fight for her, they seemed anxious around the Book of the Dead.

A figure emerged from the darkness, his presence both commanding and unsettling. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and moved with the predatory grace of a wolf. But his crimson eyes, and the faint sheen of death magic clinging to his aura, betrayed his vampiric nature.

“A hybrid,” Limaria whispered, her voice barely audible.

Celise smiled as the hybrid stepped closer, his gaze fixed on her. He stopped a few paces away, his expression one of cold disdain.

“So,” he drawled, his voice low and gravelly. “You’re the one who’s been stirring up trouble. Celise, is it?”

“And you are?” Celise replied with false politeness.

“Name’s Dorian. I was a dormant, until I became one of Cain’s new creations. You remember Cain, don’t you? The Vampire King your little group of supernaturals took down not too long ago? I was loyal to him. And now I hear whispers that you’re trying to fill the void he left behind.”

Celise laughed mockingly. “First off, those weren’t my group of supernaturals. As you can see, I don’t need them. And, secondly, fill the void? Oh, no, Dorian. I’m not filling anything. I’m creating something entirely new, something far beyond what Cain ever dreamed of.”

Dorian’s eyes narrowed, and he took a step closer. “You talk a big game, sprite. But power doesn’t come from words. It comes from blood, strength, and dominance. And as far as I can see, you’re just a little girl playing with forces you don’t understand.”

The tension in the air was palpable, the weight of the encounter pressing down on everyone present. Celise’s sisters exchanged wary glances, but Celise remained calm, her smile never wavering.

“Careful, hybrid. Whatever strength you think your dual nature gives you won’t be enough. You’re treading on thin ice.”

Dorian smirked. “And what are you going to do about it, little sprite? Show me your power. Prove to me—and all these other supernaturals hiding in the trees—that you’re worth following.”

Celise’s smile vanished, as she felt cold fury fill her. She closed the Nushtonia with a sharp snap and stepped forward, her movements deliberate and unhurried. The ground beneath her feet seemed to pulse with her growing power. The shadows around her twisted and writhed like living things.

“You want a demonstration?” Her voice carried an edge that would no doubt send shivers down the spines of everyone listening. “Very well.”

With a flick of her wrist, she summoned a torrent of dark magic.

The air crackled with its energy. The shadows coiled around her like serpents, hissing and striking as she directed them toward Dorian.

He barely had time to react before the tendrils of darkness wrapped around him, binding him in place.

Dorian snarled, his hybrid strength allowing him to break free of one of the shadowy tendrils.

He lunged at Celise, his claws extended and his fangs glinting in the dim light.

But Celise was faster. With a whispered incantation, she summoned a wall of fire that erupted between them, forcing him to stumble back.

The flames didn’t burn like ordinary fire. They clung to Dorian’s skin, eating away at his flesh with an unnatural, agonizing slowness. His screams echoed through the forest—a chilling sound that she knew would silence even the most seasoned supernaturals watching from the shadows.

Celise stepped closer, her gaze cold and unfeeling as she watched him writhe in pain. With a wave of her hand, the flames disappeared, leaving Dorian kneeling on the ground, his body smoking, skin melted, and his breaths ragged. He would heal, but now he knew.

“Do you understand now ? I am not Cain. I am not Alston, Desdemona, Sincaro, Volcan or any other leader of the dark that you have seen. I am not bound by the limitations of the past. I am something entirely new. And if you—or anyone else—dares to challenge me again, you’ll suffer a fate far worse than this. ”

Dorian raised his head, his crimson eyes filled with a mixture of hatred and fear. He didn’t speak, but the message was clear. He wouldn’t challenge her again.

From the shadows, a group of fae stepped forward, their faces pale and their expressions wary.

To their right, another group emerged: four djinn warriors.

They looked much less nervous than the fae.

For these supernaturals to be here, seeking her out, they had either been loyal to the Order at one time or just not aligned with the leaders of their races.

Celise would need to ensure their loyalty, especially for the latter.

If anyone might be able to stand against her, it would be the djinn.

Celise turned her attention to both groups, her smile returning. “Tell me… Do you have any memory of the Realm of the Dead?”

One of the djinn narrowed his black eyes on her before nodding.

“Yes,” he said quietly. “I’ve knowledge of it.

” He paused and seemed to consider her, as if trying to determine if she was worthy of the information he had.

He glanced at the warriors beside him. One shrugged dismissively, and the other two simply returned his gaze.

The djinn looked back at her, apparently deciding he would share with her.

“As I’m sure you know, our race is the one who locked the realm and its ruler inside. ”

Celise’s smile widened, and she was filled with dark delight. She had known that, but it was always good to have things confirmed without looking incompetent. “Good. Then you’ll, no doubt, be able to help me open it.”

The djinn slowly shifted his head in a very animalistic move. A small smirk tilted one side of his lips. “You have to be able to find the veil to it first. And that is something only my people know how to do.”

“Why do I have a feeling you’re not just going to offer up your services?

” Celise asked as she clutched the powerful book in her hands.

There was a little ball of trepidation growing in her gut, though she refused to acknowledge it.

The book's power would not fail her. She’d shed her own blood, and sacrificed many lives already, to help it regain its dark power. It would be loyal to her.

S hade stared at the sprite who believed that she had somehow become indestructible because of the power given to her by the Book of the Dead.

Foolish female . He would teach her the error of her ways.

“You may have bested a hybrid, but Nushtonia or not, you are no match for the djinn. There is a reason we have refrained from interfering in wars between supernaturals.”

Shade heard the rustling of movement as he stood at the edge of the clearing, his black eyes surveying the gathering of supernaturals emerging from the forest. Demons with twisted forms and glowing eyes slithered from the shadows, their movements predatory and deliberate.

Fae with their inhuman beauty, shimmering hair, and cold, untrusting gazes.

Vampires stepped forward, their faces pale but their presence commanding.

Hybrids, warlocks, elves, pixies, trolls, and even creatures long thought extinct, lurked at the edges of the crowd.

They had all come out of hiding, no doubt drawn by the promise of power, by the opportunity to claim the world beyond their own realms because of the lack of magic.