Rheinland — Burning Silence
The screams had changed.
They weren't loud anymore.
They were scattered.
Broken.
Fading.
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Elena stood in the middle of the street, her chest rising slowly.
Around her—
Bodies.
Some still.
Some twitching.
Some… trying to rise again.
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Her hands trembled slightly.
Not from fear.
From weakness.
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> "You're running out of blood," Turichie said quietly.
Elena didn't respond.
She already knew.
---
Her vision blurred for a second.
The world tilted slightly.
---
Then—
A heartbeat.
Close.
Warm.
Alive.
---
Her head snapped to the side.
A man.
Injured.
Leaning against a wall.
Bleeding.
---
Her throat tightened instantly.
Her fangs ached.
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> "No…" she whispered.
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The sound grew louder.
Stronger.
Closer.
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Her body moved—
One step forward.
---
Then another.
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> "Stop," Turichie said firmly. "This is the moment that decides who you are."
---
Elena's hand shook.
---
> "I just need a little…" she whispered.
---
The man looked up.
Their eyes met.
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Fear.
Pure fear.
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And that—
Snapped something inside her.
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She stepped back.
---
> "No."
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She turned away.
Clenching her fists.
---
> "I won't become that."
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Behind her—
The man collapsed.
Still alive.
But fading.
---
Elena didn't look back.
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Slow clapping echoed through the empty street.
---
Elena froze.
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> "Impressive."
---
The old man stepped out from the darkness again.
Calm.
Untouched.
Watching.
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> "You had everything you needed right there… and you walked away."
---
Elena glared at him.
> "I'm not like you."
---
He smiled.
---
> "That's what makes this interesting."
---
He moved again.
Faster than before.
---
Elena barely reacted—
He struck—
She blocked—
---
The impact cracked the ground beneath them.
---
They separated.
---
This time—
Elena attacked first.
---
Her speed increased.
Her strikes sharper.
More controlled.
---
But—
Her strength wasn't the same.
---
The old man noticed immediately.
---
> "You're weaker now," he said. "You chose morality over survival."
---
Elena clenched her teeth.
> "I chose control."
---
He tilted his head.
---
> "Control doesn't keep you alive."
---
He lunged again—
---
This time—
He didn't aim for her.
---
He moved past her—
Toward the injured man.
---
Elena's eyes widened.
---
> "NO—"
---
Too late.
---
The old man grabbed the man by the throat—
Lifted him—
---
> "This is your weakness," he said softly.
---
And then—
He bit.
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The man's scream cut through the night—
Then stopped.
---
Elena froze.
---
Her heart—
Or what remained of it—
Dropped.
---
The old man dropped the body.
---
> "You hesitate… people die," he said calmly.
---
Silence.
---
Elena's hands trembled.
---
> "You could've saved him."
---
Her vision blurred again.
But not from weakness this time.
---
From anger.
---
Her eyes changed.
Darker.
Sharper.
Colder.
---
> "You…" she whispered.
---
Her wings spread violently.
---
The air around her shifted.
---
> "You don't get to decide who I become."
---
She moved—
Faster than before—
Fueled not by hunger—
But by rage.
---
Her blood blade extended—
Larger.
More unstable.
---
She struck—
---
The old man blocked—
But this time—
He was pushed back.
---
Sliding across the ground.
---
His smile faded.
Just a little.
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> "Good…" he muttered.
---
The red moon burned above them.
The town trembled below.
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And in the middle of it—
Two monsters stood.
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One who embraced hunger.
One who resisted it.
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But both—
Were running out of time.
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End of Chapter 21
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