Chapter 9: The Crimson Awakening

"Are you sure?" the voice echoed in his mind. "Are you sure that you aren't wrong?"

For the first time, a dark, demonic smile stretched across Ethan's face. All his life, he had tried to abide by the rules, to believe that justice would come if he just endured. Now, that sense of betrayal twisted inside him. "I am not the one who is wrong," he thought back. "The thing at fault is the system of this world." Bitterness and anger flooded his heart—he felt vengeful, stripped of hope, abandoned by everything he once trusted.

Maxi stepped closer, his jaw tight. "What are you muttering, you—"

He raised his hand, aiming a vicious slap right at Ethan's face. But mid-swing, Ethan's hand shot up and caught Maxi's wrist in a death grip. Keeping his head down, Ethan slowly began to twist Maxi's hand backward.

"How dare you stop me?!" Maxi shrieked, trying to pull away.

With a surge of newfound strength, Ethan violently shoved Maxi, sending the Duke's son crashing hard onto the stone floor. Slowly, Ethan stood up. His eyes bled into a piercing, absolute red. Sharp fangs began to tear through his gums, elongating past his lips. His hair shifted to a pitch-black, contrasting sharply against his torn, blood-stained shirt.

He looked up. Iris stared at him in utter shock. "Ethan... are you out of control again? Are you a demon?"

Ethan looked back at her, his demonic smile softening just a fraction. "It's only me, Iris. It's Ethan."

On the floor, Maxi scrambled backward, his face pale with pure terror. "Who... who are you, monster?!"

Ethan leaned down over him, his crimson eyes locking onto his torturer. "I am not a monster," he whispered, his voice vibrating with raw menace. "I am your death."

"Stay away from me, you demon!" Maxi screamed, his voice cracking with fear.

"Oh? Is the little boy scared?" Ethan mocked coldly. "I was scared too. Every single time you beat me. Every single time you tortured Iris and me."

"I'm sorry! Please, leave me alone!" Maxi begged, tears of terror finally springing to his eyes.

Ethan's eyes narrowed. "Did you stop when we begged? No. So, will I stop now? No."

Watching the horror unfold, Iris whispered, "Are you really Ethan?"

He glanced back at her. "Iris... this is who I am. It's what I've been denying all this time. But not anymore."

Iris went completely quiet, watching him in awe and fear. Ethan turned his full attention back to the weeping boy on the floor. "And you... Your time is up."

"Please spare my life!" Maxi cried, trembling violently. "I swear I'll never come near you ever again! I swear!"

Ethan bared his fangs, leaning down toward Maxi's exposed neck. But just as he was about to bite down, a sharp voice rang inside his head.

Don't! If you bite him, he will turn into a vampire.

"So what?!" Ethan snapped out loud, glaring at the empty air. "He should die!"

This form is yours now, the voice whispered, fading into the background. I am disappearing. You are a hybrid now. Kill him with magic. From this point on, it is only you. You must control the hybrid form.

As a hybrid, you possess the strength of both vampire and human, bound together inside one body. Your blood is no longer purely mortal or demonic. It allows you to wield blood magic freely, a power forbidden to ordinary vampires and inaccessible to humans. If you lose control, the magic can consume you. Mastering it is the only way to survive.

Ethan smirked. "Fine then."

He raised his hands and began to chant a dark, ancient spell. Suddenly, the blood pooled across the room—the blood on Iris, the blood on his own skin, and the fresh stains on the floor—began to levitate. The crimson liquid collected in the air, swirling rapidly until it formed a dense, vibrating ball of pure blood magic.

Ethan glared down at the paralyzed boy. "Maxi. Curse you. Open your mouth."

"Why?! I won't!" Maxi screamed, clenching his jaw shut.

"Fine," Ethan whispered. "Shells, open this guy's mouth."

A burst of dark, shadowy energy forced Maxi's jaws apart, locking his mouth wide open so he couldn't even speak. With a flick of his wrist, Ethan dumped the massive ball of compressed blood straight down Maxi's throat.

In an instant, Maximilian's body couldn't handle the raw magic. With a gruesome burst, his body exploded, completely vaporizing him.

Iris sat frozen, her eyes wide with absolute shock as she stared at the space. Blood splattered heavily across the walls and the floor. Maximilian was completely gone. Finished.

