Kael hurled the long, round table across the room in a fit of rage. The name "Ryak" burned inside him like a spark that had ignited a wildfire.
The guards flinched—some leapt to their feet and bolted for the door. Kevin gulped and tugged at Julius's sleeve until Julius shook his hand off.
It wasn't that Julius wasn't startled by Kael's sudden fury—he was. He was angry too, but mostly stunned and amazed by Kael's strength. He had never seen him unleash it like this before, and the sheer power of it frightened him.
"Who the hell is he?!" Kael roared. "And what does he want with her?"
Kael didn't like this. Not one bit. The thought of another vampire touching Penelope—of someone sinking his teeth into her neck—made him sick to his stomach and burning with fury. It was in moments like this that his father used to lock him up in the iron cage in the basement. The last time Kael lost control, he had burned down an entire village.
His father, Zac, stood up slowly, his calm voice cutting through the tension.
"Destroying things won't help, son. You need to hear what she has to say."
Zac's voice soothed him a little. Kael sat back down, arms folded across his chest, his dead cold eyes fixed on Sylvia. Her heart skipped a beat under his gaze.
If only he cared this much about me, she thought sadly. If only he loved me half as much as he loves her or even more.
It was her village he had burned down. And yet, instead of hating him—or seeking revenge—she had fallen helplessly in love with him. It was what people called love at first sight. Too bad he didn't feel the same.
She had fallen for the fire that destroyed her home—the fire that stood between them. She loved how fiercely he had stood up for himself and for his father, even when the world turned against them. When her people discovered the truth about their identities, they had wanted him dead. The village was full of humans, and Sylvia had been the only witch among them. No one knew her secret. To them, she was just a poor orphan girl with no one in the world.
But Kael had found out—and everything changed after that.
Sylvia took a deep breath. "Ryak isn't just anyone," she began, making sure her eyes met Julius's worried gaze. "He's a vampire—and not just any vampire. He's one of the oldest."
Kael let out a dark, sarcastic chuckle. "Hmm. Someone's asking for a death wish," he muttered, his eyes narrowing dangerously.
Julius, already on his feet, slammed his hand hard against the table. "A—a va-vampire? What does he want? And why her?" He struggled to steady his trembling voice.
"He knows about the prophecy," Zac said quietly, gesturing for Julius to sit down.
"What prophecy?" Julius asked eagerly, fear written all over his face.
Kael would have loved to mock him for how terrified he looked, but he couldn't. Not this time. This was serious—and judging by Julius's expression, he knew that the man genuinely cared about her.
"The one the elders buried centuries ago," Sylvia answered quickly.
"Isn't that just a myth?" Kael scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Only fools would believe that."
"So, you think your father is a fool?" Sylvia shot back, pointing at Zac, whose head tilted slightly as if waiting for Kael's response.
Kael glared at her. "No," he said coldly. "I know what you're trying to do, Sylvia—and it's not going to work."
"Of course, he'd know I'm trying to lighten his mood," Sylvia thought, a faint smile curling her lips. "He always sees right through me."
Kevin raised his hand, earning a few low grunts from the guards around him.
"What is it?" Sylvia asked warmly.
Kevin blushed slightly and scratched the back of his neck. Without meeting her eyes, he asked, "What's this prophecy about—and what does it have to do with her?"
Julius nodded in agreement, clearly wanting to ask the same question.
Sylvia hesitated, her gaze moving slowly from one face to another. "He believes she—Penelope—is the key."
"The key to what?" Julius asked, his brows furrowed.
Sylvia's eyes dimmed, and her voice dropped to a whisper. "The prophecy speaks of a child born of fire and blood. A child who will either end the curse… or bring eternal darkness to both realms. A child whose blood carries the power to both destroy and create."
"So Princess Penelope carries that blood?" Kevin asked, confusion tightening his brow.
"Yes, yes, and yes!" Vesper snapped from where he sat, unable to contain himself any longer. "Can you think any slower?" he sneered, earning a warning glance from Zac.
"Go on, Sylvia," Zac said calmly.
Sylvia nodded. "Ryak believes her blood can make him stronger—strong enough to destroy the worlds of those who killed his father."
"His father, you say?" Kael muttered, his fists clenching until his knuckles cracked. "If he touches her…"
Sylvia drew a deep breath; her voice darkened. "Ryak's father, Lord Varian, was an elder of terrible renown among the vampire clans — brilliant, ambitious, proud, feared, and dangerously curious. His hunger for power led him astray. He defied the Vampire Council's sacred laws and tried to fuse dark fae magic with vampiric blood — the kind that could bend shadow and life itself. It was forbidden. An act that could shatter the balance between realms."
She faltered for a heartbeat, staring past them as if the memory still burned. "His dream was to rule every realm — vampiric, fae, demon, even the human world. But obsession never stays secret for long. The Vampire Council caught on to his plan quickly."
"He was banished from Vampdom," Sylvia continued. "Stripped of his title, his wings of shadow torn from him, his name struck from the blood-scrolls. They cast him into the Abyss to rot among the forsaken."
Her voice wavered. "He didn't survive. The darkness consumed him. But before he died he left behind a son — Ryak — who swore vengeance on every realm that turned its back on his bloodline."
A hush fell over the room; even Vesper said nothing.
"So this is not just revenge," Zac murmured. "It's legacy."
Sylvia nodded once, slow and certain. "Ryak doesn't only want power. He wants to rewrite fate — to burn the realms that condemned his family and rebuild them in his image."
Kael's jaw tightened. "Even so if Penne gets hurt, he'll pay for it....."