Valen's breath came in ragged gasps, his vision blurring as his consciousness slipped away. His body was a mess of blood and fatal injuries that refused to heal, his regenerative abilities overwhelmed by the sheer force of Elijah's attacks. He knelt on the ground, head bowed, struggling to hold on.
Elijah crouched down to Valen's eye level, his crimson eyes gleaming with a mix of amusement and disdain. "I can hear the cells in your body desperately trying to regenerate." he said, his voice smooth and cold. "I told you I'd wipe that cocky expression off your face."
Valen didn't respond, his strength fading with every passing second.
Elijah tilted his head, studying Valen like a predator sizing up its prey. "For a puppet, you did well. It's a waste to leave you here to rot, protecting those whose end is inevitable." He extended a hand, his tone almost conversational. "Why not join us? Reforge your allegiance, submit to us completely, and put your abilities to better use."
Lilith, standing a few paces behind Elijah, smirked. "I think you and I can both sense that his loyalty to Elias runs through the very core of his body. There's no way he's going to accept."
Elijah, expression as dead as ever. "I can give you that which you've always wanted. Even… Annabelle."
At the sound of that name, Valen's body stiffened. His breath hitched, and for a moment, the pain in his eyes was not just physical.
"Who's Annabelle?" Lilith asked, her curiosity piqued.
Elijah's gaze never left Valen as he spoke. "Seven hundred and some extra years ago, everyone knew the name 'Valen Astralt.' He was a ruthless, emotionless killer—feared by both monsters and humans alike. He earned the title 'One-Man Army' after wiping out an entire clan of elite warriors… just for fun." He paused, his voice dropping to a whisper. "But even someone like him can fall in love. Life, however, wanted to teach him a lesson. It let him taste a little bit of sweetness, only to snatch it away without warning. The people he'd wronged couldn't bear to see him happy after all what he did. So, they took away the one thing he held dear."
Lilith raised an eyebrow. "Wow. So sad. How come I've never heard of him?"
"You were too busy living up to your name," Elijah snapped. "Awakening as a vampire must have multiplied his combat prowess a thousandfold. But now, he lives only to protect. If I can cut off that will and replace it with a new purpose—he'll become a destructive force to be reckoned with, even among nobles."
Elijah grabbed a fistful of Valen's hair, forcing his head up. Valen's eyes burned with rage and regret, tears streaming down his cheeks.
"How did you—?" Elijah's voice faltered, his confidence wavering for the first time. "How are you able to regenerate? I removed both of your eyes from their sockets."
"Elijah! Get away!" Lilith shouted, her voice sharp with warning.
Valen's lips curled into a faint, bloodstained smile. "I refuse."
Before Elijah could react, two figures materialized out of nowhere. Kael and Ivy, their movements a blur, landed a devastating punch on Elijah, sending him flying through the air. He crashed through the estate's fence, disappearing into the rubble beyond.
"We're sorry," Kael said, his voice calm but laced with steel, "but this one's with us now."
Ivy, her beauty as sharp as her tone, added, "Palmer made us, not you. Don't go comparing yourselves to him."
Valen's smile widened, genuine and unburdened for the first time in centuries. "Thank you, Ivy. Kael."
"Don't sweat it," they replied with a thumbs up.
Elijah emerged from the rubble, dusting off his coat with an air of nonchalance. "Forget playing with them, Lilith. Let's welcome him with a bloodbath."
Lilith's expression shifted, her fangs bared and her eyes glowing with predatory hunger. "Roger!"
As they lunged forward, ready to unleash chaos, a blur of silver and crimson intercepted them. Palmer appeared in a flash, driving a wooden stake into Lilith's chest with brutal precision. With a sharp, spinning kick, he forced the stake deeper, sending her flying across the courtyard.
He turned to Elijah, a second stake in hand, but Elijah was faster. He caught Palmer's wrist, twisting it until the bone snapped with a sickening crack. In one fluid motion, Elijah drove his other hand into Palmer's chest, his claws closing around his brother's heart.
"Careful, Palmer!" Valen shouted, his voice strained. "You can't regenerate if he touches you!"
Elijah's lips curled into a cruel smile. "Too late."
With a sickening squelch, he tore Palmer's heart from his chest and crushed it in his hand.