Chapter 6: The Crimson Outcome

Lamía remained motionless in the middle of the hall.

Her chest rose and fell slowly.

She looked around.

Everyone had fallen.

For a brief moment, it seemed to be over.

Then her gaze shifted toward the opposite end of the hall.

There stood the enormous door leading out of the castle.

Lamía smiled wickedly and began walking toward it.

Slowly.

Unhurriedly.

As though nothing that had happened mattered anymore.

Valentin raised his head.

“No…”

He tried to stand, but his legs barely responded. Even so, he dragged himself across the floor until he reached his daughter.

As Lamía passed him, Valentin managed to grab her by the leg.

The vampire stopped.

“Don’t do this, daughter…” he pleaded, clinging to her. “Don’t leave. You don’t have to do this.”

Lamía did not answer.

Valentin lifted his gaze toward her face.

There was no longer a smile on her lips.

Nor was there any anger.

Her expression was empty, stripped of every emotion he could recognize.

That hurt him more than all the blows he had endured.

“Lamía… I know you're still in there somewhere. Please, my daughter. Don't become a monster. Don't do something you might regret.”

The young vampire slowly lowered her gaze toward her father.

Valentin held her eyes, desperately searching for some trace of the little girl he had known.

He found nothing.

Lamía raised one hand.

Her fingers spread above Valentin's head, preparing to deliver a blow that could end his life.

Her father did not release her leg.

He didn't even try to move away.

He simply looked at her, tears streaming down his cheeks.

“I love you, my daughter…”

Lamía's hand began to descend.

A luminous chain emerged from nowhere and coiled around Lamía's wrist, bringing her movement to an abrupt halt.

The metal shimmered with a pale, almost sickly light. The moment it touched her skin, a sharp hiss echoed through the hall. A thin wisp of smoke rose from her wrist, as though the chain were burning her from within.

Lamía slowly turned her head toward her attacker.

Selene.

Her grandmother stood several feet away, one hand extended and an expression that betrayed not the slightest trace of fear.

For a moment, the hall seemed to fall completely still.

Then Lamía opened her mouth and released a guttural growl. She yanked at the chain with such violence that the metal trembled, producing a high-pitched screech that echoed through the shattered walls.

Unable to break free, she lunged straight at Selene.

Her grandmother didn't even step back.

With a wave of her hand, she summoned a wall in front of herself. Lamía crashed into the barrier with tremendous force, but she didn't stop. She struck it once, then twice, until cracks began spreading across its surface.

Selene narrowed her eyes.

Suddenly, the wall tilted and collapsed on top of Lamía.

The thunderous impact shook what remained of the windows. A cloud of dust swept across the floor, completely concealing the young vampire.

For several seconds, the only sound was the cracking of stones.

Then something moved beneath the rubble.

Selene dispelled the wall with a gesture, scattering the fragments before they could finish falling. Lamía was revealed, kneeling among the debris, her dress torn and several wounds covering her body. But her regenerative ability had already restored her, leaving her as though she hadn't suffered a single scratch.

Yet she showed no signs of fear or exhaustion.

Only rage.

Such overwhelming rage that even the chains still wrapped around her wrists began to tremble.

Selene watched her in silence. Her expression softened.

"Easy, my little one," she murmured. "It will all be over soon."

She raised her hand slightly.

At once, more luminous chains and shackles emerged around her. They spread across the floor like serpents, coiling around Lamía's arms, legs, and torso. Their clasps snapped shut with metallic clicks.

The young vampire let out a piercing scream.

The chains seemed to exert unbearable pressure on her body. Every time she tried to break free, their light intensified, and the pain forced her to writhe. Her nails scraped against the floor, leaving deep marks in the stone.

Even so, she refused to stop fighting.

Selene began walking toward her.

Her footsteps echoed slowly through the devastated hall. All around them lay the remains of a celebration that, only minutes earlier, had been filled with music, conversation, and laughter. Now, the air was thick with dust and blood, and the shadows in the corners seemed deeper than ever.

From the floor, Valentin struggled to raise his head.

"Lady Selene, be careful!" he warned, his voice strained. "She possesses a power beyond anything you have ever seen!"

Selene stopped for a moment and turned her head slightly toward him.

"Perhaps, Valentin. But I have seen things you couldn't even begin to imagine."

Her eyes returned to Lamía.

"And besides, it is a grandmother's duty to calm her grandchildren when they lose their way."

She resumed her approach.

Lamía thrashed violently. The chains rattled around her, striking the floor and sending tiny sparks into the air. Her eyes, devoid of any trace of serenity, remained fixed on the approaching figure.

