Aurelio
He staggered backward from Luna's bed, chest heaving, heart hammering like a war drum. The vision had lasted only seconds, but it carved itself into his soul.
The man behind the gate had his father's face.
But twisted.
Younger. More powerful. Eyes lit with fire and darkness, both at once.
Not Giacomo Santoro as he'd known him—but a version of him. One untouched by age. By death. One preserved within the bloodline's ancient power.
"Did you see him?" Aurelio asked, breathless.
Raven nodded, her skin pale. "That wasn't your father…"
"No," Viero said grimly. "It was what he became. The bloodline doesn't just pass power—it remembers. Your father tried to bind the flame to himself. He failed. And when he died, the door took what was left of him."
Raven held Luna tighter. The child was still glowing faintly, her fever waning.
"She saw him too," she whispered. "She said he spoke to her."
Viero stepped forward. "What did he say?"
Luna stirred. Her voice was small, but clear.
"He said… when the eclipse rises, I must choose between them."
---
Isabella
In the sanctuary war room, Isabella scrolled through Viero's notes—scrolls and prophecies scanned and translated, piecing together a tapestry older than nations.
The "eclipse child" prophecy wasn't singular.
There had been others.
Children born to mixed lines. Fire and shadow. Magic and flesh.
But none had survived the awakening.
They either burned out—or opened the door too soon.
Until Luna.
Luna was different.
She was stable. Focused. Guided.
Because she had parents who loved her.
That was the difference. The tether. The gate.
The family.
---
Elsewhere – Cesare Marone
He stood in a stone circle beneath the city, arms raised, black smoke spiraling around him.
The ritual had begun.
The seal on Luna had cracked. Her power was calling to the Gate now—and the Gate was answering.
"She will come to us," he whispered. "Or she will tear the world apart trying to stay whole."
Behind him, a dozen hooded figures knelt—cultists of the old flame.
"The bloodline will bend. Or it will burn."
---
Back in the Sanctuary
Aurelio stood at the edge of the candlelight, watching Luna sleep between him and Raven. The room smelled of wax and warmth. She was safe—for now.
But something haunted him.
His father's face.
The door.
And the echo of a voice that still lingered in his bones:
"You were born to burn, Aurelio. The question is: for what?"