The tension in the chamber was thick, suffocating. Jayden's body trembled, barely held together by willpower alone. The hunger roared within him, raw and insatiable. The power of Divina's blood surged through him—too much, too fast, too alive.
His vision swam, dark edges creeping in as his mind fought to keep control. His claws dug into his palms, trying to ground himself, but it was futile. The blood had unlocked something primal within him, and his body was aching for release.
A low growl rumbled in his chest. His teeth, sharp as daggers, ached with the need to feed again. The whispers of the system in his head shouted one word over and over: Kill. His fangs bared, his limbs twitching as if they might strike without his command.
"Pathetic," Divina's voice came, cold and amused. She watched him struggle, a cruel smile tugging at her lips. "You think you can control it? You're nothing but a puppet—my puppet."
Jayden's breath came in ragged gasps. His heart hammered in his chest as the walls of the chamber seemed to close in. The Elders were still watching, murmuring among themselves, eager for the inevitable explosion of violence.
But Jayden wasn't listening to them.
He was listening to the power, feeling it pulse within his veins, his very soul thrumming with it. He needed to break free. He could feel the portal skill burning at the back of his mind, an escape, a lifeline—but he couldn't reach it. Not while his instincts were drowning in the bloodlust.
Suddenly, the ground shook beneath him—a tremor so violent that it sent waves of dust spiraling into the air. The Elders froze, their eyes flicking toward the massive doors at the far end of the chamber.
A roar, like thunder, erupted from outside the walls.
"The Rivans are attacking!" one of the Elders hissed, their eyes widening in disbelief. "It's… the war."
The room erupted into chaos.
Divina's smile faltered for a moment before her lips curled again—this time, with genuine interest. She turned to the Elders, her voice cold and sharp. "Prepare yourselves. The Rivans have launched a full-scale assault. They must have sensed the gate."
The room descended into frantic movement as the Elders dispersed, their dark forms vanishing into shadows, preparing for the oncoming war. Jayden barely registered the sounds, his mind a whirl of hunger and confusion, until he felt Divina's gaze on him again.
"You—" She began, her eyes narrowing as she took a step toward him. "This is your moment, Sovereign. Your first taste of the real world."
Her words broke through the fog in his mind, and for the briefest moment, Jayden's eyes flicked toward her. The war outside, the Elders scrambling in preparation—this was it. This was his chance.
His hands trembled, and with every ounce of will he had left, he reached deep inside himself, feeling for the pulse of the portal skill.
A flash of light burst from his fingertips, swirling like a storm. The ground beneath him cracked, the air vibrated, and the world seemed to split apart for a heartbeat.
"Not so fast," Divina hissed, sensing his intent. But she was too late.
With a final, desperate surge, Jayden's body was engulfed in a vortex of light, the air around him rippling with power. Divina's outstretched hand grasped for him, her nails barely grazing his skin as he vanished.
The chamber fell silent.
The war outside had begun. And Jayden? He was already gone.
"Hehe kid you think am that easy to let go . I have to admit your determination to survive supersedes any expectations i had so ill play along. Her aura suddenly shifted from a calm one to one filled with murderous intent. "Now let me deal with this pests in my territory.
The world spun violently as the portal pulled him through. The last thing Jayden saw was Divina's cold gaze reaching out to him in a futile attempt to stop him, then—
Silence.
He staggered as his feet hit solid ground. The air was thick and familiar. The warm, dim light of his bedroom greeted him like an old friend. Dust was still clinging to his skin from the chaos he had just escaped, but the stark contrast of home—his home—was jarring.
Jayden took a shaky breath and glanced around. His room. His bed. The same walls. He was back in Earth. Somehow, after all the madness in Veindusk, the familiar was almost… jarring.
He glanced down at his clothes. Torn, bloodied, caked with dirt and something darker. He cursed under his breath. The transformation was too recent. Too much had happened. And he was exhausted.
Pulling off his clothes in quick, irritated movements, Jayden dug through his drawers for something more fitting. He grabbed the set of clothes he had bought just for himself—the ones he never thought he'd wear, but now they felt oddly comforting: black hoodie, ripped jeans, and a leather jacket that fit him like it had been made for this exact moment. No longer an outcast in his own room—at least not in appearance.
The change felt like a momentary escape, a brief respite from the war that had just erupted, from the vampire world, from the bloodlust that still raged inside him.
But just as he finished changing, the sound of voices downstairs interrupted the silence.
Jayden's heart skipped.
The voices were muffled but unmistakable. Clara. His sister. And… her boyfriend, Allan.
Jayden froze. No. Not now. His body tensed, and for a split second, his thoughts flickered back to the events at her campus—the terrifying incident that had nearly taken Clara's life. The same one where he hadn't been able to save her. She had been so close to dying… so close to knowing what he really was.
Jayden's throat tightened. The memory of that night, when he had been forced to remain hidden, kept him silent. His family still had no idea what he was becoming. Clara still didn't know he was no longer the same Jayden she had grown up with.
