The Path Of Blood

The night was still. Too still. The usual hum of the city had fallen away, leaving only the distant sound of wind rustling through the broken remnants of Umbra's streets. The vampires were gone—at least for now. But the quiet didn't bring peace; it brought a sense of dread that lingered in the air.

Viole stood alone in the center of the ruined square, his eyes scanning the shadowed horizon. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was waiting for him, lurking just beyond the edge of his vision. The Hunger inside him stirred again, like a whisper in the back of his mind, clawing for attention. It had been silent for a while, but now, it felt more present than ever. He wasn't sure if it was his own mind betraying him or if the creature was truly waking, but the anxiety gnawed at him relentlessly.

He could feel it… a hunger that wasn't his own. Something older. Darker.

"You're not alone," Ha-eun's voice broke through his thoughts. She approached him quietly, her footsteps muffled against the stone. Despite the bloodshed, she was calm, almost serene, her sword gleaming faintly in the moonlight. "You don't have to do this by yourself, Viole."

Viole turned to face her. Her gaze was steady, full of concern—but also understanding. She knew what he was going through, even if she didn't understand the full weight of it. He could feel the burden of their shared history in her eyes. They had been through too much together to let distance grow between them now.

"I know," he said softly, his voice low. "But it's not just about me anymore, is it? I'm… I'm something else now." His gaze dropped to the ground, his hands clenching into fists. The transformation inside him—it felt like it was happening too quickly. Every day, every hour, it felt like he was losing himself to something he couldn't control.

"No one ever said this would be easy," Ha-eun replied, her tone firm but kind. "But I've seen what you're capable of, Viole. Whatever's inside you, you can fight it. You will fight it."

Her words, though meant to comfort, only heightened the storm inside him. She didn't understand. She couldn't. How could she know the terror of something so alien inside you, shaping every thought, every action, threatening to take over? He had seen glimpses of it in his nightmares. The Hunger was not a beast; it was a curse. And curses didn't fight—they consumed.

"I don't want to lose myself," he murmured, his voice barely a whisper.

Ha-eun stepped forward, her hand resting lightly on his shoulder. "You won't. We'll stop it together."

Viole looked up at her, his eyes filled with a mixture of gratitude and fear. He wanted to believe her. He needed to. But the cold truth was this: no one could face what was coming without sacrifice. He had already given so much of himself to this war, and now he was being asked to face a battle that might break him entirely.

He didn't have the answers. But he had one choice: keep moving forward, or let the darkness consume him.

A shadow fell across the square.

Viole's hand shot to the hilt of his sword, but it was only Azael who emerged from the darkness, their form silhouetted against the faint glow of the moon. The figure stepped forward with a quiet grace, their cloak flowing around them like liquid shadows. There was something eerie about the way they moved—like they weren't entirely part of the world around them.

"You're still here," Viole said, trying to keep the edge of frustration out of his voice.

Azael's gaze lingered on him for a moment before they spoke. "I'm here because this is far from over. The Hunger is only the beginning, Viole. I don't think you realize the extent of the power it holds."

"I know more than I want to," Viole replied, his hand tightening on the broken sword at his side. The jagged metal was a constant reminder of his failure earlier, but it had also become something he refused to part with. It was a symbol now, a way to prove to himself that he wasn't completely helpless.

Azael stepped closer, their gaze never leaving him. "The problem with the Hunger is that it is not just an enemy—it's part of you now. That means every decision you make, every choice, is intertwined with its will. It can manipulate you, twist your thoughts, push you to act in ways you wouldn't otherwise. But it can also give you power. Power you've never had before."

Viole felt a chill run down his spine. "I don't want its power."

"You don't have a choice," Azael replied, their voice cold, unyielding. "You will need it. And when the time comes, you'll either learn to control it, or it will control you."

There was no comfort in Azael's words. They were the truth—blunt, painful, and real.

"We need to find the source," Ha-eun said, her voice breaking the silence. "The creature—the one who awakened the Hunger inside Viole. We need to know where it came from, and how we can destroy it. If we don't, this will keep happening, over and over again."

Azael nodded slowly. "You're right. And the source is closer than you think."

The words hung in the air like an ominous cloud, but before Viole could ask for clarification, a faint rumble echoed through the streets. It was distant at first, but it grew louder, reverberating through the ground beneath their feet. Something was coming. Something massive.

Viole's heart skipped a beat. The Hunger inside him stirred once again, like a restless beast awakening from a long slumber. He could feel it in his blood, rushing through him faster than ever before. And yet, this time—this time, it wasn't just a feeling. There was something else.

The streets around them seemed to shift, warping into something darker, more twisted. The shadows grew longer, stretching out like tendrils. The air turned heavy, thick with the scent of decay.

"Get ready," Azael warned, their voice low and urgent. "It's here."

Before Viole could respond, the ground trembled violently, and from the darkness, something massive emerged. A hulking figure cloaked in shadow, its eyes glowing like embers. It moved with unnatural speed, its monstrous limbs tearing through the streets as it closed in on them.

Viole's grip on his sword tightened.

The battle was here. And this time, he wasn't sure he could survive it.