Dimitri Snova stared coldly at the destruction before him.Shattered glass, silenced alarms, and disabled cameras told one undeniable story—Falco Valuare had been here.
Always methodical, Dimitri examined each detail, searching for patterns that might reveal his enemy's next move.
"The hunter never leaves loose ends… but he always leaves a mark," he muttered, scanning the distorted surveillance feeds.
His guards stood in tense silence, well aware that even the slightest interruption might spark his wrath.With a single, imperceptible gesture, he ordered them to track the chip implanted in Zaira.
Nothing would escape his control.
In the shadows of the facility, Falco Valuare moved like a predator.Every step was measured. Every action calculated.Not far behind, Skiller Snova followed, disabling cameras and bypassing security systems with a precision that nearly matched Falco's own.
Enemies once. Now allies—bound by a cause far greater than their differences.
When they reached the main chamber, Falco paused.Zaira lay unconscious on a medical table.Her face, scarred by suffering, softened just for a moment in his eyes.
"I promised you, Zaira.They won't use you again."
He lifted her carefully, cradling her in a blanket he'd brought, shielding her from the cold that crept through the room.
Outside, Sanathiel waited.
His stance was calm, but only on the surface.His expression shifted when he saw Falco emerge with Zaira in his arms.
The air between them thickened—years of unspoken pain and invisible wounds pressing into the silence.
"Give her to me, Falco.I'll take care of her," Sanathiel said, stepping forward with measured calm, his eyes locked on Zaira.
Falco tensed, jaw clenched.
"This isn't for you, Sanathiel.This is for her.You lost the right to interfere the moment you allowed this to happen."
The words sliced deep.
Sanathiel recoiled, wounded, but before he could speak—
A voice broke through the tension, weak but piercing.
"…Sanathiel…"
Zaira's whisper was barely audible, but it stopped them both in their tracks.
"Put… me down… brother…"
Falco obeyed, lowering her gently to the floor—but his gaze never left Sanathiel.
Then, with trembling fingers, Zaira made a shallow cut in her palm, letting the blood fall, slow and deliberate.
"Only through my memories…will you understand the price I paid," she said, raising her bloodied hand to him."The price of loving you, Sanathiel."
He reached for her hand.
The moment their skin met, a flood of images consumed him:Zaira protecting the Nevri.Zaira enduring Dimitri's manipulation.Falco watching helplessly.Her sacrifice. Her fire. Her unwavering love.
"I never asked you to sacrifice yourself for me," he whispered, voice shaking, as he leaned in to bury his face in her shoulder.
Suddenly—an earsplitting crash.
The old villa trembled.Windows shattered.A blast of icy wind swept through the room.
A figure emerged from the darkness—Steven.His face twisted with fury and vengeance.
"Kneel and die, wolf," he growled, sword gleaming with violent intent.
Sanathiel stepped in front of Zaira, blocking Steven's blow.Falco moved swiftly, intercepting the path of the hunter.
"Not now, Steven."
"Master!" Steven shouted, eyes blazing."This is for Itzel. My sister died by his hands!"
Before the blade could fall again—a blinding flash of white light.Creatures summoned by Dimitri stormed the chamber, relentless in their attack.
Amid the chaos, debris rained down.Falco and Steven braced themselves, battered but unbroken.The hunter looked at Zaira… and nodded.
Without a word, he helped Falco guide her through a hidden passage, concealed behind an old painting.They left Sanathiel behind.
In the safety of the tunnel, Falco staggered.Steven handed him a vial, crimson and shimmering—Nevri serum.
Falco, wounded, pulled a shard of wood from his chest.
"Drink, Master.It'll help you heal," Steven urged.
Falco hesitated.The liquid pulsed with unnatural heat.
He drank.
It burned through his veins like wildfire.
"You've used this before?" he asked, voice rough.
"I only brew it," Steven replied."You're the first."
Falco's hands trembled.
"I've never tasted human blood…And I don't plan to start now," he said, but his voice betrayed him.
"Maybe this is the price of staying alive.Maybe I don't deserve anything else."
Zaira, half-conscious, looked at them with a mix of sorrow and horror.
"…You're both corrupted," she whispered, hiding her trembling hands under the blanket.
Steven stepped forward with a venomous smile, pushing her toward Falco.
"Finish it, Master.End this burden.Isn't this what you wanted?"
Falco closed his eyes.
He fought the thirst clawing at his throat.
But Zaira spoke first.
"Do it.There's nothing left in me worth saving."
With a final breath—
He bit.
Zaira shuddered, but didn't resist.Her eyes closed.Her life faded.
Falco stood in silence, carrying her lifeless body into the chamber of the Thirteen.
He lit candles with trembling hands.
And watched as fire claimed her.
"This abyss…will be sealed with me," he whispered.
The flames rose, devouring her.
From the shadows, Steven watched, expression satisfied.
"Itzel's vengeance… finally complete," he said, before disappearing.
Falco didn't move.
His heart was heavy, full of ash.
He had saved her.He had destroyed her.
And with eyes locked on the burning pyre, he whispered the only truth he had left:
🩸"The purest love I ever knew… was also the cruelest."