Eclipse of Eternity: Chapter 0: Bloodlit Brand
Aria's first encounter with a vampire and the glyph that saves her life as a child.
(A chapter highlighting an exciting new series!)
It shifted and groaned around her, its walls grinding with an unholy force that sent vibrations up through the soles of her boots. Aria stood frozen in the faint glow of her headlamp, the oppressive silence pressing against her chest like a weight.
Aria pressed a trembling hand against the cold surface of the salt-encrusted stone, her breath catching in her throat. She wasn’t sure when the passages had begun to look unfamiliar, but she knew one thing for certain—she was lost.
Her father’s glove pack hung heavy on her wrist, its weight a small comfort in the oppressive darkness. The device was more than just a tool; it was a lifeline, handed to her with stern warnings and trembling hands before she’d snuck out of the Core. She didn’t need his words to echo in her head to know she’d made a mistake.
“Just find Caelum,” she muttered to herself, her voice barely audible over the distant groan of shifting walls. “Find him and go back.”
But Caelum—her best friend since childhood—was nowhere to be found. She had come to find Caelum, the friend she had grown up with, the boy who always found a way to make her laugh even when things seemed hopeless. Caelum and his family had been dragged into the labyrinth days ago, accused of crimes she didn’t believe they committed. She had promised herself she wouldn’t give up on him, even as the walls seemed determined to do just that.
The air grew colder as she moved forward, her footsteps hesitant against the slick salt floor. The glow from her makeshift headlamp cast jagged shadows across the walls, illuminating faint traces of glyphs etched into the stone. She had no idea how to read them; their meanings were lost to all but the Council and the enforcers who ventured into these depths. Still, their faint blue light offered some small reassurance.
Until the walls began to move.
She was lost.
The realization gnawed at her, clawing at the edges of her mind.
Her father’s glove pack was strapped tightly to her wrist, its metallic sheen dulled by the damp air. The device was supposed to be a miracle—a tool capable of passing through the labyrinth’s walls by activating its strange glyphs. Yet here she was, alone and helpless, the glove pack her only comfort in the darkness.
She pressed forward, her legs shaky but determined.
Every step echoed through the salt-crusted passage, the sound magnified by the labyrinth’s unnatural acoustics. The glyphs on the walls flickered weakly, their faint blue light casting shifting shadows that seemed almost alive. Aria glanced down at the glove pack, waving her hand over the nearest glyph. The device hummed faintly, its glow feeble, but nothing happened.
Her chest tightened.
If she couldn’t get the glyphs to work, she was trapped.
The labyrinth shifted again.
The grinding noise sent her scrambling forward, her headlamp bouncing as she darted down a narrow corridor. The walls behind her groaned as they closed in, sealing the path she had just come from. Aria’s pulse quickened as she turned a corner, only to find the passage ahead narrowing as well. She stumbled into a wider chamber, gasping for breath.
The light from her headlamp cast jagged, flickering patterns on the walls, illuminating faint glyphs that seemed to pulse in time with the shifting stone. Her hands clenched into fists as she scanned the chamber, searching for any sign of Caelum—or anyone. But she was alone. The air was cold, damp, and heavy with the scent of salt.
Until it wasn’t.
A chill crept along her spine as the air seemed to grow darker, thicker. A shape emerged from the shadows, moving with a fluid, unnatural grace. It wasn’t human—that much was clear. Its form was indistinct, as though it didn’t quite belong to this world. Limbs stretched too long, skin that shimmered like liquid smoke, and eyes that glowed faintly in the dim light.
A shadow creature.
Aria’s body froze, her mind racing. She had heard whispers of such things—stories told in hushed tones about creatures born of the labyrinth itself, predators that thrived in its shifting depths. But she had never believed them. Until now.
The creature tilted its head, its glowing eyes locking onto hers. A guttural noise escaped its throat, low and rumbling, as it stalked forward. Aria stumbled back, her glove pack humming weakly as she waved her hand near the nearest glyph. Nothing. The creature’s movements were slow, deliberate, its predatory gaze fixed on her like a wolf circling its prey.
