The moon hung low in the sky, veiled in silver, casting cold beams through the tangled canopy of trees. A fire burned gently in the clearing, its warm light dancing against worn faces, while the rest of the forest stood still—watching. Listening.
Carl sat on a fallen log, shoulders slumped, eyes distant. The battle was over, but the war in his heart still raged.
Just beyond the flames, Maika knelt on the damp grass, arms wrapped tightly around the boy she thought she'd lost forever.
"Caveen…" Her voice cracked as she held him closer, tears slipping down her cheeks, vanishing into his hair. "My son… my precious boy…"
The child clung to her as if she were the last breath of hope in a drowning world.
"I knew you'd come…" he whispered. His voice was hoarse, almost broken. "I kept dreaming about you. I didn't forget…"
Carl turned his head slowly. His amber eyes, once filled with fire and fury, shimmered with the weight of unshed tears. For months, he had hunted, bled, and raged against the darkness that had taken his son. Now, the moment he longed for stood before him—real, fragile, trembling.
Maika looked up at him, her face streaked with dirt and tears. Her arms never let go of their son.
"You found him," she breathed.
Carl shook his head and stepped forward. "No… we did."
Maika reached out with her free hand, and Carl took it instantly. No hesitation. No words. In that single touch was a lifetime of sorrow, guilt, and love that refused to die.
They sat together, forming a shield of warmth around the boy nestled between them.
"Are you hurt?" Maika asked gently, brushing a lock of dark hair from Caveen's cheek.
The child shook his head. "They didn't hurt me. They just… watched. Asked questions. They were scared of me."
A heavy silence settled.
Maika's eyes met Carl's. "They saw it, didn't they?"
Carl nodded grimly. "His aura. They know he's not just Lycan… not just Vampire…"
Caveen lowered his gaze, as if ashamed. "Am I… wrong?"
Maika cupped his face, forcing him to meet her eyes. "No, Caveen. You're not wrong. You're rare. You're ours. You're the light they tried to steal but couldn't."
Carl leaned closer, voice low. "You're stronger than they know. That's why they're afraid. But power isn't something to fear—it's something to understand."
A soft wind stirred the trees. Leaves whispered like ancient spirits. For a brief second, the world felt... still.
"I remembered," Maika said suddenly. "The forest. That night. Holding him. You shouting my name. It all came back."
Carl's heart clenched. "I should've told you everything. I wanted to protect you. But when the Council took him—"
"I know," she cut in gently. "You did what you thought was right. And I'm not angry anymore. He's here. That's what matters."
Caveen nestled deeper between them, his breathing slowing, sleep beginning to take him.
Carl brushed a hand down the boy's back. "But Maika… they let us go."
Maika blinked. "What?"
"The Council," he said softly. "They could've stopped us. But they didn't. I felt it. They chose to let us go. They said… they were waiting."
Maika's jaw tightened. "Waiting for what?"
Carl's voice dropped. "That's what we need to find out… before they return."
The fire hissed. The night deepened.
"They will come again," Maika whispered.
Carl nodded. "Yes. But next time, we'll be ready."
Maika looked down at her son, asleep in her arms.
"We need a place. Safe. Hidden. And I… I need to learn what's inside me. The Carellos magic—if I master it, maybe I can protect him."
Carl hesitated. "You would use… black magic?"
Maika's eyes darkened with resolve. "I'll use anything… if it means keeping him safe."
Carl drew them both into his embrace. The warmth of the fire. The heartbeat of their child. The strength of a bond reforged—it was everything he had once lost.
"Then we start over," he whispered. "A new home. A new life. No more hiding."
Maika nodded against his shoulder. "Together. As a family."
And under that haunted moon, surrounded by trees older than time, the remnants of their broken past began to mend.
---
The sky above the Vampire Kingdom bled darkness.
Obsidian clouds coiled above the spires of the castle like serpents, choking out the moon. Obsidian Keep—usually quiet—was now a storm without thunder. A silence steeped in dread.
Maika stood alone in the throne hall.
Her breath was shallow. Her hands trembled—not from fear, but from the wild awakening stirring inside her. It slithered beneath her skin. Shadows moved when she didn't. Whispers curled into her ears when no one spoke.
She had taken off the anklet two weeks ago.
And now, the darkness whispered her name.
At the far end of the hall, Lord Valus descended the stairs in a sweep of blood-red robes.
"You removed it," he said, voice calm—but underneath, it cracked with barely suppressed dread.
"Yes," Maika answered, raising her chin. "I needed to feel… everything."
His boots echoed as he walked toward her, like the approach of judgment itself.
"That anklet didn't just suppress your vampire strength," Valus said. "It protected you. And us."
"From what?" Maika challenged. "From me?"
He stopped inches away. His ancient gaze locked with hers—centuries of secrets, lifetimes of pain etched into his eyes.
"No," he said. "From them. From the blood in your veins. The Carellos magic. Your mother's legacy."
The name struck her like lightning.
"You… knew?" Her voice trembled. "You knew I carried black magic and said nothing?!"
Valus flinched. But he didn't deny it.
"I had no choice," he said hoarsely. "You were just a child. Fragile. Gifted. Hunted. Your mother and I made a pact to hide the truth—even from you."
"Don't speak of her as if I knew her!" Maika's eyes burned. "You never told me she was Vienna! That she was a Carellos witch!"
"She was more than that," Valus growled. "She was light and darkness entwined. And she sealed your magic before her death to keep you safe."
Maika's hands clenched as her aura exploded—black fire flaring like wings of smoke behind her.
"It's awake now," she said, voice breaking. "And it's loud. I hear things, feel things—emotions, truths. It's terrifying… but beautiful."
Valus stared at her, stunned by the power radiating from her small frame.
"You're awakening as a Dark magic user, Maika. Not just any witch. A Carellos. You could rival even Queen Vantessa—if you lose control…"
Tears slid down Maika's face. "Then why didn't you prepare me?"
Valus roared, "Because I was afraid! Of what you might become! And now, the bloodline they tried to erase is awakening again!"
"Then help me!" she cried. "Teach me to control it. Or someone else will control me."
Valus turned away, pain in every step.
"The world will hunt you," he said. "The Council. The Seers. The damned Elders who remember the name Carellos. They will come. For you. For Caveen."
Maika's heart dropped.
"They saw it," she said. "In him. He has my blood too."
Valus froze. "You didn't tell them—"
"No," she interrupted. "But they know. They felt it."
Silence crushed the air between them.
Valus finally turned, his eyes weary. "Then we prepare for war. You. Me. Carl. Even Vantessa, if she still has a soul to offer."
Maika's eyes gleamed with black flame.
"Then teach me," she said. "Not as your daughter. But as the last blood of the woman you loved."
Valus placed a trembling hand on her shoulder.
"Then let the darkness awaken."