Stay quiet, he reminded himself.
A faint shuffle from downstairs. Clara's voice rang out, sharp but tinged with surprise.
"Wait, Jayden you were sleeping in your room this whole time? Do you even know the things I had to undergo at school and yet you were here soundly sleeping at home .. you know for a moment I almost believed you had changed but you're still the pathetic son of a bitch that made dad die because of your selfishness I wish it had been you that died "
Jayden's pulse quickened. Clara had no idea. She had no God damn idea of what he has been going through. With a slight smile of disappointment in his face he started heading toward the stairs cursing softly. After my light supper i went through the dirty clothes thinking of the most effective way of disposing them without arousing any suspicions only then did he feel a piece of tissue in one of his pockets. Grabbing it he found that it was one that entailed a shabbily written number. It was then that he recalled it was the one that Layla had given to me .Feeling guilty for ramming her and not reaching out like that I quickly saved it into my cell and gave it a ring it was then that a system notification came to me
[SOVEREIGN SYSTEM - CODE RED ALERT]
**THREAT LEVEL: ** IMMINENT DESTRUCTION
TARGET: [Layla]STATUS:FATAL CONDITION IMMINENT
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION:The moment of weakness has arrived. Your permanent partner is currently under direct threat of termination.The enemy is closing in with lethal intent, and your partner's survival probability is less than 5% without immediate intervention.
THREAT PROFILE:
Location: [Layla's mansion]
Hostile Entity:[MIKE]
Threat Level:EXTERMINATION-LEVEL
Action Required: DESTROY THE BASTARD THAT DEARS LAY A HAND TO YOUR WOMAN Potential Outcome:DEATH of your partner.
WARNING:The weak perish. If you hesitate, if you falter—your partner's life will be forfeit, and you will be left to carry the weight of your failure. Weakness has no place here.
You are no longer given the luxury of compassion. There is only one option now: decimate the threat ARE YOU A GODAMN PUSSIE IN SOME TIGHTS OR ARE YOU THE SOVEREIGHN ... NOW FUCKING PROOVE TO ME THAT YOU ARE NO PUSH OVER
Your partner's fate is in your hands.Act with unrelenting power.
[ACTION REQUIRED: EXECUTE IMMEDIATELY]
As the SYSTEM ALERT blared, something far more primal stirred within Jayden. His body was no longer his own, not entirely. The dark power that pulsed through his veins from Divina's blood surged like a tidal wave, raw and unrestrained.
His eyes flashed crimson, like twin blood moons reflecting the deepest depths of his hunger and power. They glowed brighter with each passing second, each pulse of the notification feeding the rising storm within him. His senses flared, heightened beyond human perception, as if the very fabric of reality was bending beneath his feet.
The air around him shifted, vibrating with an oppressive energy. The walls of his room seemed to close in, the temperature rising to a suffocating heat as if his very presence was melting the atmosphere. The ground beneath his feet hummed with a low, barely audible thrumming—an energy only those like him could feel. The power of a Sovereign had awoken, and it was hungry.
His skin tingled, prickling like an electric charge running just beneath the surface, a reflection of the dangerous might now crawling through his body. His hands clenched into fists so tight that the claws began to extend, sharp and gleaming like jagged daggers. The room seemed to stretch, the space around him feeling too small, too constrained, like the universe was rebelling against the sheer volume of his presence.
The air thickened, the space around him rippling with an almost tangible force, like the atmosphere itself was being torn asunder by the sheer weight of his power. The smell of blood—rich, metallic—clung to his senses, a reminder of what he had become. His mind raced. The notification blared again, searing through his skull like a divine command.
His heartbeat was thunderous in his chest, but now, each pulse was a drumbeat—a herald of his inevitable wrath. His aura spread like a shadow, stretching through the room, bleeding into the very corners of the house, undeniable and uncontrollable. It was a living thing, hungry for blood, hungry for the downfall of his enemies. The darkness clung to him, no longer something he controlled—but something that now defined him.
Outside, through the thin walls of the house, the wind began to howl, as if nature itself was bowing in submission to his rising might. Every living thing in the house felt it—his sister might not know it, but she would sense it in her bones, the undeniable pull of a power that could tear the world apart.
Jayden stepped forward, the very floor beneath his feet cracking under the weight of his supernatural might. His body vibrated with it—his power now too great to contain. His fangs flashed in the dim light as his hunger returned, not just for blood, but for something far deeper—vengeance.
The notification remained, blaring in his mind, but it was no longer just a call for action. It was a summons. A summons to wield the wrath of the Sovereign.
Every instinct told him to act. The system, the world, everything was waiting for him to make his move.
And in that moment, Jayden knew the truth of what it meant to be a Sovereign. There was no mercy. No hesitation. There was only power. Only blood. Only control.
The last vestiges of his humanity flickered out as his power consumed him, and in the deepest recesses of his mind, one thought echoed, clear as crystal:
"Destroy them all."