valmora The crimson twilight

The silence that followed Selene's words pressed against Ethan's chest like a weight he couldn't shake. His breaths came shallow and uneven as the reality of her statement settled in.

The mark is part of me now.

The faint hum of the circle's power still echoed through his bones, a constant reminder of what had just happened—and what could happen again. Ethan clenched his fists against his knees, struggling to push down the rising panic that threatened to break through the surface.

Selene stood still, her gaze unwavering as if waiting for him to come to terms with the truth. Yet, beneath her cold exterior, Ethan could sense the faintest tremor of uncertainty—like cracks in a wall carefully built to keep the world at bay.

Finally, he forced himself to speak. "If I can't get rid of it... what happens now? Am I just supposed to live with this thing inside me until it kills me?"

Selene tilted her head slightly, the torchlight casting sharp shadows across her pale features. "That depends on you. The void's mark is power, but power without control is a death sentence. If you can't learn to command it, the next awakening will consume you from the inside out."

Ethan swallowed hard, his pulse hammering in his throat. "And if I do learn to control it?"

Selene's crimson eyes gleamed faintly in the dim light. "Then you might be the only one who can stop the veil from breaking."

Her words sent a chill down Ethan's spine, but before he could respond, the faint echo of footsteps approached from beyond the iron-bound doors. Selene's gaze snapped toward the entrance, her posture shifting from wary curiosity to sharp alertness in an instant.

"Get up," she ordered, her voice low and urgent.

Ethan scrambled to his feet as the doors swung open with a deep groan of metal on stone. A figure stepped into the chamber, their presence casting a long shadow across the floor.

Malphas.

The vampire lord's silver hair gleamed faintly beneath the torchlight, his crimson eyes narrowing as they flicked from Ethan to Selene. Clad in black robes embroidered with symbols that seemed to shift beneath the light, he moved with the effortless grace of a predator who knew he had no need to rush.

"Selene," he said, his voice a smooth blade honed to cut through silence. "I felt the disturbance from the outer halls. What have you done?"

Selene stepped between Ethan and Malphas, her shoulders squared as she met the older vampire's gaze. "The mortal's connection to the veil awakened unexpectedly. I contained it before it could spread."

Malphas's gaze slid past her to Ethan, lingering just long enough to make Ethan's pulse spike with a fresh surge of fear. There was something unreadable in those crimson eyes—curiosity, calculation, and something darker beneath the surface.

"So the human is not as ordinary as he appears," Malphas murmured, more to himself than to anyone else. "Interesting…"

Ethan took an involuntary step back as Malphas approached, every instinct screaming at him to run even though he knew there was nowhere to go. But before the vampire lord could come any closer, Selene shifted subtly in front of him, her shoulders tense with unspoken warning.

"He's under my protection," she said, her voice cold and unyielding.

Malphas arched a silver brow, the faintest trace of amusement curling at the corner of his mouth. "Is that so?"

Selene didn't answer. The air between them seemed to hum with invisible tension, the weight of power pressing against Ethan's skin like a storm waiting to break.

After a long moment, Malphas stepped back with a faint smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Very well. But I trust you understand the consequences should your... experiment endanger our world."

Selene's eyes narrowed. "This is not an experiment. If the veil breaks, none of us will survive. The mortal's connection may be the key to stopping it."

"Or the key to opening the gate," Malphas replied smoothly. "Tread carefully, Selene. The line between salvation and destruction is thin... and not easily walked."

With that, he turned and swept from the room, his footsteps fading into the distant corridors until silence fell once more.

Ethan let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, his hands trembling faintly at his sides. "He... doesn't exactly seem like the trusting type," he muttered.

Selene glanced at him, her gaze still sharp with lingering tension. "Malphas is one of the oldest vampires still walking this world. He's seen kingdoms rise and fall... and he understands the cost of failure."

"And what happens if he decides I'm too dangerous to keep alive?"

Selene didn't answer immediately. When she did, her voice was quieter than before.

"Then I suggest you learn to control your power before he has a reason to make that decision."

Ethan swallowed hard, the weight of her words settling heavy in his chest. His gaze drifted to the runes carved into the floor, their faint silver glow now dormant beneath the stone. Somewhere beyond the veil, the golden eyes still watched... waiting.

Taking a shaky breath, Ethan forced himself to meet Selene's gaze once more.

"Then teach me."