Author: Hello friends, I apologize for the long delay in uploading the chapters. I had some difficult circumstances, but I will try to make it up to you with many chapters. Thank you for your support.đź’™
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Kaiden stood still, his eyes closed, enveloped by a profound silence. The struggle within him was not merely a choice between two sides; it was a collision between the identity he had worn for so many years and another, deep-seated one, screaming for recognition. He felt the heat of his blazing blood surge. Fear was no longer the sole occupant of his senses; there was a strange pulse, a power he had never known, waiting behind the wall of his denial.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes. The crimson glow was stronger, more stable than it had been moments ago. He lifted his head, the trembling in his hands ceasing. A new gaze, heavy and cold, settled on Garen and the girl.
"There is no freedom in being hunted... in being killed simply for who you are," Kaiden finally spoke, his voice lower and deeper, stripped of the hesitation that had marked it just moments before.
Garen stepped closer, his eyes gleaming with anticipation: "That is true. So, what is your choice, Kaiden?"
Kaiden sighed, but it was not a sigh of despair; it was the release of something long suppressed. "I am tired of running and hiding. I am tired of being something I am not. If this blood grants me power... then I will use it."
He tilted his head slightly toward the girl, a cunning smile replacing his fearful expression. "I want to know everything. About myself, about you, and about this world they hid from me."
The girl smiled widely, as if she had won a long-awaited wager, and a faint applause left her hands. "A wise choice. Welcome home, Kaiden."
Garen raised his powerful arm and gestured toward Kaiden's shackles. "You will not be needing those anymore."
Before Garen could move to unlock the restraints, Kaiden felt an uncontrollable flash of power. In an instant, a colossal pressure built in his hands. Instead of waiting, Kaiden gripped the chains with instinctive force.
CRACK!
The iron links tore violently away from the wall in a single, brutal motion, not by the lock, but by the sudden, surging strength in his muscles. The remnants of the chains clattered onto the floor with a metallic crash as Kaiden stood on his feet, panting.
He stared at his hands with an anxious mix of disbelief, then looked at Garen and the girl.
The girl laughed softly, admiration filling her tone. "Magnificent... Garen's blow woke the sleeping beast. I didn't expect you to break free so quickly."
Garen, showing no shock, nodded in understanding. "The blood does not lie. You are already accepting your power. Those chains were not made to hold a fully awakened vampire."
Garen advanced toward him, his eyes piercing Kaiden's. "Now that you have chosen our path... you have much to learn. The first thing you must know is my true name and hers. I am Garen, Prince and Master of this place. And this is Selena; she will be your guide."
Selena looked at Kaiden, the cunning smile replaced by a more serious gaze. "You do not need to feign weakness or fear in front of me anymore, Kaiden. But you must learn to control this rage and the power of your blood. If you lose control, you will be a danger to us as well as to humans."
Selena extended her hand toward him. Kaiden hesitated for a moment, then reached out and touched her cold fingers. In that instant, he felt a cold, electric current pass between them—an undeniable bond.
Garen spoke: "Then, Selena, show him. He has chosen his destiny. It is time for him to see the Kingdom he has been hiding from all his life."
Selena smiled, gently pulling Kaiden from the stone chamber and into a dark corridor.
"Come, Kaiden. Forget your human past. Now... you will live as a ruler. I will show you what it means to be a true vampire."
Kaiden followed her, his gaze fixed on her gliding silhouette. His heart still hammered violently, but fear was beginning to fade, replaced by a strange passion to understand the power coursing through his veins. Beyond the locked door, an entirely new world awaited him.