The sarcophagus chamber, once a sanctuary of ancient slumber, was now a stage of power and imposition. The smell of Viktor's blood, mixed with mold and stone, hung in the air. Lucian, his face stained with vengeance, watched Daniel with a mixture of fascination and fear. Viktor's death had been visceral, and Daniel's display of power was overwhelming.
Daniel walked toward the other sarcophagus, equally imposing but slightly more austere than Viktor's. His blue-gray eyes fixed on the stone lid, and a faint smile played across his lips. "Now it's this one's turn," Daniel told Lucian, his voice calm. "He's the first vampire, you know. And kind of annoying. Especially since this one loves to fly."
Without any warning, Danielhe put his hand in the sarcophagus, with even greater ease than before. This time, he used5% of your strengthThe marble cracked and crumbled with a thunderous sound, as if made of sand, revealing the interior. The force was so immense that the walls of the chamber trembled slightly, and a thin layer of dust fell from the ceiling. The raw power emanating from Daniel was palpable, an invisible wave that made Lucian's hair stand on end.
Daniel's fingers gripped the neck of Marcus Corvinus, the first vampire, as firmly as they had Viktor's. He yanked him from the sarcophagus, lifting him into the air. Marcus, unlike Viktor, wasn't completely asleep. Sensing the intrusion, his eyes opened a bright, feral red, and he let out a primal growl, a sound of ancient fury. His membranous wings, tucked into his back, began to writhe, trying to expand.
Marcus, the winged vampire, the oldest of his line, struggled to break free, his sharp teeth bared, his claws raking the air. But it was useless. Daniel's grip was absolute, holding him with a strength that transcended anything Marcus had ever faced. He felt the difference, the depth of Daniel's power. It was not the strength of an equal, but that of a superior being. The scent of his own blood, now a primal fury, mingled with the fear he, the ultimate predator, rarely felt.
"Little vampire," Daniel said, his voice so calm it contrasted sharply with Marcus's fury. His eyes locked with Marcus's, conveying a clear message of dominance. "I will take care of your brother, William Corvinus. He will be the union between the Lycans. And you, Marcus Corvinus, will be the union with the vampires."
Marcus's eyes, previously filled with uncontrolled fury, widened in shock. The mention of his brother, the proposal of a union between the races, and the way Daniel spoke as if dictating fate, left him stunned. His struggles subsided slightly, confusion replacing some of his anger.
"If they both don't accept," Daniel continued, his voice remaining casual, but with a deadly weight. "I'll kill all three of them. Father, and both sons. And that's it, no more wars. So, what do you say, little vampire?"
The question hung in the air, a veiled threat and an irresistible offer. Daniel's stillness, his ease in pronouncing a death sentence on the most ancient beings in the supernatural world, was unsettling. Marcus, who had spent centuries manipulating and controlling, was now in the hands of someone who surpassed him in every way. He could feel Daniel's overwhelming power, the certainty in his words. This was no bluff. Daniel was ready to make good on his word.
Lucian watched, speechless, as the scene unfolded. He had witnessed Viktor's downfall, and now he saw Marcus, the vampire he so hated, reduced to the same powerlessness. Daniel's proposal was radical, but it offered the only hope for peace he had ever known. And the threat of total extermination was real. Daniel was not joking.
Marcus, his face contorted with a mixture of fury and shock, managed to get out a few words, his voice scratchy. "You... who... who are you to dictate...?"
Daniel interrupted, his voice as cold as ice. "Who I am doesn't matter. What matters is what I can do. And what I will do. The war between your races is an aberration, Marcus. A stain on history that has lasted too long. I saw the birth of war, the death of Sonja, the hatred that took root and consumed. And I am here to end it. Once and for all."
He tightened his grip on Marcus's neck, and Marcus let out a guttural sound of pain. "You have a choice. Perpetual war, the extinction of your bloodline, or peace, unity, the survival of your species in a new form. The choice is simple, little vampire."
Marcus's mind, ancient and accustomed to domination, was in chaos. Never in his long existence had he been confronted with such an unshakable force, such an absolute threat. He felt the weight of Daniel's words, the truth of his intent. The alternative—the total annihilation of his bloodline, beginning with his father and brother—was a scenario he dared not contemplate. The idea of William the savage being "cured" and of a union between Lycans and Vampires was repugnant to him, but the alternative was Death itself.
Daniel smiled, a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "You're not the only one with power, Marcus. You're just one part of a larger puzzle I've been observing for over a million years. I saw humanity's first steps, the first snarls of your ancestors. I saw them evolve, their forms change, their societies form. And I saw your lineage born of plague, a mutation, an imbalance."
Daniel's voice echoed in the chamber, a sound that seemed to come from distant ages. "I saw the first cities rise from the desert sands, the first laws written on clay tablets. I was there when the pyramids were built, a silent witness to human ingenuity and folly. I saw empires rise and fall, their glories and ruins turned to dust and legend."
