Chapter 2

I was violently thrown backward, the metallic taste of blood rising in the back of my throat.

But I didn't break down or demand answers like I had in my past life. I simply wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth and stood tall, my expression completely calm.

"Silas," Valerius ordered cold-heartedly, "lock this madwoman in the confinement cell. No one is to let her out without my explicit command. Tonight, Lilianna and I will enjoy an undisturbed evening at the top of the Astromancy Tower."

"Yes, Your Grace." Silas strode forward, pulled a set of shackles from his belt, and ruthlessly wrenched my arms behind my back.

"Sister, just take a moment to cool off in the basement. Once the meteor shower is over, I'll beg Valerius to let you out," Lilianna said, shrinking behind the Prince. Yet, the corners of her mouth curled into a smug, triumphant smile.

"Valerius." Pausing just as I stepped through the control room doors, I glanced back at him, my voice as light as a sigh. "Remember the choice you've made tonight. Some mistakes... can only be taught by corpses."

Valerius's face went livid. "Drag her away!"

As the heavy door of the underground confinement cell slammed shut behind me, I looked through the small observation window. Outside, the last lingering sparks of the purple grid completely died out.

Valerius thought locking me in here was a punishment. He had no idea he had just personally escorted me into the safest fortress in the entire city.

I walked straight to the ventilation shaft in the corner, pulled a spare dagger from my boot, and made short work of the louvered grate.

Through the shaft, the sounds from the Core Sector above drifted down with crystal clarity.

"Your Grace, the meteor shower is about to start." It was Lilianna's voice, dripping with sweet anticipation.

"I would pluck the stars from the sky if it pleased you," Valerius replied, his tone heavy with devotion.

Following their exchange came the soft, lilting melody of a waltz and the crisp clink of crystal wine glasses.

They were celebrating. While the Grim Reaper himself was raising his scythe, these fools were waltzing away in the name of so-called romance.

A cold sneer escaped my lips. I turned and walked over to the cell's internal control panel. As the lieutenant of this territory, I held the highest-level clearance codes. My fingers flew across the keypad, entering a long string of characters.

"Independent defense protocol activated. Physical lockdown initiated. Backup UV generators warming up."

An automated female voice echoed in the cramped space. Following the system command, three layers of heavy lead plating slammed down over the cell's exterior metal door.

Now, short of using high-explosives, no living creature could open this door from the outside. Even if Valerius himself came down here, he would be reduced to nothing but impotent rage on the other side.

With everything secured, I leaned back against the wall and slowly closed my eyes.

Memories of my past life flooded back like a relentless tide.

Back then, I was foolish enough to believe that duty trumped all else. After being gravely wounded by Silas, I dragged my broken body toward the outer perimeter, desperately trying to organize the low-tier vampires and human thralls into a defensive line.

I remembered the half-blind old woman who always brought me fresh blood, her head bitten half-off by a mutated ghoul in a single snap. I remembered the young guards who threw their flesh and blood at the breaches in the wall, only to be ripped to shreds by the swarming monsters.

And I—after exhausting my very last ounce of strength—was pinned beneath the foot of a massive Alpha ghoul. Its razor-sharp claws eviscerated my stomach, dragging out my entrails and chewing them right in front of my face.

In those final moments, my blurring vision had drifted toward the high tower in the center of the territory. I could only see the silhouettes of Valerius and Lilianna, standing together, admiring the falling stars.

"Nyx, reflect on your sins down there," Silas's arrogant voice suddenly echoed from the ventilation shaft.

Evidently, he was patrolling the corridor outside my cell. "His Grace was merciful to spare your life. Once you realize how pathetic your jealousy is, you can crawl to Lady Lilianna and beg for her forgiveness."

I opened my eyes, staring into the pitch-black vent. My tone was as dead and stagnant as foul water. "Silas, your pregnant fiancée is currently resting in a stasis pod, yet here you are, standing guard over another woman's ridiculous romance. I'm sure the meteor shower tonight will be beautiful—mostly because it's going to use all of your blood as a sacrifice."

The footsteps on the other side of the door paused.

"Why bring her into this? I'm warning you, don't try playing any games," Silas snapped, a trace of wary tension edging into his voice.

"Nothing." I looked down, absentmindedly twirling the dagger in my hand. "I just think marrying you... is a good way to wind up dead."

"You crazy bitch!" Silas cursed, followed by the deafening thud of a heavy boot kicking the steel door. "When this meteor shower is over, I'll personally petition His Grace to banish you to the wastelands!"

When the meteor shower is over?

I glanced at the watch on my wrist.

There were less than five minutes left before the defense grid completely cooled down.

Outside, the sound of the wind seemed to shift.

Immediately after, a faint, putrid stench drifted into the territory on the night breeze.

The vanguard of the ghoul horde had already arrived.

Meanwhile, right above my head, the waltz continued to play—melodious, graceful, and utterly oblivious.