"Tsering… thank you for helping us."
He looked at the girl carefully.
She was the messenger's daughter.
"I was just protecting my prince," she replied calmly.
Tsering's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Where are you both staying?" she asked.
"At a hotel," Tsering answered.
She shook her head.
"Come with me. I know a better place… somewhere safe."
She led them a little away from the village—
far from the lights,
far from the people.
Silence surrounded them as they walked deeper into an isolated area.
Soon—
an old house came into view.
Large.
Beautiful.
But abandoned.
The gates creaked softly as they pushed them open.
"This place has been closed for years," she said.
"The owner lives abroad. That's why no one comes here."
The three of them stepped inside.
Despite being empty, the house still held a quiet elegance—dust-covered furniture, long curtains, and faint echoes in every corner.
But for now—
it was safe.
Tenzin staggered slightly.
A deep scratch ran across his chest, the wound from the fight still bleeding.
"Tenzin—"
Tsering quickly helped him lie down.
He tore a piece of cloth and began treating the wound carefully.
Tenzin clenched his jaw but said nothing.
The girl watched silently for a moment.
Then—
she spoke.
"By now… she knows about both of you."
Silence filled the room.
The air grew heavy.
Her eyes shifted toward Tenzin—
then back to Tsering.
"Where is the book I gave you?" she asked.
Tsering didn't hesitate.
He reached into his bag and took it out, handing it to her.
She glanced at it briefly.
"Have you read it?"
"Yes," Tsering replied.
Her expression hardened.
"Then you know about the sacrifice."
Tsering's grip tightened.
"Yes."
She took a slow breath.
"It is clearly written in this book… that anyone who seeks that power must offer three sacrifices from their own bloodline."
Her voice lowered.
"She has already made two."
"Tsering's grandfather…"
"…and her own twin sister."
A heavy silence followed.
"And now—"
Her eyes turned toward Tenzin.
"—she has set her eyes on you."
Tenzin's brows furrowed despite the pain.
"What do you mean?"
"You are Queen Chorten's son," she said.
"You are the last of her bloodline."
Tenzin frowned.
"Then what about Tsering?" he asked. "He's my brother. He's part of the bloodline too."
The girl looked at Tsering.
Then back at Tenzin.
"Your brother will explain that to you later," she said quietly.
"For now… the most important thing is this—"
She stepped closer.
"We have to protect you."
Her voice was firm.
"You are her next target."
A pause.
"But you are also the one who can stop her."
Tenzin's eyes narrowed slightly.
"You are stronger than all of us," she continued.
"You are the son of both a vampire… and a wolf."
The words hung in the air.
"You are the only one who can defeat her."
"She has a weakness," the girl added.
"Light."
"Sunlight."
"The stronger she becomes… the more she is forced to stay away from it."
Her expression darkened.
"But if she completes the third sacrifice…"
A chill ran through the room.
"She will gain the power to control even the weather."
"And then—"
"It will be impossible to stop her."
🌑 Meanwhile — Vampire Castle
Inside the vampire castle—
Rinchin walked toward a forbidden chamber.
Her sister's royal bedroom.
No one else was allowed to enter.
The doors creaked open.
Darkness swallowed the room.
At the center, a single fire burned—its flames flickering against the cold stone walls.
She stepped inside slowly.
The doors shut behind her.
Silence.
On the far wall—
a large portrait hung.
Her family.
Rinchin stopped before it.
For a moment, she simply stared.
Then—
a slow smile formed on her lips.
"My wait… is over," she whispered.
Her eyes gleamed with something unnatural.
"Your son has come to me… on his own."
A soft, chilling laugh escaped her.
"Ha… ha… ha…"
She stepped closer to the fire.
Shadows danced across her face.
"My final ritual will be complete soon."
Her voice deepened—filled with hunger and ambition.
"And when it is…"
She raised her hand slightly, as if already claiming the world.
"I will become the most powerful creature that has ever existed."
The flames flared.
"Everyone will bow to me."
Her smile widened.
"They will all become my servants…"
She turned her gaze back to the portrait.
"And I…"
Her voice dropped to a whisper—
"…will be their queen."
Her laughter echoed through the chamber—
cold… hollow… unstoppable.
"Ha… ha… ha…"