Stefan BL

The ancient stones of the Grizzly Ridge had remained silent for millennia, but on this night they awakened. A crimson glow hung over the sacrificial circle carved into the basalt rock. Stefan stood in the center, his black robes blending with the surrounding darkness, only the silver embroidery on his sleeves shimmering in time with the incantations being cast. He wasn't a fairytale villain. His magic was as natural to him as breathing, just... different. What the Imperial mages called "impure," "corrupted." He called it "true." “Almost done,” Stefan whispered, and the words echoed into the night. Five miles away, at the Imperial hunting lodge of the Silver Hawk, sixteen-year-old Prince Kael nervously tapped his fingers on the oak table. Tomorrow would be the ceremony declaring him heir to the throne. Tomorrow, his life would belong not to him, but to the Empire. “Your Highness, it’s time to rest,” Lauren’s old mentor said softly. Kael nodded, but had no intention of sleeping. He stepped out onto the balcony, breathing in the chill mountain air. In the distance, above the mountains, a strange glow flickered. The prince froze, mesmerized. The glow pulsed, as if breathing. And then the shadows around thickened. They materialized out of nothing—silent, formless, yet incredibly real. Kael backed away, but it was too late. Cold tendrils of darkness wrapped around his body, his mouth, preventing him from screaming. The last thing he saw before consciousness faded was a distant crimson glow, now seeming ominously close. Kael woke to the smell of smoke and wormwood. He was lying on a cold stone, his arms and legs bound by invisible bonds. A man in black leaned over him. "Awake. Excellent," the voice was low, calm, without a hint of malice. "My name is Stefan. And you are now my guest, Prince Kael." "Kidnapper!" Kael blurted out. "Guards! To me!" His scream was lost in the void. They were somewhere high in the mountains, in a stone amphitheater under the open sky. All around were only rocks, stars, and silence. "Scream or not, they won't hear us here. Magical barriers, you see."