Chapter 10: The awakening

Chapter 10: The awakening
#### Mara’s POV
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#### The mine, now a consistent trembling cavern, a deep, bone-rattling groan echoing through the walls as the fissure split wider, jagged edges glowing with a sickly red light that pulsed like a heartbeat. Feeling like time had frozen, I gripped the silver dagger, its edge slick with cultist blood, my boots sliding on the dust-choked stone as I pressed against Silas, his arm a steel band around my waist, his breath ragged against my ear. The air thickened, heavy with a cold, primal malice that clawed at my lungs, the torchlight flickering wildly as shadows writhed across the walls—living, twisting things born of the dark. From the fissure, a dark , large skeletal hand emerged, claw-like fingers tipped with black talons, followed by a towering, emaciated frame—Vyrkolakas, the vampire god, his leathery wings unfurling with a dry, rasping crack, glowing red eyes boring into my soul with an ancient, insatiable hunger as he bared his fangs.
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#### My stomach lurched, dread icing my veins over, but I tightened my grip, the dagger’s weight a feeble lifeline as Silas pulled me closer to him, his gray eyes blazing with a fierce, unyielding resolve. The altar’s blood—his blood—steamed and hissed, a dark pool that fueled the god’s rise, and I cursed under my breath, my voice sharp despite the tremor in her hands. “Fuck, Silas. We’re dead if we don’t stop this now.” a slight hint of panic lacing my words, something felt off, something bad was about to happen, I could feel it. 
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#### He smirked at me, faint but real, his fangs glinting in the torchlight, his hand cupping my waist —a fleeting, tender anchor that steadied me. “Not yet, Kane,” he growled, his voice rough with pain and defiance. “We wait for the exact moment to strike.” His lips brushed my cheek, a warmth spread through me, as to add some calm to the panic pooling inside me and I hesitantly nodded, my resolve hardening as I stepped forward, dagger raised, ready to face the nightmare clawing its way free.
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#### The god raised up full form almost all completely visible, sinewy and gaunt, but large, I had never seen anything quite like it. His gaze locked immediately on Silas, a wicked bone chilling smirk appeared on his face as he released a low, guttural roar shaking the cavern as he lunged, talons rushing out forward, wings beating a frigid wind that snuffed half the torches, plunging us into a hellish half-light. I was behind Silas in an instant, and in that same instant Vyrkolakas was towering over us. My heart felt like it was about to stop, I sucked in a breath and awaited my fate. I knew we waited too long, fuck.
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#### Silas’s POV
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#### Vyrkolakas moved like a storm, a blur of bone and shadow, his talons raking the air inches from my chest as I pushed Mara behind me, she had to be out of the way and fast, I couldn’t let him get his hands on her but, I needed the smell of her blood and the sound of her beating heart to call him in closer, as close as he could get to me, The cavern trembled, dust raining from the ceiling, the air thick with the rancid, coppery stench of ancient blood—my blood, stolen and twisted to birth this monstrosity. I gripped my knife, its silver edge burning in my palm, fangs bared, “Silas” Vyrkolakas said, with a sickly grin plastered on his face, his gruff old accented voice called out, the stench of his breath lingered, like rotting flesh. “I knew you would see reason and set me free once and for all”
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#### he grinned as though I had caved in , as though I had made this choice. His black eyes bore deep into mine, making me feel vulnerable, of course I was, my whole reason for existence, hidden behind my frame, suddenly Mara moved uncomfortably behind me, fuck, fuck ,fuck , it’s now or never, Vyrkolakas glanced behind me at the movement, an opportunity I wasn’t going to miss. I raised my daggered hand and plunged the dagger towards his chest, he was fast, too fast he caught my hand and spun me around as though I was some doll and held the knife to my throat, “ah, I see you have brought a delicious prize for me Silas” the words came out of his mouth like mud. Mara her ever fierceness springing to action across her face “ I think the fuck not you vile monster” she spat, and Raised her own blood slick dagger. 
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#### “Tsk tsk tsk” Vyrkolakas shook his head as though he was scolding a naughty child, “I have your precious vampire” he put the stress on the word vampire as she usually did, Mara faltered in her step, her eyes flicking between mine and Vyrkolakas’s, uncertainty laced across her face. He reached out his free hand and beckoned her over. She stayed unmoving, unpanicked, a wildly seductive grin appeared on her face “Mara don’t” I said with a strained voice feeling the silver biting into my neck, but she ignored me, eyes locked onto Vrykolakas, what was this woman doing, fear took over me as she began to slowly step closer to us.