The mind prison

===Pyre===

Pyre headed downstairs with Gareth, using his staff as support. She barely needed it on even ground but could use it to go down the stairs.

It took them longer than it should have as they reached the cell area. Outside one of the cells were two individuals, one vampire and one werewolf. They ensured the new 'guest' was staying in his cell.

The person was awake and eating like a beast some roasted chicken they had prepared. Vampires didn't need food to survive but could enjoy it, while werewolves were in the same situation as humans. So they had provisions to feed them, which probably was stolen by the nearby settlement she noticed on their way here.

The man was eating his meal like a wild beast, making Pyre forget for a moment that he was a human.

"Princess, why are you here? It would be best if you were upstairs resting," said the vampire guard.

"How is our new guest?" she responded instead of answering his questions.

She was the princess. She didn't need to report to anyone about why she did anything.

"His appetite seems to be great. He has already devoured two chickens, and he is at his third. He also seems to not be good in his brain, my lady. While waiting for the food, he kept staring at us patiently until the food arrived and became the beast you see. It was almost like he knew and waited."

This was quite weird behavior. If one paid attention, he would notice that the guards weren't human. Both had somewhat pointy ears, while the vampire guard was paler than a normal human should be but not as pale as Pyre. The werewolf had too thick facial hair and hair growing at his hands. In addition, the werewolf's nails were claw-like and could do some severe damage if he wanted.

Usually, someone notices these immediately and starts crying or demanding release, but the man seems calm and waits for food.

'I knew that I felt something strange with this one.'

When Vampires drink someone's blood, they connect with what humans call 'souls' to some extent. The connection is relatively weak, and most of the time, nothing happens, but sometimes, it lets the Vampire get some memories of the individual they get blood from.

She had something similar happen at her last feeding, but she didn't seem to have gotten access to one of his memories, but something darker.

That man intrigued her, especially after hearing about his reaction to the guards.

"You three can leave. Make sure nobody disturbs us," she said to the guards and Gareth, who had followed her here.

"Princess, I advise you not to…" the Elder Vampire wanted to say something, but a furious Princess quickly stopped him by looking at him.

"I said you can leave, Master Gareth. And tell the werewolf called Vlad that he will have to go for another hunt tomorrow."

The Elder Vampire didn't know what to say. He knew the Princess was still weakened, and if she fought him, he could beat her since she had none of her abilities or could use her Element. Still, his instincts weren't letting him go against her, as she was his leader, and he had to follow. He could feel that her Vampire Charm abilities hadn't been weakened as much as for the rest of her kind, and maybe if she got back to full power, it would be as strong as before.

This should be because of the pureness of her Bloodline, so the throne taken away didn't affect her as much. Vampire Charm was an innate power all vampires had and didn't need a Power Shard, even if there were some Power Shards that could strengthen it.

"As you wish, my lady. I will pass the message to mister Vlad. Let's go, both of you."

The Vampire Guard followed his Elder without a second thought, while the werewolf showed signs of hesitation. But in the end, he followed the other two.

Pyre turned towards the human, who had finished eating the chicken and had actually laid down, taking a nap.

She opened the cell and got inside. The specific cell didn't open with a key but with some magical energy. Pyre could do that as not much was needed.

She carefully approached the man, but it seemed like he was truly asleep. She sat next to him and pulled his hair away from his neck, checking the bite marks she had left him during their previous encounter.

She could understand that the man had rested enough to restore a significant amount of blood but wasn't back to full health.

But she didn't need him to be so for what she had on her mind.

She started undressing, as the clothes would be on the way during the whole thing.

And so she bit her lips to make some of her blood run and then bit the man's neck at the same position as last time.

===???????===

A man was in the dark room, down on his knees.

He had his arms over his head as the voices would start another round of shouting. He knew this action wouldn't block them but didn't know what else he could do.

He couldn't harm himself no matter how much he had tried, like he didn't even have a body so he could put an end to his misery.

It started with a woman screaming in pain.

"Push, darling, push. He is almost out." a man said.

The woman's screams seemed to get louder as soon the cries of a baby appeared, and the woman's screams ended. One could hear only the cries of the baby for now.

"He is born, dear. Can you hear him? He is…" said the man, but he stopped mid-sentence for an unknown reason.

Then, there was silence for a split second, as many cries could be heard. They weren't of a baby but coming from grown men and women. It wasn't more like they were mourning someone, and there were some prayers among the cries.

"…. we gathered today to pay respect to one of our own. Unfortunately, she passed away while she had so much to offer, but let's not forget what she has offered. May ???? rest in peace, and let be known that her soul is in a better place."

Everything except the woman's name was clear for the man to hear.

Silence took over once again as the 'priest' continued with his prayers and blessings.

The familiar cries of the baby returned.

"Will you shut up already? I am preparing your bloody food, you devil's spawn."

The voice was the same as the first man's, though this time it sounded tired and angrier. The baby continued crying no matter how much the man shouted at it, and it even seemed to get louder.

More curses were heard, followed by different ways the man was referring to the baby, whose screams seemed to stop after a moment. The man's voice also changed slowly, sounding more like an older individual.

"You… took… my…wife."

Then, the man's voice, which seemed to have gotten quite weak at that point, was silenced after this last sentence.

Soon, more voices could be heard, speaking one after the other.

"Here for a new job, boy? We have a delivery you can do."

"Take this. Use it to this address and call the men at this number to clear the mess afterward. Don't let any witnesses."

"How much for a night? You seem like a strong individual with lots of stamina to play with."

More voices spoke of similar sentences and different tasks and jobs, although it often seemed vague.

Explosions, gunshots, and people screaming or moaning could be heard, too.

"Hey man, today is your lucky day. I just received a new product that is out of this world. It will make you travel to places you have never imagined."

Then, the voices suddenly vanished.

The man, holding his head the whole time, was puzzled, as there were more he should hear.

He raised his head, and then he saw in front of him a naked female figure.

She was the most beautiful person he had ever seen, even if he didn't know how long it had been since he had been in her living this endless torment.

"I came here to free you from your prison," the figure said.

The man, for the first time after a long time, had felt hope.

"But I need something from you first."

The man couldn't speak, as he hadn't for so long, as he couldn't even scream in this place, but only hear the voices.

"I need you to swear to serve me. To be my loyal servant until my life ends or I decide to release you from your services. If you agree on these terms, bow in front of me, otherwise I will let you back to your torment."

The man didn't give it a second, or even a first thought, as he bowed right away.

"So be it. From now on, you aren't the man you used to be. You aren't a weak human but a proud Vampire. Your name shall be from this day forward, shall be Skotos."

And so both figures disappeared, and the dark room was empty and silent.