The death of the innocent heart brings the end of the false rule, and the crown denies its bearer.
I took a quick look around the room and determined that winning this battle wasn't going to be easy. The edge of the room was occupied by a line of vampires on both sides, but for now, they did not attack. The rising Fifth King sat on his throne. He propped his chin with one hand as he stared at me with his bright eyes. To my surprise, he didn't seem angry or hostile.
"Welcome, son," he said in a surprisingly calm and almost kind voice, "I've been waiting for you."
He slowly got up from his throne and did something I never expected: he smiled. He stepped closer to me. However, when I lunged towards him to tear out his cursed heart, the vampires who had been standing still like statues immediately launched an attack.
Even though most of my attention was on the Fifth King, I easily dodged the first attack caught the vampire's hand, and threw him towards the approaching enemies. I pierced the belly of the next vampire with my hand, and as I tore my fingers from the flesh, I caught the head of another assailant who was trying to taste me. What bothered me the most was the satisfaction in the Fifth King's eyes as I slaughtered his soldiers.
"Enough," he ordered suddenly, and my attackers immediately froze at his words.
The Fifth King walked even closer with softly tapping footsteps. I was now within arm's reach of him.
"I came for my friends," I declared.
To my astonishment, the aspiring king merely nodded. "We'll get to that later."
To be honest, I really didn't expect that.
"I was watching you during the battle," the Fifth said softly. "I don't know if anyone has ever told you something like this, but I'm proud of you."
I think I opened my mouth in sock, but the man just smiled softly at that too. There was no dislike or hatred in his eyes, and I had no idea what to make of it.
"You are fast as fae, yet strong as a vampire," continued the Fifth King. "In addition, in such a short time you have gathered an army rivaling mine. I am pleased."
I had no idea how to react. Here stood the Fifth King, whose army I destroyed, killing his henchmen in heaps, and he said he was satisfied. The ruler chuckled at the silly expression I must have made.
"I'm not angry at all," he continued. "I can easily replace an army of vampires, the important thing is that you came to me."
He touched my shoulder, and for some reason, I didn't feel his touch was bothering me.
"I would like to apologize," I think my brain cells got into a completely vegetative state at this point, "If I had known that you had survived, believe me, I would not have left you among humans for a single day."
He uttered that one word with such elemental hatred that I felt the hairs on my hands stand up. At the same time, for some reason, what he said made my chest tighten a little. I found this both unpleasant and pleasant.
"Was that your goal?" I asked incredulously. "Just me to come to you?"
The rising king nodded slowly.
"I want you to join me," as he could see the reluctance in my eyes, he quickly added, "First, just listen to what I have to say, then maybe you will see things differently."
I didn't answer, so he continued.
"I fight for the sole goal of monsters finally living in peace and happiness," he spread his hands, "I want to create a world where no monsters have to fear humans. A world where they can't torture us, they can't hunt us down, they can't kill our friends and we don't have to hide from them."
The hall resounded with the king's words, which echoed in my heart. In his eyes, I saw a profound understanding—a recognition born of shared suffering. He knew the agony of being hunted, the relentless torment of captivity, and the crushing weight of prolonged hiding. I knew it too. The sympathy gleaming in his gaze was as much for me as it was for himself, a quiet acknowledgment of our mirrored pain.
"I need you, Shaytan, to achieve this goal," he continued. "I know that you are no stranger to the cruelty of humans. Tell me, will you support me in the fight?"
It was as if he hypnotized me with his eyes, as if he saw deep into my soul. Into the darkest depths, where I keep the memories I would most like to forget the most. I remained silent for a moment.
The monster within me stirred, purring as it absorbed the man's words. He knew—knew the hunters better than anyone. He understood the ruthless cruelty with which they executed monsters, the same mercilessness they had shown me. The beast inside me craved vengeance for all the torment they had inflicted, and as I met his gaze, I recognized the same fierce hunger in his eyes.
This is not how I imagined the Fifth King at all. His purpose was familiar to me, inviting and tempting. After all, we shouldn't have to hide anymore, we shouldn't have to live in fear and conform to the hunters' rules anymore. I really wanted to agree for one very terrible moment.
"If you join me, I'll give you back the vampire girl," he offered.
As a result of his words, two other vampires entered on either side of the room, dragging two cages behind them. Coffee herself was lying passed out, she must have struggled a lot before being forced into her cage. Jo on the other side... I froze, I just couldn't stand listening to Jo crying and whimpering. Her eyes widened when she saw me and she immediately called my name.
"Let them go!" I demanded.
The Fifth King repeated his offer. My hands clenched into fists and shook.
