Free Web NovelThe door opened.
Grrk!
Matt crossed the threshold with slow steps. His clothes were torn in several places. His white hair fell in disarray over his face and he had dried blood on his cheek.
'Finally…' Matt thought as he took in the cold forges, work tables, and neatly arranged tools of the rest room.
As always, there was a bed, and at the center, a fountain with glowing water.
Matt went still.
For a few seconds he didn't breathe.
Then he walked to the bed and set the bow-spear on top of it with an almost reverent care.
The weapon vibrated softly and Matt looked at it.
"Rest."
The weapon didn't respond.
Then Matt turned toward the fountain and walked until he simply threw himself fully into the water, clothes and all.
Splash!
The warm water wrapped around Matt and the wounds began to close immediately.
The burning in his arm disappeared.
The cuts on his back sealed shut.
The tense muscles relaxed.
For a few seconds, Matt stayed under the water with his eyes closed.
Then the feminine voice spoke.
"Matt, have you also considered that we might not get out of here because you turned that bow into a weird hybrid between a melee weapon and a ranged weapon?"
Matt opened his eyes underwater and bubbles came out of his mouth. Then he surfaced all at once.
Splash!
Matt pushed his wet hair back and looked around with fury.
"I told you to keep quiet."
The voice laughed softly inside his head.
"Don't be so mean to me. I just want to talk to you, since we're in a rest area."
Matt leaned against the edge of the fountain, breathing slowly.
"I have nothing to talk to you about."
"That's a lie."
Matt closed his eyes.
"Besides, I made that weapon on my own."
"That's true."
The voice paused.
"But surviving long enough to make it was possible thanks to me."
Matt opened his eyes and his expression went cold.
"Thanks to you?"
"Yes."
"How convenient."
"Remember that I am your vampire powers."
Matt let out a low laugh.
"You're not my powers. You're another parasite."
The voice was quiet for a second. Then it answered with an offended tone.
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"That was cruel."
"Good."
"For someone older than me, you're very cruel to someone who was barely born not long ago."
Matt frowned.
"I don't care about you, or Iris, or that unhinged queen, or anything related to how vampire royalty comes into being."
The silence returned.
The fountain water moved softly around Matt.
His soaked clothes weighed on his body, but he didn't care.
The voice spoke again.
"Then why did you stop using blood?"
Matt didn't answer.
"Since we started talking clearly, you've been avoiding using it intentionally."
Matt clenched his jaw.
"And not just that," the voice continued. "You're also blocking your regeneration."
"Shut up."
"Do you just prefer healing in the fountain?"
"I told you to shut up."
"No. I want to understand."
Matt looked up.
"I want to go home."
Matt's voice came out dry and tired.
"That's all. I want to get out of here, go back to my world, and forget everything related to this place."
The voice didn't answer right away.
When it did, it sounded softer.
"You know that's not possible."
Matt smiled without humor.
"Of course it is."
"No."
"I get out of here. Go home. Dye my hair. Get another job. Done."
"And the queen?"
Matt went quiet.
The voice continued:
"She'll find another excuse to bring you back."
Matt closed his eyes.
"Then I'll have to kill her."
The voice sighed.
"That's irrational."
Matt opened his eyes.
"Thanks for your opinion."
"You can leave here stronger. Much stronger. But even if you manage to kill her, what will you do after?"
Matt didn't respond and the voice didn't wait.
"Do you think the entire castle will just stand still?"
Matt gritted his teeth.
"I don't care about the castle."
"You should."
"I don't."
"Not when your human family exists."
Matt went still and the voice continued:
"If you kill the queen and don't take her place, someone else will try to claim the throne."
Matt slowly lowered his gaze.
"Someone close to her bloodline."
"Silence."
"Or worse."
The voice paused.
"Iris."
Matt let out a dry laugh.
"That's not going to happen."
"Why not?"
"Because it isn't."
"Great argument."
Matt struck the water with one hand.
Splash!
"What are you?"
The voice went quiet.
Matt breathed hard.
"When the queen healed me in the castle, did she put you in my head to stop me from rebelling?"
"No."
"Then why do you sound like you're defending her kingdom?"
"I'm not defending her kingdom."
"Yes you are."
"I'm trying to stop you from doing something that destroys your life and your family's."
Matt laughed.
But this time the laugh sounded worse. freewebnovёl.ƈom
"How noble."
"I understand that you don't trust me."
"You don't understand anything."
"I understand more than you want to admit."
Matt raised his head and the voice spoke with more firmness.
"You're acting irrationally. If you come out of here carrying all this rage, you're going to cause a disaster in the castle."
"Good."
"No."
"Yes."
"It won't just be the castle, Matt."
Matt didn't respond.
"It will affect your family too. If you make the kingdom collapse or push the royal line into war, someone will look for a way to weaken you where it hurts most."
Matt felt his chest go cold.
The voice lowered its tone.
"And your human family is the easiest part to attack."
Matt clenched his fists.
The water around him began to churn.
"No."
"Yes."
"They won't touch them."
"Do you think you can protect them from everyone?"
Matt closed his eyes.
"Yes."
"Do you really think you can be with them every moment of the day? Don't underestimate vampires, Matt. Strength isn't everything — strategy is also…"
"Shut up!"
"Matt, if you kill the queen without a plan, you could trigger exactly that."
Matt slammed his fist against the edge of the fountain.
CRACK!
The stone cracked under his hand.
"Then tell me your grand idea!"
Matt's voice echoed through the entire room.
The tools vibrated.
The fountain formed large ripples.
Matt started breathing harder.
"Say it. What's your grand idea, huh? Obey forever? Smile at the queen every day like Iris does? Let that old woman keep calling me daughter while she decides what to do with my life?"
Silence.
Matt gritted his teeth.
"Talk." ƒreewebɳovel.com
The voice finally answered.
"When you get out of here, the queen will probably try to fuse you with Iris again."
"What."
"I don't think her intention is to let you live separated from her forever."
Matt slowly opened his eyes.
"That's not possible."
"It is."
"No."
"Matt."
"No."
The voice didn't waver.
"If a spell exists that can separate two souls inhabiting the same body, why wouldn't another exist that could bring them back together?"
Matt's breathing became slower.
Heavier.
The fountain was still healing him.
But for the first time in a long while, that didn't make him feel better.
Matt climbed out of the water.
The glowing drops evaporated as they left the fountain.
Pshhh!
His clothes stayed wet for just a second, until the place's magic cleaned and dried them in an irritatingly perfect way.
Matt walked to the bed.
The bow-spear was still there.
He picked it up with both hands.
The weapon vibrated softly.
Matt looked at it in silence.
"Did you hear that too?"
The weapon didn't respond.
But the red core glowed once.
Very faintly.
Matt swallowed.
The voice spoke again, calmer.
"I'm not telling you to give up."
Matt didn't look at her.
He couldn't look at her.
She had no body.
That irritated him too.
"Then what are you telling me?"
"To think."
Matt let out a dry laugh.
"What useless advice."
"Don't come out of here with nothing but rage."
Matt gripped the weapon.
"And what do you want me to come out with?"
The voice took a few seconds to answer.
"Would you listen to my plan?"
