The rain fell in soft sheets over the quiet town of Elaris, soaking the cracked pavement and washing dust from the rooftops. Thunder whispered across the sky, distant and tired, like a secret too long buried. The townsfolk had long since locked their doors and drawn their curtains, for no one lingered outside after nightfall—not in Elaris, not when the mist crept in from the woods like a living thing.

But Celeste Nightshade had never been like everyone else.

She stood barefoot on the back porch, her long nightdress clinging to her legs, soaked from the storm. Her raven-black hair hung heavy down her back, curls weighed by the rain. In her hand, she held the flickering flame of a lantern, though she didn’t need it. She could feel the forest. It called to her—not with words, but with a hum in her blood and a pull in her bones.

Ever since her eighteenth birthday three nights ago, something inside her had awakened.

And there was the mark.

She glanced down at her wrist where it burned softly beneath her skin. The mark looked like a curling flame, drawn in black ink, yet no tattooist had made it. It had appeared, the night she dreamed of a fire-lit man with horns and a voice that curled like smoke around her soul.

She should have been afraid. But she wasn’t.

She was curious.

And tonight, curiosity drowned out caution.

The ancient woods at the edge of town were forbidden for a reason. Even children knew not to play near them. Animals refused to cross its boundary. Lights vanished in the dark. People who wandered in—on rare, whispered occasions—were never seen again.

But Celeste stepped barefoot onto the damp grass and walked straight for it.

The lantern sputtered, then died. She didn’t stop.

Her heart beat a little faster with each step. Her breath clouded in the air, too cold for a spring night. The mist thickened as she passed the first trees, and then she was in.

The silence was immediate and absolute.

No birds. No wind. Just her breath, her heartbeat, and the low hum beneath her skin—the mark. It pulsed now, slow and steady, as if something—or someone—was answering its call.

She turned in a circle, eyes adjusting to the gloom. The trees were impossibly tall, their trunks black as ash, their branches weaving a web above her. A flicker of movement caught her eye to the left—too fast to track, too large to be a bird.

She froze.

“Who’s there?” Her voice was steady, despite the tremor in her chest.

Then he stepped from the shadows.

Tall. Broad-shouldered. Cloaked in black. His face was half-lit by some inner glow—his eyes, burning faintly red, like dying coals. His hair was tousled, raven-black like hers. And beneath the fall of his long coat, she saw the brief glint of something sharp and metallic along his side.

But it was his presence that shook her.

The air warped around him, heavy and charged like the sky before a storm. It wasn’t fear she felt, but… recognition. As if she’d known him before this life.

“I’ve waited centuries for you, Celeste,” he said, his voice low and rough, like velvet over flame.

She took a step back. “How do you know my name?”

“Because your soul calls mine.” He stepped closer, eyes never leaving hers. “You bear the mark of the bound. My curse… and my only salvation.”

Lightning flared behind the trees, briefly illuminating his form. For just a second, she saw the tips of horns hidden beneath his hair. Her breath caught.

“You’re a demon.”

He smiled faintly. “A prince of the Infernal Realm, if we’re being formal. But I’ve been many things. And now… I am yours.”

Celeste’s legs felt weak. She reached for a tree to steady herself.

“This is insane,” she whispered.

“Yet you came,” Kael said, stepping within inches of her now. He raised a hand but paused, letting her decide.

She didn’t move away.

His fingers brushed her cheek. They were warm—surprisingly so—and left a trail of tingling heat in their wake.

“You’ve felt it too, haven’t you?” he asked softly. “The dreams. The fire. The voice in the dark whispering your name.”

Her lips parted, but she said nothing.

“I was cursed,” he continued. “Bound to this realm, never to return home. Unless…”

“Unless what?”

“Unless the soul who carries the mark chooses me willingly. Chooses us. Our bond breaks the seal.”

Celeste shook her head. “This sounds like something out of a nightmare.”

“Nightmares and dreams share the same door,” he murmured. “And you opened it.”