Selene did not quicken her pace.

When she finally stood before her, she carefully knelt down.

Lamía roared and tried to lunge at her grandmother, but the restraints held her in place.

Then something happened that no one could have anticipated.

Selene opened her arms and pulled her close.

She embraced her.

"Do whatever you need to calm down, my little one," she whispered beside her ear.

For an instant, Lamía seemed bewildered.

The contact, the closeness, that calm voice amid such horror... none of it seemed to make sense to the creature she had become.

But her confusion lasted only a few seconds.

Lamía turned her head.

Her eyes locked onto her grandmother's neck, just above the collar of her dress. Her lips slowly parted, revealing the long, razor-sharp fangs that had spread terror among the guests.

Selene offered no resistance.

Lamía sank her teeth into her neck.

Blood spattered across Selene's skin and stained the edge of her dress. A wet sound broke the silence, followed by a brief gasp of pain.

Yet Selene did not pull away.

Her face tightened slightly in a grimace of suffering, but her arms remained wrapped around her granddaughter.

And then, with a gentleness that stood in disturbing contrast to Lamía's violence, Selene tilted her head.

Her lips brushed against the young vampire's neck.

Her own fangs emerged, white and elegant beneath the hall's dying light.

And she bit down.

Lamía shuddered.

Unlike the previous bite, there were no splashes or sudden bursts of blood. Selene remained perfectly still, holding her granddaughter close as they both drank from one another.

Time seemed to stand still.

The chains stopped trembling.

The dust suspended in the air began to settle slowly over the rubble. Somewhere in the distance, a piece of the ceiling finally broke loose and struck the floor with a dull thud.

For several moments, the two vampires remained locked in that macabre embrace, as though trapped in a forgotten ritual whose meaning none of those present could understand.

Then, at the same time, they withdrew their fangs.

Lamía released her grandmother's neck.

Selene did the same.

And something changed.

The young vampire began convulsing erratically. Her fingers opened and closed uncontrollably as her body tensed in Selene's arms. She was no longer pulling at the chains or trying to escape. Instead, she seemed to be fighting against something happening deep inside her.

Her lips moved, but no words came from her throat.

For an instant, her eyes widened in alarm.

Then she went completely still.

The silence that followed was so absolute that even the wounded stopped groaning.

Slowly, Lamía's fangs began to shrink until they returned to their normal size. Her nails, once long and sharp as blades, returned to normal. The darkness covering her eyes disappeared, restoring their original color.

The luminous chains faded away, one after another.

Finally, the ferocious, monstrous expression disappeared from her face.

Lamía had returned to normal.

Her body went limp, drained of all strength, but Selene caught her in her arms before she could hit the floor.

The young vampire was breathing peacefully. Her eyelids remained closed, and her now serene face looked like that of a little girl who had simply fallen asleep after a long day.

As though she hadn't destroyed the hall.

As though she hadn't injured her own family.

As though the creature that had spread terror among the guests had never existed.

Selene gently stroked her hair.

"It's all right, my little one... It's over now."

The hall doors suddenly burst open.

Vladir appeared among the remains of the entrance, his clothes disheveled and exhaustion etched across his face. He had spent the last few minutes helping evacuate the guests and organizing those who were trying to assist the wounded.

The moment he spotted Selene, he hurried toward her.

"My love! What happened?"

He stopped when he saw Lamía in her arms.

Then his eyes drifted down to his wife's neck, where blood soaked her skin and had begun spreading across her dress.

"And why is your neck covered in blood?"

Selene looked up at him and smiled with a calmness that seemed entirely out of place amid the devastation.

"My granddaughter bit me a little. It's nothing serious."

Vladir stared at her for several seconds, unsure whether he should respond or start asking questions.

Before his eyes, Selene's wounds began to close. Her skin gradually regenerated until no visible trace of the bite marks remained.

But the blood stayed.

Dark and scarlet, it stained her neck and dress, reminding anyone who looked at her that something terrible had happened.

Vladir finally tore his gaze away from his wife and surveyed the hall.

Only then did he grasp the full extent of the disaster.

The tables lay in ruins. Deep cracks ran through the columns, and the windows had been reduced to fragments scattered across the floor. The walls were covered in marks, and bloodstains spread among the rubble like the traces of a nightmare.

But that wasn't the worst of it.

He saw the leaders of the families, gravely wounded. Lorfas, his son. Natalia, his daughter. Valentin, his son-in-law. And his other grandchildren, lying among the remains of the celebration.

