A sound broke through the silence—hurried footstepsswung open with a thunderous slam.
Three figurestwo knights and a lady doctor.
William turned his gaze toward them, his piercing golden eyes gleaming under the dim torchlight.
The doctor’s voice wavered, her words suffocating under the weight of overwhelming sorrow. Her chest rose and fell heavily, as if she had sprinted all the way here only to find herself drowning in the burden of her own message.
A sudden chill crept up William’s spine. His entire being tensed. His fists clenched—anger? No. Anxiety? No… it was something worse.Fear.fear
His voice was a roar—a thunderous eruption of panic and command. His body moved before his mind could process anything else. He shoved past the three figures, storming out of the throne room.run.but charge like a beast driven to madness.
His heavy boots echoed through the endless hallways as he raced toward the treatment chamber.violent gust of air followed in his wake.
The Unhealable Wound.
The doors of the chamber burst openThe room reeked of failure.
Priests and healers stood around the bed; their faces cast downward in silent defeat. Candles flickered weakly, as if mirroring the hope that was slipping away from everyone present.
His Aria—his wife, his love—lay motionless on the soft cushions, her face deathly pale, almost blue.
Her once radiant warmth was drained, replaced by an eerie stillness that made William’s heart clench painfully.
Something snapped
inside him.
He lunged forward, grabbing the highest-ranked priesthoisted him into the air
His voice was thunder, his rage, a storm.
The other priests flinched. One of them, trembling yet desperate to explain, stammered out,
William’s eyes blazed in disbelief.
With a sharp growl, he threw
The priest coughed, struggling to breathe as he rasped,
William’s heart stopped.
The priest swallowed hard, voice trembling as he explained further.
A deathly silence fell over the room.
Demonic energy.
William’s mind reeled. How?It was their enemy’s power.
His breathing grew ragged. His body shook—not with rage, but with a dreadful, consuming fear.
Slowly, as if afraid to look, his gaze drifted toward Lady Aria.
She lay there, her face devoid of color, her lips slightly parted as if caught in a wordless whisper. Even in unconsciousness, her fragile form looked so small, so breakable.
A sharp pain tore through his chest.
His knees hit the ground beside her bed as he reached for her hands, clasping them tightly between his own.
His fingers tightened around hers, as if holding on for dear life.
The room remained still. No one dared to break the suffocating silence.
And then—
A slight movement.
William’s senses sharpened in an instant.
His head snapped up just as her delicate fingers twitched against his palm.
His breath caught.
A faint movement. A slow fluttering of lashes.
Lady Aria’s eyelids, heavy like the burden she carried,fragile, almost ghost-like
William’s breath hitched. His grip on her frail hands tightened, as if trying to anchor her to this world. She was awake.
A whisper—barely a breath—escaped her trembling lips.
The words were weak, fragmented, yet filled with urgency. Even now, as her body lay at death’s door, her only concern was their son.
William swallowed hard, his voice hoarse but firm, desperate to reassure her.
His fingers gently stroked the back of her hand, trying to comfortconvince
her, as if those words alone could will her pain away.
But Lady Aria was not convinced.
A restlessness
stirred within her weak body. Her fingers twitched, her breath grew uneven, and her gaze locked onto William's with a silent plea.
The effort it took to speak made her gasp between words,
William hesitated for just a moment, his heart pounding.urgency, desperation, finality.
His jaw clenched. His gaze darkened.
His voice was firm, but inside, he was crumbling.
A knight bowed quickly
The wait was agonizing. The seconds stretched into eternity. Every flicker of the candle felt like a countdown, every beat of William’s heart like a drum of impending doom.
Then—hurried footsteps.
A small figure burst into the room, panting.
Joseph.
His eyes were wide, frantic
His lips trembled, his young heart heavy with guilt. Tears welled up in his eyes
Joseph’s voice cracked; his tiny fists clenched at his sides.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
His voice wavered, the fear of losing her too much to bear.
A weak smile stretched across Aria’s lips, barely there, but filled with love.
Her trembling fingers reached for him, pulling him closer. Even in this state, she wanted to comfort him.
Joseph collapsed into her arms
she whispered, her voice warm but distant, like she was speaking from another world.
She cradled him against her, but then—her body tensed.
A sudden fit of violent coughing
"COUGH… COUGH…!"
