I didn't feel the cold night air anymore, nor did I care about the slickness of the blood on my hands. I could smell it-feel it drying in rivulets along my skin, but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered now except them, the vampires, and watching each and every one of them burn.
The silver amulet at my neck was pulsing, each beat echoing in time with the furious rhythm of my heart. When faced with the amulet, the vampires recoiled from it, hissed and shrieked as their alabaster skin twisted into something grotesque and fearful. One by one, they writhed as the glow hit them, turned them to smoke, then dust, scattering with a last, panicked howl that sank into the dark silence of the empty streets. The only sounds left were the hollow clicks of my boots, steady against the stones, echoing a promise; none of them would live to see the dawn.
My mother's amulet, the only thing they couldn't take from her, from us. It was like holding her spirit, her love, her fight in my hands. It was the weapon they couldn't see coming, the one they'd fear if they were even half as intelligent as they thought themselves to be.
As I moved through the empty streets, the chill of the autumn air wrapped around me like a shroud, matching the darkness swelling in my heart. I gripped the amulet hanging from my neck, its cool surface grounding me in this mission of retribution. It pulsed with a warm light, imbued with the power I had learned to harness against the creatures of the night.
Tonight, it would be their blood that stained the ground, not my tears.
My target emerged from the shadows, his figure slinking through an alley. He had no idea of the storm that awaited him. I stepped forward, the amulet glowing fiercely in my palm. He turned, his pale skin gleaming under the flickering streetlight, and for a moment, I hesitated.
"Please." The vampire hissed, fear dancing in his eyes. "I haven't done anything to you."
"Your kind killed my mother." I spat, my voice a low growl. "That reason alone stands for itself."
In an instant, I unleashed the power of the amulet. A blinding flash of light erupted between us, searing through the darkness. He screamed, a horrid sound that echoed off the brick walls, before collapsing to the ground. I felt a rush of exhilaration as the familiar sense of justice washed over me. One more vampire down, one more step closer to my goal.
I continued my hunt, the streets my playground of vengeance. Each encounter was a dance of violence, my heart racing with every vampire I found. A group of them loitered outside a rundown bar, their laughter slicing through the night like a dagger. As I approached, I could see the mockery in their eyes, their immortal arrogance fuelling my fury.
"Look, a human." One of them jeered, a tall, sinister figure with eyes like burning coals. "Are you lost little one?"
Without a word, I charged forward, the amulet flaring to life as I unleashed its power. Light erupted from my palm, enveloping them in a blinding blaze. Screams filled the air, punctuated by the sickening thud of bodies hitting the pavement.
As their ashes settled around me, a familiar figure stepped from the shadows, his presence a sudden chill amidst the warm glow of my vengeance. Phoenix. His golden hair framed a face that was both beautiful and infuriating, and those penetrating eyes seemed to read my every thought.
"Phoenix." I said, his name scraping against my teeth like broken glass. My fingers tightened around the amulet, its warmth vibrating under my grip, urging me to finish what I'd started. Yet, here he was, and something in me hesitated.
"Jane." He called softly as he approached, his voice barely rising above the whisper of the wind.
"What do you want?" I asked, my tone ice cold. "I'm busy."
"I can see that." He murmured, his voice calm, mocking. "But enough is enough."
I didn't answer. Words felt useless. All I wanted was action, and he knew it, could see it in the way I squared my shoulders, every inch of my body braced and ready for a fight.
But he didn't move. He just watched me, those impossible dark eyes boring into mine with a flicker of something I didn't want to name, something that looked like pity, maybe even understanding. It infuriated me.
"Get out of my way." I hissed, stepping forward, letting the light of the amulet catch his face, casting shadows under his eyes, over his cheekbones. I could see him flinch, just barely, but he didn't step back.
"Did you honestly think I'd just let you destroy half my kind without so much as a word?" He asked.
"Move!" I demanded.
