Chapter 1: The Spiral Scar
Lucius's POV
**Flashback**
"The baby is almost here, Lady Elsa. Just one more push," the midwife urged.
I was so little back then. I didn't truly understand what was happening, I just knew I was terrified. I had never seen my mother like this, writhing in pain, her face flushed red, sobbing in agony.
"I can't..." she gasped. "I can't do it anymore. Please, just get the baby out."
The midwife quickly reached for a bowl of fresh blood and held it to her lips. "Drink this, my lady. It will give you strength."
My mother’s dry lips parted, and she drank the sweet liquid down. With one final, agonizing scream, she pushed with everything she had left.
Then, the sharp cry of a newborn pierced the room.
"Congratulations, my lady. It’s a beautiful baby girl."
My mother smiled weakly. She motioned for me to come closer, squeezing my small hands with what little strength she had left, while holding my newborn sister tight against her chest.
"Look, Lucius," she whispered, her breathing growing shallower by the second. "Isn't she beautiful? Take care of her, okay?"
Those were the last words she ever spoke before her eyes went blank and her heart stopped.
That day was the darkest the Valerius clan had ever seen. She shouldn't have died. It was never supposed to be her. A bitter witch had placed a curse on my father’s unborn child right before she was executed. But my mother, out of pure love, transferred that curse onto herself to save the baby. My sister was never meant to survive, but my mother died so she could live.
Standing over her body, I made a silent vow: I would avenge her death and kill every witch I encountered.
I closed my eyes, letting the heavy weight of the memories sink in. It had been 200 years since my mother died. To mark her death anniversary, I had traveled to the lonely hills in the south of Alaska, seeking absolute quiet.
Suddenly, a loud crash echoed from miles away.
Even at that distance, the scent of fresh blood hit me, followed by the racing heartbeats of a woman and a child. At first, I didn't care. But then, a silent, desperate plea from the mother echoed in my mind. It pulled at me. Before I could give it a second thought, I blurred down the hills toward the crash.
I reached the site in less than thirty seconds.
The scene was a bloodbath. Two young fledgling vampires were draining out a dead man. A few feet away, a heavily pregnant woman was crawling out of a wrecked car, blood streaming down her legs. A third fledgling grabbed her by the neck, lifting her off the ground to feed.
Seeing her in such agony brought back the image of my mother.
"Leave," I said, my voice low and quiet.
The fledglings froze. One of them immediately bolted backward, hiding behind a larger, broader vampire, he looked like their boss.
"Boss, we need to go right now!" the underling hissed, his voice shaking. "Look at the crest. He’s from the Valerius clan."
The boss dropped the bleeding woman to the dirt, staring at me with arrogant curiosity.
"Hey, this is our hunt," he snarled. "You have no right to interfere. Turn around and leave, or you die."
A cold smirk tugged at my lips. "Leave," I repeated.
The boss threw his head back and laughed.
"Boys, kill him."
As the two fledglings rushed towards me, with a sharp flick of my head, a wave of force sent them flying through the air, crashing deep into the woods.
I clasped my hands behind my back, stepping calmly toward the boss. "You see, I dislike repeating myself."
Desperate and cornered, the boss lunged toward the dying woman to drain her before I could stop him. With a simple wave of my finger, I caught him in mid-air and slammed him backward. The sharp, thick branch of a nearby tree stabbed him through the chest, pinning him to the trunk.
The boss coughed up a streak of dark blood, laughing bitterly. "So what they say is true. You really are a Valerius."
I ignored him, turning my back to kneel beside the woman. She looked up at me with the same agonizing expression my mother had worn centuries ago. With trembling hands, she gripped my arm.
"Please... save my baby," she gasped, her hand resting on her swollen belly.
I could hear her pulse fading fast.
"Please don't let these monsters have her," she whispered. With her last breath, her eyes closed, and her body went limp.
Beneath the quiet of the woods, I could still hear a tiny, faint heartbeat inside her. I used the edge of my iron finger armor ring to cut open her belly. As the newborn slid free, the scent of her blood filled the air. It was pure and sweet, so sweet that it made my own fangs drop in hunger.
From the tree, the pinned boss smiled wickedly. "She smells delicious, doesn't she? I can't wait to taste her."
I looked down at the crying child, the mother's final plea echoing in my head. I had to protect her. Using my ring, I gave the baby a small, spiral cut on the side of her neck. Then, I sliced my own palm and pressed a single drop of my ancient blood onto the wound.
The moment our blood mixed, the magic took hold. The cut sealed instantly, leaving a spiral scar. I had just marked her. She was mine now, and no other vampire would ever be able to feed on her.
I walked over to the trapped fledgling boss and slit his throat to finish him, then I sped away into the night with the baby in my arms.
I stopped at the stone steps of a secluded cathedral. As I laid her down at the entrance, the baby cooed softly, and a strange wave of calm washed over me. The bond between us felt so strong I felt her calmness inside me. I knocked heavily on the wooden doors and quickly retreated into the shadows to watch.
A priest opened the door, looked down in surprise, and gently gathered the baby into his arms. As he carried her inside, closing the heavy doors behind him, her faint cries grew distant.
Suddenly, a sharp, physical pain shot straight through my chest. It felt like a piece of my soul was being ripped away. In that quiet dark, I watched them carry away my newly marked human.
