Marcus/Rocco
"Get everyone underground." Valen's words echoed in my
head as we ran. Branches whip past us.
The estate grounds blurred together. Nobody asked
questions anymore. Not after what we'd seen. Not even after Vespera and
Cassian.
And definitely not after the thing inside that tear.
Even from the distance, the pressure from it still lingered in the air. Like a
storm waiting to break.
My lungs burned. Callie was beside me. Noah and Riley
just ahead. Seraphina was practically dragging Darren and Livia along.
The manor finally emerged through the trees. Moonlight
glinted off its windows. For the first time in my life, it didn't feel like
home.
It felt like a fortress. Like somewhere built to keep
something out.
"Move!" Seraphina shouted. Nobody needed
encouragement. We sprinted across the courtyard. Through the front doors. Down
the familiar halls, straight toward the basement.
The entire manor trembled. Dust drifted from the
ceiling. Somewhere outside, a distant roar rolled across the estate. Every hair
on my arms stood up.
The thing beyond the tear was much closer now.
The basement door slammed open. We rushed down the
stairs. Stone steps spiralling deeper beneath the estate. Ancient symbols
covered the walls,
The same symbols covered the floors. The same symbols
we'd been finding all over the property. The same symbols we'd never fully
understood.
Not until now.
By the time we reached the bottom, everyone was
breathing hard. Everyone except Valen.
Because apparently ghostly immortals didn't need
lungs. Lucky him.
The underground chamber stretched before us. The seal
sat at its centre. A massive circular pattern carved into black stone.
Hundreds of markings spiralled outward from it. And
every single one of them was fading. Weak. Like a candle on its last breath.
Seraphina froze. The colour drained from her face,
"No…" she stepped forward. "No, no, no…"
Callie frowned. "What is it?"
Seraphina pointed. "The seal." I looked. Even I could
tell something was wrong. The symbols were barely glowing. Broken. The lines
were fractured. Like something had been draining its energy for years.
Then another tremor shook the chamber. The walls
groaned. Dust rained from the ceiling. And for a brief moment, the centre of
the seal flickered.
A crack of darkness appeared, then vanished. Everyone
saw it and no one looked happy.
"Sera?" Noah asked.
Her voice came out barely above a whisper. "It's
failing. Just what did you place this seal for… brother."
Silence. The thing outside roared again. This time
louder. The entire place shook. Livia grabbed Darren's arm.
Callie tightened her grip on her whip. Even Riley
looked uneasy and Riley was never uneasy.
Valen appeared beside me. For once, there wasn't a
trace of amusement on his face. "Rocky." I immediately looked at him.
"What?"
"Cut your palm." I stared.
"What!"
"Your palm."
"You want to explain that?"
"No." typical.
Another tremor. Stronger. The symbols around the room
flickered. Valen finally looked at me. Golden eyes unusually serious.
"If you would like that thing to remain outside, I
suggest listening." Fair point.
I drew one of my blades. Callie immediately noticed.
"Rocco?" without answering, I dragged the edge across my palm. Pain flared
instantly. Blood welled up.
Noah looked horrified. "Okay dude, seriously, what the
hell?" I ignored him. Valen pointed the centre of the seal.
"Now." I stepped forward. Placed my bleeding hand
against the stone. The reaction was instant.
Golden light erupted beneath my fingers. The entire
seal illuminated. Every symbol and carving. The place exploded with light.
Everyone stumbled backward. Even Seraphina looked
shocked. Valen nodded. "Good." I hated when he sounded pleased.
"Now what?"
"Repeat after me." Of course, there was a ritual.
There was always a ritual. Valen spoke. The ancient Italian rolled from his
tongue effortlessly. Words that seemed older than me, the seal and the estate
combined.
"Per sangue e volantá…" the symbols brightened,
"Io rinnovo il Sigillo…" light raced through the floor, "Che il
confine resti chiuso…" the basement trembled, "Che i mondi restino
separati."
The seal erupted. Golden light surged through every
inch of the room. Racing across the walls, up the staircase. Through the
foundations of manor.
Across the entire estate. The energy shot upward like
a beacon. Straight into the night sky. Then something screamed. A terrible
sound. Ancient. Enormous. Hungry.
The thing beyond the tear. The scream lasted only a
second then vanished. So did the pressure and the tremors. The silence that
followed felt almost unreal.
Slowly, the seal settled. Its glow became strong.
Alive. The fractures vanished. The darkness retreated.
Finally, everyone could breathe.
"What exactly did you just do?" Noah asked. I opened
my mouth. Then closed it again. Because honestly? Good question.
Seraphina wasn't looking at me. She was staring at the
seal. Then at my hand, which was already healing, then at the bracelet and back
at the seal.
Like she'd just solved a puzzle she'd been struggling
with for years. And hated the answer.
"Rocco Azzurro." Uh oh. Full name. never good.
"How long?" I blinked.
"How long what?" her eyes narrowed.
"How long have you been speaking to Valen?" everyone
turned toward me. Wonderful.
I rubbed the back of my neck. "Few months." Noah
stared. Callie gasped.
"A few WHAT?" she looked completely shocked. "You've
been talking to him for months and didn't tell us?"
"In my defence…" I pointed at Seraphina. "The first
time I mentioned him she looked like she wanted to throw me through a wall."
"I still do."
"See?" that earned zero laughs. Tough crowd.
"Wait, you guys mean the Valen guy whose ability seals
the demon realm?" Darren asked.
Seraphina pinched the bridge of her nose. For a moment
she looked exhausted. Then she looked up and said the words that made the room
go completely silent.
"I knew my brother wanted to use Valen…" nobody moved.
"But I didn't think he would. Or you would have a connection with him."
Then room seemed to shrink. Callie's eyes widened.
Noah frowned. Riley crossed her arms. Even Darren stopped typing on his tablet.
Seraphina looked toward where I'd dropped it when we
came inside. Toward the thick-leather book.
The Azzurro Chronicle.
The same book I'd found in my room again. The book
that refused to open.
Only this time, the cover creaked. By itself. Nobody
touched it. The pages began turning. One after another. As though an invisible
hand was searching for something.
A memory. A beginning. Finally, the pages stopped. I
moved closer to it.
The first entry revealed itself. Ink faded by time.
But still readable. The date written at the top made my stomach drop.
October 26th, 2008.
My birthday.
And beneath it, written in elegant handwriting;
The doctors say our son will not survive the winter.
Silence filled the chamber. Nobody moved. Even Valen looked
away.
Then a blinding light shone. Taking us somewhere else.