>Natalia's POV<
Darkness has always been my closest companion. It's in the shadows that I find solace, where the weight of my past and the endless years seemed a little lighter. The world has changed countless times since I first walked its surface, but the coldness that grips my heart remains the same, as does the loneliness that comes with eternity.
My name is Natalia Andrea Petrova, and this is my story.
I was born under the light of a full moon, a child of impossible origins. My mother, a witch of unparalleled power, and my father, a hybrid of a werewolf and a vampire, has defied nature. Both once again defied nature and break the law of the supernatural world by bringing me into this world.
From the moment of my birth, I was marked by fate, a being of light and darkness, of magic and monstrosity. My parents loved me fiercely, raising me in a world where magic flowed through our veins and supernatural was as natural as breathing. But even with their endless and unbreakable love could not protect me from the prophecy that foretold my doom.
As a child, I was adorned by all who knew me. My grandparents doted on me as their precious granddaughter. They showered me with affection. I grew up surrounded by warmth. My nights are filled with stories of ancient spells and werewolf lore, and the days are spent learning the secrets of nature and the ways of the pack.
My life was perfect. Or so it seemed.
As my eighteenth birthday approached, a shadow fell over our family. The propehcy, once a distant echo in the background of our lives, became a looming specter. It spoke of a great and terrible power that could awaken within me on the eve of my eighteenth year. A power that could bring about the end of the world. My parents, who had always believed in my goodness, refused to believe that I could ever become such a monster.
But my grandparents? My grandparents who had loved me just as deeply, and who had cherished me all my life, were consumed by fear.
The night air is cool against my skin as I stand by the window of the motel that I am staying. The floor beneath my bare feat radiating the warmth it gathered during the day. The moon hangs low in the sky, casting silvery light over the landscape. It is a familiar scene, one I have witnessed countless times over the centuries. Yet, despite that beauty that surrounds me, I cannot shake the feeling of emptiness that has settled in my chest.
For over 1,293 years, I have walked this earth, as a creature of the night, a being caught between two worlds that should never be one. I am a vampire-witch. I am an impossible amalgamation of darkness and light. My existence is a paradox. A living contradiction that defies the very laws of nature. And yet, here I am, standing at the edge of eternity, haunted by the memories of a life that was stolen from me before it ever truly began.
I close my eyes and allow myself to drift back to a time long ago, to a time where I was still young and full of hope, before the prophecy that sealed my fate, before the betrayal that shattered my heart. The memories come flooding back. It was vivid and painful, as if they happened only yesterday.
I was born in a small village nestled deep within the Carpathian Mountains. A place where the old ways still held sway. Where magic was as much a part of daily life as the rising and setting of the sun.
My mother, Elara was a powerful witch. She was revered and respected by all who knew her. She was beautiful, with raven black hair that cascaded down her back in waves and her eyes are the color of a stormy sea.
My father, Viktor, was a rare and formidable creature. He was a hybrid of a werewolf and a vampire. He was a being of both the wild and the night. Being both, he can control his werewolf side, by not turning on every full moon. He can turn as he please.
Together, they were an unstoppable force, a perfect balance of strength and magic.
From the moment I was born, it was clear that I was different. My mother often told me stories of how, as a newborn, I had a strange aura around me. There was a mix of light and darkness in and around me that even she could not fully understand. My birth was a miracle. It was a union of two worlds that were never meant to coexist.
My parents named me Natalia. It was a name that meant 'born at Christmas', though I was born in the middle of summer. They said it was because I was their greatest gift. A child of light and hope.
My early years were filled with love and laughter. My parents doted on me. They showered me with affection and teaching me the ways of our world.
My mother taught me the art of magic. She taught me how to harness the power within me and bend it to my will. I learned to cast spells, brew potions and commune with the spirits of the earth.
My father on the other hand, taught me the ways of the night. He taught me how to hunt, how to move silently through the forest, how to tap into the primal instincts that lay dormant within me. But above all. He taught me how to be a good leader and lead the pack.
I was a quick learner. I was eager to please my parents and prove myself worthy of the gifts I had been given. My mother often marveled at my abilities. She said that I had a natural talent for magic, far beyond what she had ever expected.
My father, too, was proud of me, eventhough he was more reserved in his praise. He would often take me on long walks through the forest, teaching me how to track prey and how to control the wild side of the nature. Extra lessons are his way of telling me that I did good and he's proud.
But as I grew older, I began to sense a growing unease in my parents. There was a tension that they tried to hide from me, but no matter how I tried, I could not ignore it.
