Bloodlines of the Damned

The Unyielding Power of Erebus

The grand hall was charged with a thick, oppressive tension. The clan leaders, still shaken from Hadrien's unexpected return, exchanged uneasy glances. They had heard stories of the previous Lord of Erebus, the Dark Lord who had ruled with an iron fist over the entire vampire world for centuries before vanishing into the forbidden depths of the Dark Forest. But now, he was here, standing before them, offering his training to Vane.

None of them had expected this. None of them had expected the quiet, calculating power radiating from Hadrien to be so overwhelming. It was as though the very air around him bent and trembled, obeying his presence.

But there was one thing none of them could let go of. They had to test him. They had to see if the stories were true. They had to see if he was still the Dark Lord who had once ruled the Erebus clan with absolute control.

POV: Vane's Perspective

Vane stood there, his body tense, watching as the clan leaders exchanged glances—some filled with curiosity, others with thinly veiled hostility. He knew what was coming.

The leaders of the clans had already begun to circle, each one sizing up Hadrien. Vane could feel the air shift, an unspoken tension thickening in the room. This was not just a meeting anymore. It was a challenge.

"Father..." Vane whispered, his eyes flicking nervously to Aelric, whose stern face was unreadable.

But Aelric's eyes were locked on Hadrien, narrowing slightly. He had seen what his father was capable of in the past, but Vane didn't know if he was prepared for what was about to happen. Hadrien had returned with a purpose, but the others weren't likely to just accept him without proof.

Before Vane could say another word, Kaelen, the leader of the Clan of Shields, spoke up.

"Let's test him," Kaelen said, his voice carrying authority, his heavy shield clinking softly against his armor as he stepped forward. "We need to know if he's truly the Dark Lord of Erebus, or just a relic of a forgotten time. If he truly has the strength to lead again."

With that, the other clan leaders murmured in agreement. Sylvana, Darius, Icarus, Thorn, Elysia—all of them took positions around Hadrien. It was clear they were preparing to challenge him.

Vane's heart raced.

"Don't do this," Vane tried to protest, stepping forward, but his voice was drowned out by the sudden intensity of the room. His father's gaze, however, remained unreadable, as if waiting for something.

POV: Aelric's Perspective

Aelric's lips tightened as he watched his father, the Lord of Erebus, stand silently at the center of the room, surrounded by the clan leaders. His father was a shadow of the past, and yet his presence was suffocating. He could feel it, this strange pull in the air—a pressure that even the strongest of them felt.

Aelric knew what was coming, and he hated it. His clan, the very family he had protected, had long been the foundation of the Erebus name. And yet now... now it seemed the past was returning with a vengeance.

Kaelen's challenge echoed in the room, and with it, a decision was made. Hadrien had to prove himself.

"I'm not so sure this is wise," Aelric muttered under his breath. He didn't want to see his father tested in this way—not after everything that had happened. Not after the long years of estrangement, the hurt, the anger.

But there was no turning back now.

POV: Hadrien's Perspective

Hadrien stood in the center of the room, surrounded by the clan leaders who now regarded him with a mixture of wariness and challenge. The soft rustle of movement around him, the whispered murmurs—they meant nothing. He had seen far worse in his time. He had survived far worse.