Her body shuddereddraining what little life remained in her.
William immediately reached for her,
And then—
Light.
A faint glow
shimmered at the tip of Lady Aria’s finger.
A soft, golden radiance, unlike anything seen before, began to flicker like a dying star.
A gasp rippled through the room.
a knight whispered.
a priest muttered in disbelief.
Murmurs spread like wildfire. Whispers of awe, confusion, shock.
William’s eyes widened. His mind raced.
This—this wasn’t possible.
His wife— his beloved Aria— had never possessed magic. She had never shown any ability, never spoken of power, never wielded a single spell.
Yet now, a divine glow radiated from her trembling fingertips.
William felt his chest tighten. His hands clenched into fists.
What was happening?
With painstaking slowness, Lady Aria lifted her glowing hand and placed it gently against Joseph’s forehead.
The moment her fingers made contact— The light absorbed into him.
Like a droplet of water sinking into dry earth, the energy flowed into his very soul.
The glow faded. The room dimmed once more.
Aria's lips curved into a soft, tired smile.
She gazed at Joseph, her golden eyes filled with an unspoken promise.
Her voice was barely above a whisper, yet it echoed
Joseph’s breath hitched.
Her smile lingered for just a moment longer.
Then—
Her body grew limp.
Her delicate hand—once glowing with warmth—fell away from Joseph’s forehead, hitting the mattress with a hollow thud.
The room froze.
Joseph stared at her, his small hands trembling as they reached for hers.
No response.
His little hands shook her.
Her head rested motionless
A heavy silence crashed over the room, suffocating everyone within it.
And then—
"ARIA!"
William’s roar shattered the air, raw and primal.
He grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her, desperate, unwilling to accept what had just happened.
The strongest warrior in the kingdom— the Lord of Vampires himself— was shaking.
His face, always composed, always powerful, now contorted in agony.
She was gone.
The knights dropped their heads.muttered silent prayers.
And Little Joseph—his small, fragile frame trembled as he let out a broken whisper.
The dim light from the desk lamp flickered as Joseph jolted awake, gasping for breath.
But the reality felt distorted.
His vision was blurred—not from exhaustion, but from tears.Unbidden, they rolled down his cheeks,
His breath came out in a shaky whisper.
His fingers instinctively clutched his forehead,
MEMORIES?
No—LOST memories or DREAM?
He reached into his pocket with a trembling hand, pulling out his handkerchief to wipe the dampness from his face.tightened.
A shudder ran down his spine. The thought alone sent a wave of rage surging through his veins.
A flicker of crimson flashed in his irises.
His vampiric instincts flared—anger, betrayal, confusion—all intertwining like a venomous storm brewing within him.
Someone had meddled with his past.
Someone had stolen his own memories from him.
Before he could dive deeper into his thoughts, a sudden noise snapped him back to the present.
The door creaked open.
Joseph straightened immediately, masking his inner turmoil.
His gaze flickered toward the entrance.
And the moment he saw who it was, his expression darkened.
Adam.
His lips pressed into a thin line. Of all people.
Joseph leaned back slightly, folding his arms, his voice measured yet distant.
Adam entered the room with unhurried steps,
Adam finally replied.
The words hit Joseph like a cold gust of wind.
His posture stiffened.
For a split second, he was caught off guard.
A rosy hue dusted his cheeks, his mind betraying him with unwanted thoughts. His reaction was instant, unfiltered.
His fingers brushed through his hair in an attempt to regain composure. He exhaled sharply, shaking off the embarrassment creeping up his neck.
He cleared his throat forcefully.
Whispering slowly to himself,
Steeling himself, Joseph turned his attention back to Adam, who stood still as a statue, watching him with an expression that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
Joseph gave a brief nod.
Adam tilted his head slightly, offering a small nod in return.
His voice was calm—almost too calm.
Then, with a slow, methodical turn, Adam stepped out of the office.
Joseph wasted no time.
He closed the files on his desk, put his laptop to sleep, and grabbed his coat. His movements were brisk, focused. Yet, beneath that composure, the unease in his heart remained about the
As he stepped into the corridor, his silhouette faded into the dimly lit hallway, his footsteps echoing against the marble floor.
And then—
A shadow moved behind him.
Adam.
Standing in the very spot Joseph had just vacated, a smirk curled on his lips.