"And the human girl?" I asked.
The Fifth shook his head. "You have to cut your ties to humans. They make you weak."
No, no, no, and no! My jaw clenched so tightly my teeth ground together. The half-blood king must have sensed something in me then, something that assured him I would not bow to his demand. He sighed deeply, the exasperated breath of a weary parent too drained to continue arguing with a defiant teenager.
"Anyway," the half-blood king continued, "thanks to her, you're finally where you belong. And as a token of my gratitude, I have an offer. I know you don't have vampire venom, so I'd be happy to turn this girl into a vampire for you myself."
I was shocked. And for a moment I found this offer quite tempting. If Jo turned into a vampire... I wouldn't have to stay away from her anymore. In a world, where monsters can live freely, in a world where Jo is not human... we could be happy.
I think I'd stay human.
I pursed my lips. I was fully aware that whatever I wanted, this was not my decision.
"I want to talk to her first," I stated, and the king nodded slowly.
Honestly, I was surprised. I didn't think he would give in so easily.
"Kain," said the king. "Let the girl out."
And indeed the next moment the lock clicked and the door creaked open. The vampire roughly grabbed Jo's hand and pulled her out of her cage. I took a hesitant step forward, but the half-blood ruler stopped me.
"A noble prince doesn't run to humans," he scolded me and motioned to the vampire boy. "Kain, bring the girl here."
When the vampire smiled, a shudder ran through my entire being. In that moment, I saw the reflection of the monster that slumbered deep within me. No one else could understand it better. I yanked my hand from the half-blood's grip.
In a heartbeat, I closed the distance between me and the vampire, raising my hand to strike. His blood-red eyes locked onto mine, his grin widening into something feral. There is no more dangerous vampire than one who has fully embraced the monster within—and in this boy's eyes, there was only madness.
I rushed into his attack. With a single, devastating punch, he sent me flying to the far end of the room. The sheer force of that blow told me he was stronger than any vampire I had ever faced. I pushed myself up from the ground, wiping away the slow trickle of blood that ran from my mouth down to my chin.
Des materialized out of nowhere, launching a swift attack at Ábel, who stood near Coffee's cage. If Ábel's reflexes hadn't been sharp, he could have easily lost an arm.
Kain, chuckled darkly and pulled Jo closer, his grin widening with satisfaction.
"Guards," he whispered, his lips almost brushing Jo's.
The remaining guards immediately converged on me.
"Kain!" bellowed the half-blood king. "Guards, on your knees!"
But the vampires ignored their creator's command. Kain laughed, the sound rich with defiance.
I smashed the head of the nearest vampire into the wall with brutal force. I dodged the next punch as another sank its fangs into my shoulder from behind.
"What a pity, my Liege," Kain taunted, his lips grazing Jo's cheek. "Would you really spare this human for the sake of my brother?"
"Kain," the half-blood king growled, his tone laced with warning.
"But this human is already mine," Kain continued, savoring Jo's fear. His fingers relished the warmth of her skin, and he reveled in the frantic pounding of her heartbeat. "I worked hard to get her."
I severed the vampire's head from his neck just as he lunged for another attack. His body crumpled to the ground, and his head rolled away, leaving a trail of dark blood. I gripped the beast still feasting on my blood, yanking it off me and slamming it to the floor — it had torn a sizable chunk from my shoulder. With a few punches, I crushed its skull.
I ripped out the next vampire's throat, and then threw it at my other attacker, disorienting him. That brief moment of disorientation was all I needed to drive him to the ground and crush his heart with a single, decisive strike.
At first, I managed to fend off the relentless onslaught of vampires, parrying their wild, frenzied attacks. But their chaotic fury had no discernible pattern, and the sheer number of them began to overwhelm me. Claws tore into my flesh, fangs sank deep and clung tenaciously. Blinding, searing pain washed over me, the coppery scent of my blood saturating the air.
I no longer felt the familiar tingle of healing.
My vision blurred, and a wave of faintness threatened to pull me under, but my consciousness stubbornly clung to the edge of awareness. Kain's maniacal laughter echoed around the room, a sinister symphony of madness.
"Any last words?" he taunted, his voice laced with sadistic glee. I thought I was done for.
If only it would have been so. But those words weren't meant for me at all.
Jo's entire body trembled, her emerald eyes locked on me, wide with fear. Kain's fingers grazed her neck and face with a chilling possessiveness. I fought to move, to summon the last reserves of strength within me, but my body remained unresponsive, paralyzed by the brutal assault it had endured.
