CHAPTER 3 – The Ring That Was Alive
Elena woke up beneath a pile of broken flowers.
Dust floated through the ruined cathedral like gray snow. The screams were gone. The guests were gone. Even Adrian had vanished.
Only the ring remained.
It sat in the middle of the aisle, glowing faintly against the cracked marble floor.
And then Elena heard it again.
A heartbeat.
Not from her chest.
From the ring.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
The old woman rushed toward her, grabbing her by the shoulders.
"Elena, listen to me carefully. That ring was made from the heart of the first Phoenix bride. If Adrian completes the ritual, he won't just steal your power..."
Her voice trembled.
"He will bring back the dead."
Elena stepped back in horror.
"What are you talking about?"
Before the woman could answer, the ring suddenly split open.
A drop of black blood fell onto the floor.
Then another.
Then the cathedral doors slammed shut by themselves.
From the shadows behind the altar, Adrian's voice echoed.
"You should have said yes when you had the chance."
Elena turned slowly.
Adrian stood there in his torn wedding suit, smiling as if nothing had happened.
But he was no longer alone.
Behind him stood six women in old bridal gowns.
Their faces were pale.
Their eyes were empty.
And every one of them had the same golden Phoenix mark burned into their chest.
Elena covered her mouth.
"They were all your brides?"
Adrian smiled wider.
"No, darling."
He lifted the broken ring.
"They were all my failures."
The dead brides began walking toward Elena.
The old woman stepped in front of her and raised the silver pendant.
Golden fire shot from it, forcing the ghostly brides back.
But the pendant cracked.
The woman gasped.
Elena suddenly noticed something strange.
The old woman had the same Phoenix mark on her wrist.
"You’re one of us," Elena whispered.
The woman looked at her with tears in her eyes.
"Yes."
Then she said the words that shattered Elena's world.
"And I am your grandmother."
Elena froze.
"My grandmother died before I was born."
The old woman shook her head.
"No, child. Your family lied to protect you."
Adrian laughed from the shadows.
"Tell her the rest."
Elena turned to the woman.
"What rest?"
Her grandmother looked away.
The cathedral grew silent.
Then she whispered,
"Your mother didn't die in an accident."
Elena's glowing mark burned brighter.
Her voice cracked.
"What happened to her?"
Before her grandmother could answer, Adrian raised his hand.
The dead brides screamed.
The windows exploded.
And carved into the wall behind the altar, written in fresh blood, appeared one sentence:
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"YOUR MOTHER WAS THE FIRST ONE WHO BETRAYED YOU."
To Be Continued...
