Deep within the Shadow Labyrinth, Len hovered mid-air, his black wings beating slowly. With each flap, the surrounding space twisted slightly. The Heart of Shadow had completely merged with him, now beating steadily within his chest, perfectly synchronized with his own heartbeat.
Ron lay on the ground, struggling to lift his head, his eyes filled with disbelief and terror. This being he had always regarded as a half-breed, someone to be bullied at will, now radiated a pressure that surpassed even the most senior elders of the Wolf Clan.
"You... what kind of monster are you?" Ron's voice trembled with fear.
Len slowly descended, his black wings folding behind him. He walked towards Ron, each step causing the magical runes on the ground to glow faintly.
"I am what you have always feared but never truly understood," Len's voice was calm, yet it carried the power to pierce souls. "The night is not destruction, but rebirth; not an end, but a beginning."
He extended his hand, tendrils of black mist swirling around his fingertips. Ron tried to back away in terror but found his body pinned in place by an invisible force.
"Stop!" Lucious suddenly spoke. Though his face was still pale, he had regained some composure. "Child of Night, perhaps we can negotiate."
Len turned to look at the Vampire Prince, no emotion in his eyes. "Negotiate what?"
"Cooperation." Lucious forced himself to meet those abyssal eyes. "The Twilight Cult is gathering outside. Their goal is to devour the Origin within you. Alone, you will find it difficult to withstand the entire Cult."
Lilis hurried to Len's side, whispering, "He's right. I sense at least three Cult elders-level auras outside the labyrinth."
Len closed his eyes slightly, his perception extending beyond the labyrinth's barrier. Indeed, three powerful dark energies were gathering at the labyrinth's entrance, each no weaker than Lucious at his peak. More troublingly, the Cult members with them were setting up a massive magical formation, intending to seal off the entire area.
"What do you want?" Len asked.
"Sanctuary." Lucious was direct. "The Vampires have been infiltrated by the Twilight Cult. I need time to purge the traitors. In return, the Camilla family will acknowledge your status and provide any resources you need."
Ron struggled to his feet. "The Wolf Clan will never bow to a half—to a hybrid!"
Len glanced at him. Just a look, and Ron felt as if a thousand-pound weight pressed down on him, forcing him to his knees once more.
"I am not seeking your opinion." Len's voice was icy. "I am giving you a choice—submit, or perish."
At that moment, the entire labyrinth shook violently. The runes on the walls flickered erratically; clearly, the external magical formation was already affecting the labyrinth's structure.
"They're trying to force open the labyrinth's core!" Lilis exclaimed in alarm.
Len could feel the labyrinth's own defense mechanisms being corroded by some force. The Twilight Cult's research into the Night Origin was evidently deeper than imagined.
"Take them and leave." Len said to Lilis. "I know there's another exit."
"What about you?" Lilis asked worriedly.
"I have some matters to attend to." Len's gaze turned towards the deepest part of the labyrinth. "Some debts need settling."
Lucious looked deeply at Len, then suddenly took a blood-red ring from his bosom and tossed it to him. "This is my token. With it, you can seek aid from any Vampire territory."
Ron struggled, wanting to say something, but under Len's gaze, he ultimately lowered his head unwillingly. "The Wolf Clan... will remember this day."
Lilis activated a hidden teleportation array, and with a flash of light, she, Lucious, and Ron vanished.
Now, only Len remained in the hall, the tremors growing increasingly violent. He could feel something calling to him from the labyrinth's deepest depths—not the Heart of Shadow, but something older, more fundamental.
Guided by instinct, he walked towards the labyrinth's core. The traps and mechanisms along the way deactivated automatically as he approached, as if welcoming their master's return.
Finally, he arrived at a room constructed entirely of dark energy. Suspended in the center was a tome forged from an unknown metal, its cover inscribed with text from the same origin as the notes he had found in the cave, but far more ancient.
The Night Sanctum
The moment Len touched the tome, a flood of information poured into his mind. This time, it was not knowledge or memories, but... the truth.
The Night Origin was not some form of power, but one of the fundamental laws constituting this world, maintaining balance alongside the Light Origin. The so-called Child of Night was actually an agent chosen by the Origin, tasked with intervening when balance was disrupted.
The founder of the Twilight Cult had once been a Child of Night, but lost his way in the pursuit of power, attempting to devour the Origin and replace it. After failing, he established the Cult, generation after generation searching for the Origin's whereabouts.
And Len's hybrid identity was precisely the key to becoming the Child of Night—only one who understood both light and dark, life and death, could truly wield the Origin's power.
"So that's how it is..." Len murmured to himself.
His mother must have known his destiny, which was why she called his bloodline a "unique gift."
Just then, the entire labyrinth shook violently, rubble beginning to fall from above. The Twilight Cult had breached the outer defenses.
Len stored The Night Sanctum, his black wings spreading once more. It was time to show the world what the true Night Monarch looked like.
When he burst out of the labyrinth, the blinding sunlight made him narrow his eyes. At the entrance, three elders in gray robes stood in a triangular formation, their staffs jointly supporting a massive dark magic circle. Dozens of Cult members surrounded them, chanting ancient incantations.
"Child of Night, we've been waiting for you." The elder in the center had a hoarse voice. "Hand over the Origin, and we'll spare your life."
Len hovered in the air, looking down at the Cult members below. "With just you Origin-backlashers?"
The three elders' expressions changed simultaneously. "Arrogance! Activate the formation!"
The dark circle lit up abruptly, countless black chains shooting out from it, entangling towards Len. These chains were composed of pure negative energy, capable of draining the life force of any creature instantly.
Yet, when the chains touched the dark energy surrounding Len, they dissolved like snow meeting the sun.
"Impossible!" one elder exclaimed in shock. "These are Purification Chains specifically designed to counter shadow creatures!"
Len slowly raised his hand. The surrounding sunlight suddenly dimmed, as if night had fallen prematurely. "You know nothing of true power."
He clenched his fist gently. The staffs in the three elders' hands shattered simultaneously. Without their staffs' support, the dark circle instantly collapsed, the backlash sending the surrounding Cult members flying.
"The Night Domain..." the central elder stared in horror at the increasingly dark surroundings. "You can already manipulate a domain!"
Len didn't answer, merely flapped his wings lightly. Countless feathers formed of dark energy shot towards the Cult members like arrows. Each feather struck its target with precision, yet strangely caused no fatal wounds, only temporarily sealing their powers.
"Return and tell the other Cult members," Len's voice reverberated within the domain. "The Night has returned. Anyone who seeks to disrupt the balance will face judgment."
The three elders exchanged glances, knowing they were utterly defeated today. They helped up their injured comrades and fled in disgrace into the gradually brightening forest.
Len slowly landed at the labyrinth entrance, his black wings dissipating into points of light. After this battle, his control over his power had grown more proficient.
"It seems you have fully awakened." Raven emerged from behind a tree, a pleased smile on his face. "Much faster than I anticipated."
"Thank you for your help." Len said sincerely. Without the Night Crows' intelligence, he might have long fallen into the Cult's traps.
"No need for thanks. This is our mission." Raven handed him a crow-shaped brooch. "The Night Crows will always follow the Night Monarch. If you need anything, contact me through this."
Accepting the brooch, Len looked towards the distant sky. At the edge of the Eternal Dusk, a crescent moon was slowly rising.
A new era was coming.
And he was ready.