She pulled away suddenly, heart racing. “No. No, this isn’t real.”

Kael didn’t chase her. He simply watched.

“I’ll give you time,” he said. “But not much. The others have sensed your awakening. And if I found you… so can they.”

She turned back at that. “Others?”

Kael’s jaw tightened. “There are those who would see you used. Killed. Turned. You’re not just a girl with a mark, Celeste. You’re the key to a prophecy as old as the realms themselves.”

He stepped into the shadows again. “I will protect you. Whether you want me or not.”

And then he was gone.

The forest breathed again. The silence broke. The mist thinned.

Celeste stumbled backward until she was out of the trees, onto her backyard lawn, heart pounding in her throat. The lantern she’d dropped flickered back to life as if nothing had happened.

But everything had changed.

---

Later that night…

Celeste sat in her room, curled beneath her blanket, staring at her wrist. The mark was glowing faintly now, pulsing in rhythm with her heartbeat. No amount of scrubbing could make it fade.

She remembered the way Kael had looked at her—not with cruelty or hunger, but reverence. Like she mattered. Like she was more than a girl in a forgotten town.

But the fear lingered too.

Demons were real. And she had met one. One who claimed her. One who said others would come.

Her reflection in the mirror looked pale and fragile. But deep inside, something stirred—something fierce.

If her life was no longer normal, then maybe she wasn’t meant to be.

Maybe she was something more.

---

In the Infernal Realm…

Kael stood at the edge of a burning cliff, his coat snapping in the hot wind. The sky was red, lit with rivers of lava and ash. Behind him, stone towers twisted like black thorns, rising toward a shattered moon.

He had felt her fear.

He had also felt her desire.

“She’s stronger than the others,” a voice hissed behind him.

Kael didn’t turn. “She’s the one.”

A figure stepped beside him—female, pale-skinned, with eyes like silver daggers and wings of glass and ash. “You risk much, Kael. If she denies you, the curse will remain. The others will come for her.”

“Let them try.” His eyes flared. “She’s mine.”

---

Back in Elaris…

Celeste dreamed again.

This time she was in a cathedral made of bone, firelight flickering along the walls. She stood at the altar, wearing a dress of black lace. And beside her, Kael knelt, his wings folded, his hand over his heart.

“Say the words,” he whispered. “And I will burn the world for you.”

She woke gasping, heart on fire.

Outside her window, a pair of glowing eyes watched from the trees.

The sun rose pale and cold over Elaris, casting golden light through Celeste’s bedroom window. It should have been comforting. It wasn’t.

She hadn’t slept—not really. The dreams had come in waves, thick with ash and fire. Kael’s voice still echoed in her mind like a half-sung lullaby. But it was the mark that made it impossible to rest. It hadn’t stopped pulsing since she’d returned from the forest.

Now it looked sharper, darker. More… alive.

Celeste wrapped her wrist in a long black ribbon and slid on a hoodie, pulling the hood up as she descended the stairs. Her aunt, Mirella, was already at the stove humming softly, the smell of tea and cinnamon filling the kitchen.

“Morning, dove,” Mirella said without looking up. “You were up late again?”

Celeste forced a smile. “Yeah. Couldn’t sleep.”

Mirella turned, her kind eyes narrowing slightly. “That mark again?”

Celeste froze. “What?”

Mirella simply pointed at the edge of the black ribbon slipping from her sleeve.

“I’ve seen that before,” Mirella said softly. “Not on you. But in the old books. Symbols like that don’t just appear. They’re summoned.”

Celeste’s heart stopped. “You knew?”

“I suspected,” Mirella said, turning off the burner and setting a cup of tea in front of her. “Our family carries blood that’s… different. Your mother was gifted too, in her own way. But she feared it. Hid from it. That’s what got her killed.”

Celeste blinked. “You said she died in a fire—”

“She did,” Mirella said. “But it wasn’t natural. It was a cleansing. Someone wanted her erased.”

