Chapter 10 The Echo of Monsters

The rain fell in sheets, drenching the cobbled streets of Prague. The ancient city, with its gothic spires and forgotten catacombs, seemed to shudder under the weight of what was coming. Aria stood on the balcony of an old safehouse, watching lightning fork across the clouds.

She could feel them.

Wolves.

Witches.

Something else.

Whatever alliance had once held the European factions in check was crumbling. Cassandra's death had created a vacuum, and the monsters lurking in the shadows were no longer content with silence.

Luca stepped out behind her, wrapped in a black coat, still radiating heat like a living furnace. "We intercepted a communique," he said. "The Crimson Heir isn't the last. There's someone else. Someone older. More dangerous."

Aria didn't look at him. "Let me guess. Female. Wears red. Has a flair for fire."

He blinked. "You saw her?"

"She saw me. In a vision. Or maybe something worse."

Luca came to her side, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You think she's the one building the new Circle?"

Aria gave a humorless smile. "She's not building it. She's resurrecting it."

Behind them, Talia entered the room, tablet in hand. "We've confirmed eight sleeper cells. Two in Berlin, one in Moscow, and at least three operating out of Paris. They're calling her The Crimson Mother."

Aria's spine stiffened.

Talia continued, her voice grim. "She was once Cassandra's mentor. Excommunicated. Thought dead. Real name: Erzsebet Voss. Half-witch, half-succubus. Vanished two decades ago."

Luca frowned. "She was supposed to be a myth."

"So was I," Aria murmured.

The room fell into silence.

Until Talia whispered, "She wants you, Aria. Not dead. Not imprisoned. She wants to claim you."

---

Later that night, as thunder rolled and lightning licked the sky, Aria entered the underground tunnels below the city. The catacombs were damp, ancient, and humming with residual magic. She traced her fingers along the walls, deciphering old sigils.

Luca followed behind her, sword strapped to his back.

"What are we doing here?" he asked.

Aria stopped before an archway that shimmered faintly with runes. "Looking for ghosts."

"Care to be more specific?"

She inhaled sharply. "Cassandra bound a creature down here. Something older than any of us. A failed experiment. I need answers. And he's the only one who might remember Erzsebet."

They stepped through.

The chamber beyond was vast, the ceiling lost in shadows. Chains snaked across the floor, glowing faintly with blue warding light. In the center sat a man-if he could still be called that. Pale skin, eyes like shattered mirrors, and a grin carved too wide across his face.

"Aria," he cooed. "My beautiful niece. Come to let me out?"

Luca's hand went to his blade.

"Stand down," Aria said. "He can't move past the threshold."

The chained figure chuckled. "Still so clever. Just like your mother."

Aria stepped closer. "Tell me about Erzsebet."

His smile widened. "Ah. The Crimson Mother. Now there's a name. She fed on souls like candy. Cassandra feared her. Loved her too. But she was always the weaker of the two. Erzsebet didn't need contracts. She took what she wanted."

"Is she building a new Circle?"

He laughed, a low, slithering sound. "She's building an empire. A cult. And you're the crown jewel, darling. A perfect blend of bloodlines. The weapon she never could be."

Aria felt the chill slide down her spine.

"Why me?"

"Because you're the endgame. You end the blood war, one way or another. With her, you enslave the world. Against her, you burn it."

She turned away.

"Tell me one more thing," she said. "What did she do to you?"

The smile vanished.

"She kissed me," he whispered. "And I forgot my name."

---

Outside the cathedral ruins, Luca and Aria emerged into the storm. He looked at her, eyes searching.

"What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking," she said, mounting her bike, "that it's time we stopped reacting. It's time we strike first."

He smirked. "That's more like it."

As they rode off into the night, a shadow detached from the ruins and followed.

The Crimson Mother watched, red eyes glowing.

"Soon, my little heir," she whispered. "You'll beg to kneel."

---

Back at the safehouse, Talia paced the hall. Dozens of encrypted files were still unlocking on her tablet, each revealing horrors buried for decades. Torture. Spell-fusion. Chimera rituals.

Then she saw it.

An old video file.

Subject 019: A. Blackthorn. Age: 6.

Talia tapped it. The screen played grainy footage. Aria, strapped to a table, eyes wide with terror. Cassandra and Erzsebet stood over her, arguing.

"She's not ready," Cassandra said.

"She doesn't need to be," Erzsebet replied. "Power answers to pain."

The screen cut to black.

Talia staggered back.

Outside, lightning struck. The power flickered.

And in that moment, someone else entered the safehouse.

---

Aria returned hours later, soaked to the bone, blood on her boots. The door was ajar. Her instincts flared.

"Talia?"

Silence.

Luca cursed. Drew his blade.

They found her unconscious, bruised but breathing, a sigil carved into the wall above her in blood:

SHE IS MINE

Luca checked the cameras. All were fried.

Aria stared at the message.

"She wants me to come to her."

Luca grabbed her arm. "Then let's give her hell."

But Aria's voice was calm. Cold.

"No. We give her war."

And outside, the night opened its jaws.

---

The Crimson Mother has begun her hunt. The war for Aria's soul has begun.