Chapter 5: Awakening
Darkness swallowed Aarav whole. His mind drifted through an abyss, weightless yet bound by unseen chains. Whispers curled around him—soft, seductive, ancient. They spoke in a language he didn't understand, yet every word burned into his soul like a forgotten prayer.
"Kairos… awaken."
His eyes snapped open.
He was no longer in the mansion's grand hall. Instead, he stood in a vast chamber bathed in crimson light. Towering stone pillars surrounded him, their surfaces etched with symbols pulsing like beating hearts. At the center of the chamber lay a massive throne—black as obsidian, adorned with veins of molten gold.
And on that throne sat a figure.
Tall. Cloaked in shadows. Eyes like twin suns—piercing, all-knowing. A power radiated from him, pressing against Aarav's chest, suffocating yet intoxicating.
"Who are you?" Aarav's voice cracked.
The figure leaned forward. "I am what you were. What you will become again."
Aarav took a shaky step back. "No. I'm not… I'm just a normal—"
"Normal?" The figure chuckled, low and resonant. "You are Kairos, the heir to the Crimson Pact. The blood of the ancients flows through you. You belong to the night."
Aarav's head throbbed. Memories surged—of a past he had never lived, of battles fought under the Blood Moon, of ruling alongside two crimson-eyed queens.
Seraphina. Selene.
His stomach twisted. "This isn't real."
The figure rose from the throne, moving like smoke, closing the distance in an instant. A cold hand gripped Aarav's chin, forcing him to meet those burning eyes.
"This is the only reality that matters."
Aarav tried to pull away, but the world tilted. His body burned, veins igniting with something raw and ancient. Power. Hunger. A calling that had waited centuries to be answered.
The figure smiled, revealing long, curved fangs.
"Accept your fate, Kairos. Or be consumed by it."
Aarav gasped as the chamber shattered around him.
The next thing he knew, he was back in the mansion, sprawled on the cold marble floor. Seraphina and Selene knelt beside him, watching with anticipation.
"You saw him, didn't you?" Seraphina whispered.
Aarav's throat was dry, his breath ragged. "Who… was that?"
Selene's eyes glowed. "The King of the Eternal Night. The one who has waited for your return."
Aarav's hands trembled. His reflection in the polished floor sent a jolt of terror through him—his eyes, once deep brown, now glowed crimson.
The change had begun.
To be continued…