Celeste’s stomach twisted. “Why are you only telling me now?”

“Because until the mark appeared, I thought maybe—just maybe—you’d been spared. But it’s started again. Which means it’s coming. They’re coming.”

Celeste barely heard the last words. She was already standing, her pulse racing.

“I have to go,” she said.

“Where?”

She didn’t answer.

---

Outside, near the forest

The woods were silent again, but not empty. Celeste stood just beyond the first ring of trees, staring into the mist.

She could feel him. Not just his presence—but his pull.

“Kael,” she whispered.

He stepped from the shadows as if summoned. “You called.”

Celeste crossed her arms. “We need to talk.”

He studied her. “You’re afraid.”

“I’m confused,” she said. “And angry. You showed up, told me I’m part of some prophecy, and vanished. What do you expect me to do?”

Kael tilted his head. “Survive. That would be a start.”

“That’s not enough,” she snapped. “I want answers. What exactly am I?”

His eyes flared. “You’re the soul who bears the Veil Flame—the only living link between the mortal and infernal realms. The mark is proof. It means you’re the chosen vessel. Your blood carries ancient power.”

Celeste’s breath hitched. “Why me?”

“Because your line was forged in both realms,” he said. “Part human… part infernal. You’re a key, Celeste. And everyone wants to turn it.”

He stepped closer, more serious now.

“The prophecy says if you choose love over power, the realms will remain separate. But if you’re turned—corrupted—someone can use you to tear open the veil and merge the realms.”

Celeste shook her head slowly. “And you? What do you want from me?”

Kael looked at her, expression unreadable.

“Redemption,” he said finally. “Or damnation. Depending on what you choose.”

Before she could respond, the sky darkened.

A crack ripped through the air like a scream. Shadows spilled from the trees in jagged bursts of smoke. Kael moved instantly, yanking Celeste behind him as a creature emerged—tall, winged, with eyes like ink and a body made of shadow-fire.

“You weren’t followed,” Kael growled. “They were waiting.”

The demon hissed, extending long claws. “She smells like fate. Let me taste her.”

Celeste’s fear surged, but something inside her flared hotter.

Kael summoned a black-bladed sword from the air, flame licking down its edge. “You won’t touch her.”

The demon lunged. Kael met it midair, their clash sending sparks through the clearing. Celeste stumbled back, heart racing.

Then the mark on her wrist flared like wildfire.

The light burst from her skin, blinding and hot. The demon shrieked, clawing at the air as its form melted into smoke. Kael landed hard, breathing heavily, his sword burning low.

He turned to her slowly.

“You awakened.”

Celeste stared at her hand. The mark was glowing golden now.

“What did I just do?”

“You used your blood,” Kael said. “Instinctively. That much power… you shouldn’t be able to do that yet.”

Celeste felt light-headed.

“I think I need to sit down.”

Kael caught her before she fell. His arms were strong, warm, and steady.

“I’ve got you,” he whispered.

---

Elsewhere, in the Infernal Court

A circle of cloaked figures stood in a temple made of bone and obsidian. At the center, a pool of black liquid shimmered. A vision flickered within: Celeste’s glowing mark, Kael’s arms around her.

“She awakens,” one rasped.

“She grows stronger,” said another.

A third figure—taller than the others, with long silver hair and eyes like lightning—stepped forward. “Then it’s time.”

He placed his hand into the pool.

“Bring her to me.”

---

Back at Celeste’s house

That night, Celeste sat on her bed, Kael leaning against the wall across from her, arms crossed. He’d followed her home to keep watch—just for the night, he insisted.

She didn’t argue.

“So… I’m a vessel of ancient power,” she said slowly, trying to process it all. “And the fate of both realms hangs on whether I fall in love with you or not?”

Kael smiled faintly. “That’s… one way to phrase it.”

Celeste rolled her eyes. “That’s insane.”

“Isn’t love always?”

She looked at him. “What happens if I choose no one?”

Kael grew quiet.