"I saw Rome rise, its legions march, its roads cut across continents. And I saw its fall, barbarism devouring civilization, darkness engulfing the world for centuries. The Black Death swept across Europe, claiming millions, and I saw the despair in the eyes of the survivors. The wars fought in the name of gods and kings, the blood spilled for borders and beliefs. And always, always the same hatred, the same thirst for power that consumes everything and everyone."
Marcus listened, still suspended in midair, his wings twitching weakly. Daniel's mind was no ordinary vampire's; it was that of an entity who had witnessed the very tapestry of time unfold. He spoke of eons with a frightening familiarity, as if they were but days gone by.
"Sonja's passion for Lucian, a passion that Viktor considered an abomination, was an act of courage, Marcus. Love, unlike the hate you worship, is the most powerful force in the universe. It is what moves the stars, what gives meaning to life. And you, with your blind hatred and your petty wars, have disrespected that power."
Daniel looked at Lucian, who was silent, absorbing every word. The Lycan, who had lived his life in a spiral of revenge, now saw a different path, a possibility of peace he had never imagined.
"So, Marcus, the choice is yours. You can continue your hatred, your war, and see your bloodline eradicated. Or you can accept my proposal: William cured, you joining the vampires for a new era of coexistence, and peace. The peace your father, Alexander, so desired, but lacked the strength to impose. I have that strength. And I will use it."
Marcus tried to speak again, but the words choked in his throat. He felt the truth of Daniel's words. The humiliation of being powerless before this being was immense, but the alternative was annihilation. He was an Elder, a ruler, and now he was a piece on Daniel's chessboard. He felt the presence of Lucian, his sworn enemy, standing there, witnessing his weakness. The irony was brutal.
Daniel released Marcus's neck, and the winged vampire fell to the stone floor with a thud, gasping for breath, trying to regain his composure. His wings fluttered open and closed, and he rose, his eyes still fixed on Daniel, filled with a new, dangerous reverence.
"Good. It seems we've reached an understanding," Daniel said, his voice returning to a softer tone. "Now, we have much to plan. The change won't be easy, but it will be done. Prepare yourself, Marcus. Your life, and the life of your lineage, will never be the same. And Lucian, prepare yourself too. Your people's vengeance is complete, but the responsibility for peace has only just begun."
The chamber, once a tomb for the ancients, now seemed a cradle for a new future. The sun outside was beginning to decline, and night was approaching. But for Daniel, the vampire who walked in the light, the distinction between day and night was irrelevant. He was the master of both, the weaver of fate, the being who had seen over a million years of history and who would now shape the next chapter.
The smell of death and damp stone still lingered in the air of the sarcophagus chamber, a silent testament to Viktor's recent downfall. Marcus, the first vampire, lay panting on the floor, his wings twitching in spasms of fury and shock. Lucian, the Lycan leader, his face etched with vengeance, watched the scene with subdued intensity. Both had been witnesses and victims of Daniel's display of unquestionable power.
Daniel, with his new, modern haircut and vibrant skin, seemed completely oblivious to the gravity of the moment. He pulled a small, folded map from the pocket of his perfectly tailored suit. The paper, which looked ancient and thin as parchment, unfolded with a soft snap. Daniel tossed it to Lucian, who caught it in midair with a quick reflex. The map showed a specific point in Scotland, in the Highlands, marked with a red X. There were no town names, just precise coordinates.
"In a week, I want you at this point I've set," Daniel said, his voice calm but with a finality that brooked no argument. His blue-gray eyes flickered between Lucian and Marcus, conveying the seriousness of his words. "If you don't show up, it's the extinction of one of the two clans. The choice is yours."
The silence that followed was nearly deafening, broken only by Marcus's heavy breathing. Daniel's threat was cold and absolute. There was no room for negotiation. He wasn't asking; he was ordering. The choice was stark: cooperate or face annihilation. For Marcus, the idea of submitting to a plan that involved coexisting with the Lycans was repugnant, but the alternative was total destruction. For Lucian, peace with the vampires was a foreign, almost unthinkable concept, but Daniel's offer to control William and the threat of his own clan's extinction were too powerful to ignore.
"I have things to attend to," Daniel continued, his attention already diverted from the millennia-old fate to something more immediate. He rubbed his stomach with a look of mild discomfort. "And honestly, I'm going to have lunch. I'm starving." He chuckled softly, a laugh that seemed completely out of place in the somber surroundings. "How about that steak from that German bistro? A good choice, with wine and a fruit salad."
Marcus and Lucian exchanged quick glances. Their thoughts were a chorus of bewilderment.Human food?, thought Marcus in disbelief.He's a vampire, and it's daytime!Lucian's mind screamed, as the sun outside shone brightly, a mortal enemy to most vampires. Daniel's disregard for their own natures and his indifference to vampiric norms were incomprehensible to them. He was an enigma, a paradox, a force operating on a completely different plane.
Daniel didn't even wait for a response. He simply turned, and with a movement so swift it was almost invisible, he vanished from the chamber, teleporting into the daylight, into the vibrant life of London, to his lunch in a German bistro. He left behind two ancient beings, sworn enemies, with an ultimatum and a map in their hands, and the weight of an uncertain future on their shoulders. The era of Daniel had truly begun.