Silence.
The kind that isn't empty... but waiting.
My breath came in ragged gasps. Blood — mine, Kael's, theirs — painted the rooftop in streaks and splatters. The air was heavy with it. Metallic. Sweet. Sickening.
I pressed my back against the cracked wall, claws trembling. My legs felt like jelly, but not just from exhaustion.
The hunger.
It hadn't faded. If anything... it was worse now.
Kael stood, his coat ripped, blood trailing from his lip, but his eyes — sharp. Focused. Watching the western edge of the rooftop.
"...They left fast." I coughed. "Why?"
Kael didn't answer. His gaze didn't waver.
Then...
Crunch.
A footstep. Slow. Heavy. Deliberate.
From the shadows, a figure emerged.
At first, I couldn't tell if it was even human.
Tall — at least 6'5. Lean, but not skinny. Muscles taut beneath pale skin that almost glowed silver under the moonlight. His coat dragged behind him, long, tattered, jet black stitched with silver threads forming symbols I couldn't read.
A wide-brimmed hat cast a shadow over his face... but not enough to hide his smile.
Or his teeth.
Fangs. Long. Thin. Razor sharp. Not like Kael's. Not like mine.
These weren't designed to bite.
They were designed to kill.
His eyes... god. His eyes weren't red. Weren't human. They were white.
Pupil-less. Glowing like frost. Like bone. Like the void itself looked back through him.
He stopped ten steps away. Hands behind his back. Head tilted, like studying a bug pinned under glass.
Kael tensed. His daggers halfway drawn. "...Pale Fang." His voice was strained. Careful. Not afraid. But respectful.
The figure chuckled. Low. Smooth. "Relax, Kael. If I wanted you dead... I wouldn't be speaking."
His eyes slid to me. Locked. Unblinking.
"So..." His smile widened, unnervingly calm. "You're the little fledgling causing all this noise."
I flinched. "...I... I don't know what you want..."
"Oh, I think you do." He stepped forward — slow — circling me. "Core-Bearer. Rogue inheritance. Unclaimed Veil Bloodline. You're a rarity..." His head tilted. "...and a problem."
Kael shifted, standing between us. "Don't play with him."
The Pale Fang's smile curled, not toward Kael — but me. "Tell me, boy... Do you feel it yet?"
I blinked. "...Feel... what?"
"The itch beneath your skin. The heat in your blood. The weight in your chest. That... hunger."
My throat dried. I swallowed. "...I... yeah..."
His grin widened — too wide. "Good. That means you're dying correctly."
My stomach twisted. "...What?"
Kael sighed. "Core-Bearers... when a Pureblood's Veil Core transfers... it's not clean. Not stable. Your body isn't built to hold it. Not yet."
The Pale Fang nodded, hands folding behind his back. "Without correction, the Core burns the host from the inside. You'll rot. Fade. Hunger until your body either devours itself... or collapses entirely."
My knees buckled. "...Then... what... I die?"
"Most do." His tone was calm. Almost... pleased.
Kael's jaw tightened. "Unless..."
The Pale Fang nodded. "Unless..."
"You undergo the Veilbound Trial."
I stared. "...What is that...?"
His smile was razor-thin. "A ritual. A forge. A nightmare." His voice dropped, colder. "It breaks you down. Bone. Blood. Soul. It tears apart your fragile human limits... and either reforges you into something... worthy of the Veil..."
He leaned close. I flinched back. His breath was ice. His smile never faltered.
"...Or it kills you."
Kael muttered under his breath, "...And he offers this out of the goodness of his heart, huh?"
The Pale Fang chuckled. "Oh no. Nothing's free in the dark, Half-Blood." His eyes flicked to Kael. "Especially not for creatures like us."
He paced, hands behind his back. "The Clans will come for you, fledgling. The Orders... already are. That little scuffle you survived tonight? Nothing. A warm-up."
"Your Core is loud. Unbound. Unclaimed. Every predator in this city..." His eyes flashed. "...smells you."
Kael's voice dropped. "He's right."
The Pale Fang stopped. Looked me dead in the eye.
"You have two paths." His hand raised — one finger. "One... run. Hide. Pray your human flesh holds long enough for the hunger to kill you before something worse does."
Second finger. "Or... submit to the Trial. Let the Veil unmake you. Let it carve open what you are... and either become a predator worthy of this world..."
His smile darkened.
"...Or get buried by it."
The wind howled.
My mouth was dry. My heart thumped — fast. Loud.
Is this it...?
Kael's voice softened. "...Akira... It's hell. I won't lie. Most don't survive. Half-Bloods barely do. Humans? Almost never."
"But..." He locked eyes with me. "If you make it... You won't be prey anymore."
The Pale Fang spread his arms. "So... little fledgling..." His grin widened — sharp. Wicked.
"What's your choice?"