Cold tears traced silent paths down Jo's cheeks. She spoke, her lips forming words I couldn't hear over the deafening roar of my own desperate thoughts, a cacophony of helpless rage and despair.
For a brief moment, the world seemed to freeze. Movement slowed, and all other sounds faded into a haunting stillness—except for one. Kain's mouth opened wide and his fangs popped out, gleaming menacingly.
I heard the sickening, wet sound of his fangs piercing Jo's neck. It echoed in the stillness, reverberating in my mind. Then, a scream shattered the silence—a raw, agonizing cry. It took a heartbeat longer to realize that the scream was mine.
Then everything went dark.
(...)
Alex hurried to Coffee's cage, his hands trembling as Des fought the vampire guarding her. His hands were shaking, making it even more difficult to unlock the cage without sound. His fingers struggled to unlock the cage quietly, flinching as the lock gave a soft click. No one noticed. He eased the cage open, quickly pulling the vampire girl out and slinging her over his shoulder—so they were both hidden.
In that cursed moment, everything was over—her light flickered out, leaving only the cruel void where her warmth once dwelled.
Alex froze, his legs buckling as if crushed under an unbearable weight. Tears welled in his eyes, a scream caught in his throat. The magic failed, his concealment dissolved, and every eye in the room snapped to him.
The vampire boy turned to flee. Des swung his sword, but the blade caught the boy's back instead of his neck. Des hissed in frustration.
The vampire boy moved with blinding speed, just fast enough to catch Jo as she collapsed.
"Human girl," he moaned, cradling her. "Human girl… no…"
Ábel saw Jo's lips part, trying to form words, but blood flowed faster from her neck. Desperately, Ábel pressed his hand to the wound, as if to keep the life from slipping away. His face twisted with anguish.
"Don't die!" he pleaded, voice cracking. "Johanna… please… don't die!"
Jo's trembling hand reached for her necklace. With a final effort, she tore it free and locked Ábel's free hand with her own. Then her heart stopped beating.
A tear slid down Ábel's cheek. He hesitantly touched it, bewildered by the wetness on his fingers—tears mixed with blood. His face twisted into a grimace, his body shaking with helpless pain. The first sorrowful teardrop was followed by many more. Ábel sobbed, but not a single tear fell from his left eye. He hugged the broken body of the only one who had ever shown him kindness.
Kain laughed, licking the blood from his lips, savoring the scene. With a cruel smirk, he raised his foot to kick Ábel. His eyes widened when Ábel caught his leg, meeting Kain's gaze with a burning hatred that matched the dark fire in his eyes. Kain's grin only widened.
Rolo stood frozen in the doorway, unable to move.
Des fought fiercely, his sword a blur of speed and power, but he was overwhelmed by the sheer number of attackers. The vampires pressed in, relentless. Then, a dark flash at the edge of his vision made him step back. A clear liquid sprayed over the monsters, followed by a sharp click—and then fire. The vampires ignited, their shrieks mingling with the crackling flames. Des glanced down to see a boy glaring at the burning creatures.
"Didn't we tell you to stay back?!" Alex snapped at the boy. "This is dangerous!"
"I'm more aware of that than you think!" Rolo shot back, defiant.
As the flames died, leaving behind charred, smoldering bodies, the beasts prepared to strike again. But they froze, as if caught in an invisible grip. Neither the hunter nor the wolf moved. Rolo didn't seem to understand anything, although he must have felt it too. He must have felt the icy fear climbing his spine, a primal instinct to run—but he couldn't move, paralyzed by the sudden, overwhelming presence that filled the room.
"He's back," Des declared quieter than a whisper, "Don't move! He destroys everything that lives and moves!"
The monster slowly rose from the floor. The illusion concealing his true form dissolved, revealing hair that shimmered like white-hot ash.
Kain kicked his brother aside and looked defiantly at the awakened monster. The half-blood king leaped before the beast, arms spread wide in a futile gesture of supplication.
"My son," he uttered, slashing deep into his wrist, his blood splattering with a sickening splash onto the stone floor. The wound was really deep, yet the king showed no signs of pain. There was only doubt and fear on his face.
"Blood for blood! Forgive this child's foolishness!"
The monster raised his head and glanced at the Fifth, though most of his face was obscured by his hair. He slowly walked toward the half-blood king, and Alex also took a step forward—he wanted to stop him. He was about to open his mouth to speak, but Des stopped him.
"Stay still!" he hissed.
Reaching the throne, the monster halted. The king offered his bloodied hand, droplets echoing in the stillness like the ticking of a death knell. The monster raised his hand. But in a flash, he drove his claws into the king's abdomen, a swift and merciless strike that left the room gasping in horror. The king's eyes widened in disbelief as he crumpled to his knees, clutching his stomach.
