{VAL}
I brought the goblet to my lips, letting the virgin blood settle upon my tongue—a rich, warm sweetness laced with innocence and fear.
Its warmth flowed through me, yet did little to soothe the storm brewing in my chest.
Beyond the mansion's glass walls, the world sprawled in a storm of night. The moon hung low, bleeding pale silver across the forest, while the distant mountains brooded like silent sentinels.
This estate—my inheritance, my prison—felt smaller by the hour.
This body's power, lineage, very blood… All carried the mark of nobility. All bore the ancient purity of House Nightborne.
And yet—
Even with all of that—it was not enough.
Not enough to withstand him.
Valtheris Darkmoon.
The last surviving pure-blooded vampire directly from the First—the one whose shadow devoured the world long before kingdoms rose or mortal tongues could name him.