Sometimes I would watch them whispering to each other in hushed tones with their faces etched with worry. At first, I thought it was just the natural concern of parents for their child, but as my 18th birthday approached, I began to realize that it was something more.
It was during one of these late night whispers that I first heard mention of the prophecy. I was lying in bed, unable to sleep, when I heard my parents voices drifting through the door of my room. I was a very curious child, so I crept to the door and pressed my ear against the wood, straining to hear what they were saying.
"Elara, we can't ignore this any longer. The prophecy is clear. On the eve of her 18th birthday, Natalia will become something...something terrible. We have to do something." My father said. His voice low and urgent.
"I know, Viktor. But what can we do? She's our daughter. We can't just-" My mother replied, her voice trembling with fear.
"We have to protect her. We have to find a way to stop this before it's too late." My father interrupted her.
I didn't continue tuning in to their conversation as I pulled away from the door with my heart pounding in my chest. The words echoed in my mind, a terrible foreboding settling over me. What could they mean? What prophecy? And whay were they so afraid?
The next day, I confronted my mother about what I had heard. At first, she tried to dismiss it, but I could see the fear in her eyes. Finally, after much pleading, she told me the truth.
The prophecy had been foretold by an ancient oracle. A being of immense power who had lived for centuries. According to the prophecy, on the eve on my 18th birthday, I would undergo a transformation in becoming a creature of unimaginable power. A monster that is capable of destroying the world. My parents had known about the prophecy since I was born, but they had always hoped that it would not come to pass, that I would prove the oracle wrong.
But as my 18th birthday drew closer, the signs began to appear. I started having strange dreams. They were visions of fore and blood, of darkness that is rising within me. My magic became more volatile and harder to control. I could feel something shifting inside me. Something that is dark and powerful that I did not understand.
My grandparents, who had always been so loving and supportive, became distant. Their faces lined with worry whenever they looked at me. They tried to hide their fear, but I could see it in their eyes. I can see in the way they avoided being alone with me. It was as if they were afraid of what I might become.
The night before my 18th birthday, I was restless. I was unable to sleep. I could feel the change coming and a storm brewing inside me that I could not contain. My parents stayed up with me, trying to comfort me, but their efforts were in vain. I could see the fear in their eyes. But their fear are different then my grandparents. My grandparents feared of what I may become, but my parents? They fear of what I will have to face and the burden that I will have to carry on my shoulders.
As midnight approached, I began to feel a strange sensation in my chest. It felt like a burning heat that spread through my body, making my blood boil. I cried out in pain, clutching at my chest as the darknesss within me began to rise, threatening to consume me.
My parents tried to help, but there was nothing that they could do. The prophecy was coming true, and there was no stopping it.
My magic flared uncontrollaby, casting sparks of light and shadow that danced around the room, illuminating my parent's worried faces.
"Hold on, Natalia. We are here. We will get through this together." My mother urged. Her voice trembling as she reached out to me, trying to calm the storm raged within me.
But before she could do anything more, the front door burst open with a deafening crash. The sound echoed through the house, freezing us all in place. My heart raced as I turned to see who had invaded our home and fear gripping me as I recognize the faces in the doorway.
My grandparents stood there, their expression grim and determined, flanked by several other witches from the coven. Their eyes were hard, their bodies tense as they surveyed the scene before them. I could see the resolve in their grazes. I know the terrible purpose that had brought them here.
"Elara, Viktor. Step aside. This must be done." My grandmother's voice was cold as she addressed my parents.
"No." My father growled. His eyes change into golden yellow, with dark veins around his eyes as he stepped in front of me. His body shielding mine from their gaze.
"You wont touch her. She's our daughter."
"She is also the one the prophecy speaks of. We cant let her live. You know that." My grandfather replied and his voice filled with sorrow and defeat. He truly believed that there were no other choice.
I have to die.
"There has to be another way. Please don't do this." My mother shook her head, and tears streaming down her face.
But their pleas fell on dead ears. The witches moved forward with their hands ready to strike with their magic. Their eyes shows their intent. But despite that, my parents stood their ground, refusing to let them pass.
"Go, Natalia! Run!" My father shouted. I could hear urgency in his voice and his eyes showed fear of what will happened to me if they both failed.
Despite hearing how urgent his voice was, I couldn't move. I was frozen in place. My body wracked with pain as the transformation continued. The darkness inside me growing stronger with each passing second. I watched in horror as the battle began, the room erupting with fire and shadow as spells were cast and deflected. My father used all his strength to fight the spells thrown at him. He rip apart any witch that he can get his hands on, but the numbers of witches didn't decrease. There is no end of them.
