Flashback – Three Days Ago
The catacombs beneath Salt Blake trembled with the sound of dripping water and dragging chains.
The air was heavy, humid, and filled with the scent of oxidized iron.
Bluish torches lit a corridor leading to a massive stone door, covered in arcane symbols and ancient runes.
Cletus walked ahead, his footsteps echoing like funeral drums.
In his hands, the Book of Twilight, bound in dark leather and engraved with the symbol of an eye surrounded by fangs.
Behind him, Nyra followed in silence — golden eyes sharp, expression unreadable.
"This is the Underground Temple,"
Cletus said, his deep voice reverberating through the columns.
"A forgotten reliquary, built by the first cultists of Dracula."
He set the book upon a pedestal and began turning its pages slowly.
"Here lies the seal that keeps the Eye of Twilight Castle asleep..."
The sound of the pages turned like whispers.
"They say it was banished to the underworld by Ulisses after the great war. But..."
he smiled, glancing sideways at Nyra
"nothing lasts forever."
Nyra crossed her arms.
"And what's needed to bring it back?"
Cletus replied with a scholarly tone:
"Three components."
He raised three fingers.
"Cursed blood." — he looked at her.
"The energy of a scarlet moon." — he turned toward the ceiling, where thin cracks let the red light seep through.
"And finally... a living vessel capable of containing the seal."
Nyra raised an eyebrow.
"A vessel? You mean... someone who can channel the castle's essence?"
Cletus smiled.
"Exactly. And that someone is you."
He struck his staff against the floor — the sound echoed through the temple.
The runes began to glow red. The ground trembled.
Nyra rested her hand on her katana's hilt.
"What are you doing?"
Cletus took a step back, spreading his arms.
"Before we begin the ritual... I must see if the vessel is worthy."
From the circle around the pedestal, twisted shapes began to emerge.
Elongated limbs, bone faces, white eyes, and teeth like blades.
Creatures with the bodies of men and the claws of beasts.
Wendigos.
Their roars echoed through the temple, reverberating like a starving choir.
Nyra clenched her fists.
"A test of strength, huh?"
Cletus chuckled low.
"Just... a warm-up."
One of the Wendigos lunged, slicing through the air.
Nyra sidestepped — the ground cracked where it struck.
She drew her katana in a flash — the blade shimmered under the bluish light.
Her eyes glowed bright blue, and for an instant, her lupine aura appeared — a translucent shadow of a massive wolf behind her, fangs bared.
"Let's play, then," she murmured.
She moved forward, slicing the air — a horizontal strike that tore off one creature's arm. Black blood splattered across the columns.
Another Wendigo came from behind — Nyra spun, kicked off the floor, and impaled its chest, pinning it to the ground.
Three more attacked at once.
She drove her sword into the floor and crouched — then, with a burst of energy, lupine waves exploded from her body, tearing the monsters apart in a single strike.
The carcasses dissolved into dark smoke, the sound of cracking bones echoing for seconds.
The wolf's aura faded, and Nyra wiped the blood from her blade with a spin.
Cletus watched in silence, visibly impressed.
"Perfect..." he murmured.
"The strength of the wolf's blood and the cold precision of a vampire... a rare balance."
He closed the book and smiled.
"You are, without a doubt, the ideal vessel."
Nyra sheathed her sword, eyes fixed on him.
"Next time you try to test me, make sure you survive the first round."
Cletus only laughed, stepping closer to the pedestal.
"With your power, Nyra... the Eye of Twilight Castle shall awaken once more."
The torches flared red, and the whole temple vibrated at his words, while Cletus's face lit up with ecstasy.
Back to the Present
The echo of that promise seemed to resound in Nyra's mind.
Her footsteps and Cletus's reverberated through the underground tunnels.
The air was dense, saturated with a red mist that moved like living smoke.
The walls pulsed with ancient inscriptions, forbidden symbols — and at the end of the corridor, a colossal gate of crimson iron awaited them.
Cletus smiled with satisfaction.
"At last, we've reached the place of judgment..." he said, flipping through the black book in his hands.
"The castle will finally regain its full function... and lead us into the underworld."
His eyes gleamed with fanaticism.
"The world where Dracula's and TheMoon Knight's power was sealed. And the one who will raise that incarnation... will be you, my dear — the daughter herself."
The gate trembled.
The demonic engravings began to twist, moving like living gears.
The sound was grotesque — like metal tearing itself from within.
