The Red Rose

Chapter XXXVI

A couple of days passed, and I had been discreetly testing the walls and bars, but I noticed that their spikes cut my hands, something unprecedented.

"Don't bother, son. This place is sealed with eldritch magic. Why do you think the Count keeps us all in the same place? He fully trusts in his new power, and he can watch us all at the same time, or he can try to." Lycaon smiled.

"I've confirmed it, although I'm not the most robust one here. You know, I adore our dear Lucy, but sometimes one wants to try other things. There's too much out there to experience, and being here often gets boring," Dorian added.

I observed that each of the bars in our cells had different colors and shapes. Dorian's were electrified and practically made of iron, Lycaon's, which were the thickest and also had pointed shapes, had a more silvery sheen, and mine were completely black, like coal.

I noticed that my body was beginning to regenerate faster, and I slowly started to feel better, but I still lacked my immunity.

"Each bar and geometric shape of our cells is made specifically to suppress our supernatural abilities and essences," Lycaon explained, with his hands behind his back, standing in front of me. To demonstrate, he put his hands on one of the bars and bled. The wound began to burn, as if it were an allergic reaction, and then healed slowly, leaving no trace.

"If I touch mine, I get electrocuted and wake up the next day. It's as if I died and was reanimated," Dorian explained, then mischievously added, looking towards Lycaon, "Shall I tell him, or will you?"

Lycaon drew a smile on his face and spoke: "Miguel, Dorian is immortal, and I'm a werewolf. You must be the Nephilim that Dracula was looking for."

Lycaon began to walk backward slowly, thoughtful, waiting for my response. I confirmed it to him, nodding, and then asked:

"How do you know?"

Lycaon walked backward, almost as if hiding in the darkness. I noticed that his eyes were black, like those of vampires, and suddenly, I saw how they changed to the typical amber of the beasts I've faced, and then returned to their normal black eyes.

"Let's say I've studied the natural world for many years. I can recognize many species, either by their smell or their voice. Your scent is unique, and I've only sensed it once, many years ago, millennia back."

Dorian had already fallen asleep. Lycaon stood with his hands crossed in front of me. I felt very curious about his story, so I couldn't help but ask.

"Have you known another of my kind? How old are you, Mr. Lycaon?"

"Many years. It's not something you keep track of after reaching a certain time limit," he smiled. Then he paused and continued, while calmly pacing around the cell, stroking his beard.

"You see, I was a king. I inherited the throne from my father who fell in battle, in Greece. But I was a very young king, curious and eager to know more. I wanted to meet the gods, contact them, and understand the oracles. A mysterious merchant brought me news of a king who possessed occult knowledge, King Solomon, where I learned a few things, in addition to making some trade deals, but I wanted to go further. I wanted revenge against my father's enemies."

He paused, and I continued listening attentively.

"Having visited and experienced King Solomon's knowledge opened my eyes to this supernatural world, and I prepared for my own experiments. I pushed the boundaries of the occult further than anyone had gone before, but the price of truth, boy, is high, very high."

He looked into the void, this time seriously and thoughtfully. I simply remained attentive, waiting, as it seemed he wanted to finish his story.

"I'll be frank and get straight to the point, boy. The new gods I discovered were thirsty for human blood, and I began to perform sacrifices for them, who promised me great power, particularly one of them, until finally, the consequences of my actions caught the attention of a very powerful being."