"Seamus, please close your eyes and don't make a sound!"
"No! He's not here! The boy is dead!"
"Don't kill me, please! Don't—"
The only thing Seamus heard next was a curling scream, followed by the wet splatter of blood and then darkness.
Suddenly, his father's face was right in front of him, twisted in rage, screaming:
"YOU KILLED YOUR MOTHER!"
—
Seamus's eyes shot open. He was surrounded by nothingness.
The sky—if it could be called that—was pitch black. No stars, no light. Just an endless dark that somehow grew even darker the more he stared.
He couldn't feel his body, not even the wetness of his shirt or the ragged pull of his breath.
It was all gone.
He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
'What the hell? Where am I? Is this the afterlife?' he thought, hearing only the echo of his own mind.
'No... Someone pulled me here. I remember... I was in the garden. I was being chased by... Viviane.'
He gulped. If he could remember, did that mean he was really dead? Was this his soul drifting in some void?
"You're right, Seamus. You're dead."
The voice echoed from the darkness. It was a familiar woman's voice. He heard that once and remembers it because of how ridiculous her request was.
That voice…
"Seamus, you're dead and ready for reincarnation. What path will you choose?"
He furrowed his brows. 'I don't know if you can hear me or not, but don't mess with me, Madeline.'
A soft chuckle followed. "Huh. You're no fun."
Her figure peeled out from the shadow like ink lifting off paper. She was smiling in her cocky way which made him more annoyed.
With a snap of her fingers, the endless void vanished. In its place appeared a cozy room with a fireplace crackling gently. Two velvet sofas faced each other beside a large window, and a tray of warm tea waited on a low table.
Madeline sat like she owned the place, legs crossed, swirling her cup as if this was just another afternoon chat.
"You may sit and talk."
Seamus blinked and was confused about where his whereabouts was. But hey, he experienced bizzare things since he was trapped here, he should have been used to it.
He could see his body again, feel his breath return, and sense the warmth of the room. Slowly, cautiously, he sat across from her.
"Where is this? Why did you bring me here?"
"That's rude, boy. I just saved you from being burned to a crisp by that crazy firstborn of that woman." She set the teacup down and smacked the back of his hand with a fan.
"Ow," he winced, rubbing it. "Is this another one of your tricks? A realm illusion or something?"
Madeline laughed. "You really don't know anything, do you? This is the edge of a dream, boy. Isolde and Viviane would never find us or listen to anything we said."
"You know you are in the dream realm that Isolde made all this time, right? Her eyes and ears are everywhere."
He picked up a macaron from the tray and sniffed it. It was sweet and tasted like one too when he bit it.
"A dream? But I can taste this?"
She sighed. "Oh boy, how should I even explain it? But then again, why bother? You rejected my offer."
Her gaze drifted to the tea, which reflected her image like glass. "Should've just left you there to die. Maybe Isolde and her daughters would've been devastated."
That made him shiver. "Thanks for helping me, I guess," he muttered.
"But I doubt Isolde would be devastated. That's... exaggerating."
Madeline tilted her head, eyes sharp. "Ah. So you really don't know anything."
She sipped her tea again. "Ignorance is a blessing sometimes. But in your case, it'll be the reason you get used until there's nothing left of you."
"Like cows on a farm."
"It's not like I chose to be like this," Seamus said, firmer this time. "I'm locked in that place. All the books have blank pages. Isolde never answers my questions!"
"And Viviane is... well, you know how she is." He rubbed his temple.
"Oh please. Excuses." She rolled her eyes. "You never once even looked for me."
"Well, yeah. You showed up out of nowhere and asked me to help you destroy Isolde! What was I supposed to do, say yes? Do I look like I'm stronger than her?"
Seamus stood up, frustrated. "If you're going to keep pushing this, I'd rather be out there getting killed by Viviane than sit here and listen to whatever bullshit you're selling."
He turned and stormed to the door, opened it, and froze.
The same room waited beyond it. The same fireplace, same tray, same velvet sofas... and Madeline still seated, now waving at him from the other side.
He slowly turned around to look behind.
Madeline was still there too, casually sipping tea.
"Don't be dramatic," she said with a smirk. "Come back and sit. I'll tell you exactly how you'll help me destroy her."
Seamus kept glancing around to his front and behind, but finally let out a sigh and dropped back onto the sofa.
His arms crossed over his chest, an annoyed look on his face as he stared at her, silently demanding she speak first.
"Viviane and Isolde might've told you why your blood is special," Madeline said, resting her cheek against her hand with a casual elegance.
"Because it tastes and smells good, right?"
She gave a small smile. "But that isn't the whole truth. You're far more special than that."
"Crimson Nectar," she continued, tilting her head slightly. "That's what they call it. A creature born once every hundred years… and somehow, always dead within a year of being found."
The room grew colder, the temperature dropping enough to make Seamus shiver.
"Why?" he asked quietly, hesitating.
"Because they either want to kill you or own you, Seamus. You're the catalyst. The trigger for vampire evolution. And you know how important that is to them, don't you?"
She leaned in a little, her voice dropping lower. "After all, their worth is judged by power alone. And you already proved it by making Viviane evolve."
Seamus didn't know what to say. He just stood there, frozen, trying to process everything. He is a catalyst. He is being hunted. Him… dying.
"But why did they want to kill me if I am this important? They should have at least treated me like some God or something" he asked, still unsure what she meant.
Madeline looked startled, then laughed softly. "You are really naive. Human, vampires, everything is still full of politics bullshit."
"You die because the factions who want peace between humans and vampires think your death is the only way to protect the balance."
She looked at him carefully now, her expression turning serious. "Even the Vampire Hunters place a high price on your head. It's not about you as a person, Seamus. It's your blood. Because it can change everything."