Cletus let out a soft laugh.
"It must truly be fate."
The gate opened, revealing nothing but pure darkness.
A void that seemed to swallow the air.
He raised his hand with courtly grace, like a gentleman.
"After you, my dear."
Nyra stared at him, golden eyes reflecting the void. She took a step forward — then stopped.
"Tell me something, Cletus..." she said, her voice cold as ice.
"Did that woman really bother you that much?"
Cletus frowned.
"What are you talking about?"
"Why didn't you just kill her?" she continued.
"Maybe... because she's your daughter, isn't she?"
Her gaze narrowed.
"Did a pathetic bit of paternal affection suddenly creep into your miserable life?"
Cletus stepped closer, glaring, his jaw tightening.
"That's none of your concern..."
A metallic sound rang out — Nyra had drawn her katana.
In a single motion, she drove the blade through Cletus's abdomen.
Blood splattered onto the floor, staining the pages of the fallen book.
He coughed, eyes wide, looking down in shock.
Nyra pressed the blade in deeper, her tone icy.
"To further your study of dark arts, you sacrificed your beloved wife... just to become a vampire."
Her voice did not waver.
"Knowing that, I thought you'd be useful to me. But I was mistaken."
She pushed the sword in further, blood dripping down the hilt.
"No wonder your quest for power was a failure."
Cletus, with a faint, bloody smile, whispered:
"And what about you? You're an abomination — an incomplete being... Both human and monster blood flow through your veins."
Nyra's eyes narrowed.
"Shut up."
She pulled the katana free in one swift motion.
A slicing sound followed — Nyra spun her sword and sheathed it.
The moment the blade clicked into place, a red line appeared on Cletus's neck.
Blood gushed as he collapsed to the ground.
She turned away, emotionless.
"Now that the final gate is open, I don't need you anymore."
Leaving the bloodied body behind, Nyra stepped through the gate, swallowed by the darkness.
Later...
That same corridor lay silent when Lucy arrived.
The air was cold.
The floor, soaked in blood.
She looked around, her eyes landing on the lifeless body of Cletus.
The book beside him was drenched in red.
Lucy said nothing. She simply stared.
Then — the click of a trigger echoed.
She moved at the sound — lightning-fast.
The bullet whizzed past her head, shattering a stone nearby.
Turning, she saw the blonde woman approaching — a smoking pistol still in hand.
"Well..." Lucy said with a half-smile.
"...that was faster than I expected."
The blonde — Tory — walked with steady steps, one of her Uzis in hand.
But when her eyes fell upon the body on the ground, something inside her faltered.
She raised her gun toward Lucy.
"That man... was it you who killed him?"
Lucy spun her pistols on her fingers.
"I don't know... and if it was?"
Tory didn't wait for an answer.
She opened fire — dozens of bullets ricocheting through the corridor.
But Lucy danced between them, each movement fluid, almost elegant, dodging everything with a teasing smile.
"Hmm... I love fast women," Lucy taunted, reloading one pistol.
"Shut up!" Tory shouted, firing again.
The blonde charged, striking Lucy with the barrel of her gun.
Lucy blocked, spun, and shoved her against the wall.
Their eyes locked.
Between short breaths, Tory shouted:
"That man was obsessed with becoming a vampire! He killed his own wife for it!
He massacred innocent people too! He's the most bloodthirsty kind of monster there is!"
Lucy dodged another shot and, in one swift leap, landed behind her — the barrel of her pistol pressed to Tory's forehead.
Tory's voice cracked, eyes glistening.
"And to top it off... that bastard was my father."
Lucy sighed softly.
"Well... then we have something in common. I've got a dysfunctional family too."
Tory let out a bitter laugh.
"What do you know about family?! You're a vampire! A disgrace! A monster! He's my father... my family!"
She cocked her gun and aimed at the redhead — but her voice broke.
"I was supposed to end this with my own hands!"
Lucy said nothing.
The intensity in her eyes made Tory hesitate.
Then Lucy asked quietly:
"Aren't you going to shoot? Well... if you want, I'll make an exception."
The blonde trembled, lowering her weapon slowly.
"Just... leave," she said, turning away.
"I don't care anymore."
Lucy twirled her sword and sheathed it across her back.
"Family, huh?" she murmured as she passed by, glancing briefly at the corpse on the floor.
Then she walked toward the closed gate, her footsteps echoing into the dark, while Tory shut her eyes — lost in the silence of a vengeance left unfinished.