"Are you sure we're going the right way?" I asked, glancing sideways at Amaya as our horses trotted through the narrow woodland path.

She gave a calm nod, her dark hair swaying gently in the breeze.

"The Blood Lords have received all the Blood of the Witch," she explained matter-of-factly. "So… I can sense them."

That was… surprisingly convenient.

I'd never thought of it before, but it made sense. And in a way, it was good news—well, as good as anything involving vampires and witches could be.

But then a thought hit me.

"Wait… if you can sense them, then the Vampire Witch could feel it when Lakalros died, right?"

She nodded again, though this time her expression darkened slightly.

"She knows. And she can see through him. She also knows where I am."

Oh, fantastic. We were basically walking around with a magical beacon strapped to us.

"So we're screwed if they really come for you, is what you're saying."

Amaya tilted her head, not exactly denying it.

"Can't you… I don't know, cut the connection between you and her somehow?" I asked. I knew it sounded way too easy but I had to ask.

"I… don't know," she said.

As expected she really didn't know the full extent of her power. Or maybe she hadn't even learned to control it yet. Weirdly enough, I found it kind of reassuring.

Because now I was convinced—she was Selene Amaya Tepes, the Vampire Witch from the books I'd read. But right now, she wasn't yet the Vampire Witch. And as long as I kept her safe, maybe she never would be.

But then… if the Vampire Witch never appeared because I prevented it, wouldn't that mess with the future? Wouldn't that change my present?

Then again, the Prophetess told me I was meant to be here, in the past. So maybe… maybe nothing I did could really change the outcome. Maybe all of this—my choices, my actions—were exactly what needed to happen for me to end up back in my own time.

The more I thought about it, the more my brain started to knot itself in confusion. So I decided to shove that whole mess aside. The only thing I knew for certain was this: I wasn't going to let Amaya become the Vampire Witch.

After what the Prophetess said, I was more relieved knowing I'd eventually return to my present… though her casually mentioning that I'd only return to meet my death—exactly like in the prophecy—was a little less comforting.

Just as that grim thought crossed my mind, I felt it—

A shift in the air.

"Wait," I said sharply, holding up a hand.

Amaya stopped beside me.

The forest fell silent. No birds. No rustling. Just an eerie stillness that felt wrong.

Then, a chill wind slipped between the trees, rattling the leaves. The breeze carried a scent with it—thick and coppery..

Blood.

Our horses suddenly went wild, thrashing against their reins, their eyes wide with panic.

They whinnied sharply before tearing free and bolting into the woods.

I jumped down from the saddle, and Amaya followed quickly.

"Stay close to me," I told her, scanning the treeline.

Amaya immediately came right up beside me and grabbed my arm.

"Not this close!" I muttered, trying to shake her off just as a voice spoke.

"What do we have here?"

The voice was feminine, lilting, and far too amused.

I spun around but saw nothing.

"Are you Rulana?" I called out, my muscles tensing.

"You're with Amaya," the voice replied. "So you must be that Mael who took down Lakalros."

"Yeah. And you're next."

She giggled—a sound that felt far too warm for the cold creeping down my spine.

"That's—"

"…!"

A whisper brushed my ear, so close I could feel the breath. "Cute."

Instinct kicked in—I swung my arm back hard, but my strike hit only air as a crimson mist swirled where she'd been.

"How about showing yourself instead of hiding like a coward?" I groaned.

Her voice floated around us, hard to pinpoint.

"Do tell me, human… why have you taken Amaya? I'm really… intrigued."

"It regards only myself," I said.

Rulana's voice floated lazily through the air, as though she were circling us like a predator deciding whether to strike.

"Unfortunately, Amaya belongs to us. She has no use among weak, brittle humans. So I am confused… why take her? You're not Resistance—they would have killed her outright if they knew who she truly was."

I kept my mouth shut.

"Hmm… so you do know who she is. Did Amaya tell you herself? Strange. And stranger still—you didn't kill her. Why is that?"

"You're asking too many questions," I shot back.

A low sound of amusement echoed around us.

"Perhaps… you're simply manipulating her. Keeping her as a pet. Or maybe…" her tone shifted, sharpened, "…a sex slave?"

"What?" My lip curled in disgust.

"Humans…" She sighed, "such a vile race. I've seen so many of my kind chained, degraded, reduced to joy toys for your kind's pleasure."

"I'm not like that," I said.

She ignored me, turning her voice toward Amaya.

"You should come back to us. That human is using you—can't you see? Keeping you close only benefits him. That is all."

Amaya remained silent.

"He knows exactly what you are, yet he keeps you by his side. Why do you think that?" Rulana continued, her voice circling us like a whispering serpent. "Because he cares? Everyone only cares about one thing in you—what you can do. That is the truth for every Vampire Witch for centuries. They all learned it. They all chose their destiny to survive—by any means necessary. And you will understand it too, once the Vampire Witch inside you awakens. You will see the cruelty of this world."

Amaya didn't answer. Didn't flinch.

Her expression was unreadable, and that… bothered me.

Was she ignoring the words because she didn't care? Or because she agreed with them and just accepted them?

"Come back to us—"

"Shut up already."

