Jasmia finally explained everything that had happened in the lair while the others were unconscious. She began healing both Nightshade and Lori with her potential to ensure their recovery and safety, preparing them to finally leave the site of their long, grueling battle.
"Really? You awakened your potential?" Tsukia asked, her voice bright with a genuine, sisterly pride as Jasmia helped her to her feet.
Nightshade didn't join the celebration. He walked over to the lifeless form of Terlos, his expression a mask of cold indifference as he picked the Mortalaroth from the dead man's fingers. He weighed the relic in his hand—the very thing that had nearly cost them their lives.
"How do we get out of here?" Jasmia asked, her eyes darting toward the dark corridors.
"The Association doesn't leave their hounds without a leash," Nightshade said, pulling a secondary stone from his pocket. He placed it on the grime-streaked floor. "Return."
A pillar of light erupted, swallowing the four of them.
The air in the reception room was climate-controlled and smelled of old paper—a sharp contrast to the sulfur of the lair. Chief Sheira stood by the desk, her arms crossed, her eyes like flint as she watched the group materialize.
The receptionist stepped forward, her expression unreadable as she took the relics from Nightshade. With a flick of her wrist, a heavy suitcase materialized—their payment. But as Sheira stepped toward Tsukia, her hand reaching out for another "scan," Nightshade moved.
He stepped directly into her path, his shoulder blocking her view of the girl.
"We're going now," he said. His voice wasn't just cold, it was a warning.
Sheira didn't push. She simply watched them walk away, her gaze lingering on the back of Tsukia's head with a deadly, calculating intensity. She knew they were hiding something in tsukia's sleeve, and in the Kingdom of Dissiri, secrets were a commodity.
Tsukia's POV
The walk back to the basement was a blur of self-reflection. My wrist still hummed with the phantom sensation of the black veins. The fever had taught me a brutal lesson, my body is still weak for immense power and I need to train more.
I need to get stronger, I thought, gripping my arm. Not just for me, but so they don't have to bleed for me again. My friends.
"Are you okay?" Nightshade asked, his eyes narrowing as he watched me hold my wrist.
"I'm fine," I replied, though the lie felt thin.
We finally reached the basement. The moment the door clicked shut, we all collapsed. The badass fighters and the awakened supporter were suddenly just four hungry, exhausted teenagers.
"I'm starving. Let's order everything on the menu," Jasmia suggested, already reaching for the phone.
While we waited for the food, Nightshade retreated to the kitchen. The sound of the coffee grinder was the only noise for a moment before Lori broke the silence.
"I'm still amazed by what you did, Jasmia," Lori praised, his eyes shining.
"I wish I'd seen it," I added with a smile.
"It was like... the air just became lighter," Lori explained, gesturing wildly with his hands. "My flames felt like they could melt the sun."
"By the way," Jasmia leaned in, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Nightshade... he's strange, right? I saw him. He made a dagger out of his own blood. It wasn't like any magic I've ever seen."
"What if we just ask?" Lori suggested.
At that exact moment, Nightshade walked back in, his black coffee steaming. He stopped, sensing the collective weight of our stares.
"What exactly are you, nightshade?" Jasmia asked bluntly.
Nightshade took a slow sip of his coffee. "I'm a hybrid. Half-human, half-vampire."
The pieces clicked into place. His tactical brilliance came from his human side, but that terrifying, visceral power over blood was his birthright.
"So how do you... you know... eat?" Lori asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. "How do you find blood when the cravings hit?"
Nightshade's lips curled into a small, teasing smirk. "The first person I see, I'll just bite them. But for you guys? I'd ask nicely first."
"HUH?" we all stammered in unison. I felt a weird pang in my chest—a flashback to the girl he had bitten in the Dragon's Lair. I pushed the thought away, annoyed at why I even cared.
"I'm joking," he added, though his eyes remained serious. "I have tablets to suppress the urge. But I'm out. I'd have to go back to Vamra Kova to get more... and I don't plan on ever seeing that place again."
Vamra Kova. The name alone sent a chill through the room. The Nation of Vampires was a place of legend and nightmares, a land shrouded in eternal twilight.
The arrival of the food broke the tension. We sat together, laughing and eating, a sense of unity finally settling over us. As I watched them, I felt a surge of fierce protectiveness. I had found a family in the most unlikely of places.
"I need to wash up," I said, standing up.
I walked into the bathroom and turned on the faucet, letting the cool water run over my hands. I looked into the mirror, expecting to see my usual reflection. But as I stared at my eyes, a fragment of a memory—or perhaps a dream from when I was unconscious—began to surface.
It wasn't a memory of the lair. It was a memory of a place I had never been... and a face I shouldn't have known.