Chapter 112 — The Seed of Doubt Takes Root in Selene
After leaving the chamber, Selene went straight to the firing range, venting her anger — at Kraven, at the situation, at the unease gnawing inside her.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Bullets slammed into the plaster dummy, shredding it until it was riddled with holes.
A voice spoke behind her.
"I hope you never get mad at me like that."
A Black vampire approached.
Kahn — one of the Death Dealers' weapon specialists, responsible for developing anti-Lycan weaponry.
Selene ignored him and raised her gun again.
"Wait," Kahn said. "Try this."
He handed her a silver USP Match, already chambered.
Selene examined the pistol. It looked nearly identical to her usual sidearm.
"What's different?" she asked with her eyes.
Kahn pressed a nearby button, replacing the ruined plaster target with a fresh one.
"Fire a few rounds."
Selene didn't hesitate. She aimed and pulled the trigger.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
At first, nothing seemed unusual.
Then she noticed it.
A metallic, silver fluid began leaking from the bullet holes in the dummy.
Her expression changed.
She understood.
"Drop the mag," Kahn said.
She ejected it and saw a round similar in design to the UV bullets used by the Lycans — translucent casing, liquid core.
But this wasn't UV.
Inside was a suspension of silver particles.
"You copied the Lycan UV round," Selene said quietly, "and replaced the payload with liquefied silver."
Kahn nodded.
"A delivery system," he said. "For a lethal compound."
Silver alone could wound a Lycan.
But this…
This would circulate through the body.
Poisoning from the inside out.
Selene stared at the round in her hand.
The war had just escalated.
And somewhere in the back of her mind, William's words echoed again.
Things were not what they seemed.
Selene, a warrior through and through, immediately grasped the true danger of the round.
"Unlike normal bullets," she said quietly, "this can't just be dug out."
"Exactly," Kahn replied. "It enters the bloodstream. You can't remove it."
Selene studied the silver-suspension round in her hand — and her thoughts drifted.
Kraven.
Lucian.
And William's unsettling words.
"Kahn… let me ask you something."
He looked at her.
"Do you really believe Lucian is dead?"
Kahn frowned slightly. As a Death Dealer, he had little love for politicians like Kraven.
"You're suggesting Kraven fabricated the story?"
Selene nodded.
"That's what I think. An old legend he keeps repeating. There's no real proof he killed Lucian."
Kahn's expression hardened.
"I've never doubted Kraven's ambition," he said. "But the key issue is this — Viktor believes him."
He paused, then added,
"Why are you asking these questions?"
Selene shook her head. "No reason."
But there was a reason.
After leaving the range, the doubt in her heart had only grown heavier.
She went straight to the archives.
There, she retrieved the official record:
Kraven's legendary battle with Lucian — his supposed slaying of the Lycan leader, and the burning of his stronghold.
She sat and began to read.
Kraven's entire political standing rested on that single event. Without it, Viktor would never have appointed him Regent during his slumber.
On the surface, it was heroism.
In reality?
Kraven was Viktor's fixer — the one who handled dirty work. That earned him favor. The Lucian incident simply gave him a public myth to stand on.
Viktor might be arrogant and conservative, but he understood power. Keeping a man like Kraven close served his rule far more than it harmed it.
Selene read for a long time.
And found something chilling.
The only proof Lucian had been killed…
…was a piece of flayed skin bearing Viktor's sigil.
Nothing else.
No remains.
No witnesses.
No body.
And then she remembered.
The Lycan she had seen earlier at Michael's apartment.
He had worn a pendant.
The same pendant shown in the old records — hanging from Lucian's chest.
All signs pointed to one conclusion.
Lucian was alive.
Thud.
She closed the book.
Her world felt unsteady.
With nowhere else to turn, she placed her hope in one person.
Viktor.
She would wake him early.
If Kraven continued ruling, Viktor's entire bloodline would decay from within.
---
Meanwhile — Budapest Train Station
Two hours later, William finally reached the station.
At this hour, even the staff were scarce.
But in a city that served as Viktor's stronghold, those still on patrol were almost certainly vampire retainers.
Immortality was a powerful temptation. For many humans, eternal life was worth the price — even if it meant blood and never seeing the sun again.
A commotion broke his thoughts.
William slipped into the shadows.
Moments later, more than a dozen black cars arrived. A security guard opened the barrier and waved them through.
William recognized the convoy.
Kraven's people.
Officially, they were here to receive Amelia.
In truth?
They were here to confirm whether the Lycans had succeeded in killing her.
That was Kraven's deal with Lucian.
His ambition stretched far beyond being Regent.
He wanted the throne.
The empire.
Even Viktor was part of his long game.
Too bad Selene had already moved to wake Viktor early — a development that would shatter Kraven's plans.
Once the cars entered the station, William slipped in from another direction.
He leaned casually against a pillar on the platform, doing nothing suspicious — just watching.
Soon, a deep mechanical rumble echoed.
An old steam train rolled into the station.
Whether it was vampire nostalgia or Hungarian infrastructure, the line still ran on steam.
With a screech of brakes, the train stopped.
Inside, the Death Dealers exchanged signals with Kraven's delegation.
Only then did Amelia step out of her carriage.
Behind her, members of her American coven followed, ready for what should have been a diplomatic meeting with their European counterparts.
Then—
A long, chilling howl split the night.
William saw them clearly.
Fully transformed Lycans landing atop the train cars.
Glass shattered.
Gunfire erupted.
Screams tore through the platform.
And under Budapest's dark sky, the night turned into a massacre.