Chapter 10: The Mark of the Bound

Suddenly, the demonic entity inside Ethan forced its way to the surface and let out a dark, booming laugh. "Hahaha! Finally, I get to look out at the world!"

Ethan snapped back to consciousness, fighting the entity. He looked at his companion in disbelief. "Iris... why do you look like a vampire?"

Iris smiled weakly, her red eyes flickering. "Are you... Ethan?"

"Yes, yes, it's me," Ethan stammered.

Suddenly, the heavy, layered voice of the inner demon spoke out through Ethan's mouth again, addressing Iris. "Listen to me, girl. I am going to fade away in just a few minutes."

"Say what you need to say," Iris whispered.

"This girl, Iris... she was never just a regular human or a vampire," the entity revealed, its tone turning serious. "I have been stuck inside her soul for six years. But today, because of you, hybrid, I am finally fading out."

"What do you mean?" Ethan demanded in his own mind. "Iris was human!"

"No. You will have to ask her for the full story, hybrid," the voice hissed back. "But now, she is your hybrid teammate. Your bloodlines have fully mixed. You two are officially imprinted."

"What does that even mean?" Ethan asked, completely lost.

"Oh, you little mind," the entity mocked. Using Ethan's hand, the entity reached out, grabbed Iris's wrist, and pointed. "Look at this mark."

Ethan stared at his own wrist in absolute confusion. A strange, glowing sigil was burning itself into his skin. "Where did this mark come from? It wasn't there before..."

Before he could process it, the entity controlled Ethan's movements, leaning down to gently lick a smear of blood off Iris's hand.

Ethan's face instantly flushed crimson, and he mentally screamed, What are you doing?!

"It's tasty, haha," the entity chuckled darkly.

Ethan forced his gaze away, his heart pounding.

"You both are completely bound together now," the voice whispered, growing fainter by the second. "Goodbye. I am leaving. Take care of your girl... bye..."

"Don't fade yet! Listen to me first!" Ethan shouted out loud to the empty air. "Is she really a vampire?!"

The voice slowly dissolved into nothingness. Ask her...

With the entity completely gone, the heavy pressure in the room vanished. Iris closed her eyes and drifted off into a deep, exhaustion-filled sleep.

When she finally woke up a short while later, she was still in her hybrid vampire form. Ethan looked at her, his voice dropping to a guarded, serious tone. "Iris... who are you really?"

"What do you mean...?" she asked softly.

"Don't lie to me, Iris," Ethan said, his crimson eyes locked onto hers.

Iris lowered her gaze. "I am not a human. And I am not a regular vampire."

"I am sorry I hid the truth from you," she continued, her voice trembling.

Ethan sighed, the anger melting away into pure worry. "Iris... were you mad? Why did you let me bite you? You knew you could have died!"

A small, genuine smile touched her lips. "But I am alive. Stop worrying, Ethan." She looked straight at him. "Do you want to hear the truth?"

Ethan nodded silently, listening intently.

"My father was a powerful noble hybrid vampire," Iris explained, her eyes growing distant. "And my mother was a human commoner. When I was born, I didn't have a clear identity. I wasn't fully human, and I wasn't a standard vampire. The Duke... he was a ruthless vampire hunter." She choked up, a tear slipping down her cheek. "He killed my dad when I was only three years old."

Ethan's eyes widened.

"The Duke dragged my mother and me out of our noble mansion," Iris continued, her grip tightening on her skirt. "He destroyed our capital. We literally had to beg him to spare our lives, so he brought us back to his mansion to work as low servants. The Duke used black magic to influence my father, tricking him and stealing all his money and property. Right now, he is living happily because of the wealth he stole after killing my dad."

She looked down, her voice laced with pain. "For years, I endured constant bullying from his son, Maxi, and the Princess. And I ended up broken in that cellar. But when I saw you, Ethan... you felt just like my dad."

Ethan looked down at his own hands. "I don't even know what happened to my own mother or my family..." He looked back up at her. "So, what are you now?"

"I am a hybrid, just like you," Iris said, a spark of pride returning to her eyes. "Because of you and your blood, I can actually call myself something now."

"And because of you, I am still alive," Ethan countered softly. "I don't even know what is right or wrong anymore. I drank your blood..."

"We have to live like this now," Iris stated firmly.

Suddenly, Iris gasped, noticing the strange glowing sigil on her own wrist. "What is this, Ethan?"

Ethan's face instantly exploded into a massive blush. He scrambled backward, covering his face with his hands.

Iris looked at him, completely surprised. "Ethan, what are you doing?"

"It's nothing!" Ethan squeaked from behind his hands. "That mark... It's nothing!"

