The Fear I Always Knew

CHAPTER 17

Moonlight slipped into the dimly lit room. Long, dark curtains hung half-open, revealing a hazy forest outside where ancient stone walls melted into the night. In the center of the room stood a table cluttered with old maps, scattered notes, and metal objects stained with dried blood. The air was heavy with silence, broken only by the slow, deliberate ticking of an old clock on the wall.

A tall woman stood against the wall, her back resting against the cold stone, arms crossed tightly. Her eyes were fixed on the pale light seeping through the window, but her ears were tuned to the faintest movements outside.

Then came a sound. A footstep.

She turned her head.

The door creaked open.

She tilted her head slightly and spoke, her voice low but steady.

— "Hey, Vlad… the kids are back."

The man leaning against the table slowly lifted his head. Vlad. Broad-shouldered, towering, with gray eyes that carried a frightening calm. Deep lines etched across his face told of years endured and burdens silently borne.

Vlad drew in a slow, deep breath. He could feel the heartbeats, even from a distance. He had sensed their return before they reached the door. But this time… something was different. Something was wrong.

— "Their heartbeats…" he muttered, almost to himself.

The woman frowned slightly.

— "What is it?"

Vlad's gaze drifted beyond the walls, as if seeing something no one else could.

— "They're wrong. Too fast. But it's not fear… even wounded, they wouldn't resonate like this. No… this is something else."

The woman inhaled sharply, but didn't speak.

Then the door burst open. Ethan stepped inside, followed by the remaining five. Their faces were pale, drained of all color. Their clothes were torn, smeared with blood, dust, and mud. Their steps were slow, unsteady like men carrying the weight of something they couldn't yet comprehend.

Ethan's eyes locked on Vlad. For the first time, they held uncertainty. He, who usually wore a confident, almost mocking smirk, now looked shaken.

He took a breath, steadying himself, and spoke.

— "Father… we don't know what we saw."

Vlad's gaze hardened, locking onto Ethan's. The silence in the room grew heavier, pressing down on everyone like a storm waiting to break.

— "Speak," Vlad ordered, his voice calm but sharp as a blade.

Ethan hesitated for a moment, then the words came tumbling out.

— "It was… strong. Too strong. Its first roar—just one sound and the others… they shifted back. Just like that. Human form, instantly. I don't know how… but it stripped them. Then…" Ethan's voice faltered, eyes widening slightly as the memory clawed its way back.

— "Then I attacked. But it roared again. That sound… it stopped us. Completely. Our claws, our strikes they did nothing. Nothing! It was like… like our power was nothing compared to it. We couldn't even fight back. We didn't understand. It was just… too powerful."

The others said nothing. Only their labored breathing filled the room. One of them found a chair and collapsed into it, arms trembling.

Vlad's brows furrowed. His eyes glinted faintly, a spark of anger flickering within. But outwardly, his expression only shifted slightly controlled, measured. His voice, when it came, was cold enough to freeze the room.

— "So many of you… and you were useless. Is that what you're telling me?"

The tone sent a shiver down every spine in the room.

Ethan lifted his head, his gaze firm but laced with unease.

— "It wasn't just us, Father…"

A pause. Then he added quietly,

— "The vampires… they couldn't stop it either."

Vlad's pupils dilated slightly. For a moment, time seemed to stretch thin. The silence was so absolute that even the clock's ticking faded away.

Then, in a low, almost resigned voice, Vlad spoke.

— "So… the thing I feared most… has come."

The woman's head snapped up, eyes wide. Even Ethan seemed lost for words.

Vlad moved slowly, circling the table. His hands clenched into fists, veins standing out beneath his skin. He had known this moment would come. He had waited years, prepared for this inevitability. And now, it was here.

— "It has arrived," he whispered. But the words echoed in the minds of everyone present, sinking deep into their bones.

Ethan's voice barely rose above a whisper.

— "It? You mean… it? Who… what is it?"

Vlad tilted his head slightly, his gray eyes now blazing with a mixture of fury and resolve.

— "I've known for years it would come. I've spent years preparing. Because when it appears… the balance will shatter. But this time… this time, I will end it."

He reached for an old blade resting on the table. The moonlight caught the edge, casting a cold, silver gleam across the room. Vlad's voice grew deeper, sharper.

— "Prepare yourselves. The time for hiding is over. It came for us. But this time… we will hunt it."

A thick silence followed. Ethan lowered his head slightly, while the others exchanged uneasy glances. Fear, confusion, and a spark of reluctant hope hung in the air.

And in the corner of the room, under the pale glow of moonlight, the map spread across the table seemed to shift marking the beginning of a new war.