Dario released his grip on Javier's shoulder. "You can go now."
Thana watched him curiously, wondering what he and Javier had been discussing. From where she stood, it looked like a pleasant conversation.
"Weird," she muttered.
"What?" Benita asked, pausing mid-dance.
"Nothing," Thana smiled, letting Benita spin her.
Dario turned away, disappearing into the shadows of the ballroom.
"Don't move an inch," Javier called, his voice cold.
Dario merely grinned and walked on.Javier clenched his fist in frustration, wincing as a strange pain shot through his shoulder,How could Dario be so strong?
Later, Dario found himself alone in his chamber. He ran a hand over his face.
"What am I… who am I?"
The truth had been gnawing at him ever since the events at the ball. He already suspected he wasn't fully human.
"Am I… a vampire?" he whispered.
He shook his head and wandered toward his bookshelves. Being a fan of fantasy, he loved stories of vampires, demons, and werewolves. Perhaps a book could calm his racing thoughts.
His hand fell on a grey-covered book he had never seen before. The moment he touched it, a clicking sound echoed—then the bookshelf slid open, revealing a hidden passage.
"What the…?" He muttered, stepping inside. The door closed behind him. Candles illuminated the space, revealing another doorway.
He opened it and suddenly, he was standing in a moonlit forest. The door shut behind him. Was this magic? A hallucination? Or some blessing to escape his boredom?
He inhaled the crisp night air. The darkness was softened by moonlight and stars.He wandered, eventually reaching a small, quiet section of the market. No one recognized him, and for the first time, he felt free.
A sudden voice made him start. "What are you reading?"He whirled around and froze.
A man stood before him,tall, pale, striking, dressed in black, with long hair falling freely over his shoulders.
"Who… who are you?" Dario asked, cautious but intrigued.
The man smiled. "Sit." He gestured to the log of a dead tree beside him. Dario hesitated, then lowered himself a few feet away.
"So… who are you?" He asked again.
"I'm like you," the man replied.
"Like me?" Dario frowned.
"I'm a night walker. Just like you, Prince Dario," the man said, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"How do you know my name?" Dario asked.
"Because you're a prince," he said lightly.
"And your name?"
"Ezekiel… but you can call me Zek," he replied.
"Ezekiel… Zek," Dario muttered, intrigued.
"I like the sound of that."
"You're handsome," Dario admitted quietly.
Ezekiel smiled faintly "More than… Demetrio, maybe?" he muttered internally.
Shut up, his subconscious scolded. No one is like Demetrio.
"So, why are you out here at this hour?" Dario asked.
"Like I said, I'm a night walker. I roam the night," Ezekiel replied.
Dario glanced down at his book. "Vampire stories, demons… fantasy. You like them too?"
Ezekiel chuckled softly. "You're a fan of your own kind… interesting."
"Zek, these creatures… they aren't real, right?" Dario asked, looking up.
Ezekiel didn't answer immediately.Instead, he leaned back against a tree, studying him.
"Are they fiction or non-fiction?" Dario asked cautiously.
Hearing Dario's curiosity, Ezekiel finally spoke. "Perhaps I should tell you a story…"
"Thousands of years ago, a war broke out between vampires and demons. Endless battles, endless death. In the end, the demons triumphed, enslaving the remaining vampires. But one vampire… was undefeated. He left the underworld without a scratch. Even the demons feared him. His name… is Demetrio. A night walker, like us."
Dario's amber eyes widened. "Demetrio…"
"Yes. And soon, you will understand why you've been drawn into all of this," Ezekiel said, his gaze piercing.
***
Meanwhile, in his mansion, Demetrio stared at the pale, unconscious Arianna. Her body hadn't decayed in thirteen years.He had bitten her countless times, fed her blood, yet she remained in a trance-like sleep.
"I will never give up on her," Demetrio muttered, ruffling his hair and taking a long drag from his pipe.
"I met the boy today?" Ezekiel said from the shadows. "You should meet with him," he added.
"I know but I don't think I'm ready to meet him" Demetrio replied, eyes narrowing.
"You should be," Ezekiel said calmly. "He loses himself whenever he touches one particular girl."
Demetrio's gaze snapped toward Arianna.
"What are you saying?"
"A demon in disguise appeared to him… claiming to be his mother," Ezekiel said.
Demetrio's eyes widened. "Damoness," he whispered.