The Return to the Sanctuary was silent.
Lucy walked slowly, her trembling hands still marked with dried blood. The echoes of the recent events reverberated inside her mind like a cracked bell. Each step felt heavier than the last.
Nyra.
The image of her sister — chained, subdued, used…
It made Lucy's chest burn.
She leaned against one of the stone columns, taking a deep breath.
She felt strong, but broken.
Alive, but in pieces.
"I should've been faster… should've seen this sooner… she was suffering alone…"
The Sanctuary was quiet, as if it too mourned.
Lucy closed her eyes for a moment, trying to find any trace of peace.
But all she found was guilt, fury, and the growing weight of a destiny that seemed intent on crushing her.
That was when the ground shook.
First slightly… then like a subterranean roar.
The walls quivered, the ceiling groaned.
"W–What —?!"
The structure began to crack.
Lucy ran, heart pounding.
The corridor ahead collapsed and the floor opened beneath her feet.
"No!"
She fell, plunging into darkness until she hit an old, damp tunnel—an abandoned sewer forgotten beneath the Sanctuary.
Before she could stand, the ceiling above began to crumble.
Stones fell. Dust filled the air.
Then… a red light tore through the darkness.
A magic circle appeared on the ground before Lucy, pulsing like a malevolent heart.
Symbols intertwined, forming ancient runes that seemed to bleed smoke.
A flash.
And from it emerged Dracula — not fully restored, but a distorted form made of twisted shadow and warped flesh. His eyes burned a pure, murderous red.
"I found you… little night princess," he said, his voice echoing like a thousand whispers in the void.
"And now I'll finish what I started."
Lucy didn't hesitate. Even wounded, she raised her fists.
"I'm not afraid of you!"
"You should be."
Dracula attacked first, lunging forward in a blur. Shadow claws burst from his arms, cutting through the air.
Lucy dodged — but slower than before.
The impact of the shadows exploded the ground behind her.
She raised the Chiron Gauntlets, which flared in fractured blue.
"Come on, bastard!"
She struck.
A punch wrapped in astral energy tore through part of Dracula's chest, but he only laughed, as if the damage meant nothing.
"You still bleed, little one… but not enough."
He lifted his hand, and a massive shadow slammed down on Lucy like a battering ram.
She was thrown against the wall, coughing blood.
Her body trembled — exhausted, drained, fragile.
Dracula approached with slow steps, dragging his black cape across the floor.
"You've lost too much blood… and you're alone," he hissed, touching her chin with a cold, cruel finger.
"Just like your sister was before she became mine."
Lucy tried to stand.
She fell to her knees.
He gathered dark energy into his palm, forming a living spear of shadows.
"Goodbye, Lucy."
But before the attack could be cast…
Something changed in the air.
First a soft sound.
Then dozens.
Hundreds.
Bats.
They emerged from cracks, shadows, living darkness.
They spun in a spiral, forming a small black tornado in the center of the chamber.
Dracula stepped back.
The vortex glowed red and burst like lightning.
When the curtain of wings opened…
A figure appeared.
Drayven.
Standing.
Imposing.
Eyes glowing a deep crimson.
The Lycanos strapped to her back.
And around her neck… the ancestral pendant.
"Take your hands off her," Drayven said, her voice a mix of authority and provocation.
She bolted forward with unbelievable speed, creating an arc of dark energy with the Lycanos. The impact hit Dracula dead-on, smashing him against the wall and burying him in rubble.
Drayven knelt beside Lucy, holding her face gently.
"Hey… hey… look at me. Don't black out."
Lucy's breathing was shallow. Her whole body trembled.
"I… I have no strength left… Drayven…"
Drayven brushed her thumb across Lucy's lips.
"Then take mine."
Lucy's eyes widened.
"No… your blood is… too strong… I could lose control…"
"Trust me," Drayven said, leaning closer.
"I'm allowing it."
Lucy hesitated.
Drayven moved in, holding Lucy by the nape of her neck.
Lucy's lips touched the warm skin.
Then her fangs slipped in gently.
Drayven let out a trembling sigh, almost a suppressed moan — gripping Lucy's arm as the sensation rippled through her body.
"T-That…," she whispered, her voice breaking,
"…don't stop… Lucy…"
It was intense, deep, a bond of blood and energy that burned like fire and ice.
When Lucy pulled back, her eyes shone pitch black, consumed by newly awakened power.
Dracula burst from the rubble, enraged.
"DRAYVEN… YOU TRAITOR!"
Drayven licked the blood from the corner of her lips and gave a sideways, teasing smile.
"Oh, darling… if you're jealous, you should've treated me better."
Dark energy surged from Lucy like a wave.
Her hair floated in the air.
Her aura crackled.
Shadows seemed to bow before her.
Lucy stepped forward.
"Dracula!"
He bared his fangs, ready.
"Come, child."
And Lucy charged, with power darker and fiercer than ever — straight into the final clash.