"What then? You're going to kill all of us?" He asked, his voice dropping to a low murmur, almost tender.
"Yes." I shot back, my voice rough, aching. "Each and every single one of you. And you'll die with them if you stay in my way."
"I'm not going anywhere." Phoenix uttered.
That did it. The anger flared hot again, burning through my hesitation as I shoved the amulet in his face, feeling its heat blaze in my hand. He recoiled, the light sparking off his skin in little wisps of smoke.
But then, he caught my wrist, his grip firm, unyielding as his fingers pressed against my pulse, grounding me. He leaned in close, so close I could feel his breath against my ear, could smell that faint, lingering scent that always seemed to cling to him-smoke, rain, something dark and forbidden.
"Enough." He whispered, his voice more a command than a plea.
For a moment, I couldn't breathe. The rage fought against his words, my mind spinning with images of my mother, of every life taken by them, of every innocent drained dry by monsters who saw humans as nothing but cattle.
"Why?" My voice broke against his silence, a quiet, pleading whisper I couldn't hold back. "Why should I stop?"
His hand lifted, brushing against my cheek, wiping away a smudge of blood I hadn't realised was there. His eyes softened, just for a moment, something unbearably sad flickering in their depths.
"Because when there's no one left to kill, there'll be nothing left of you." His words cut deeper than any blade, a truth I didn't want to hear but couldn't deny.
I tried to pull away, tried to reclaim the fury that had fuelled me, but he held on, his grip as unbreakable as the ache in my chest. And somehow, in the moment, his touch, his presence-it was enough to make the fire die down, just a little, enough to let me breathe.
I let the amulet drop, its light dimming between us, a small ember that pulsed in the night, caught between vengeance and something I couldn't yet understand.
"Is this really how you want to spend your nights, Jane?" Phoenix asked, his voice smooth, like silk over steel.
"Leave me alone. This doesn't concern you." I said, my heart pounding for reasons I loathed to admit.
"Everything about you concerns me." He replied. "You're not a killer. You're driven by pain, and it's twisting you."
I felt the surge of fury rise within me again. "Pain? You think I'm doing this out of pain? I'm doing this for justice! For my mother!"
He shook his head slowly, his expression a mix of pity and something darker. "Justice doesn't come from hatred. You're becoming the very thing you despise."
"No!" I screamed, the words tearing from my throat. "They took everything from me. You took everything from me! I'll not let them take any more."
"And when this is over, what will you have left?" Phoenix asked. "A trail of ashes? A heart full of vengeance? You're better than this, Jane."
I wanted to scream at him, to unleash all my anger, but in his eyes, I found a flicker of something that confused me—understanding? Desire? I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. "Stay out of this, Phoenix. I can handle myself."
But I felt the weight of his gaze, the unyielding pull of our shared history. He was the embodiment of everything I hated and everything I craved. "You don't have to do this alone." He murmured, his voice dropping to a whisper.
I could feel the amulet cooling against my chest, its power waning. I took a step back, suddenly aware of the darkness I was wading into. "And what would you know of being alone?" I shot back, bitterness spilling from my lips.
"I know more than you think." He said quietly. "And I know that you're stumbling on the edge of something terrible. You don't want to be a monster. Trust me."
In that moment, I felt the conflict within me clash like thunder. The pain of loss, the desire for vengeance, and the remnants of a bond I could neither acknowledge nor deny. I was caught in the web of my own making, and as much as I wanted to push him away, I felt a part of me longing for the connection he offered.
"Let me go." I repeated, though my voice was softer, uncertain.
"Not until you see reason." He said, standing firm.
And there we stood, two beings of light and shadow, locked in a battle neither of us truly understood. I was a vengeful human, and he was a vampire with a past that intertwined with mine in ways I both cherished and resented. The night was still alive with the echoes of violence, but in that moment, it felt like a different kind of battle was just beginning—one that would challenge everything I thought I knew about vengeance, love, and the choices that define us.
