ANMELDENThe catacomb was dead quiet.Only Valerius's heavy breathing echoed against the stone walls.Without the immortal healing, his body was now enduring the same crippling weakness and pain I had suffered every day for three years.But the physical torment was nothing compared to his mental agony.The three men crawled to me on their knees, the sound of flesh scraping against the bloody stone deafening in the silence.Valerius’s trembling hands retrieved something from the floor.The Blood Bond ring.Three years ago, when he chose Tania over me, I had taken it off and thrown it on the ground.Now it lay in the dirty blood, dull and lifeless."Evelyn..." He held the ring, sobbing like a lost child. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... I was blinded... I forgot everything you did for me...""Please, give me one more chance. I'll spend eternity making it up to you! I'll love you with my life, I'll never let anyone hurt you again!"He tried to slide the ring back onto my finger, but I gently pulled m
It was blood-red lightning, carrying fury and judgment.The catacombs shook violently. Spiderweb cracks tore through the stone walls.The law of the ancient Blood Bond is absolute. A life for a life. A power for a power. A betrayal for a reckoning.Three years ago, I sacrificed my immortal healing to save Valerius's life.And now, as the one who benefited, he had personally sent his savior to her death.This betrayal completely shattered the balance of the Bond.The moment Valerius's blood touched my heart, the dark, ancient Blood Pact materialized in the air and burst into flames."Argh!"Valerius let out a blood-curdling scream and convulsed violently.The immortal healing in his body—my power—was being violently ripped out of him by an unstoppable ancient force.The pain of having his soul torn apart forced him to his knees."What... what is this..." Julian backed away in terror."The Bond backlash!" the elder stammered. "The pact is balancing its scales! The power he stole is being
Everyone froze and slowly turned to the altar.On the cross, my body was like porcelain shattered from within, a web of ashen cracks spreading across my skin.My fingertips were already turning to dust, blowing away in the cold draft of the crypt.The Scarlet Judgment had taken my very last drop of blood.I was disappearing."No... no..."Valerius dropped Tania instantly. She crashed to the floor, but he didn't care.In a flash of desperate speed, he was at the cross, his bare hands reaching for the pure silver chains.The burning silver instantly seared his flesh to the bone. The smell of burning skin filled the air.But he felt nothing.He ripped the chains apart with his bare hands, letting the lethal silver poison flood his veins."Evelyn... Evelyn... please... look at me..."He carefully pulled me down from the cross.I weighed almost nothing now, ready to fade away at any second.Julian and Cassian scrambled up the altar.Three proud, untouchable men, now brought to their knees i
The Blood Mirror let out a piercing hum. The entire catacomb trembled.Cracks spiderwebbed across the ancient stone pillars. The candles flickered wildly, casting eerie shadows."Impossible..." The elder backed away, shaking. "The mirror is moving on its own? This breaks all the ancient laws..."But the mirror was beyond anyone's control now.It ruthlessly drained my very last drops of blood. The crimson light was blinding.I could feel the last bit of warmth leaving my body, but at the same time, a twisted sense of satisfaction washed over me.The Blood Mirror didn't just extract memories.When the blood of the accused runs dry, the mirror reveals the Final Truth—a reflection not of memory, but of absolute reality.A scene surfaced. It wasn't a distant memory.It was from half a month ago—the real truth behind this so-called "murder."An abandoned clock tower stood stark against the night sky.A figure in a black cloak waited on the roof.It was the leader of the Fallen, a traitor exi
Cassian jerked back, his face deathly pale."No... no..." He shook his head, trembling. "Please, stop..."But the Blood Mirror had no mercy. It wouldn't stop for anyone's begging.It had already caught the scent of the third memory and began frantically draining the last drops of blood from my body.White-hot agony ripped through me. The world began to blur, my consciousness fraying at the edges.My skin was practically translucent now, my veins branching out like black spiderwebs.Images began to surface in the mirror.The mirror showed a battle on the clan borders, two years past.As the clan's top assassin, Cassian had infiltrated the Fallen's lair alone. But it was an ambush.In the vision, he was covered in blood. A Fallen’s claws had torn open his throat, severing the carotid artery.Black venom was creeping into his veins.It was Fallen necro-venom. Left untreated, the victim would devolve into a mindless Ghoul within three days."Throw him in the dungeon!" Julian's voice echoed
In the memory, I didn't pause for a second."I accept.""So quick to agree! But what if I told you someone else has to feed him this serum for it to work? Still want to do it?"The alchemist leaned in closer. His voice was pure malice. "You save his life. But he will never know. He will think the one who feeds him is his true mate. He will give her his heart. He will give her everything.""Even so, do you still want to make the deal?"I looked up. There was no hesitation in my eyes. "As long as he lives to see the night, it doesn't matter who has him."A shocked gasp ripped through the noble vampires.Trading immortal regeneration for someone else's life. Asking for nothing in return. It was madness. They couldn't understand it.Valerius's massive frame went completely rigid.He stared blankly at the glass. The breath caught in his throat.After he was poisoned, he remembered waking up. He found Tania by his bed, day and night.She came to him in tears. She held a bowl of strange, swee
The Blood Mirror pulsed violently. It looked like a giant, floating heart.The dark red glow grew brighter. It turned the catacombs into a thick sea of blood.My blood flowed along the runes. It poured into the ancient glass.Through the blinding pain, I felt my life fading away.Ashen cracks spread
Bound to the cross, I slowly looked up. My voice was hollow."Valerius, do you really want to see? Once the mirror wakes, there's no going back."His hateful eyes instantly flared with rage.He crushed his wine glass. He roared. "Enough! Who are you threatening? Today, you will apologize for terrify
Julian shook uncontrollably.His lips trembled. He couldn't force out a single word.He remembered perfectly. Five years ago, after that attack, everyone told him a story. They said Tania risked her life. They said she ran into the sunfire to save him.When he woke up in the dark, her face was the f