Seeing me in that state, my parents tried to help, but there was nothing that they could do. The prophecy was coming true, and there was no stopping it.
My magic flared uncontrollably, casting sparks of light and shadow that danced around the room, illuminating my parent's worried faces as they fought the witches.
"Hold on, Natalia. We are here. We will get through this together." My mother urged before she cast a protective shield around us. She then, with her trembling hands, reached out to me, trying to calm the storm raged within me.
But before she could do anything more, the protective shield that she cast breaks with a deafening crash.
"Hand her over. This must be done." My grandmother said.
"She must be stopped before its too late." My grandfather add.
"No. She is our daughter." My father growled. His eyes change into golden yellow, with dark veins around his eyes as he stepped in front of me and my mother.
"You wont touch her." My mother said as she stand next to my father. They both shielding me from the my grandparents and the witches.
"You leave us with no choice." My grandfather said before they continue their fight.
My parents fought bravely. Their love for me giving them strength as they faced off against the witches. But they were outnumbered, and it wasn't long before they began to falter. I could see the strain in their faces, the desperation in their eyes as they struggled to protect me.
My mother was the first to fall. She was struck by a powerful spell that sent her crashing into the wall. Her body crumpling to the ground. My father let out a roar of rage and grief. His werewolf blood boils in anger as he fought with renewed fury. But it was no use. The witches were too strong and they outnumbered us.
With a final, agonized cry, my father fell to his knees, blood streaming from a wound in his side. He turned to look at me one last time. His eyes filled with love and sorrow.
"I am sorry Natalia. We tried...we tried to protect you." He whispered. His voice barely audible over the sound of battle. And then he was gone. The light in his eyes faded, and he collapsed to the ground. His body lifeless.
"No!" I screamed. My heart shattering as I watched my parents die before my eyes. The pain of their loss was like a knife in my chest, cutting deeper than anything I had ever felt before.
One of the witch grab me and did not waste his time waiting for me to finish grieving over my parents's death as he slit my throat and throw me on the floor.
And just as suddenly as it had begun, it was suddenly over.
I was dead.
When I awoke, it was to the sound of silence. The forest around me was still. The air was heavy with the scent of earth and decay. I was lying in a shallow grave. The dirth beneath me cold and damp. My body felt different, lighter somehow, but I didn't care. All I could think about was the memory of my parents's deaths, the sight of their lifeless bodies turned into my mind. The pain of their loss was overwhelming, a grief so deep that it threatened to consume me entirely.
But as I lay there in the cold earth, another emotion began to rose within me, anger. It started as a small ember in my chest, but it quickly grew, fueled by the memory of what had been done to me, to my family. My grandparents, the people who had once loved and cared for me, had betrayed me in the most horrific way. They had killed my parents, taken everything from me, and for what? Because of a prophecy? Because they feared what I might become?
I could feel the anger growing, turning into a fiery rage that coursed through my veins, igniting the darkness within me. I didn't care about the prophecy. I didn't care about the supposed monster I was destined to become. All I cared about was making them pay for what they had done, for the blood that they spilled.
With surge of strength, I clawed my way out of the grave, the earth falling away from me as I emerged into the night. The moon was full, casting a pale light over the forest, but it did nothing to calm the storm inside me. I was no longer the Natalia Petrova I had once been. The girl who had been born from loving parents, who had been doted by her grandparents, that girl was gone. In her place was something new, something dark and dangerous.
I looked down at my hands, noticing nothing is different from what it used to look like. But I could feel something is different in me. I could feel the surge of power that I had never felt before. When I was a werewolf-witch, I already have extraordinary strength, minus the turning every full moon, I am basically a werewolf, but this time? This time the strength is different. I also feel the urge of hunger in me. And as I ackowledge the hunger, I could feel something sharp pricking my lips. When I touch it, that is when I realize what I have become.
A vampire.
A vampire-witch.
Or am I a werewolf, vampire and a witch, all at the same time? But it cant be. I could not feel my werewolf blood in me anymore. Everything that I feel when I was a werewolf-witch was gone.
I could only feel my witch side in me, and the hunger and instinct of a vampire. Did I just become a creature of both light and darkness? Am I a living paradox?
But how can I be both of things that cant be one?
Despite the confusion, I has no time to dwell on what I had become. The rage inside me was too strong, driving me forward with a single minded purpose. I had to find my grandparents. I had to make them pay for what they had done.