The battlefield still smoked with ash and blood.
Elias stood motionless, his shoulders trembling. Steve's bite throbbed at the base of his neck, where blood still slowly trickled, seeping into his collar. Around him, the ruins of the chapel burned — broken pews crackled, melted stained glass shimmered in the firelight, and in the air lingered the scent of sulfur and iron.
Steve's laughter echoed in his skull.
"Enjoy the gift, Elias," he had said, voice seething with venom and victory. "That wasn't just a bite. That was a seed."
A seed of corruption.
A curse.
Elias's knees hit the ground, and his vision blurred.
> [System Alert!]
Status Effect: Vampiric Infection (Mutated – Origin: Elder Vampyr: Steve)
System Core Conflict Detected. Soul Signature in Flux.
Consequences: Evolution path divergence imminent.
Warning: If left unresolved, host will become an uncontrollable hybrid entity.