“Stay back,” she whispered, her voice trembling.
The creature didn’t stop. It lunged.
Aria barely had time to react as its clawed hand swiped toward her. She ducked, the creature’s talons raking through the air inches from her head. The force of the attack sent her stumbling backward, her back slamming against the wall. Pain shot through her shoulder as she scrambled to her feet, her fingers fumbling with the glove pack.
The shadow creature moved impossibly fast, closing the distance between them in an instant. Its hand shot out, grabbing her wrist in a vice-like grip. Aria gasped as the creature’s claws dug into her skin, its glowing eyes narrowing.
The glove pack flared to life.
A surge of energy erupted from the device, sending a blinding pulse of light through the chamber. The creature recoiled with a guttural screech, its grip loosening just enough for Aria to break free. She stumbled away, clutching her wrist as the device powered down, its glow flickering weakly.
The creature’s rage was palpable, its snarls echoing off the walls as it lunged again. Aria turned and ran, her boots slipping on the slick salt floor as she darted toward a narrow crack in the wall. She didn’t have time to think. She dropped to her hands and knees, forcing herself through the tight space as the creature’s claws scraped against the stone behind her.
The crack opened into another chamber, this one smaller and darker than the last. A single glyph flickered weakly on the far wall, its light barely visible. Aria scrambled to her feet, her breath ragged as she waved her hand over the glyph. The glove pack hummed faintly, but the glyph didn’t activate.
“Come on,” she gasped, waving her hand again. The creature’s snarls grew louder, closer.
She pressed herself against the wall, her trembling fingers brushing the faint glow of the glyph. The crack behind her widened as the creature burst into the room, its clawed hand slamming into her chest. The force sent her flying across the chamber, her body skidding to a halt near the far wall.
Pain exploded through her ribs as she tried to push herself up, her vision swimming. The creature stalked toward her, its claws clicking against the stone.
Aria’s trembling hand reached for the glove pack, her voice barely audible as she whispered, “Please…”
The creature struck again, its claws aimed for her throat.
The glyph flared to life.
Light filled the chamber, blinding and cold. The wall behind Aria rippled, and the force of the glyph’s activation dragged her backward. The creature’s claws grazed her cheek as she was pulled through the wall, the pain sharp and searing.
She landed hard on the other side, her body collapsing onto the salt floor. The glyph dimmed, its light fading as the wall shifted back into place. The creature’s enraged howls were muffled by the stone, leaving only the sound of Aria’s ragged breathing.
Her face throbbed, blood dripping from the gash left by the creature’s claws. Her vision blurred as exhaustion overtook her, her body trembling with the aftermath of the fight. She clutched her chest, her breath shallow and uneven, as darkness crept into the edges of her vision.
.......
Muffles reached her ears, faint and distant.
“She’s hurt bad,” someone replied. “Look at her face.”
“She’s just a kid,” one voice said, rough and gravelly.
“We can’t stay here,” the first voice said.
“It’s too dangerous. We’ll take the shortcut. We’ll rush.”
Aria could feel hands lifting her, their touch rough but careful. Her head lolled to the side, her consciousness slipping further as the salt-scarred outcasts carried her through the labyrinth’s depths. Time blurred into nothingness, each moment a haze of pain and darkness.
What felt like days were a long exhausting 8 hours.
The outcasts left her at the gates of the Core, disappearing into the shadows as silently as they had arrived.
The once-bright, stubborn girl from the Core was now battered and scarred, her face forever marked by the labyrinth’s dangers.
Even at the gates of the Core, the guards barely recognized her, as the scanners lit up. Their towering walls a sight she had never thought she’d see again.
They ushered her inside, whispering among themselves, but she barely heard them.
Her mind was elsewhere—on the glyph that had saved her, on the shadow that had chased her, and on the truth she had glimpsed in the labyrinth’s depths.
This was only the beginning.
Aria’s body finally gave into the darkness as she was carried through the gates. The last thing she felt was the faint hum of the Core, a place she had never truly belonged to, but impossibly connected.
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SPOILER ALERT
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