The guards, spurred by desperation, lunged at the monster. Yet, he moved with an almost unnatural fluidity, easily avoiding their attacks. When the game no longer amused him, the monster seized a vampire by the throat, his claws sinking deep into the flesh. With a single, savage twist, he snapped the neck, the sound echoing in the silence.
Effortlessly, he sidestepped another attack, slamming his next victim into the ground with such ferocity that the marble cracked beneath the force. He flexed his fingers once or twice, and then he vanished, reappearing amidst the carnage in a blur. The air erupted with the sickening thuds of vampires collapsing lifelessly around him, their bodies discarded like broken dolls.
Kain, now within the monster's grasp, screamed as his claws tightened around his skull. His cries were cut short by the gruesome crush of bone, the monster's grip unrelenting until the vampire's life was snuffed out. He released Kain's shattered corpse, letting it fall in a limp heap.
The room descended into a deathly silence, thick with the metallic scent of blood and the lifeless stares of the fallen. The monster stood amidst the slaughter, his face tilted skyward. He seemed almost peaceful—as if he was looking behind the ceiling and looking for something in the clouds.
"What..." Rolo's voice trembled as he broke the silence. "What happened to him?!"
"He's out of his mind. He's lost control," Des growled, his eyes narrowing. "He kills everything and everyone in his path, all on instinct."
Des's jaw tightened, and his grip on his sword was so brutal that blood dripped from his palm, staining the hilt. His voice was low but resolute. "I have to end this."
"Wait!" Alex interjected, his voice urgent. "Just give me a minute!"
"Are you insane?!" Des spat, the words a sharp hiss between clenched teeth. "Don't you see? If we don't stop him, we're all dead!"
"If I can't bring him back," Alex said, his voice burning with a bitter, raw rage, "then you can do what you want. But I won't stand by and watch another one of my friends die."
Despite Des's frantic warning, Alex began moving, every step pulling the monster's gaze. He approached, deliberately, his hands slowly sliding his daggers away as if to offer peace.
"Is he seriously out of his mind?!" Des roared, his fury overwhelming him. He was about to charge when Rolo grabbed his shirt, holding him back.
Des shot him a furious glance, but Rolo didn't back down. His silent plea was clear: Wait.
Alex closed the distance to the monster. He stepped into his reach, his movements careful and deliberate. Alex avoided his fist and hugged him. The monster's hand rose, everyone braced for the inevitable strike. But then, just as the fist was about to pierce Alex's back, it halted, trembling. The monster's claws, which had once shredded through flesh, merely clutched Alex's shirt, holding him in place.
The ferocious beast sank into a long, dreamless sleep deep in my chest again.
Then everything went dark. The darkness surrounded me, embraced me, and lulled me into a sweet sleep. There was no such thing as sadness or bitterness in this dream, I no longer had to fear pain. Nothing existed here. There was no matter here, no smells, no tastes and no body.
I knew only one thing: darkness. I was relieved. I have never felt so light. I didn't have to think anymore, and I was happy to finally be free of that burden. I wanted nothing more than to float forever in this benevolent darkness.
I don't know how long I lingered there in the silence. Time didn't matter. But then, a scent drifted through the emptiness—faint, familiar, warm. It smelled like home, but I couldn't place it. It was a scent that stirred something deep inside me, pulling me out of the void.
I blinked, my vision slowly returning to me, and I felt the warmth of Alex's hair brushing against my neck. I inhaled, confused by the smell of home that seemed to cling to him. Why did Alex smell like home?
I felt his body trembling violently, his breaths ragged.
"Come back..." His voice was thick with desperation, something I had never heard from him before.
"I'm here," I whispered, my voice shaky, unsure.
Alex jerked away, his eyes wide with a mix of disbelief and relief. I thought for a moment he might break down, but instead, he pulled me into a crushing embrace, his silent sobs wracking his body.
The hall was flooded with hunters but we remained frozen. Alex clung to me, silent sobs shaking his body. It felt like every breath was being squeezed from my lungs, as if an iron fist gripped my throat. My heart shrunk into a tiny ball deep in my chest, and even though my wounds were almost healed, I still felt indescribable pain.
Jo was dead. I had failed.
A monster never cries.
I could feel the burn at the back of my eyes, the familiar prickling of tears. I clung to the thought, repeating it like a mantra. A monster never cries. A monster never cries. A monster never cries—I repeated to myself as the tears spilled over, falling silently, one by one.