The body was discovered just after dawn.
It didn't take long for the crowd to gather.
At first, no one understood what they were looking at. A man lying on the pavement, unnaturally still, his skin pale in a way that didn't belong to the living.
Then someone noticed the marks. Two small punctures at his neck.
Clean and deliberate and just like that—The past returned.
By the time Kael reached the facility, the news had already spread not officially, not confirmed.
But everyone knew. Voices followed her the moment she stepped inside, low and Uneasy.
"It's real this time"
"They said it was over" another added.
"No one's seen an attack in years."
Kael didn't slow. Didn't react.
But her eyes shifted slightly, taking everything in.
Fear had a way of moving faster than truth.
"Dr. Arden."
Eryndor called to her.
She turned.
He stood where he always seemed to be lately,close enough to observe, far enough to remain unreadable.
"You've heard," he said.
"Hard not to."
A pause. Then, quieter.
"It wasn't random."
Something flickered in his expression.
"You're certain."
"Yes."
He held her gaze for a moment longer than necessary.
Then nodded once.
"We're tightening security," he said. "No one stays late. No one moves alone."
Kael tilted her head slightly.
"And the lab?"
"Work continues."
Of course it did.
The day passed, but nothing settled.
Every sound felt misplaced. Every silence lingered too long.
No one said it aloud, but the truth sat between them all.
If one vampire had entered the city… More could follow.
Kael left before evening fully settled.
Not because of fear. Because she had questions.
Ashwood welcomed her the way it always did.
Without warmth. Without sound.
The shift between cities was seamless, but the weight of it never changed. The air felt older here and heavier. Like it remembered things Amalos had chosen to forget.
The elders were already gathered, arguing before Kael walked in.
"You've delayed your reports."
The words came before she had fully stepped into the chamber.
Kael didn't stop walking.
"I've been occupied."
A faint pause.
"Drifting," another voice added.
That made her look up.
"You were sent with a purpose," the first elder continued. "Observation. Information. Control."
"And I've done all three."
"Not well enough."
Silence stretched thin.
Kael's gaze sharpened slightly.
"You sent another vampire into Amalos."
"Yes."
No hesitation.
"Why?" she asked.
The answer came easily.
"Because you stopped doing your job."
The words didn't rise,they didn't need to.
Something in Kael stilled.
"You think I've lost focus."
"We think," one of them said, "you're becoming too involved."
And "Attached."
Kael didn't react. But something behind her eyes shifted,cold and measured.
"The attack was unnecessary," she said.
"It was effective," the elder replied.
"It exposed us." Kael added immediately.
"It reminded them."
A quiet tension settled over the chamber.
Old power pressing against old defiance.
"The one you sent," Kael said after a moment. "Where is he now?"
"He will return."
She held their gaze.
But said nothing.
"Be careful, Kael," one of them added. "You are closer to them than you realize."
She turned before they could say more.
That was enough.
By the time she returned to Amalos, night had already taken hold.
The city had changed.
Not visibly,but deeply.
People stayed inside,lights went out earlier.
Doors locked faster.
Fear had settled in.
The next morning came with tension still intact.
But this time something else was waiting.
"Dr. Arden."
Eryndor again.
But different and quieter. "Walk with me," he said.
She followed without question.
Through the lab,past the others Into a restricted corridor no one else used. Only when the door sealed behind them did he speak.
"There was another incident."
Kael didn't look surprised.
"Where?"
"My house."
That made her pause. Just slightly.
"And?" she asked.
Eryndor looked at her for a moment.
As if deciding how much to say.
"I was attacked," he said.
Her gaze settled on him fully now.
"You're standing."
"Yes."
Then,
"He's not,show me."
He hesitated,then turned.
The room he led her into was colder than the rest of the facility. It was quieter,sealed.
The body lay on the table.
Still and unmoving.
Kael stepped closer slowly.
Her eyes scanned it once,
Then recognition came instantly.
Matt.
So.
He hadn't returned.
"What happened?" she asked.
Eryndor didn't answer immediately.
His gaze shifted—slightly distant.
"I had just turned off the lights," he said quietly. "Everything was normal."
A pause.
"Then I heard something. Not loud. Just enough to make me turn."
Kael didn't interrupt.
"The window shattered," "Before I could react, he was already inside."
His jaw tightened slightly.
"Fast. Direct. No hesitation."
"He didn't speak. Didn't stop. Just came straight for me."
A brief pause.
"He grabbed me, and then…" He exhaled slowly.
"…something changed."
Kael's gaze sharpened.
"I didn't fight him," Eryndor said. "I didn't even move."
His voice dropped.
"But the moment he touched me,he froze."
Another pause.
"At first, I thought he was trying something," he went on. "But then I saw his face."
A faint tension slipped into his expression.
"Confusion. Then…"
Kael's voice came low.
"Then what?"
Eryndor met her eyes.
"Pain".
"It wasn't gradual," he added. "It hit him all at once. Like something inside him turned against him."
Kael said nothing.
"He tried to pull away," Eryndor continued. "But he couldn't."
A faint pause.
"Then he collapsed."
Just like that??
"And that was it."
Silence settled between them.
He didn't try to explain further.
Because he couldn't, whatever happened it wasn't normal.
Kael's gaze lingered on him a second longer. Then shifted back to the body.
"Why didn't you report this? asked Kael.
Eryndor met her eyes.
"Because I wanted to understand it first.
"And I don't think the others would."
That was honest. Kael straightened slightly,her expression calmed and controlled.
But her mind was already moving faster than before.
The elders had sent Matt.
Matt had died,not by chance. Not by weakness. But by him.
And whatever was inside Eryndor,
It wasn't something the elders had mentioned.
Which meant one thing.
They didn't know.
Kael looked at him again longer this time.
"You should be dead," Kael said quietly.
Eryndor didn't look away.
"I've been told that before."
Then,Kael turned and walked toward the door.
But just before she left
She stopped.
"Whatever this is,it won't stay hidden for long."
Then she left.
Eryndor stood there in the silence that followed.
His gaze lowered slowly to his hand.
The same hand that had been touched.
The same moment everything changed.
For a second,something moved beneath his skin,faint and dark. Gone before it could be seen clearly.
He clenched his fist. And said nothing.