5. Awakening in Darkness

Darkness.

That was all there was.

A deep empty place that wrapped around him. It pulled him down. It drowned him in silence.

No pain. No warmth. No fear.

Just nothing.

Ethan did not know how long he had been there. Seconds. Hours. Maybe days. Time did not exist in this place.

Was this death.

Was this what it felt like to finally be free.

It was not peaceful like he had thought.

It was empty.

Cold.

Alone.

And then—

A sound.

It was soft. Far away. Like an echo through a long dark tunnel.

Thump.

A heartbeat.

Thump.

Another.

It was not his. It could not be. His heart had stopped. He remembered the last breath leaving his lips. He remembered the cold wrapping around him. He remembered the warmth leaving his body.

He had died.

Hadn't he.

Then why…

Thump thump.

The sound got louder. It filled the empty space. It shook the silence.

And then—

Pain.

Hot burning pain.

It hit him like a wave. It tore through his body. It lit every nerve on fire. His chest got tight. His lungs shook. It felt like something pulled him out of nothing and pushed him back into life.

His eyes opened fast.

Bright.

Too bright.

A white light burned into his eyes. He gasped. His body jumped. It shook as feeling rushed back in. His skin tingled. His fingers moved. His lungs pulled in a hard breath.

The first breath.

The first real breath.

He was alive.

But how.

Where was he.

The ceiling above him had cracked white tiles. The lights above flickered. They made a soft buzzing sound. The air smelled strange. It smelled like bleach. Like metal. Like something sharp.

Like blood.

His breath caught.

Slowly his fingers moved. They touched something cold and smooth. A table. No. Not a table. A metal slab.

It hit him fast.

A morgue.

He was on a slab in a morgue.

His heart beat faster. He tried to sit up. Pain hit his head. He groaned. His body felt strange. Not broken. Not weak. But not normal.

Wrong.

He lifted his hand. It shook. He looked at it under the light.

No bruises.

No cuts.

No blood.

His skin was smooth. Pale. Clean. Too perfect.

His fingers moved over his ribs. His chest. His face. Nothing hurt. Nothing felt broken.

His wounds—

They were gone.

Fear grabbed him. His breath came fast. His heart pounded in his ears.

This was not possible.

He had been beaten near death. He had died. He felt his body stop. He felt the cold fill his bones. He felt his last breath leave him.

So how was he here.

How was he—

Alive.

And then—

A voice.

It was soft. It was cold. It did not come from the room.

It came from inside his head.

"Vampire System Activated"

Ethan froze.

His breath stopped. His eyes went wide.

What.

A sharp pulse hit his head. He held his skull. It was not pain. Not like before. It was something else. Something new. A force. A presence. It moved through his mind. It pushed into his thoughts. It placed something deep inside him.

"User detected. Ethan Vale"

"Vital signs. Stable"

"System calibration complete"

"Welcome to the Vampire System"

His fingers shook against his head. His chest rose and fell fast.

No.

This was a dream. A trick. His mind had snapped from all the pain.

Right.

But the voice felt real.

Cold. Robotic. Not human.

A system.

Ethan swallowed hard. His throat was dry.

Vampire.

The word made his body shake.

Vampires were not real. They were just stories. Just old tales.

And still—

He felt different.

He moved off the slab. His bare feet touched the cold floor. His legs held him up. They felt strong. Too strong.

His hands made fists. They felt powerful. He had never known this feeling before.

And his senses—

They were alive.

He could hear a low buzz from the lights. He could hear someone breathing in the next room. He could hear a drip of water far away.

Everything was sharper.

More alive.

More real.

And then—

The smell hit him.

Warm. Sweet.

Blood.

His body moved before he could think.

His lips opened. His throat burned. A hunger grew inside him. It was deep. It was real.

Not for food. Not for water.

For something else.

The smell made his heart race. His muscles got tight. Something deep inside him woke up.

His tongue touched his teeth—

And he stopped breathing.

Sharp.

Too sharp.

Fangs.

He stepped back. His heart hit his ribs hard.

No. No no no.

This was not real.

It could not be real.

But every part of him said it was.

His healed body. His sharp senses. The hunger inside him. The voice in his head.

It was all real.

He had died.

And now he was something else.

His fingers touched his lips. They traced the sharp teeth.

He let out a slow shaky breath. His mind raced. The memories came fast—Damian's face. The fists. The pain. The blood. The cold.

The hate.

The anger.

And now…

He had power.

Real power.

He looked up. He saw himself in the steel cabinet.

A pale figure stared back.

His face looked the same. But not really.

Sharper.

Colder.

Something dark moved under his skin. It waited just below the surface. It wanted out.

He breathed slow. His breath was steady now.

This was a gift.

This was a curse.

This was a second chance.

He moved his hands. He felt the power in them.

No more weakness.

No more pain.

And Damian…

His lips pulled into a smile. A cold smile. His sharp teeth showed.

Damian would pay.