Later that evening, as the sun was almost setting, the place was filled with silence.
Inside the van, Zero, Scarlet, and Nadia were getting their gear and arming themselves. They couldn't fix the van. Milan stood quietly, all alone, staring ahead.
Raven and Nutaila showed up slowly in front of them.
They all stood still, watching as the two walked closer to have a chat. Scarlet kept staring at Nutaila, studying her outfit—it was the same as hers.
"Wow, Last time you guys and I met, you said I should make sure that next time we meet, you wouldn't have to save my ass again. And here we go—I ended up saving yours."Raven said, staring at Scarlet and Milan. Scarlet smiled.
"Thank you for that," Scarlet said.
"Nice seeing you too, Raven," Zero said, looking at her. Raven looked shocked.
"Wow, I remember you. We still have one match, you and I. Zero, right?"
Zero looked at her.
"So you survived the Rising? I'm impressed, but it's nice seeing you again," he said.
"Guys, you can be happy seeing each other again later. Now we have to go," Nadia said.
Milan stayed quiet, looking directly at Nutaila.
"Who is she?" Scarlet asked Raven, pointing her head toward Nutaila. Raven looked surprised.
"I thought you would have known by now. Anyway, she's your—"
Raven didn't finish as Nutaila stepped in.
"I'm your sister," Nutaila said.
Everyone stared at her in shock.
"Excuse me, what!?" Scarlet shouted, unable to believe it.
"That's right, Scarlet. I am your flesh and blood sister."
"The world has gone crazy, I don't remember having a sister, and my father never mentioned that I had one. My mother died the moment I was born."Scarlet said.
"No, Our mother didn't die. Our parents had to separate us far from each other. Mother gave birth to two children. She left with me, and Father left with you. We are equals, you and I. For our own safety, they had to do that. I never knew my father, and you never knew our mother. They had to keep it that way."Nutaila said calmly.
"You're bluffing, Maybe this chaos and this vampire thing have gotten into your head. I don't want to hear anymore. Thank you for saving us back there but We have to go."Scarlet said.
Scarlet turned around and tried to walk away.
In a flash, Nutaila used her super speed and appeared in front of Scarlet before she could take a single step. Everyone was shocked.
"Move, or you will be moved."Scarlet said coldly.
"You have to believe me, sister," Nutaila said.
"Don't call me that, I am not your sister."Scarlet snapped.
"Scarlet, you have to listen to her, if you don't believe her, then at least let her explain what she knows about all of this."Raven said.
"Believe what? Give her a chance to get into my head just like she did to you? Just like she did to Milan and made him a monster? We all saw that—what she's capable of. She reached the darkness within him and turned him into a brutal killer monster."Scarlet shouted.
Everyone went quiet.
Nutaila took a step back. She drew out her swords and slowly placed them on the ground. Then she removed her necklace and placed it beside the swords.
Scarlet froze when she saw them—the same swords, the same necklace as hers.
"If you don't want me to explain," Niutaila said as she knelt, "then at least let me show you a small truth."
Everyone waited for Scarlet's answer.
"Five minutes. Only," Scarlet said.
Nutaila took out a flash USB. They all got inside the van and turned it on. The USB drive was inserted into the van's Android screen. They sat quietly, waiting for the video to play.
A woman appeared on the screen.
"That's our mother," Nutaila said.
Scarlet stared at the screen. Her heart reacted instantly. The woman was wearing the same necklace and was sitting down, recording herself.
"Hi, Nutaila," the woman said. "I know that by the time you see this video, I may already be gone. First, I want to apologize to you for everything I did. I told you about Victor, our bloodline legacy, the Rising, and everything else, but I never told you one small truth."
The woman began shedding tears.
"The truth is, you have a sister. Her name is Scarlet. The moment you were born, we had to separate you far from each other. She had to go with her father, learn through him, and complete her destiny—just like you. The dead have been gone for a long time, but it isn't over yet. Victor is not dead, nor are his Five Loyal Servants.