Iris didn't believe him. She pulled her wrist closer, studying the intricate design, and then pointed at his covered arm. "Oh, look! It's on you too!"

Ethan blushed even harder, his ears turning bright red. "Hey, stop looking at it!"

"Okay, okay," Iris giggled softly, the tension breaking.

Ethan finally calmed down, his expression turning serious again. He walked over, gently taking Iris by the hand. "Let's run away. Let's live our own lives."

"That's the only option we have left," Iris agreed.

"Let's escape, Iris. This is the only thing we can do to save ourselves."

Holding hands tightly, they pooled their remaining magical energy together. The bond on their wrists flared with light as they began to chant a combined spell.

"Water flowing on the ground," Ethan chanted.

"...And the fire burning up above," Iris harmonized.

Together, their voices echoed in the dark room: "Flames and shadows, help us. Open this door for us and help us escape!"

Their mixed magic surged forward in a violent wave of energy, crashing directly into the heavy iron door and blasting it completely off its hinges.

"It's open! Run!" Ethan yelled.

They bolted through the wreckage, running as fast as their legs could carry them. They darted through the dark hallways and sprinted across the moonlit gardens. But as they cleared the estate walls, their supernatural speed suddenly began to drop.

"Don't slow down!" Iris gasped, forcing her legs to move.

They managed to make it a safe distance away from the mansion, but the heavy strain took its toll. Their vampire transformations began to recede. Their hair shifted back to its natural colors, their eyes lost their crimson glow, and their sharp fangs slid back into their gums. They were fully human again.

Iris stumbled, her knees shaking. "We... we can't use magic anymore..."

"We're normal again," Ethan breathed, looking at his hands. "What do we do now...?"

Before he could finish, Iris collapsed heavily onto the dirt road.

"Iris!" Ethan cried out, dropping to his knees beside her. "Are you alright?"

"Yes... I'm fine..." she whispered faintly.

Ethan reached out, placing his hand against her cheek to help her up, but he instantly pulled back in shock. Her skin was burning to the touch. "Iris, your temperature... you're freezing hot!"

Iris's eyelids fluttered weakly, her vision blurring as she lay on the ground. "I'm... fine..."

A second later, her eyes fully closed, and she went completely unconscious.

---

Meanwhile, back at the mansion, the Duke was sitting comfortably in his lavish living room, sipping a warm cup of coffee. He frowned, looking at the clock. "Maxi hasn't come back yet. It's been a long time. Let's go check on him."

Princess Cecelia, sitting gracefully right by the Duke's side, nodded. "Yes, Uncle. It has been an hour or two since he went down there."

The two of them walked down to the cellar. As they reached the corridor, the Duke's breath hitched when he saw the heavy iron door completely shattered on the floor. He rushed into the dark room.

The sight inside made the Duke completely freeze in terror.

Maximilian's head was torn clean off his body. His torso had completely exploded from the inside out, leaving blood and gory remains splattered across every single wall. Ethan and Iris were nowhere to be found.

"What happened, Uncle?" Cecelia asked, stepping into the room behind him.

The second her eyes processed the horrific scene, her aristocratic mask completely shattered. "Ohhhhh... Maxiiiiiiiii!"

She screamed at the top of her lungs, rushing forward through the puddles of blood. She reached out, her hands trembling as she touched his lifeless, detached head. "AAAAAAA! Why, Uncle, why?! Why is he not saying anything?! His body... his head..."

She began to cry brutally, her tears mixing with the blood on her hands.

The Duke's legs completely gave out, and he fell to his knees in the gore. "My... my son..." he whispered, his voice cracking with immense grief. "My son... my next heir... is dead. Maxi..."

Cecelia whipped her head around, her eyes burning with a savage, brutal anger. "I will never let those two bitches live, Uncle!"

She stood up, rushing to support the broken Duke. "Uncle, we will kill them with our own hands! Please, don't lose consciousness!" She turned toward the hallway and screamed at the top of her lungs, "GUARDSSSS!"

A squad of armored guards instantly rushed into the bloody room, bowing instantly. "Yes, Your Highness!"

"Call the soldiers!" Cecelia screamed, her voice shaking with unhinged rage. "Find Ethan and Iris! They have escaped from the mansion! Bring them to me!"

"Yes, Your Highness!" the guards roared, turning on their heels to launch the kingdom-wide manhunt.

---

[Chapter Ended - To Be Continued

Author note : hey everyone hope you liked today's chapter. now starting from tomorrow's chapter the whole story will change so plz keep reading thank you so much everyone for all of your support plz keep supporting my book  plz  tell how was the chapter in the comments. bye. enjoy!