Selene's breath seemed to frost the air as she stood, her silhouette sharp against the silver glow of the chamber's runes.
"If the veil breaks…" she began, her voice low and steady, as though afraid to awaken something that might be listening, "the void beyond the gate will bleed into our world. Shadows without shape. Hunger without end. Not even immortals would survive its touch."
Ethan swallowed the knot of fear rising in his throat. The memory of those golden eyes lingered in his mind, as if burned into the back of his eyelids. Watching. Waiting.
"And… what does that have to do with me?"
Selene's gaze met his, and though her expression remained cold, Ethan glimpsed a flicker of something beneath the surface—something she was carefully holding back.
"You carry its mark," she said. "I could feel it when our hands touched. Whatever force watches from beyond the gate... it reached through the veil and touched you. That connection is what pulled you into our world."
Ethan's heart pounded against his ribs as her words settled in. Touched by something beyond the veil? He shook his head, struggling to piece together what it meant.
"But why me?" he asked. "Why would—"
"I don't know." Selene's voice was sharper than before, her frustration breaking through the cracks of her composure. "No mortal has ever been marked by the void. Even among vampires, few can sense the gate's presence—let alone attract its gaze."
Ethan pushed himself upright, still unsteady from the visions that had seared through his mind. The memory of the black stone gate lingered like an afterimage burned into his thoughts, its golden eyes watching from the void beyond.
"There has to be a way to break this connection," he said. "To send me back home—"
Selene's expression darkened. "If the void has marked you, severing that connection might tear your soul apart."
The cold finality in her voice hit Ethan harder than the shadows ever had. His breath caught in his throat as panic surged beneath his skin.
"But I—"
A sudden crack echoed through the air like splintering ice. Ethan flinched as the runes beneath his feet flared with silver light, their symbols twisting and shifting as if alive. The faint hum of power that had lingered in the chamber deepened into a low, resonant pulse that thrummed through his bones.
Selene's eyes flashed wide with alarm as she stepped back from the platform. "No... The circle should have gone dormant when I stopped the spell."
The pulse grew stronger, shaking the air with a deep, rhythmic vibration. Ethan gasped as a sharp heat flared beneath his skin, spreading through his chest and into his limbs. It wasn't pain—it was power, raw and untamed, flooding his veins like molten silver.
The runes around the platform spiraled faster, threads of silver light rising into the air as if drawn toward Ethan's body. His breath came in ragged gasps as the energy surged higher, pulling at something deep within his chest—something that didn't belong to this world.
Selene raised her hands, her voice cutting through the air in urgent, rapid syllables as she tried to break the circle's hold. Shadows lashed from her fingertips, striking the edge of the platform with crackling force, but the silver barrier held firm.
"Ethan—listen to me!" Her voice broke through the haze of heat and power that filled his mind. "You have to control it—push it back before it consumes you!"
"I—I don't know how!"
"Focus on your breath!" Selene shouted. "Block out everything else! The void cannot take what you refuse to give!"
Ethan clenched his fists as the power surged higher, threatening to burn him from the inside out. He squeezed his eyes shut, forcing himself to concentrate on the sound of his breath—the rise and fall of his chest, the air rushing in and out of his lungs.
Breathe. Just breathe.
The heat surged again, but this time Ethan held firm, refusing to let it pull him deeper. He focused on the sound of his heartbeat—the steady rhythm anchoring him to his body.
The silver light began to flicker, the spiraling threads wavering as Ethan fought to reclaim control. The pulse beneath his skin slowed, fading from fire to warmth... from chaos to something he could almost grasp.
Slowly, the runes around the platform dimmed, their silver glow fading back into the stone as the air grew still once more. Ethan collapsed to his knees, his breath ragged and his pulse hammering in his chest.
Selene stepped forward, her crimson eyes scanning his face as if searching for any trace of the void's lingering presence. After a moment, she exhaled softly.
"You're stronger than I expected," she said. "Most would have been consumed by that power."
Ethan managed a shaky breath. "What... what the hell was that?"
"The mark awakening," Selene replied. "It will happen again if you don't learn to control it. Next time, you might not survive."
Ethan swallowed hard, dread curling cold in his chest. The memory of the gate and the golden eyes still lingered at the edge of his thoughts—waiting, watching.
"I have to get rid of this mark," he said. "There has to be a way—"
"If there is, we don't know it." Selene's voice was quiet, but the weight of her words settled over him like a shroud. "The void's mark isn't something that can be undone. It's part of you now."
Ethan looked up at her, desperation tightening his throat. "Then what am I supposed to do?"
Selene's crimson gaze met his, and for the first time since they'd met, her voice softened—just enough to sound almost human.
"You survive."