“I love him!” Lucian exclaimed, his voice echoing in the dimly lit chamber, raw emotion spilling over. “And I’ll do anything to protect him!” With determination fueling each movement, he carefully packed his blood vials, ensuring their fragile glass would not shatter in the fray of travel. He swung the bag across his body and took a moment to steady himself against the cool stone of his window.

As he perched at the edge of the ledge, the sprawling expanse of Bloodhaven lay before him, a place he had called home but felt increasingly like a cage. He turned to Boris, his eyes filled with sorrow, but also fierce resolve. “I’m sorry, but I can never be the prince you want me to be—I can’t be the king my father was.”

Without waiting for a response, Lucian launched himself into the night. His body morphed, muscles shifting and reforming as he transformed into a bat, his wings unfurling wide and strong. He soared into the cool night air, leaving behind the confines of his old life, wings carrying him toward a destiny fraught with uncertainty.

As he crossed the border, a sense of liberation mingled with the weight of regret. The world beneath him changed rapidly, landscapes shifting from the familiar shadows of Bloodhaven to the unknown expanse that awaited him; Moonhallow. Lucian's heart raced in anticipation, but as he drew closer, dread tightened in his chest.

Moonhallow was in ruins.

The once vibrant enclave, known for its bustling energy and beauty, now lay in shambles, a ghost of its former self. Buildings crumbled into heaps of debris, and the air was thick with an unsettling silence that spoke of despair and loss. Panic surged through him. Had something happened to Rylan? Was he too late?

Lucian landed gently among the rubble, transforming back into his human form. Adrenaline coursed through him as he surveyed the devastation, his heart pounding angrily against his ribcage. Fear clawed at his throat as he remembered the stories of how the shadows had threatened Moonhallow—the very fears that had once kept him tethered to his royal duties.

“Rylan!” he called out, his voice trembling as it echoed against the hollow remnants of the town. He listened for a response, straining to hear anything amidst the overwhelming silence. The devastation was like a weight on his soul, dragging him down, and he took cautious steps through the debris, desperate to find any clue of where his friend might be.

Time seemed to stretch as he navigated through the wreckage, hope mingling with despair. With each corner turned, he envisioned the places they had shared laughter, the spots where secrets were spilled, and the very ground that was now coated with ash and desolation. “Please, let him be safe,” Lucian whispered to the wind, anguished thoughts swirling within him.

But with every passing moment, the reality of the situation began to sink in, gnawing at the edges of his determination. Lucian knew that confronting the aftermath would be only the beginning of a perilous journey—one whose outcomes he could not yet fathom. Yet with the call of his heart echoing in his mind, he pushed forward, ready to face whatever awaited him in the ruins of Moonhallow.