The ridge was quiet. Too quiet.
The Silver Banner soldiers huddled around their fires, polishing steel and whispering prayers, but the silence beyond the camp pressed like a hand on their throats. It was not the silence of peace—it was the silence of something watching.
High above, the Red Eclipse hung low, its light staining the valley with crimson haze. The necro-soil fields glowed faintly, lilies opening like mouths. Bone Dogs prowled their patrols in tight circles. And in the dark between spires, Selena Draculea moved.
She walked barefoot across the black stone, her pale skin luminous under the false moon. Her eyes glowed faintly, a predator's lantern. She turned her head toward Lucas, who stood at the battlements, his hand pressed to the Relay, his gaze cold and sharp.
"My King," she whispered, her voice carried to him on the Link, "shall I go hunting?"
Lucas did not turn to look at her. His voice was flat, final. "Yes. Bring me their fear. Leave one alive."
Selena's lips curved. Elegant. Terrifying. "As you command."
She dissolved into the night.
The Silver Banner scouts kept watch along the ridge. They were men hardened by years of discipline, armed with bows and spears forged in strongholds far from the chaos of the starting zones. But their armor felt thin tonight. Their hands shook when they tried to grip the bowstrings.
One scout whispered, "Did you hear that?"
Another shook his head quickly. "Rats. Or wind."
The first one frowned. "No. It was—"
A shadow passed over him.
He didn't finish the sentence.
Selena dropped from the rock above like silk turning to a blade. Her hand slid around his throat, nails digging into his skin just deep enough to draw blood. She leaned close, her lips brushing his ear.
"Shhh," she whispered, elegant and soft. "The night is listening."
He tried to shout. Her fangs slid into his neck. The scream never came out. His body stiffened, convulsed, then went slack. His soul twitched, rising in a faint glow. Selena inhaled, drinking it like wine.
She let the husk fall silently into the dirt.
Another scout noticed the movement too late. He spun, raising his spear—only to see Selena standing there, her gown fluttering as though touched by a wind no one else felt. Her eyes locked on his, crimson light pinning him in place.
"You don't want to fight," she said, her voice like velvet. "You want to serve."
Her aura pressed down on him. His arms shook. The spear dropped. His mouth opened as though to deny her, but the words never came. Selena's clawed hand touched his forehead, tracing a slow sigil in blood.
[Ding!]
[Skill Activated: Puppet Sigil]
[Target: human scout.
Resistance check: failed.]
[Conversion successful — "Blood Doll" created.]
The scout's eyes turned black. His breathing slowed. His body straightened, stiff and obedient.
Selena tilted her head, admiring her work. "Better," she murmured. "A doll doesn't scream."
Across the ridge, the third scout heard a noise. He turned sharply, bow raised. "Kaelen? Mirelle?" His voice cracked. He stepped backward, his boots crunching on gravel.
Something moved behind him.
He spun again, firing his arrow into the dark. The shaft clattered uselessly against stone.
Then he felt a breath on his neck.
Selena's voice slid into his ear. "You missed."
He froze. His hands trembled. His knees gave out. He fell to the ground, his bow clattering beside him.
Selena crouched over him, her face inches from his. Her smile was radiant, her lips glistening faintly in the moonlight. She cupped his face with both hands as though he were a lover.
"Do you know what your blood tastes like?" she whispered. "Fear. Salt. Ash."
She bit.
His scream cut through the camp below, sharp and high. The Silver Banner soldiers leapt to their feet, weapons drawn, eyes wide. Torches flared. The three Lords shouted orders.
But when they looked to the ridge, all they saw was crimson light.
Selena stood there, holding the body of the scout like a doll, her gown dripping with his blood, her crimson eyes glowing like two stars.
The body in her hands twitched. The sigils she had carved into his chest pulsed faintly. His lips moved, whispering words that were not his.
"Night belongs… to the Queen."
The soldiers below stared, frozen. Some crossed themselves. Others dropped their weapons.
[Ding!]
[Fear Index: ++]
[Silver Banner morale: −15%.]
Selena let the body drop, then raised her hands, crimson dripping from her fingers. "My King," she called across the valley, her voice echoing unnaturally, "the hunt is done. Shall I bring the rest to you as dolls?"
Lucas's voice answered from the battlements, calm and merciless. "Bring me enough to build a message. Let them know what resistance earns."
Selena bowed deeply toward him, blood dripping from her mouth. "As you command."
The next hours were screams and silence.
Selena moved through the Silver Banner camp like a shadow made of silk and fire. She struck from behind, from above, from beneath. Scouts vanished one by one, their bodies later found hanging from trees with sigils carved into their flesh. Some lived, but barely—their eyes black, their voices whispering words they did not believe, their limbs stiff and wrong.
[Ding!]
[Blood Dolls created: 7.]
[Population loyalty shift: Silver Banner soldiers −25%.]
[Rumor spread: "The Unknown Lord's Queen turns men into puppets."]
By dawn, the ridge was littered with corpses. The surviving Silver Banner Lords gathered their shaken soldiers, their faces pale, their voices tight with anger and fear.
Lady Mirelle spat into the dirt. "We came to scout. We found a nightmare."
Lord Tarris scowled, his hand tight on his sword. "If this is only his Queen… then what of the King?"
Ser Kaelen growled, his face grim. "We retreat. We warn Adrien. This is not a foe we can face alone."
But as they turned to march, Selena appeared at the edge of the ridge, her gown flowing, her eyes bright, her lips still dripping red. She smiled at them, elegant and horrifying.
"You'll run," she said softly. "You'll tell your shining leader. You'll whisper my King's name into his ear. And when you do…" Her smile deepened. "…he will come. And he will die."
The three Lords froze, their soldiers trembling behind them. None dared take a step forward.
Selena tilted her head, then turned, her gown sweeping the dirt. She dissolved into the shadows and was gone.
[Ding!]
[Resistance Expedition outcome: morale broken, survivors retreating.]
[World Message: "Silver Banner expedition routed by Unknown Lord's Queen."]
[Global Reputation: Soul Devourer, Puppet-Maker.]
Back at the Night Castle, Lucas stood on the battlements, watching the fires on the horizon retreat. He felt the fear ripple outward, carried by survivors who would spread his legend further than his armies ever could.
Selena appeared beside him, her lips red, her eyes bright, her smile sharp. She knelt at his feet, blood dripping onto the stone.
"My King," she whispered, her voice trembling with devotion and hunger, "I have given you their fear. And I want more."
Lucas looked down at her, his expression unreadable.
"Then we will give you the world," he said.
The feeders in their Hives moaned louder, as if the castle itself agreed.