Chapter 181: Vampire Luna
I slowly opened my heavy eyelids, expecting to feel the hard, dusty floorboards of the cage against my face, but instead, I found myself standing in the center of an enormous, breathtaking room.
The space was built like an ancient throne room from a dark legend, with a ceiling so insanely high that the shadows seemed to stretch up into endless darkness. Positioned at the far end of the hall stood a massive, terrifying black throne. It was both magnificent and eerie—a carved dragon's head snarled from the very top of the high backrest, framed by long, lethal spikes that flared outward like sharp spears. Despite the grim, monstrous design, the throne possessed a strange, mesmerizing beauty that drew the eyes straight to it.
The lighting in the hall was dim, cast in a low, mysterious twilight. Scattered across the vast stone floor were dozens of rusted longswords, broadswords, and ancient blades plunged deep into the cracked ground. It looked as though a bloody, legendary war had been fought right on this very spot centuries ago, and the weapons had been left untouched to serve as gruesome decorations—some of the steel blades still bore dry, dark streaks of blood along their edges.
By all logic, a terrifying place like this should have made my skin crawl with fear. Yet, a quiet part of my soul felt deeply relaxed inside the vast hall, wrapped in a strange sense of comfort as if I had finally come home to a place where I truly belonged. But despite that sudden feeling of peace, my mind knew for a fact that I had never set foot in this dark castle before in my life.
A sharp wave of panic broke through my thoughts as my memory rushed back.
Wait a second...
The last thing I remembered was collapsing onto the dirty floor of that locked cage while the old hunter and Ava walked away into the shadows. Did the Butcher eventually take pity on me and unlock the iron door while I was unconscious?
No... he would never do that. He was far too ruthless to break his own twenty-four-hour rule.
Then where on earth was I? How did my body get moved from a cramped wooden cage into this giant, dark hall?
Or... was I dead?
The heavy thought settled in my gut like a block of ice. After all the endless pain, the terrifying fights, the bloodlust, and the horrific trauma I had endured over the past few weeks... had my heart finally given out on that dirty floor? Had I passed away in my sleep and left Ava all alone in a dangerous world?
If this was the afterlife... was this what hell was supposed to look like? I had always been taught that hell was a roaring lake of fire, filled with screaming souls, burning chains, and eternal agony. Yet here I stood, completely unharmed, in a quiet, grand hall carved of dark stone.
Was this really the end of my story? Would I never get to see Ava's face or hear her voice ever again?
A tear slipped down my cheek as the crushing guilt washed over me. I had failed her. I had made a silent vow to protect her from every danger in this world, yet I had succumbed to my own weakness and abandoned her. But as the tears fell, a quiet, bitter thought crossed my mind. How could I have ever protected her when I couldn't even protect myself from the monster growing inside my own chest? How could I keep her safe when I was the biggest threat to her life?
At least now, with me gone, she was finally free. She could pack her things, travel far away from the pack's dangerous territory, and build a peaceful, quiet life all on her own. No more running through the woods at midnight, no more hiding from bloodthirsty creatures, and no more bleeding into a cup just to keep me sane. I closed my eyes, sending a silent prayer to the heavens, desperately hoping she would find true happiness and move on without the burden of my existence.
Driven by a strange, magnetic pull, I slowly walked across the cool stone floor, stepping carefully around the old swords buried in the ground. I approached the base of the terrifying black throne, lifting my hand toward the smooth, cold dark stone, intending to trace my fingers along the carved dragon head.
"DON'T TOUCH THAT!"
A sharp, booming voice shattered the quiet room like a crack of thunder, vibrating through the heavy stone floorboards and making my entire body jump in sheer shock.
I froze, pulling my hand back as my heart hammered violently against my ribs.
From the deep shadows behind the dragon throne, a figure slowly stepped into the faint light, a cold, knowing smirk playing on his lips as his dark eyes locked ont
o mine.
"Sister..."