Ethan let out a long, heavy sigh, the demonic adrenaline fading as he collapsed onto the floor from sheer exhaustion.

Iris crawled closer, her voice trembling. "Ethan... what have you done?"

"The Duke took your parents, and he took my peace," Ethan said quietly, staring at his hands. "So, I took his son. It's my revenge... though it's still not enough."

"So... are you a vampire now?" she asked.

"Yes. But this form... I took it from that demon. I'll give it back to him right now." Ethan looked up at the ceiling and yelled, "Hey, demon! Take your form back! Make me normal!"

There was no reply. Silence filled the dark room.

"Hey! Don't joke with me!" Ethan shouted again, panic rising in his chest. Suddenly, the demon's final words flashed through his mind: I am disappearing. You are a hybrid now... You will control it.

"No... no, this can't be," Ethan stammered, pulling at his hair. "I didn't listen to you... You're joking. Come back!"

"Ethan, what's wrong?" Iris asked, deeply worried by his panic. "What are you saying?"

"That demon isn't replying," Ethan whispered, looking down at his trembling, clawed hands. "I am... I'm a vampire and a human. A hybrid."

Iris looked down, a heavy silence falling over her. "This can't be..."

Suddenly, a violent, agonizing wave hit Ethan's body. A burning, desperate craving for blood tore through his throat. He immediately scrambled away from Iris, throwing himself into the far corner of the dark room. He curled into a ball, hugging his knees tightly to his chest.

"Ah... no!" he gasped, squeezing his eyes shut. "I can't do this. No... I am a human! I won't do this!"

Seeing him suffer, Iris walked over to the corner and reached out to comfort him. "Ethan, why are you pushing yourself away?"

"Stay away from me!" Ethan roared, not fully understanding his own strength as he pushed her back. "I beg you, stay away!"

"Ethan, it's not you—"

"Get away from me!" Ethan interrupted, losing total control of his senses. He fell to his knees, clawing at the stone floor. "Blood... I can't control it anymore!" he screamed, the thirst burning his throat like fire. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! I want to eat! I want food! Blood... ah... mm..."

Iris whispered, "What should I do...?"

Ethan was in unbearable pain, his hands flying to his own throat, squeezing tightly. "I can't drink blood... I'll die..."

Iris looked at him, seeing the agonizing torture he was going through. She didn't run away. She didn't take her distance. Instead, she stepped right into his space, kneeling directly in front of him.

Ethan stared up at her through his wild, crimson eyes. "Why...?"

Without a word, Iris pulled her collar down, bared her soft neck, and leaned in close. "Drink, Ethan," she whispered.

Lost to the hunger, Ethan didn't hesitate. He lunged forward, sinking his sharp fangs deep into the side of her neck. He began to drink greedily. As he drank, his vampire saliva mixed into Iris's bloodstream, while his own hybrid blood seeped into her open wound.

Iris felt a sharp spike of pain, but she didn't pull away. Instead, she gently patted Ethan's dark hair, shushing him. "Drink... just don't feel pain. You look just like Dad..."

Ethan drank his fill until the burning thirst finally subsided. He pulled back, gasping, his mouth completely smeared with crimson blood. He looked at the deep bite marks on Iris's neck and panicked.

"Iris... why did you do that?!" Ethan choked out. "I bit you..."

Iris reached up, her hand pale as she gently touched his cheek. "I am alright, Ethan... don't feel pain... like Dad..."

Before she could finish, her eyes rolled back, and she fainted, collapsing heavily into his lap.

"Nooooooo!" Ethan screamed, shaking her shoulders desperately. "Iris! Iris, wake up! I didn't kill you! Please open your eyes... don't die!"

Just as panic was about to completely break him, Iris's eyelids fluttered. She slowly opened her eyes, whispering weakly, "Am I... alive?"

But as her eyes opened fully, Ethan froze in absolute, paralyzing shock.

Right before his eyes, Iris's hair rapidly shifted from its natural color to a bright, shimmering blonde. Her dull eyes turned a vivid, glowing red, and a pair of sharp fangs slid out from her gums. The deep cut on her neck instantly stopped bleeding, healing right before his eyes.

Ethan stared at her, his jaw dropped. "You... you look just like me."

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[Chapter Ended - To Be Continued]