Crimson Bonds

Chapter 34: Unseen Forces

The city hadn't been the same since the Blood Moon. What should've been a night of revelation and heightened power had left a lingering tension in the air, something thick and unspoken that clung to the edges of the supernatural world. Even the humans could feel it in the subtle shifts-a chill that didn't belong in the season, strange flickers of light that danced at the corner of one's eye, and the distant hum of something...off.

Babe walked the familiar streets, his hands tucked into his jacket pockets as he tried to shake the restless energy gnawing at him. His blood magic, once something he could keep tethered to his will, now felt like a current just beneath the surface, threatening to surge forward at the slightest provocation. He felt it constantly-alive, awake, and waiting for a command he didn't want to give.

His phone buzzed in his pocket.

"Tofu, where are you?" It was Billy, his voice unusually tight with concern. "We've got something strange going on at Krit's place. You need to see this."

"I'm on my way," Babe responded, feeling the surge of unease coil tighter in his gut. Even the nickname Billy had given him wasn't enough to break the mounting tension.

Minutes later, Babe arrived at Krit's apartment. The atmosphere felt thick with unspoken dread, the kind that made even the bravest of hearts falter. Inside, Elysia, Krit, and Billy were already gathered, their faces lit with the glow of the arcane symbols flickering across Krit's usually vibrant walls.

"What's going on?" Babe asked, eyes darting to the strange, pulsing lines of energy that seemed to weave in and out of the air like threads of dark magic.

"It started an hour ago," Krit muttered, looking pale. "First, I thought it was just residual magic from the Blood Moon, but this... this isn't normal."

Elysia was hunched over a scroll, her brow furrowed. "These symbols aren't familiar to any magic I've seen in this realm. Whatever this is, it's old."

Billy stood by the window, his gaze distant as though he could sense something beyond the room. "I've felt this energy before," he whispered, his voice low. "It's like a whisper from a nightmare...something my family spoke of in hushed tones, centuries ago."

Babe frowned, the sense of something ancient and malevolent sinking into his bones. His fingers twitched with the urge to summon his blood magic, but he held it back. Not yet. Not until he understood what they were facing.

Just as the tension mounted, Elysia's eyes widened. "I've seen this before. In the Tanatat family's grimoires." She looked up, locking eyes with Babe. "Your ancestors were part of something much bigger than just the Blood Moon. There's a prophecy...one that mentions your bloodline and another-a line connected to sealing away something monstrous."

Billy tensed at her words, his posture stiffening. "The Patchanon clan."

Babe blinked, caught off guard. "What?"

Before either could elaborate, Elysia unraveled an ancient scroll that had been gathering dust in her library. Her fingers traced the old, fragile parchment, where an image of a fractured moon bled across the skies. Symbols of power, chains, and something dark and violent loomed in the illustration.

"The prophecy of the Blood Moon," Elysia explained. "But it's not complete. Only fragments of this have been revealed."

Babe's blood surged again, the magic pulling toward the scroll like a magnetic force. His pulse quickened. "What's this got to do with me?"

Elysia exhaled. "The Blood Moon didn't just amplify magic-it weakened the seal between worlds. The Leviathans, beings from another realm, were sealed away by the Patchanon and Tanatat bloodlines centuries ago. Now, with the Blood Moon's energy, that seal is unraveling."

Billy's eyes darkened. "And your blood, Babe, is the key to either keeping that seal intact-or breaking it entirely."

The weight of the revelation hit Babe like a sledgehammer. His magic, the power he'd feared for so long, wasn't just dangerous-it was pivotal. And not just for him. For the world.

He swallowed hard, his thoughts swirling. "So what now? Do I just wait until these Leviathans come for me?"

Billy stepped closer, his hand resting lightly on Babe's shoulder. "No, Tofu. We find a way to stop this before it gets worse."

As the room settled into a tense quiet, the hum of dark magic outside pulsed with growing intensity, like the ticking of a clock counting down to something far more terrifying than any of them could comprehend.