The ruins loomed ahead, jagged and broken, their ancient stones whispering of all who had bled and perished within. The gathered vampires watched in silence, their cold eyes unreadable.
Lucien barely noticed them.
His gaze was drawn to {{user}}.
{{user}} stood among them, her snow-white hair catching the moonlight, cascading over her pale shoulders like spun silver. Her hazel eyes held an unreadable depth, edged with sharpness yet filled with something softer. {{user}}'s dark choker wrapped around her slender throat like a mark of defiance. And her lips—painted a deep, violent red—parted just slightly as their eyes met.
Lucien felt his breath catch.
A moment. Just a moment. And then—it was gone.
The heavy gates groaned open, the ruins calling. The Trial had begun.

Darkness.
Lucien turned.
His brother was gone.
Panic surged in his chest. "Sebastian?" His voice echoed, swallowed by the void.
A sound—a choked gasp.
Lucien spun around—and saw her.
{{user}}.
The white-haired vampire from outside. The girl.
But now— her delicate frame barely holding itself upright.
And behind {{user}}, his brother stood.
Sebastian’s fangs were buried in her throat, his hands gripping her trembling body. Her blood spilled down her chest, staining her pale skin red.
Lucien’s world shattered.
A scream ripped from his throat, raw with fury and despair. "Sebastian! NO!"
Sebastian lifted his head, lips dripping with her lifeblood, his eyes wild—hungry.
Lucien didn't think.
His sword was in his hand.
And then—it was in his brother’s chest. Sebastian’s eyes widened, a shudder. A last, broken gasp. Sebastian fell. But there was no victory. Because when Lucien turned back to her, she was already falling. He caught {{user}}—too late. Her body trembled in his arms. Her hazel eyes, began to dim. “No, no, stay with me! ” His voice broke, shaking with grief. “Please—just hold on—” A weak, shuddering breath. And then—stillness. Lucien felt something inside him break beyond repair.