If the world turns into chaos again, please find your sister. Tell her everything she needs to know. Fight alongside her and keep the one with the pure blood safe. I know she won't believe you, but you have to show her the truth. Show her the necklace and the swords—she will understand.
Tell her that I am truly sorry for what I did, and that I loved her just as much as I loved you. Make sure you put an end to Victor, because she alone has the power to reach him as the chosen one and end him."
The video ended. Silence filled the van.
Scarlet's eyes overflowed with tears. The night grew deeper as Nutaila removed the USB and put it back into her pocket. Scarlet opened the door and walked outside, crying hard from the pain. Nutaila moved to follow her, but Raven stopped her.
"Let her be,She needs time to clear her head."Raven said.
Nutaila stayed still. Everyone remained inside the van.
After twenty minutes, Scarlet returned and sat beside Nutaila.
"She said you know about all of this," Scarlet said. "Tell us about Victor, his loyal servants, how you came to have this power, and how you managed to reach the darkness within Milan and turn him into a monster."
"Because Milan and I are two of the Five Loyal Servants of Victor Valois," Nutaila said.
Everyone was shocked, just as Nadia had predicted.
"Excuse me, what?" Milan said sharply.
"Yes. You are the Vessel, and I am the Herald."
"In my dreams,""I keep seeing them all dead, hearing their voices."Milan said,
"No, You were not dreaming. You were not having visions. You were walking there. That is your power—manipulating people in their dreams, walking through their dreams and visions, and much worse than you think. That is what Victor gave to the Vessel."Nutaila replied.
"Don't beat around the bush, Tell us something we can all understand."Zero said.
Nutaila continued:
"It's like this. When Victor and his loyal servants discovered that Dracula was creating beings that could end him, he searched for a Wise. He did the impossible and walked into the darkness. He was the second man alive to truly touch it, and the darkness touched him back—just like the Hollow King.
The Hollow King died because he refused to kneel and be loyal to the darkness. Victor knelt. He killed for it and gave it everything it wanted. In the end, the darkness gave him power—five different powers.
Victor spread those powers among them as they agreed to kneel before him. Their true name is not the Five Loyal Servants. They are known as the Bound Five.
Each of them was given a title.
The Herald was given the power of shadows, healing, spreading the call to other Bounds, and awakening their darkness.
The Walker was given the power to walk into the past and reshape it. She can kill you in the past, and you vanish from the future. She is the most dangerous one—immune and able to move freely without being noticed.
The Binder was given the power to prepare locations, seal churches and stones. He holds the power of rituals.
The Vessel carries the path. He has the power to manipulate dreams and visions and to walk like the Walker, but he cannot go into the past. He is the strongest and can attack without being noticed. He can walk into someone's dream and kill whatever stands in his way.
The Vision carries the power to control and manipulate people, especially the dead, who are considered vampires. He can even enter someone's mind with his red eyes and control them. Victor synchronized his power with him. Whatever the Vision sees, Victor sees—even from his coffin."
"So that makes you the Herald and Milan the Vessel?" Nadia asked.
"I am nobody, I'm just a normal man trying to get back to his sister and live a normal life."Milan said.
"We all want the same thing, Milan, But you have to understand the prophecy."Nutaila said.
"And what does the prophecy say?" Milan shouted as he stood up. Everyone flinched, afraid the darkness would take over. Milan slowly sat back down.
"Continue."
"When the pure blood and the hunter killed Victor and his servants, they used the Wise to perform the ritual. The hunter managed to stab Victor and remove his heart, leaving the sword in his empty chest, while they killed the others with spells.
Three of the Bound did not truly die. Their bodies lay in coffins, but their souls shifted and escaped before the ritual began. The Herald, the Vessel, and the Vision survived. The Walker and the Binder died along with Victor.
For centuries, the three shifted from body to body, using humans as hosts, searching for the pure blood and the hunter to awaken Victor again. When they failed, they split up and continued searching separately."
"Wait," Zero interrupted. "You said the Vision has red eyes?"
"Yes. Why?"
"Last night, we fought vampires," Nadia said. "One of them had red eyes."
"Then that means Victor knows you are here," Nutaila said.