Some were struggling to move. Others could barely remain conscious.

Vladir clenched his jaw.

There were no words capable of describing what he was witnessing.

Vladir took out a bottle and drank its contents. Then, with determination, he raised one arm.

The air began to vibrate.

In an instant, twenty knights clad in scarlet armor appeared inside the hall. Their uniform, silent figures stood in stark contrast to the chaos surrounding them.

Vladir wasted no time.

"Attend to the wounded and bring everything that might be useful for treating them."

The knights bowed their heads.

Not one of them uttered a word.

They immediately dispersed, examining the wounded and carefully carrying them toward the exit, where they could receive medical attention.

However, even for them, there was one particularly unpleasant task.

Etrix.

His body had been sliced into several pieces during the incident. Two of the knights knelt beside the remains while others hurried over to assist them. With as much care as the situation allowed, they began gathering the pieces and fitting them back together as best they could.

At that moment, everyone was still haunted by what they had just witnessed.

Valentin looked toward Selene.

"How is Lamía?"

The elderly vampire gazed at her granddaughter's sleeping face.

"It's over. She's back to normal."

Valentin closed his eyes and released a trembling sigh. His relief was short-lived, however, as one question continued to torment him.

"Why did this happen?"

Selene remained silent for a few moments.

Her gaze swept across the hall, lingering on the remains of the walls and the bloodstains covering the floor.

"Earlier, I told you that I had seen things you couldn't possibly imagine," she began. "I was referring to creatures that have existed, and still exist, in Cryptas. Beings far more violent and powerful than most inhabitants of this world could ever withstand."

She paused.

"But I have never seen a noble vampire lose control like this. Much less manifest such an extraordinary power."

Valentin lowered his gaze to his own hands.

"Then... what happened to her?"

"I don't know."

The answer seemed to carry more weight than anything Selene had said that night.

"I'll have to go through my records. Perhaps I'll find something that might help us understand what happened, although I can't promise that anything similar has ever been documented."

Valentin opened his mouth, but couldn't find anything to say.

There were too many questions and no answers.

Finally, he let his head fall back against the floor, unable to hold it up any longer.

Selene sighed and turned her attention toward her husband.

"My love, could you hold Lamía for me?"

Vladir immediately reacted.

"Of course, my darling. Give her to me."

Selene carefully handed the young vampire over to him.

Vladir settled her in his arms and looked at her sleeping face. There was no trace of the creature that had spread such horror only minutes earlier.

A pang of concern struck him, followed by a wave of relief so profound it almost hurt.

She was his granddaughter.

His little Lamía.

And despite everything that had happened, she was still there.

Alive.

"I'm going to need to sleep for a while," Selene murmured. "It won't be too long, so I ask you to be patient."

Vladir furrowed his brow.

"What do you mean?"

Selene didn't answer.

Her eyelids began to close. Her body relaxed, and without warning, she collapsed.

"SELENE!"

Vladir's shout echoed throughout the hall.

For an instant, he forgot about the wounded, the destruction, and everything else around him. There was only his wife, who had just fallen unconscious before his eyes.

In a desperate gesture, he summoned six more scarlet knights.

"Carefully! Take my wife and make sure she receives immediate medical attention!"

The knights obeyed.

Two of them gently took Selene into their arms while the others prepared to carry her away. Vladir remained beside her until he was certain she was not in immediate danger, never taking his eyes off her face.

In his arms, Lamía continued to sleep.

No one in that hall could have imagined what had truly happened when the two vampires shared their blood.

And, for the time being, no one had the strength to find out.

That night was supposed to be a celebration.

An opportunity for the young ones to meet the other families, forge new bonds, and take their first steps toward the future that awaited them.

But the celebration had turned into a nightmare.

The hall lay in ruins. Numerous members of the families had been injured, and the guests' blood stained the very floor where, only moments before, they had raised their glasses in celebration.

And yet, this would not be remembered as a mere accident.

It would be the beginning.

The first event in a chain of occurrences that would drastically change the world of Cryptas. An incident that would raise uncomfortable questions, unearth forgotten secrets, and cast doubt on everything the families believed they knew about their own nature.

For that night had proven that even the oldest bloodlines could conceal something beyond their understanding.

Something even Selene had never encountered before.

And at the center of all these changes stood Lamía Dearg Due.

A young girl who still had no idea what she had awakened within herself.

A vampire who had tasted her own grandmother's blood without understanding what she was doing.

And a girl whose future was beginning to take shape amid shadows, secrets, and blood.

A dark and sinister path that, sooner or later, she would have to walk.

The End.