His previously neutral demeanor melted away, replaced with something far more sinister.
His fingers grazed the edge of the desk kept in corridor as his grin widened.
he murmured, amusement flickering in his darkened eyes.
Then, raising an eyebrow, he whispered to himself—
The road stretched before him, bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun. An orange hue blanketed the sky, clashing against the deepening blue of twilight. In the opposite direction, the moon loomed—clear, stark, almost watchful.
Joseph’s car sliced through the quiet of the evening, the tires humming against the asphalt. The wind was steady, whistling softly through the slightly open window. It was the kind of silence that carried an eerie stillness—like something was waiting.
Just as he was nearing Lopez’s apartment, the car jerked to a stop.
A large construction sign stood in the middle of the road, its bright colors clashing harshly against the natural dusk.
Joseph exhaled sharply, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel.
Then, an idea struck him.
Without hesitation, he turned the wheel, guiding the car towards the shadowed path leading into the woods.
The road narrowed as he drove, the trees towering on either side like silent sentinels. Shadows stretched long and thin, weaving through the golden light that barely seeped through the dense canopy.
It was then that something caught his eye.
Two cars. Parked on the roadside, unmoving.
Joseph’s brow furrowed as he drove past them—until something about them nagged at his mind.
Familiar.
Too familiar.
His foot hesitated over the brake pedal before he finally brought the car to a slow stop.
His gaze sharpened.
A bad feeling twisted in his gut.
Pulling over, he stepped out, his shoes pressing against the slightly damp ground. The smell of earth and leaves thickened in the air. His gaze trailed toward the soil—two distinct sets of footprints imprinted in the moist dirt, leading into the dense forest.
And suddenly—it hit him.
Like an iron fist slamming into his chest, the memories he had been trying so desperately to ignore surged back.
The night. The blood. The loss.
For a second, he swayed on his feet.
He forced the thought out, his breathing uneven.
But then—
A whisper.
His lady’s voice. Soft. Gentle.Final.
The memory of her last smile
Joseph’s body went rigid.
His legs felt like lead, yet at the same time—they moved on their own
His feet struck the ground, faster and faster, following the footprints like a man possessed.
He didn’t know why.
He just knew he had to move.
The deeper he ran into the woods, the heavier the air became. The once calm wind picked up violently, rustling the trees like whispering voices warning him to turn back. The sky, once warm with sunset, had been overtaken by heavy clouds. Dark. Ominous. Watching.
The wind howled through the branches.
And then—he reached the end of the trail.
His breath hitched.
His heart—which had been pounding like a war drum—froze in his chest.
His pupils shrank as his eyes locked onto the scene before him.
David. Kneeling.
One knee down, the other foot planted firmly on the ground.
His hands—shaking.
Lopez—
Her lifeless body lay sprawled beneath him.
Her clothes were torn, her arms limp,gaping wound marred her stomach.
Joseph felt his throat close up. His mind refused to process what he was seeing.
His hands trembled at his sides, his fingers twitching as if wanting to reach forward—yet unable to.
His body was stuck.
Frozen in time.
David’s head turned sharply, sensing his presence. His eyes—wide, conflicted, carrying an unspoken emotion Joseph couldn’t quite grasp.
Joseph’s gaze darted between David and Lopez’s still form, his chest tightening, a million unspoken questions flooding his mind.
And then—
Lightning split the sky.
A deafening crack tore through the heavens, illuminating the confusion and horror in both their eyes.
Joseph’s lips parted, but no words came.
David was just starting.
And in that brief, blinding flash—Joseph knew.
Lightning ripped through the sky, its blinding flash illuminating the chaos for a fleeting second before plunging everything back into darkness. The heavens rumbled, an ominous growl of something unstoppable approaching.
The wind, once a whisper, now howled through the trees, wild, merciless—just like that night. Leaves spiraled, branches cracked, the very air humming with an eerie familiarity, as if the storm itself remembered. And in the heart of it all, Joseph stood frozen, his breath ragged, his pulse a frantic drumbeat against his ribs—because the past, the one he had buried, denied, convinced himself was nothing but a nightmare. The night scene itself is like an image of that night, losing someone he beloved.
Yesss! cooking up longer chapters for you guys!??
The story’s about to go WILD, just like I promised!??
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