The forest fell silent.
The Blood Eater's words continued to echo inside everyone's minds.
"It has begun."
Then darkness swallowed the moon.
The clearing was plunged into shadow.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Not even Sirius.
Because something far more terrifying than the Blood Eater had just happened.
The monster had recognized Damian.
Not as prey.
Not as an enemy.
As something important.
Something ancient.
Something it feared.
Or perhaps something it served.
Both possibilities were equally horrifying.
Far beneath Darkheart Castle...
Miles below the earth...
Below forgotten tunnels...
Below buried ruins...
Below ancient catacombs that even the royal family no longer knew existed...
Something moved.
A single eye opened.
It was enormous.
Larger than a castle tower.
Crimson.
Ancient.
Filled with hatred.
The chains surrounding it rattled.
The sound echoed through the darkness.
Countless chains.
Thousands.
Millions.
Each one covered in glowing runes.
Each one powerful enough to imprison gods.
And yet...
the creature smiled.
A smile no mortal would ever want to see.
Because after thousands of years...
It had felt Damian awaken.
Back in the forest.
The Blood Eater suddenly raised its head.
Its remaining eye stared toward Darkheart Castle.
Then it growled.
Not aggressively.
Almost...
Respectfully.
The beast took several steps backward.
Damian frowned.
"You're leaving?"
The creature looked toward him.
For several moments neither moved.
Then the broken voice sounded again.
"Too early."
Damian narrowed his eyes.
"What is too early?"
No answer.
The Blood Eater continued backing away.
Its massive body slowly disappeared into the darkness.
Silas blinked.
"Wait."
"That's it?"
The executioner looked offended.
"We fought for ten minutes and now you're leaving?"
The Blood Eater ignored him.
Sirius however felt uneasy.
Extremely uneasy.
This wasn't over.
Nothing about tonight felt finished.
The creature looked toward Damian one final time.
Its eye burned like blood-red fire.
Then...
BOOM!
It vanished into the forest.
The trees shook violently.
Within seconds its presence disappeared completely.
Gone.
As though it had never existed.
Silence returned.
Only the cold wind remained.
Nobody spoke for a full minute.
Then Silas finally broke the silence.
"I hate mysterious things."
Damian almost laughed.
Almost.
The adrenaline was fading.
Pain was returning.
Every injury from the battle suddenly became noticeable.
Several broken ribs.
Deep claw wounds.
Muscle tears.
His regeneration immediately accelerated.
Bones began reconnecting.
Flesh healed.
But the process hurt.
A lot.
The prince gritted his teeth.
Then his body suddenly weakened.
His transformation had lasted too long.
The moonlight around him faded.
The silver glow disappeared.
His massive wolf body trembled.
Sirius immediately noticed.
"Damian."
The prince tried answering.
Instead...
he collapsed.
"YOUR HIGHNESS!"
Natalie's scream echoed through the forest.
She rushed forward.
This time Sirius didn't stop her.
The transformation was ending.
The giant white wolf began shrinking.
Fur receded.
Claws disappeared.
Bones shifted.
After several moments...
Damian returned to human form.
Unconscious.
Covered in blood.
And completely naked.
Natalie immediately wrapped a cloak around him.
Her hands trembled.
Not because of embarrassment.
Because of fear.
The prince looked pale.
Too pale.
Sirius checked his pulse.
Still strong.
Still alive.
The executioner sighed.
"He's exhausted."
Silas scratched his head.
"Can awakening do that?"
Sirius remained silent.
Normally?
No.
This wasn't normal.
Nothing about Damian had ever been normal.
A few minutes later.
The humans remained nearby.
Garrick looked conflicted.
Very conflicted.
The older warrior knew he should leave.
Yet he couldn't.
Not anymore.
Not after what he had seen.
Elara stared at Damian's unconscious face.
Her silver eyes were full of emotions.
Confusion.
Curiosity.
Fear.
And something else.
Something she herself didn't understand.
Rowan noticed.
He frowned slightly.
But said nothing.
Finally Sirius stood.
His decision had been made.
"You three."
Garrick stiffened.
"Yes?"
"You're coming with us."
The warrior's face darkened.
"To Darkheart?"
"Yes."
Garrick immediately shook his head.
"No."
The answer surprised everyone.
Even Sirius.
Most people feared refusing him.
Yet Garrick didn't hesitate.
The executioner's eyes narrowed.
"Why?"
The older warrior hesitated.
Then he looked toward Elara.
For a moment.
Only a moment.
But Sirius saw it.
And that told him everything.
The man wasn't protecting himself.
He was protecting her.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The executioner slowly smiled.
A dangerous smile.
The same smile people saw before disappearing forever.
"Now I really want to know why."
Garrick cursed internally.
He had revealed too much.
Suddenly...
Elara stepped forward.
"I'll go."
Everyone looked at her.
The woman met Sirius' gaze without flinching.
"I'll go to Darkheart."
"Elara!" Garrick shouted.
She ignored him.
Her silver eyes shifted toward Damian.
Specifically Damian.
Not Sirius.
Not the executioners.
Damian.
Then she quietly said...
"I need answers too."
Sirius noticed that.
And smiled slightly.
Tonight was becoming more interesting by the minute.
Hours later.
Darkheart Castle.
The massive black fortress stood beneath the moon.
Ancient.
Proud.
Terrifying.
Its towers pierced the clouds.
Its walls had survived wars that reshaped continents.
And tonight...
something beneath it had awakened.
Though nobody knew it yet.
Not even King Fenrir.
Not even Queen Scarlett.
Inside the royal chambers.
Damian slowly opened his eyes.
Pain greeted him immediately.
His entire body felt broken.
The prince groaned.
Then noticed something.
Someone was sitting beside his bed.
A woman.
Beautiful.
Golden eyes.
Long brown hair.
His mother.
Queen Scarlett.
She smiled softly.
"Awake?"
Damian blinked.
For a moment...
he felt like a child again.
Not a prince.
Not a future king.
Just a son.
"How long?"
"Since sunrise."
Damian groaned.
"So I slept an entire day."
"Almost."
The queen gently brushed hair away from his forehead.
A simple gesture.
Yet one she hadn't done in years.
Damian smiled slightly.
Then his expression changed.
The memories returned.
The Blood Eater.
The voice.
The chains.
The eye.
Everything.
His mother immediately noticed.
"What happened?"
The prince hesitated.
For the first time in many years...
he wasn't sure what to say.
Because somehow
he knew.
Deep in his heart.
Tonight wasn't the beginning of his awakening.
It was the beginning of something much larger.
Something that had been waiting for him long before he was born.
And somewhere beneath Darkheart Castle...
The chained creature smiled again.
Waiting.
Patiently.
For its prince to come.