Chapter 5: The Monster Within
The stone doors of the Forgotten Ruins creaked open, revealing a chamber steeped in ancient magic.
The walls pulsed with faint red veins — as if the building itself was alive. The ground beneath Adarsh's boots throbbed with old blood. The air was thick with whispers in languages no human had ever spoken.
At the far end of the chamber stood the Mirror of Blood.
It wasn't made of glass — but of still, living liquid. A standing pool, vertical, rippling slowly like it breathed. Runes carved around its frame glowed faintly as Adarsh approached.
Behind him, Kaelara placed a hand on his shoulder.
"This mirror doesn't show you what you want to see," she said softly. "It shows what you could become — if your darkness is left unchecked."
Ragnar crossed his arms. "If the boy screams and runs, we'll know he's not the one."
Liliane smiled coldly. "But if he embraces the monster… we may all have something to fear."
Adarsh took a deep breath, then stepped forward.
The mirror rippled.
And then... it pulled him in.
---
Inside the Mirror
Adarsh stood alone in a red-tinted reflection of the world — a place both real and unreal. Shadows danced like ghosts. Time felt wrong here.
Then, he saw himself.
Or... something that wore his face.
Taller. Stronger. Drenched in blood. Red eyes burning brighter than any fire. Claws like swords. Fangs bared. A grin twisted with madness.
"I am what you could be," the reflection said. "If you stopped pretending you were human. If you let go."
Adarsh took a step back. "You're not me."
"Oh, I am. I'm the part you keep buried. The rage when they bullied you. The hatred when they laughed. The fury when they hurt your sister. I am the one who burns the world to protect what's his."
"You're a monster."
The reflection roared and attacked.
---
The fight was brutal.
Adarsh dodged his darker self's blows, but every hit felt like being struck by his own guilt and pain.
They clashed — claw against claw, fist against shadow.
The reflection snarled, "They'll betray you! The vampires will use you. The werewolves will chain you. The girl will leave you."
"I won't let that happen!" Adarsh shouted.
"Then embrace me. Let me take over. Let me win."
The monster tackled him, pinning him to the ground. Its eyes bored into his.
"You are weak. You always were."
But Adarsh's voice came firm.
"No. I survived. I protected my sister. I bled and broke, but I never gave up. That's not weakness. That's strength."
And then, his hands ignited.
A red flame — not fire, not magic, but raw hybrid energy. Vampire speed. Werewolf fury. Human soul.
He struck the reflection through the chest.
It screamed — light pouring from its body — and exploded into a storm of ash and memory.
---
Adarsh fell to his knees, panting.
The Mirror of Blood shimmered, then slowly turned solid and clear.
Now it showed something else — not a monster, but a prince.
Wounded. Determined. And rising.
---
Back in the real world, the chamber doors burst open as Adarsh emerged, eyes glowing faintly, a red mark now burned across his chest — a crown of fangs and fur.
Kaelara's eyes widened. "The mark of the chosen…"
Liliane whispered, "He faced his darkness and lived."
Ragnar growled with pride. "He's stronger than I thought."
Darian smiled faintly from the shadows.
But far across the world, in a fortress carved into mountain bone, others watched too.
The Council of Fangs.
The Shadow Claws.
And worse — an ancient being who stirred from slumber.
A whisper slithered across the world.
> "The hybrid prince walks the path. It is time... to begin the Hunt."