"Then why didn't he attack?" Raven asked.
"Victor is speaking through him. He is watching and observing."
"Observing what?"
"Everything. He will stay on our trail until we meet the one with the pure blood. Then he will force what is inside us to awaken and prepare the ritual."
"So you mean you and Milan are the Bound Five?" Nadia asked.
"Not exactly, We are hosts carrying the Bound. Once the ritual is complete, they will leave our bodies and return to their original forms."Nutaila said.
"Can't you force them out?" Zero asked.
"It's not that easy. They are asleep inside us. Their power wants control. Once they succeed, we are gone. I overcame mine because I was trained from childhood. Milan hasn't. The darkness protects him only when he is in danger or agony—for its own purpose."
"What about me? Why am I the chosen one?"Scarlet asked.
"Because you have the power that none of us ever had, I don't know much about you—and no one else in history ever did. No one truly knew, because you were… nobody. Your power? Your strength? Everything about you was unknown. A question mark written into existence itself. They say you may be humanity's hope… or humanity's doom."she said quietly.
The fire crackled softly as the weight of her words settled over them.
"Your powers will begin shortly, the very moment you reunite with the one who carries the pure blood. Our parents discovered this truth when we were born. The Herald—before it reached inside my body—tried yours first. But your powers resisted it. They fought back. Until it saw me."
Her voice faltered for a moment
"Father and Mother saw the darkness entering me. They knew then that they had discovered us. That's why they had to separate us. They chose to live far away from one another—not because they didn't love each other, but because they loved us too much."
She lifted her gaze, eyes steady now.
"Now our task—both yours and mine—is to find the one with the pure blood. We must fight alongside her and protect her. No matter the cost." Silence followed.
"What does it take to wake up Victor?" Milan asked, his voice low but firm.
"His heart, The one with the pure blood. The vessel. The Herald. And the vision—along with the Wise."she answered.
Milan's jaw tightened.
"So that makes us dangerous to the one with the pure blood."
"Yes, But it is still our destiny. To protect her. To make sure she turns the vampires back into humanity again. She is humanity's hope. Her blood is the key to everything."she said honestly.
She paused, letting the truth land.
"And it's not just Victor who wants her. Once people of knowledge discover who she is, they will hunt her. Kill for her. Use her for their own gain. It is not safe for any of us to be near her—but it is our fate to fight, to ensure she restores humanity once more." She said
"So if Ayanna is the one—and now she's in the Scottish Highlands—and she doesn't know who she is yet… if Dr. Patel performs experiments on her and discovers her blood can cure—then she'll be in danger."Zero stepped forward, his voice sharp with concern.
"We don't know that yet, If she truly is the one with the pure blood, we will go and confirm it ourselves. And if she's not who you all believe she is, then we leave her out of this."Milan snapped. Anger burned in his voice.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"So what now?" Raven asked. No one answered at first.
"Now we go to the Scottish Highlands, All of us are going," Scarlet said, her eyes locked on Nutaila. Nutaila smiling as she nodded her head.
Scarlet extended her hand toward her.
"Really? A hand? After all these years, a hug would do far more good."Nutaila laughed softly.
Scarlet's smile trembled as her eyes filled with small tears. She stepped forward and hugged her tightly. Nutaila returned the embrace just as fiercely.
Milan reached for the door and opened it.
"Where are you going? It's late" Nadia asked him. Everyone turned toward him.
"Nothing can keep me from reaching my sister, Not even darkness."Milan said.
He glanced down and spotted a torchlight beneath the seat.
"Can you hold the light for me?" he asked Zero. "I need to reattach the wires."
Zero stood, grabbed the torch, and followed him outside.
"You ladies stay put," Zero said as he shut the door behind him. "Let the men handle the work and get ready to leave."
The door slammed.
"Show-off," Raven muttered.
Laughter broke the tension inside the vehicle.
Nutaila still held Scarlet tightly. Nadia and Raven watched them, smiling quietly—happy, for once, in a world that had given them so little reason to be.
The engine coughed outside, sparks flickered in the dark, and somewhere far away, destiny began to move.