The metallic buzz of the alarm still echoed in Arisha's bones as she clutched Baco tightly. Blood soaked her clothes, the heat was suffocating, and the air turned thick with ash and fear. The Echos—those twisted, starved things—were already stirring, hungry for chaos.
"We have to get out of here," she whispered, lifting Baco's bloodied face in her hands. "Just hold on a little longer."
Desperate, she reached for the ruby embedded in her ring—an heirloom of her bloodline, the last trace of old magic that still answered her call. She pressed it against the sealed door. A crimson flash cut through the darkness like a heartbeat. The lock shattered… but so did something else.
A crack split across the ruby.
"No…" she murmured, knowing what it meant. The link to the ancient power was fading.
Dragging Baco by the arm, she led him through the damp corridors. The Echos followed, drawn by the scent of blood. Every step up the stairs felt endless. The world grew narrower, heavier.
And then—the true horror arrived.
A scream tore the air as a figure emerged from the shadows. Chained no more, starved by centuries: a first-generation vampire. Hollow eyes, dislocated jaw, skin like dried parchment. A slave without a master, turned beast by time and hunger.
It lunged at Arisha.
Time slowed.
Baco cried out and leapt forward. The creature fell upon him, but didn't kill. It inhaled his scent, sank its teeth into his neck—and froze. Its veins lit up, body trembling. The monster… calmed.
Its fangs retracted. Its soulless eyes locked on Baco and, slowly, it bowed.
"He obeys you," Arisha whispered in disbelief.
The ancient vampire knelt before him, like a servant recognizing his king.
"What… am I?" Baco whispered, staring at his blood-soaked hands.
There was no time to answer.
At the end of the corridor, a man was waiting. Tall. Scarred. Silver hair. Two-toned eyes. He smelled like forest and war.
"Well," he said with a deep, sharp voice. "So you're the boy who tamed a monster. Name's Kai. I'm looking for answers… and fighters."
Arisha stepped forward, still shielding Baco.
"What do you want from him?"
Kai walked closer, unafraid. His arm bore deep bite marks. When he removed his cloak, his scars spoke volumes. He wasn't human. Nor was he vampire. He was something else.
"Half-wolf," he said, reading her thoughts. "Your kind used me. Broke me. But I learned how to return the favor. That boy's blood… it calms the impossible."
"You want to use him?"
Kai shrugged."I want to save my people. If he chooses to come with me, he'll have a place. If not… he can keep running."
Silence stretched like a wire.
Baco looked up, and for the first time, didn't lower his gaze. There was a spark in his eyes now—not of a slave, but of someone who remembered freedom.
"I won't wear chains again," he said firmly, lifting his hand. Arisha's broken ruby still glowed faintly across his skin.
With a sharp crack, the last collar snapped.
Kai nodded slowly.
"Then we have a deal. But the wheel has turned, boy. And when it turns… everything changes."
Above them, in the tunnels, the Echos began to wail—something greater was awakening.
Arisha, Baco, and Kai vanished into the shadows… heading toward a destiny none of them could yet see.