Ethan stood at the edge of the platform long after Selene had disappeared into the corridor's shadows. His breath still came in shallow gulps, each inhale a reminder of the power that pulsed just beneath his skin—the ember of the void that had stirred within him. It was dormant now, but he could still feel its presence, like a whisper he couldn't quite hear.
He clenched his fists. I have to control it. I have to.
The air in the chamber seemed colder without Selene's presence, as though her departure had taken the last trace of warmth with her. Still, Ethan forced himself to step off the platform and follow the corridor back toward the main hall. The walls seemed to lean closer as he moved, their shadows pressing against the edges of his vision.
The void is not stronger than you, Selene's voice echoed in his mind. It can only take what you give it.
The words should have offered comfort, but Ethan couldn't forget the way the power had pushed against his control, hungry and relentless. If he lost focus even for a moment...
He shook the thought away as he emerged into the castle's main hall. The air here was warmer, though still touched by the faint chill that seemed to cling to the stones of this world. Crimson banners hung from the vaulted ceilings, their fabric embroidered with silver runes that caught the dim torchlight. Statues of long-forgotten figures stood along the walls, their marble faces worn smooth by time.
Ethan paused at the center of the hall, uncertain where to go next. Selene had told him to rest, but sleep felt like an impossible task with the weight of everything pressing against his mind. He turned toward one of the narrow side corridors, hoping to find somewhere—anywhere—he could be alone with his thoughts.
As he moved deeper into the castle, the air grew colder again, shadows pooling thick in the corners where the torchlight didn't reach. The faint echo of distant footsteps sounded somewhere beyond the stone walls, but Ethan couldn't tell whether they belonged to another vampire or the castle itself.
He rounded a corner—and stopped.
A figure stood at the far end of the corridor, half-hidden in shadow. At first, Ethan thought it might be Selene, but the silhouette was taller, broader... and the crimson eyes that caught the faint torchlight held none of her distant humanity.
"...Malphas."
The vampire lord stepped forward, his black robes trailing soundlessly across the stone floor. His silver hair caught the light like a blade's edge, but it was his smile that sent a chill through Ethan's chest—calm, cold, and unreadable.
"Wandering the halls alone, are we?" Malphas asked, his voice soft as silk. "A dangerous habit... for someone so newly tethered to the void."
Ethan's pulse quickened, but he forced himself to stand straighter. "I was just looking for a place to clear my head."
Malphas stopped a few paces away, tilting his head slightly as though considering something. "And did you find what you were searching for?"
"I don't know yet."
The vampire lord's smile didn't waver, but there was something beneath it—something that made Ethan's skin crawl.
"You showed remarkable control today," Malphas said. "For a mortal, that is. But control is a fragile thing... especially when the void itself is watching."
Ethan swallowed hard. "Selene's training me. I'll learn to control it."
"Will you?" Malphas stepped closer, his eyes gleaming faintly in the torchlight. "I wonder... do you truly understand what it means to carry the void's mark? That power is not a gift. It is a chain, tethering your soul to a force that exists beyond life and death."
"I didn't ask for this," Ethan shot back, his voice tighter than he intended.
"No," Malphas agreed, his smile sharpening slightly. "But that doesn't change what you are now. You may train. You may fight. But in the end... the void always takes what it touches."
Ethan took an involuntary step back, the vampire lord's presence pressing against his skin like a weight. But before Malphas could step closer, a faint sound echoed from the corridor behind Ethan—soft footsteps, light as a whisper against stone.
"Leave him, Malphas."
Selene's voice cut through the air like a blade of ice. Ethan turned to see her approaching from the shadows, her crimson eyes cold as winter frost. The faint flicker of shadows clung to her cloak as though reluctant to let her go.
Malphas chuckled softly. "Ah... ever the protector, Selene."
"Don't test me."
For a moment, silence hung heavy between them. Then Malphas inclined his head slightly, the faintest hint of amusement lingering at the corners of his mouth.
"Very well," he said softly. "But remember this, mortal—no amount of training can change what you've become. The void is patient... and sooner or later, it will claim what is rightfully its own."
With that, he stepped past Ethan, his footsteps silent as he disappeared into the corridor's shadows.
Ethan exhaled slowly, only now realizing how hard his heart was pounding in his chest. He turned toward Selene, unsure whether to thank her or demand answers she might not be willing to give.
"Why do I get the feeling that wasn't just a coincidence?" he asked.
Selene's gaze lingered on the corridor where Malphas had vanished, her expression unreadable. "Malphas doesn't believe you can control the void's mark. If he's right... then you're a threat to this world."
Ethan swallowed hard, the weight of her words settling heavily in his chest. "And if he's wrong?"
Selene's eyes flicked toward him, something faintly unreadable in their crimson depths. For a moment, Ethan thought she might say something more... but then she turned away, her footsteps already fading into the corridor's shadows.
"Rest, Ethan," she said without looking back. "You'll need your strength for what's coming next."