Suddenly, the world shifted. It started with a rush of cold air, sharp and biting, stealing the breath from my lungs. One moment, I was standing in the street, my fury still blazing in the ashes of the vampires I'd destroyed. Next thing, darkness folded in on itself, twisting and swirling until the ground vanishes beneath my feet.
Then, just as suddenly, it stopped.
The air was still.
Quiet.
And then, all of a sudden, my heart clenched painfully, a jagged raw feeling tearing through me when I saw it.
My mother's grave.
I stumbled towards the grave, my legs moving on their own, my breath hitching with every step. When I reached it, I fell to my knees, the rough earth biting into my skin, but I didn't care.
"Why did you bring me here?" I bit out, my eyes burning as I looked at Phoenix who stood a few paces back, his face shadowed and unreadable.
"You needed to see this." Phoenix replied, his tone calm but firm. "You've been running from your grief, but now you must face it."
I wanted to scream at him, to claw at the calmness in his voice, to rip it apart at the way my chest was ripping apart right now. But I couldn't. The sobs came instead, crashing over me like a wave I couldn't fight.
All the anger, all the hatred, all the cold, steely resolve I'd built around myself shattered in an instant. I bent forward, pressing my forehead against the cold stone, my tears falling in heavy uncontrollable streams.
"You think I needed this?" I growled, my voice cracking under the weight of my grief. I stood, trembling, my fists clenching at my sides. "You think I needed to see her grave? To be reminded of how much I failed her?"
His face didn't change. Instead it was calm, unreadable, like he couldn't weather anything. Like my anger couldn't touch him.
I hated him for that.
I hated the way he just stood there, like none of this mattered, like he hadn't just ripped open every wound I'd tried so hard to stitch closed. The rage bubbled up, hot and suffocating, and before I could think, I was crossing the space between us.
My fist connected with his chest. Not hard, not really, but enough to send a jolt through me. "You had no right!" I shouted, hitting him again, my hands trembling as they struck the unyielding firmness of his coat. "You had no right to bring me here!"
Phoenix didn't flinch.
I hit him again, harder this time, my fists pounding against his chest. "I hate you." I snarled, the words spilling out in a torrent of pain and anger. "I hate you for making me see this. I hate you for making me feel like this."
Still he didn't move. He stood there, steady and immovable, letting me take out every ounce of rage, every bit of grief I'd buried so deeply that I hadn't realised it was eating me alive.
"I hate you." I said again, but my voice broke on the last word, the anger crumbling under the weight of everything else. My hits grew weaker, my strength fading with every sob that tore through me.
My fists pressed against his chest now, shaking, no longer striking him but simply resting there as I tried to catch my breath. Tears streamed down my face, hot and endless, blurring the edges of the world around me.
"I hate you." I whispered, though it came out as more of a plea than a declaration.
Finally, he moved. Slowly, carefully, his hands came up to cover mine, his cool touch grounding me in a way that made me want to scream and collapse all at once. He pried my fists open, gently, and pulled me forward until I was against him, his arms wrapping around me with a strength that didn't feel like restraint but protection.
"I know." Phoenix murmured against my hair, his voice low and soft. "Let it go, Jane."
That did it. The dam broke, and I collapsed into him, my legs giving out beneath me. He held me, unyielding as I sank against his chest, my sobs wracking through my entire body.
"I miss her." I cried, clutching at his coat, my fingers digging into the fabric as if holding on to him might somehow keep me from drowning. "I miss her so much."
"I know." Phoenix said again, his hand moving to the back of my head, cradling it like I was something fragile. "I know you do."
I couldn't stop. The grief poured out of me in waves, raw and uncontrollable, each sob tearing through my throat until I couldn't breath. Phoenix didn't say a word, didn't try to silence me or tell me to stop. He just held me, steady and unshaken, letting me fall apart in his arms.
"I should've been here." I whispered, my voice shaking. "I should've protected her."
