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Chapter 204 – The Path of Carnage
Chapter 204 – The Path of Carnage
The wind howled through the towering trees, carrying the scent of blood and decay. Seraphis moved swiftly, her raven-like senses locked onto her destination.
The next cave.
Her mind was sharp, focused. The last vampire she had slain had given her valuable knowledge, yet it was not enough.
Somewhere out there, Sena and Lilith were still waiting.
And she was going to find them.
The Cave of Beasts
The entrance was jagged, carved into the side of a mountain, its walls slick with damp moss and the faint glisten of old, dried blood.
Seraphis crouched at the entrance, listening.
Voices.
Multiple.
Vampires.
They weren’t nobles, but they were still dangerous.
She stepped forward, her boots making no sound against the stone floor. Shadows wrapped around her like a second skin, concealing her presence.
She counted the heartbeats.
Ten. No—twelve.
She smiled.
The Slaughter Begins
The first vampire never saw it coming.
Seraphis moved like a wraith—one step, one kill.
A dagger slipped between vertebrae, slicing clean through the spine. A gurgled gasp—then silence.
She caught the body before it hit the ground.
One down.
Another turned, sensing something was wrong. Too late.
A throwing knife whistled through the air, embedding itself deep into his eye socket. The vampire staggered back, shrieking—before collapsing into a heap.
Two down.
Then the rest noticed.
The cavern erupted into chaos.
A Dance of Death
Fangs gleamed in the darkness. Claws scraped against stone.
Seraphis dodged left, spun right, countered.
One lunged—she twisted, her dagger severing his Achilles tendon. He collapsed with a scream, and she drove her blade through his throat.
Another tried to grab her. She ducked, spun low, and sliced through both his knees. He dropped, roaring in pain—until she drove a dagger into his skull.
More came.
Faster.
Angrier.
She moved like a storm of blades.
A vampire swung a massive, rusted sword—she caught it with her daggers, twisting it out of his hands. A flick of her wrist, and the blade turned against him, slashing his throat wide open.
Blood sprayed across the cave walls.
She didn’t stop.
She couldn't.
Each movement was calculated, precise. One strike. One kill.
The vampires shrieked, realizing that this wasn’t a battle.
It was a massacre.
The Last One Falls
The final vampire stood trembling, backing against the wall. His crimson eyes were wide with terror.
“You…” he whispered, shaking. “You’re not human.”
Seraphis wiped blood from her blade, tilting her head.
“And you’re not alive.”
She lunged.
His scream was cut short as she drove her blade through his chest.
With a single motion, she grabbed his hair—
And ripped his head from his body.
Silence.
The cave was still.
Only she remained.
The Hidden Chamber
Seraphis exhaled slowly, steadying her pulse. She stepped over the bodies, moving deeper into the cavern.
Then she saw it.
A metal door, covered in deep claw marks—as if something had been trying to get out.
With a push, she opened it.
The smell hit her instantly.
Rot. Blood. Death.
Inside, the room was lined with rotting corpses. Some were chained to the walls, their bodies shriveled, twisted. Others lay strewn across the floor, their faces frozen in agony.
And covering every inch of the walls—
Notes. Papers. Research.
She stepped forward, picking up a page.
The Sleeper Experiments
The documents were detailed—far too detailed.
The vampires here weren’t just killing for sport.
They were experimenting.
The papers spoke of a goal: “Final Evolution.”
They had been trying to force a vampire’s ascent—to push them into the last stage of their transformation.
Just like Veylan.
But they had all failed.
Seraphis narrowed her eyes as she read further.
"All attempts resulted in catastrophic failure. Subjects displayed heightened aggression, extreme physical mutations, and total loss of cognitive function. In every case, the experiment ended in death."
"The only exception is Subject Zero—the first successful Sleeper. But he was lost…"
Her grip on the paper tightened.
Veylan was Subject Zero.
They had no idea he was alive.
She scanned the room, pushing through the bodies, searching for more. Then she found it—
A single piece of parchment, tucked beneath a pile of discarded notes.
She lifted it, eyes narrowing as she read.
It was a set of coordinates.
A new lab.
Another experiment site.
The Next Step
Seraphis memorized the location, then torched the notes.
She would leave nothing behind.
With one last glance at the carnage around her, she turned and stepped back into the night.
The hunt was far from over.
She had work to do.