The Court smelled of death.
Iron. Blood. Smoke.
Once a grand hall carved into the ancient bones of Whitmoor's earth, now it was rubble and ruin. Marble pillars lay cracked. Torches flickered against crumbling walls. Vampiric corpses lay scattered among the armored bodies of hunters—some still twitching in the throes of death.
Alex sat on the throne. Not because he wanted it—because he had to. His shirt was torn, blood-soaked. Scars traced across his shoulders, fading slowly. His eyes, still black with golden rims, stared into the broken court. Silent. Cold.
Adam stood by him, hands in his jacket pockets, glancing around as if the walls might crumble again. He hadn't said much since the fight. No jokes. No smirks. Just quiet.
"You alright?" Adam finally asked.
Alex didn't answer right away. "I killed someone today."
"You saved us too," Adam replied.
"But I liked it," Alex whispered. "That feeling when I hit him. When he screamed."
Adam went quiet again.
Lady Nereza limped toward them, leaning on a dark cane. Her wound was still healing—her dress soaked in her own black blood. Yet her posture was regal, her stare unflinching.
"The blood is awakening in you," she said to Alex. "You are no longer a boy."
"I never wanted this," Alex said bitterly.
Nereza nodded. "None of us did. But destiny is cruel like that."
Behind her, guards dragged corpses into heaps. Sabastin stood near the rear gate, his long coat billowing. He oversaw the clean-up in silence. No lecture. No smugness. Just cold calculation.
"We lost twelve of our own," Nereza continued. "Corvan is in stasis. Without him, the eastern chambers are leaderless. We need guidance. Orders."
"You want me to lead?" Alex said, standing from the throne. "I just got attacked. I'm not a king."
"No," she said. "You're a monarch of blood. There's a difference."
He moved down the throne steps, fists clenched. "Then find someone else. I'm leaving. I need to understand what's happening to me."
Sabastin finally stepped forward.
"There's no running anymore, Alex. Your body has changed. Your blood has shifted. You dream of monarchs and demons because they're real. Your soul is tied to something older than us."
"Then explain it!" Alex snapped. "Why me? Why now?"
Sabastin approached slowly, face unreadable. "Because your father died protecting a secret. One that you are part of."
Silence fell.
Adam stared. "You knew his dad?"
Sabastin looked at Alex. "He worked with me. In the vault. On a serum designed to prevent full vampiric transformation… to suppress the curse and keep the strength. You weren't supposed to turn."
Alex's breath caught. "But I did."
"Something corrupted the formula. Or someone tampered with it." Sabastin's voice darkened. "You're not just a hybrid. You're a key. A weapon. And now they'll come for you."
"They already have," Alex said. "And next time, I'll be ready."
A long silence passed.
Then Adam added, "So, what now?"
Nereza straightened. "Now, we bury the dead. We send false reports to the hunters to delay retaliation. And we prepare for war."
Alex turned, eyes scanning the ruined chamber once more.
One of the vampire guards approached, dragging something wrapped in chains.
"We found this among the wreckage," the guard said. "One of theirs. Still breathing."
A half-dead hunter was thrown at Alex's feet, face bruised, eyes swollen shut. But when he looked up—he grinned.
"You think this is over?" the hunter spat. "He's coming. You just lit the fuse."
Alex narrowed his eyes. "Who?"
The hunter chuckled, blood leaking from his lip. "The one who sleeps beneath the ash. The true blood monarch. You're nothing but a pretender."
Alex froze. So did Sabastin.
"What did you say?" Sabastin hissed.
The hunter cackled. "He'll rise again… and when he does, you'll all burn."
Without a word, Alex drew a blade from the dead beside him—and slashed the hunter's throat.
Blood sprayed.
Adam blinked. "Damn…"
Sabastin said nothing. Just stared at the wound and the calmness in Alex's face.
"You're changing faster than expected," he whispered.
Alex stepped back, wiping the blade. "I want answers. All of them."
"You'll get them," Sabastin said. "But first… we clean this mess. Then, we visit the catacombs."
Nereza raised an eyebrow. "You're sure?"
"He has to see the tombs. The ones that bear his name."
Adam shook his head. "Man, this just keeps getting deeper."
Alex just stared ahead, eyes unblinking.
The real war hadn't even started.