Elena's whistle broke through the silence. "You burned this many vampires to hell in just one night?" Her awe starkly contrasted with what Maya and Erik were feeling. "Too bad it's a single-use only…"

Perhaps she should've read the room and restrained her admiration for the sake of the countless corpses they might have been standing on.

They have reached the cramped end of the cave now. Maya observed their surroundings. Every surface of the black stone glistened like glass in the eerie glow of Elena's witchlight. Melted chain shackles still hung from the wall, and it could've been just the source of light, but it almost seemed like a shadow of a person was still imprinted into it.

Elena nonchalantly flicked out a knife and attempted to carve the polished surface of the rock. "Ooh, did the heat turn it into obsidian?"

This was clearly the source point. The power that erupted here was hundreds, no, thousands of times greater than the power Lady Kiana exhibited or what must've cooked the insides of the Charred Pavilion. Maya's mind was boggled. It was pure insanity.

"How did you survive this!?" Maya turned to Erik, shock and horror clung to her voice.

Erik seemed to struggle to find words. His face was pale, and he seemed restless—his mind clearly in disarray. Maya suddenly realized she had insisted he bring them to the very core of his trauma.

"I still don't see how this could've saved anybody," Elena continued, tactlessly. "More like melt them instantly. Were you the one who actually killed your friends?"

Her intrusive question only seemed to throw him into greater turmoil. "No. I—" he began, but stopped, struggling with himself. "They… they were already dead. It's Lillie. Marcellus took her outside… for himself."

Maya's eyes were wide in shock from all the implications. But more importantly, it was abundantly clear this wasn't the place they should continue their discussion.

"Well, we can only take your word for it." Elena's words were curt and unsympathetic. "A vampire kill count this high would be worth a few casualties. I bet Hunters even decorated you for—"

Her sentence was cut short when a hand violently closed around her throat.

Erik had snapped.

Elena was hoisted up, her feet flailing in the air as he slammed her against the wall, his grip tightening around her neck.

Erik pierced Elena with a cold, frightening glare as he held her fixed there. Struggling to loosen his grip to breathe, her feet were kicking, unable to reach the ground. The sudden, intense murderous intent from him made the hairs on the back of Maya's neck stand up, almost bringing her to her knees.

An inhumanly strong vampire was rendered but a ragdoll against him. There was no doubt that he was capable of ripping her head right off. And he would've done so if Maya weren't there to witness it.

It was a terrifying realization—Erik was a dangerous individual, not someone you would want as an enemy. Even with her mastery over all four elements, Maya struggled to comprehend how she could stand a chance against him.

"Don't think I didn't wish they died by my hand," his voice became a deep, dangerous growl. "It would've been quick and painless compared to what they had endured." His tone was dripping with detest for vampires. "I bet you can't even imagine the horrors they put us through. Or does the idea of it excite you?"

His grip tightened, seemingly eager to crush her with his bare hand. Maya began to panic, unable to think of a way to foil the situation.

"And every day, I am grateful that Tianna died before…" he was unable to make the words pass his lips. "But the torture didn't end for me there, because I was forced to witness them violate my girlfriend's corpse!"

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Elena's face shifted to a frightening shade of blue, her desperate gasps for air stifled by Erik's unyielding grip. His fingers restricted the blood flow to her brain, and oxygen was rapidly depleting. Her frantic kicks grew weaker, her resistant hands now dropping limp.

"Erik!" Maya's voice was a feeble plea, trembling with fear.

Only after hearing Maya's voice, Erik relented, releasing his grip.

Elena crumpled to the ground, her knees buckling beneath her. She lay there, gulping in ragged breaths of air, her cheek resting against the smooth, polished surface, letting it cool down her flushed face.

Hastily getting to her friend, Maya's comfort was rejected by the push from Elena's hand. Maya remained on her knees, looking up at Erik. A hint of regret reflected on his face after seeing Maya's frightened expression.

It seemed to break him even further. He backed away, sliding down against the opposite wall.

"They are all the same, Maya. Sooner you realize that, the easier it will get," his voice was barely a whisper as he sat there with his head in his hands, trying not to fall apart.

It would be logical to reprimand the aggressor, but Maya was unsure of this situation. Erik was in pain and Elena expertly struck a nerve—as she tends to do. Instead, her mind began to process Erik's words from earlier.

It dawned on her that, in the story he shared, he must've spared them countless horrifying details.

'Just how much did he have to endure?'

His hatred for vampires ran deep. It wasn't just duty-given by being a hunter, no, it was much more personal. Given the amount of trauma this place carried for him, it was no wonder he'd lost it.

Finally steadying her breath, Elena sat up. Somehow, she seemed the least rattled among them. She gestured for Maya to leave her be, and Maya quietly sat down next to her.

Now in silence, Maya's attention was drawn to an imprint on the ground, interrupting an otherwise flawlessly unified surface.

She flinched, realizing it was a footprint.

The solid stone bore a deep mark as if someone's bare foot had stepped on soft, pliable clay. It trailed someone's wobbly steps leading toward the exit to this horrid place.

Maya swallowed, then noticed Elena in the corner of her eye. She was staring at Erik, visibly pissed, but her gaze seemed to be studying him closely.

Maya half-expected her to jump at Erik, ready to stab him in the face, but her restrained demeanour suggested otherwise.

Then another shock came when Elena spoke:

"Sorry about your girlfriend," her voice was hoarse and dry.

Erik lifted his head, his eyebrows raised in surprise. He must've shared Maya's expectation that Elena would lunge at him instead. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but then turned away.

"I'm truly sorry for what you've endured," Maya voiced her condolences. "Your willingness to share your pain with us… it doesn't go unappreciated." Even though her words were heartfelt, they felt hollow in her own ears.

Just nights before, Erik had been her pillar of strength, offering solace when revelations shook her reality. However, in his moment of need, he seemed unreachable. She found herself unable to reciprocate the comfort he had provided.

He sat there, amidst the shadows of a grave where his beloved friends rested, reliving a nightmare that sent chills down Maya's spine. He bore this torment solely to earn her trust.

"I shouldn't have brought you here," he admitted quietly, regretting it deeply.

Erik stood up and started toward the exit. Maya quickly followed after him. They've reached the light from the outside and Maya realized how beautiful this glade was compared to the gloomy inside.

"W-what happened to the other girl?" she asked carefully, hoping he would still finish his story.

Hesitating, he took in another breath. "I found her with Marcellus outside," he said, closing his eyes. "She was still alive…" The gentle breeze shuffled his dark hair. When he opened his listless grey eyes again, he was unmoved by the scenery. "The monster wrung her neck to punish me."

Maya clenched her fists. To see someone die that way in front of you… Maya knew it well. It was becoming frustrating that nothing went right for Erik. The fate seemed too cruel to him.

"It didn't matter that the whole clan burned to ashes. I failed to get the boss. He still reigns powerful, and Amanda still controls them," he looked down with regret.

The fact that a new clan was now at large shows how replaceable his followers were.

"He left me for dead there. Then Hunters found me… I am yet to catch him…"

"So you are looking for revenge," Elena suddenly sounded behind them, circling to face him. "I'm also looking to cut open a bastard who likes snapping girls' necks. Wanna team up?"

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