"You didn't know this was going to happen." Phoenix said firmly, his voice cutting through broken words. "None of this was your fault. If you want someone to blame, blame Lilith. She did this."
I shook my head against his chest, but he tightened his hold on me, his cool hands pressing against my back like he could hold me together when I felt like shattering into a thousand pieces.
"But, human...I meant what I said earlier. Enough is enough." Phoenix uttered softly.
I wanted to argue, to scream that he didn't understand, but I couldn't. I slowly pulled away and frowned up at him.
"Do you think your mother would want this for you?" Phoenix asked, his voice dropping to a softer tone. "To become a killer?"
I felt my heart race, the weight of his words pressing down on me. "I'm not a killer." I argued, but the uncertainty in my voice betrayed me. "I'm just making sure they pay for what they did."
He gestured to the grave, the headstone glinting in the moonlight, and I felt a lump rise in my throat. "You think she would be proud of this path? Of watching you throw away your humanity?"
"What do you know about what she would want?" I snapped, anger flaring again. "You're a vampire. You don't get to lecture me on humanity."
"I may be a vampire, but I've seen the darkness consume people." He said, his tone more earnest now. "You're so focused on revenge that you're losing sight of who you are."
I clenched my fists, battling the wave of emotions threatening to overwhelm me. "You don't understand. Every time I close my eyes, I see her face. I see what they did. I can't just stand by and let that go unpunished."
"And punishing them won't bring her back." He countered, stepping closer again. "All it will do is add to your pain. You'll drown in this anger, and I won't stand by and watch that happen."
I turned away, staring at the grave. "You don't get to decide what's best for me. This is my choice, and I'm not going to let anyone take that from me."
"Then what? You think this endless cycle of violence will fill the void?" Phoenix asked, his voice sharp. "You're walking a dangerous line, Jane. The more you indulge this thirst for vengeance, the more you become like them."
"Like who?" I asked, my heart pounding in my chest. "Like the monsters who took her from me?"
"Like the monsters who let rage control their every decision." Phoenix said, frustration creeping into his tone. "You're better than that. You have the power to choose a different path."
I felt the tears sting at the corners of my eyes, and I fought them back. "I don't want to hear this right now." I said, my voice trembling.
"Then, when will you hear it?" Phoenix pressed. "When you've lost everything? When you're standing on the brink of becoming what you despise?"
I turned back to face him, my chest tight with conflicting emotions. "You think I want this? You think I enjoy feeling this way?"
"No, but you're letting it consume you." He replied, his voice softening. "I don't want to see you lose yourself. You're strong, Jane, but strength isn't just about fighting. It's about knowing when to stop."
I glared at him, my heart racing with a mixture of anger and desperation. "And what do you suggest I do? Just forget everything? Pretend it never happened?"
"No." He said firmly, stepping closer. "Remember your mother. Honour her memory by living, not by seeking revenge. She wouldn't want this for you. She would want you to find joy again, to fight for a future, not to drown in darkness."
I felt the weight of his words pressing down on me, the truth cutting through the haze of anger. "You don't know what it's like." I whispered, my voice cracking. "Every day is a reminder of what I lost. It's not something I can just move on from."
"I know it's not." He said gently. "But you can choose how you respond to that loss. You can choose to honour her in ways that keep her spirit alive rather than letting her memory turn into a weapon."
I felt a single tear slip down my cheek, and I quickly wiped it away. "I don't know if I can do that." I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper.
"Then let me help you." Phoenix urged, stepping even closer. "Let me help you find a way to channel that pain into something positive. You're not alone in this fight."
I looked into his eyes, searching for sincerity, and found a flicker of warmth beneath the cool exterior. "Why do you care so much?" I asked, my voice trembling. "Why do you want to help me?"
"Because I see you." He said simply.
For a moment, the weight of his gaze held me captive, and I felt the walls I had built around my heart begin to crack. "What do I need to do?"
Phoenix smirked.