The rain fell heavily, dragging with it the scent of wet earth and the echo of a silence thick with unspoken tensions.In the midst of the shadows, Aisha felt the cold creeping into her skin, though the real chill came from the figure that had suddenly reappeared before her.
Rasen leaned toward her, his empty gaze sinking into hers like an inescapable abyss. His cold breath brushed against her ear, and his voice, laced with resentment, tore through the air."I don't want your loyalty or your apologies, Aisha," he murmured with a twisted smile that never reached his eyes. "I want to be your everything… and when you're completely mine, I'll break you into pieces, right when you think you've saved me."
Aisha swallowed hard, unable to look away. Her heart pounded, a frantic drumbeat echoing in her ears. Inside her, a storm of emotions tangled—guilt, fear, and something she couldn't name that kept her rooted to the spot."Ever since I met him, I wanted to protect him… but now I don't know if I'm saving him or surrendering to my own ruin," she thought, her chest tightening.There was something in Rasen that had always drawn her in, something dark and painfully magnetic. Even now, with his threats echoing in the air, part of her wanted to stay—wanted to believe that the Rasen she once knew was still in there, buried beneath the shadows.
But the eyes that looked at her were not those of a man seeking redemption, but of someone determined to destroy everything in his path.
Rasen noticed her hesitation and let out a bitter laugh. His voice, thick with contempt, cut through the silence."Pathetic. You think that means anything to me?" he whispered, leaning even closer—so close she could feel his cold presence crawling on her skin."I don't need your redemption. What I want from you is deeper, absolute. I want your worship. I want to be the only thing that matters to you… and when that moment comes, I'll tear you apart."
A flash of lightning lit up the sky, and for just a second, Aisha saw something—an almost imperceptible flicker of pain cross his face. It vanished as quickly as it appeared.Instinctively, she raised a trembling hand to his cheek, as if that fleeting trace of humanity could still be reached."Rasen…" she whispered, her voice breaking, as if saying his name might summon the man who once looked at her with tenderness.
But the moment her fingers touched his skin, he seized them with force. His dark eyes pierced through her—cold, unyielding."Don't use that voice with me," he snapped, tightening his grip on her wrist. "I'm not your salvation, Aisha. I'm your damnation."
Something inside her shattered—not from the pain, but from the crushing truth that the bond between them had twisted into a chain, rusted by obsession and resentment.
His eyes burned with a storm of fury. "You rejected me, Aisha," he thought bitterly. "I chose you, and still, I wasn't enough. Now you will suffer. You will kneel. That's all you deserve to give me."
Aisha, paralyzed by the weight of his words, searched for even a sliver of humanity in his eyes—something to give her hope that not all was lost.But all she saw was the shadow of who Rasen used to be. The pain of watching him like this, consumed by hate, stabbed through her like a blade.
Rasen tilted his head toward her neck, his fangs glinting for a heartbeat, like a silent threat.Then, with cruel irony, he whispered,"Did you think a bite would be the worst part? No, Aisha. The waiting is worse."He pulled back just enough to meet her gaze, his smile devoid of warmth."I don't have time to play with you. There are priorities more important than you."
His voice, cold as ice, struck her like a whip. But it wasn't his words that hurt most—it was his eyes.They belonged to someone who had already chosen to self-destruct and drag everything down with him.
The sound of rushed footsteps broke the tension for a moment.Skiller appeared, ready to intervene.But before he could speak, Rasen turned with predator speed and struck him down like a wolf crushing its prey.The crack of breaking bones mixed with the rain, followed by a weak groan that vanished into the storm.
Without effort, Rasen wrapped his arm around Aisha's waist, his grip firm as steel. She struggled, but her strength was no match for his.The rain poured down on them, merciless and cold, as if the sky itself mourned what was unfolding.
"Your life belongs to me now, Aisha," he said, his voice like a blade. "Until I decide to discard it."
With her in his arms, Rasen vanished into the storm, leaving behind confusion, shattered hearts, and a hollow emptiness that devoured everything in its wake.Aisha, trapped in his embrace, felt not just the rain soaking her—but a despair that clung to her soul like chains.Because deep down, a part of her feared Rasen could no longer be saved… and that she might not survive this with her soul intact.
The thirst for blood and power consuming Rasen had become an insatiable monster—a dark host that showed no mercy.With each passing day, what remained of his humanity crumbled further, and the fear of losing himself entirely choked him.Desperate for answers—or perhaps for a glimpse of the man he used to be—he decided to seek out Steven, the hunter and old friend he had once trusted.
With a speed that defied time itself, Rasen arrived at an abandoned warehouse. The place was covered in dust and debris, the dying light of dusk filtering through the broken windows, casting dancing shadows on the walls.There, sitting on a stack of crates, was Steven.
The hunter looked up, his violet eyes sharp and unwavering, piercing into Rasen with a gaze full of reproach and warning."You dare come looking for me, after everything?" Steven growled, lifting the sheath of his sword—a silent reminder of who he was."You're still just as reckless."