Elias now lay on the large four-poster bed, the flickering golden light of the hearth casting shadows across the room. The scent of blood and fire had faded, replaced by herbs and cool linen. His body, though still covered in wounds, had been cleaned. Bandages wrapped across his chest and arms, and the deeper cuts were stitched shut by his maid even when Seraphina had not commanded for it.
The girl had left the moment she had finished her tasks, yet Seraphina felt her lingering scent in the air. She looked away as if searching the reason for her rage in the distance.
Elias opened his eyes slowly. His eyes looked around in confusion. his world swimming into focus like surfacing from a deep, dark ocean. The scent of old wood, burning herbs, and something faintly sweet filled his nose. The pain was gone completely as if it was never there in the first place. Though he knew that he had healing abilities now, he was still amazed by the power of it.
His eyes slowly focused and then he saw her. A smile bloomed on his lips at once.
Seraphina stood by the window, half-lit by the morning sun filtering through the gauze of the curtains. Her silhouette was calm, statuesque yet gave a feeling of emptiness. her long hair cascading down her back like moonlight spilled in the room. She didn't turn to him, but he saw the slight curve of her lips.
"How are you feeling now?" she asked softly. her voice almost blended with the sound of birdsong beyond the glass.
Elias blinked, pushing himself up against the pillows. His body felt strange.
"I feel not only healed but stronger." He looked down at his chest which was covered in gauze and raised a brow. He was sure she did not do it."
"The maid was insistent. She must have developed the loyalty you desired from her already." she smirked with a hint of ridicule in her voice but he ignored it and pulled the gauze with force.
Beneath it, all he found was smooth skin, unscarred and warm. No pain throbbed through his limbs and he felt no stiffness clung to his muscles. He flexed his fingers slowly, testing them.
"It feels as if the battle had never happened." He let out a small breath of disbelief and smiled faintly. "I feel rejuvenated." he murmured.
At that, Seraphina finally turned. Her eyes met his, and for a moment, Elias forgot to breathe. The intensity in her gaze was not born of worry, it was something deeper, something watchful. Her lips pressed together as she walked toward him. her bare feet were silent on the wooden floor but it created an echo in his mind.
"Why are you still here? You knew that I would heal on my own. That is not like you." He asked but she ignored him.
She sat beside him on the bed, close enough that he could feel the warmth radiating from her. Her hand reached up, brushing lightly against his chest and paused right above his heart.
"Are you sure you are fine, Elias?" she asked again in a low voice.
His brow furrowed and his lips parted slightly in confusion. "Yes," he answered, slower this time. "Why do you keep asking that?"
Her fingers lingered at the spot over his heart. There was no pressure to the touch yet he knew it was not seduction like always and it made him uneasy.
"You killed three rogue vampires," she said. "One of them was already a challenge. Three of them?" She shook her head slightly. "You weren't trained for that, not at this level. You should have been torn apart."
He sat up straighter. "But I wasn't."
She smiled faintly, but it didn't reach her eyes. "No. You weren't. Because something has changed in you, Elias. Something I should have noticed earlier."
He opened his mouth to speak, but she leaned closer, her hand still on his chest.
"Your heart, Elias. The only thing that sets you apart from us…" she whispered. "It's blackening."
His eyes widened, searching hers for some kind of explanation, but she looked back at him with quiet certainty.
"Since the accident," she continued, "it's been changing. You are stronger than I have allowed you that night. You are healing like them. And that anger, Elias, you didn't just fight. You enjoyed it. You didn't flinch when your body broke. You stood in fire. You smiled when you were about to be killed just to kill them back."
He tried to speak, but the words stuck in his throat. He remembered the vampire's final scream, the way the flames licked at his skin. The way his hands trembled not from fear, but from power.
"It's not your fault," she said softly, almost a whisper. "But if it continues, you will crave war. Killing will become easy but addictive. It will fill you… until there is nothing left of the man you were."
Elias looked down at his hands. They did not look any different from the last time he was a human.
"I'm not, " he started, but his voice faltered. "I didn't mean to enjoy it."
Seraphina tilted her head, watching him with a bittersweet look. "I know. That's why I am warning you now."
There was silence between them, heavy and solemn. Then Elias slowly looked up, and his eyes no longer held confusion. They were harder now, colder and resolved.
"I chose this path the moment I survived that night," he said with his eyes meeting him and his voice even and quiet. "There is no turning back. If this is what I become, then I won't hesitate."
Seraphina's eyes narrowed slightly, her lips tightening, but there was no surprise in her gaze. Just the ache of someone who had already seen it coming.
"I feared you would say that," she whispered.
He reached out, this time placing his hand over hers. "Fear? I thought you would be happy? If I am stronger, I could achieve your goals faster!."
She looked at him for a long moment. Then she nodded. "Yes. you could be a far better weapon then."
"Then why do you look so solemn?" he could not help but ask, looking into her wary smile.
"Because… then you would not be you."