Chapter 4: The Blood Pact
The alley was no longer an alley.
As Sahil stood face-to-face with the vampire queen, time seemed to collapse around them. The walls stretched into shadows. The street lamps dimmed. Even the noise of the distant city faded into a hushed whisper—as if the world itself was holding its breath.
Sahil's heart pounded. Not with fear.
With recognition.
As though some part of him—buried deep and ancient—had always known her.
Seraphina watched him, crimson eyes glowing with an unreadable mixture of power, sorrow, and something dangerously close to affection.
"You're not afraid of me," she said softly.
"I should be," Sahil replied. "But I'm not."
The Mark of the Heart-Bearer
Sahil looked down at his hand. The glowing mark had faded into his skin, like a brand that had healed instantly.
"Why did it react to you?" he asked.
Seraphina's eyes briefly flicked to the dying creature behind them, now ash and dust. "Your blood carries an ancient covenant. A bond forged before your birth, before your parents' time. It connects you to the Realm of Shadows… and to me."
"Why me?" Sahil demanded. "Why not someone else?"
"Because you are the last," she replied. "The final descendant of the Heart-Bearers—the only line born of both vampire and human royalty."
Sahil stepped back. "That's not possible. My parents were normal. Ordinary."
Seraphina looked almost sad. "No, Sahil. They were warriors. Guardians of balance. They died protecting you from the Council of Night."
"The what?"
She looked up at the sky. "You're not ready to know everything. But the Council... they fear you. And now that your powers have awakened, they will come."
A Queen's Confession
They walked in silence through a dreamlike version of the city. Seraphina kept him hidden within a glamour—an illusion only ancient magic could sustain.
Eventually, they reached a rooftop overlooking the Ganges. The moonlight danced on the water below, casting Sahil's thoughts into deeper confusion.
"Why are you really here?" he asked finally. "Why now?"
Seraphina turned to him. Her crown shimmered, and her expression shifted—no longer cold or regal, but… conflicted.
"Because of the Prophecy," she said. "And because of a promise I made—to your mother."
"My mother knew you?"
"We were… bonded," Seraphina said after a long pause. "Not by blood. By trust. She believed the realms could coexist again—human and vampire, mortal and eternal. She died trying to protect that dream."
Sahil didn't respond.
Seraphina stepped closer. "She also made me vow… that if you survived… I would protect you. And when the time came—"
She hesitated. For the first time, Seraphina, Queen of the Crimson Dominion, seemed unsure.
"—I would offer you the pact."
"What pact?"
She met his eyes.
"The Marriage of Realms."
The Blood Pact Revealed
Sahil froze. "Marriage? You mean…?"
Seraphina nodded solemnly. "It is symbolic. Sacred. A union that joins two bloodlines, sealing peace between their worlds. If you accept, our bond becomes unbreakable. No vampire, no demon, no god could harm you. You'd be protected… and feared."
He tried to speak, but the words tangled in his throat.
"It was agreed long before your birth," she added. "If the Heart-Bearer survived, and I remained Queen, our fates would intertwine."
"And if I say no?"
She paused.
"Then the Council will kill you. And Anika. And everyone you love. And I… I would be forced to watch it happen."
Her voice broke slightly at the end, like the edge of a blade finally snapping after centuries of pressure.
Sahil turned away. "I don't even know who I am. How can I marry a vampire queen?"
"Not a vampire queen," she said gently. "The vampire queen."
Dreams of the Past
That night, Sahil couldn't sleep.
He lay awake on his bed, staring at the ceiling, the mark on his hand faintly glowing.
When he finally drifted off, his dreams were not his own.
He saw a castle of bone rising under a blood-red moon.
He saw his mother, younger, arguing with Seraphina beside a giant black tree whose roots whispered spells.
He saw two children—one with eyes of fire, one with silver fangs—playing beneath the stars.
And then… he saw a wedding.
Him, older. In robes of red and gold. Beside Seraphina, dressed in ancient silver, a crown of blood roses on her head.
They were surrounded by beings from both worlds—humans, vampires, even winged creatures from forgotten lore.
And as they kissed, the world burned… and then bloomed.
A Choice Awaits
Sahil woke with a jolt.
It was still night.
Seraphina stood outside his window, not touching the glass, simply watching.
No words.
Just waiting.
The choice was still his.
But time was running out.