“The veil weakens on its own. And others—stronger, darker ones—will try to take you by force. This isn’t just about love, Celeste. It’s about will. If yours breaks… so does the world.”

She lay back slowly, staring at the ceiling.

“This is too much.”

Kael crossed the room and sat beside her. “I know.”

He reached out and gently touched her hand.

“But you’re not alone.”

Their fingers laced, and for the first time in days, the mark on her wrist went still.

The dreams returned.

But this time, they weren't Celeste’s.

She saw through Kael’s eyes.

A crown of horns shattered beneath his feet. Flames licked the dark sky as bodies of winged creatures burned in heaps. A throne stood ahead—tall, twisted, and alive. And on it, a figure older than time, cloaked in gold and ruin, leaned forward with a voice like thunder and honey.

“You will betray her,” the figure said.

“Because you already have.”

Celeste woke up gasping, sweat pooling at the base of her spine. Her room was quiet, Kael nowhere in sight.

But her wrist—it burned. Not with pain. With pressure. The mark was reacting again.

She climbed from bed and moved toward the window, and that’s when she saw it.

The veil.

It shimmered above the trees—a crack in the air, glowing red like torn silk in moonlight. Through it, faint whispers spilled: voices calling her name in a language she shouldn’t understand, but somehow did.

“Celestara… Celestara…”

Her full name. Her true name.

The door creaked behind her. Kael stepped in, eyes darker than usual.

“You saw it,” he said quietly.

Celeste turned. “The veil.”

Kael nodded. “It’s opening faster than expected. That’s… not good.”

She crossed her arms. “Why did I dream your memories?”

He stiffened slightly. “Because we’re connected now. The mark links us. And the closer you get to the infernal realm, the more your mind walks through mine.”

“Then tell me,” she said. “Tell me what I saw. The throne. The betrayal. Who was that… thing?”

Kael sighed. “My father.”

Celeste blinked. “You mean the demon on the throne?”

Kael looked out the window, jaw tight. “Lucivar. The Infernal King. My father. He wants you. And if he gets you, the worlds won’t just merge—they’ll burn.”

---

In the Infernal Court

Lucivar stood in his throne room, fingers laced beneath his chin, eyes glowing like molten gold. Around him, the air shimmered with heat and prophecy.

“She’s awakening too fast,” a demon general whispered.

Lucivar didn’t move. “Because he is with her. And Kael is weak. I made him weak when I gave him that heart.”

“Shall we retrieve her?”

Lucivar raised a hand. “No. Let the boy bring her to me. He always does. Because love... love makes fools of gods.”

He smirked.

“Let’s see if it breaks her.”

---

That Night

Kael and Celeste stood at the edge of the forest again. This time, Kael opened a portal in the air—an infernal gate shaped like burning iron vines.

“I’m taking you to the borderlands,” he said. “You need to see where your power comes from.”

Celeste hesitated. “Will it hurt?”

He looked at her, then offered his hand. “Only a little.”

She took it.

The world around them twisted, the air sucked from her lungs—and then they were there.

The Infernal Borderlands.

A place of dusk and fire. Mountains hovered in the air, broken and glowing. Rivers ran with silver ash. The sky was filled with black wings.

Celeste stumbled. “It’s… beautiful. And terrifying.”

Kael helped her up. “Welcome to where your blood sings.”

Suddenly, something pulled from within her. A surge of energy she couldn’t control.

A ring of fire erupted from her chest, knocking Kael back. Her eyes blazed white-gold, her hair lifting as if caught in a storm.

Kael looked up in awe—and fear.

“She’s not just the key,” he whispered. “She’s the flame itself.”

Celeste screamed—but the sound was not pain.

It was awakening.

---

Back in Elaris, a New Threat Emerges

At the edge of town, a girl watched from the shadows. Pale skin. Ink-black lips. Eyes like frost.

She whispered into the wind.

“Celeste Nightshade… I found you.”

She pulled a blade from her cloak—curved, glowing with infernal runes.

And vanished.