I tore my arm from Amaya's grip, stepping forward.

With a flick of my hand, I summoned Khryselakatos. The bow manifested in my hand, gleaming with deep amber light.

"You can spit whatever bullshit you want," I said, raising it, "but you're not taking Amaya."

The amber energy flared as I drew back the string. A massive arrow formed, its light flickering across the trunks of the surrounding trees. I aimed high.

"Your move, leech."

I loosed it.

The arrow shot into the sky, detonating with a deafening crack. From that single burst, hundreds of smaller amber arrows rained down like a golden storm, striking the earth and ripping through the forest with relentless precision.

–BOOOOM!

The ground shook. Trees splintered, branches crashed to the earth, and a wall of smoke rolled over us. I stepped in front of Amaya, throwing up a protective barrier to shield us both.

When the dust began to settle, the devastation became clear—a twenty-meter radius around us reduced to shattered trunks and smoldering earth. Not a single tree left standing… except one.

And on that lone survivor of the blast, she stood.

Rulana.

A vampire with black hair cascading down her back. Her eyes burned a deep crimson, unblinking, fixed on me with amusement.

In her right hand she held a weapon—if you could call it that. A long spike, twisted and dented along its length, bristling with jagged, thorn-like protrusions.

A weapon meant not just to kill, but to make killing hurt.

She smiled faintly, and began to clap.

"I'm impressed… but congratulations," she said, her crimson eyes glinting in the dim light. Her lips curled into a playful, dangerous smile. "Now that I've revealed myself… what do you think of me?"

I blinked. "…What?"

"If you give me back Amaya," she continued, "I'll allow you to touch me once.

What the hell was this lunatic babbling about?

"I'm not interested," I said, raising my bow and loosing an arrow before she could finish that smug grin.

Rulana moved like a blur, springing aside and landing lightly on the ground before darting toward me.

I snapped Khryselakatos into a defensive stance just as—

-BAM!

Her spiked weapon slammed into the bow with bone-jarring force, a shock traveling up my arm and rattling my teeth. My boots scraped backward over the dirt, but I steadied myself and lifted the bow again—only to realize she'd vanished from in front of me.

Without hesitation, I twisted at the waist, drawing and firing over my shoulder in one fluid motion.

The arrow screamed through the air, so fast the wind split around it. A sharp sting brushed my cheek, her blood.

When I turned, Rulana was already landing from her dodge, one hand touching the fresh crimson cut on her cheek. She was smiling.

"You're interesting," she purred. "How about becoming my little pet? I could keep you warm at my side."

"I said I'm not interested," I snapped, dismissing the bow into nothingness and sprinting toward her. "Anathemas Fire."

Flames erupted around me, twisting in violet and crimson arcs, the heat scorching the air. Rulana's eyes widened.

"Vysindra's Breath," I growled, throwing my fist forward.

-BOOOOM!

A torrent of purple fire roared from my fist, slamming into her. The blast tore across the ground, engulfing her in searing heat. I caught a glimpse of her smirk faltering as her skin blistered and blackened under the assault.

She was airborne a moment later, her body crashing hard into the dirt with a sound that made the ground tremble. Then came the scream—high, piercing, and short-lived—before the flames consumed her voice.

When the fire faded, she was motionless.

Cautiously, I stepped forward, my boots crunching on scorched earth, until I stood over her body. The charred skin still sizzled faintly.

Was that… really it?

Her once-fiery crimson eyes had dulled to a muddy brown. I froze as I noticed tears slipping from them, evaporating instantly in the residual heat.

"You're finally here, Edward!"

Viessa's voice snapped my attention upward. She and the others emerged from the treeline, their gazes shifting from the blackened ground, to me, then to the corpse.

And then—

"N–Nooo!!!"

The anguished cry tore through the silence. One of the Olphean knights broke formation, racing toward the charred remains on the ground. His hands trembled as he reached her.

"Rina! Rinaaaa!!!" His voice cracked, desperation spilling out with every syllable.

"…Rina?" I muttered, caught off guard.

Viessa's eyes softened with something like pity as she looked at the man.

"She… was his wife," another knight said quietly, but he glared at le?

The man's sorrow twisted to rage in an instant. "You… you bastard!!!"

He lunged at me, fist swinging. I caught his wrist mid-strike.

"What… does that mean?" The Olphean King asked. His stare bored into me, and in that moment, I felt every single gaze in the clearing fix on me—accusatory, searching.

"I thought it was Rulana," I said. "She attacked me."

"Bullshit!" The knight's voice cracked, grief twisting it into something feral. "My R–Rina would never—"

"She did," I cut him off. "She attacked me and tried to kill me. Whatever she was… it wasn't her anymore. Rulana must have done something—twisted her."

The man's eyes burned with hate. "W–Why?! Why did you kill her?!"

I released his wrist with a shove, the motion sharp enough to make him stumble back. I didn't waste another second looking at him.

Without another word, I turned and started walking away.

"W–Wait, Edward—where are you going?" Viessa's voice followed after me.

I didn't slow my pace. "Going to kill her."

"Amaya," I called her then.

She was at my side instantly.

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