Not even half an hour had passed since the maid fled in terror when the door to my room opened again.But this time, it wasn't a servant.
It was Lirae Veyra—my mother.
The princess of the dark elves entered with steady steps, wrapped in a black silk gown that seemed to drink in the candlelight. Her eyes, two lakes of pure violet, regarded me in silence as she closed the door behind her.
I didn't need words to know: she had heard everything.
"Mother…" I whispered, my voice still trembling.
Lirae's gaze swept over me. Her eyes paused on my horns—slender and dark, the cursed crimson glow still pulsing. Then on my eyes: the left violet, the right burning red. Finally, on my trembling hands, where faint traces of the shadows I had summoned still lingered.
"So… you've awakened." Her tone was not one of surprise but of certainty.
I swallowed hard."You knew this would happen?"
Lirae moved closer until she stood before me. Her presence was imposing, but there was a restrained warmth in it—the love of someone who had never been able to show it openly.
"Nyx, you are the result of two bloodlines that were never meant to mix. The blood of a vampire and that of a dark elven princess. From the day you were born, I knew the world would never accept you."
Her voice trembled—barely, but I heard it."But I also knew that if you survived your childhood… one day you would awaken into something far greater than any of us."
I lowered my gaze, clenching my fists."Today I almost killed an innocent. The hunger… the power… it was too much. If I hadn't stopped myself…"
"And you think that makes you a monster?" Lirae took my face in her cold hands, forcing me to meet her eyes. "No, my daughter. That makes you dangerous, yes. But it also makes you powerful. And do you know what power means?"
"That they'll fear me…" I murmured.
"That you will have a choice."
I fell silent, confused.
"Your eyes are the proof of your destiny. The left, from my people, will allow you to see what others hide, to uncover truth within the shadows. The right, from your father, is the reflection of your hunger, your strength, and your curse. If you do not control it, it will consume you. But if you master it… no one will be able to stop you."
My heart pounded in my chest."Why didn't you tell me before? Why did you let me grow up thinking I was worthless?"
Lirae closed her eyes, showing a pain she rarely allowed to surface."Because if you had known too soon, you would have died before reaching this moment. Your enemies are many, Nyx. The clan, the vampire court, even my own people… all of them would want to use or destroy what you are."
She leaned in and kissed my forehead."But now… now you are no longer the weak little girl who cried alone. Now you are Nyx Veyra Nocthra, the forbidden heir. The world fears you, and with good reason."
I listened, feeling for the first time not only fear but hope."And you, Mother? Do you fear me?"
She smiled softly, caressing my cheek."To fear you… would be to deny that you are my daughter. I love you, Nyx. And I will stand by your side… until you decide whether you are the salvation or the damnation of us all."