(A/N):
Drop a meme here that you find funny. Or reflects your mood.
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Red Keep Castle...
The balcony doors burst open with a roar of displaced air and a fluttering storm of black bats.
Flutter~ Flutter~
From the swirling darkness stepped Leo,
Half of his body cloaked in an ethereal black mist, his crimson eyes glowing faintly in the candlelight.
In his arms was Princess Rhaenyra,
Her face pale with shock and fear as the scent of blood filled her senses.
"...."
The Grand Maester Mellos stumbled back in horror,
Nearly dropping his bloodied instruments.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Guards instinctively drew their swords,
But the sheer pressure radiating from Leo's presence made them falter—
Thud. Thud.
Knees trembling, breath caught in their throats.
"Who dares—"
One guard began, but his voice cracked.
"...."
Leo's gaze flicked toward him,
And the man froze, feeling as though death itself had turned its eyes upon him.
The black mist around Leo rippled like a living thing, whispering faintly.
Then, Leo turned his attention to the bed—
Where Queen Aemma lay pale as snow, her life slipping away drop by drop.
Her once-beautiful face was now contorted in agony and despair,
Her blood pooling beneath her.
The faint cries of dying life echoed in the air.
"Mother!"
Rhaenyra's desperate cry broke the silence as she rushed to the bedside,
Gripping her mother's cold, trembling hand.
Aemma's fading eyes fluttered open—
"Rhaenyra?.."
Then widened in confusion as she saw the stranger beside her daughter,
Cloaked in shadow, his presence both fearsome and strangely divine.
"Who… are you…"
She rasped weakly, her voice barely a whisper.
Leo stepped forward slowly, his tone calm but filled with power.
"Someone who might save your life."
The Maester's eyes widened.
"...."
"You—You can't interfere! The Queen has lost too much blood! If you touch her now—"
Leo didn't even look at him.
With a flick of his wrist,
The black mist surged outward, forming a barrier that silenced the room—
"...."
"...."
"...."
Every whisper, every gasp vanished into stillness.
The guards, who had drawn their swords,
And the maesters, who had raised trembling hands in protest,
All froze as their gazes met Leo's crimson eyes.
For a heartbeat, the room was silent.
Then—
Like puppets with their strings cut—
They simply… stopped.
Their weapons clattered to the floor.
Their eyes glazed over, blank and lifeless, staring absently at the ceiling.
The sound of their breathing slowed to a faint rhythm, caught inside the illusion Leo had cast on them.
He turned away from them,
His expression unreadable,
"...."
And approached the blood-soaked bed where Queen Aemma Arryn lay dying.
Rhaenyra knelt at her side, shaking, tears streaming down her cheeks as she whispered,
"Please… please, don't leave me, Mother…"
Leo's steps were slow, measured.
He looked down at the pale woman before him—
The faint rise and fall of her chest, the blood pooling beneath her fingers—
And felt the faint tug of urgency in his chest.
He'd saved people before.
Entire worlds, even.
His voice dropped into his mind, calm but edged with worry.
"System,"
He muttered quietly.
"Could I use the Adaptation Pill? Like I did for Severus."
For a moment, silence.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Then the familiar, mechanical tone echoed through his mind.
[Denied.]
[Explanation: Subject's damage is purely physical—extensive blood loss, multiple organ trauma.]
[Adaptation pills designed for curse or corruption repair will not suffice. Or adapt a body to enable it to use magic.]
Leo's hands curled into fists.
"So you're saying… she's dying, and there's nothing I can do?"
A brief pause—
[...]
And then, unexpectedly,
A faint chuckle came through the system.
[Chuckle~]
[Have you forgotten what you are, Host?]
Leo blinked, confusion flickering in his eyes.
"What are you talking about?"
[You are no mere wizard. You are the Progenitor of Monsters. A being who commands death and life alike.]
The words struck him like a thunderbolt.
His breath caught as the system's voice deepened, carrying a tone of amusement—
Almost teasing.
[If you truly desire to save her, Host… then claim her.]
[Turn her. Make her your Vampire Bride.]
[Your blood can rebuild what the world has taken from her. That is one of your gift—from the Dracula Template.]
Leo froze, eyes widening in realization.
"...."
How could he have forgotten?
Rhaenyra looked up at him, startled by the change.
"Leo…?"
He didn't answer immediately.
His gaze remained fixed on Aemma,
Who was barely breathing now.
Her lips moved faintly, whispering her daughter's name.
Leo exhaled slowly, his tone steady but low.
"Rhaenyra… if I do this, your mother won't be the same again. But she'll live. Do you understand?"
Rhaenyra blinked, confusion and hope warring in her eyes.
"What… what are you going to do?"
Leo met her gaze, his expression soft but resolute.
"Save her. My way."
He bit his wrist—
Fangs extending for the first time in this world.
The scent of his blood filled the air, rich and ancient.
As it dripped, glowing faintly crimson, the shadows around him deepened, coiling like living mist.
Leo leaned closer to the dying queen, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Forgive me for this, Your Grace. But you don't deserve to die like this."
Then, gently—
Reverently—
He pressed his bleeding wrist against her lips.
The shadows trembled.
Then he pulled Aemma into his arms and looked at her pale face.
Then his eyes landed on her neck his fangs extended and leaned in sunking his fangs into her neck.
Her breath caught in her throat, a tiny gasp swallowed.
She felt the brush of something impossibly sharp against her neck,
A delicate pressure that promised an exquisite pain.
Two points, needle-fine, pierced her skin.
A searing heat, then a dizzying cold, flooded her veins.
A guttural sound tore from his throat, a sound of profound relief.
She felt the rhythmic throb of him,
The steady draw as her life-blood flowed into him.
A strange lethargy seeped into her limbs,
A comfortable numbness that dulled the fear, replacing it with an odd sense of surrender.
His lips, cool and firm, brushed against the wound on her neck,
A soft caress that sent shivers through her.
"Drink,"
He whispered, his voice a low, resonant murmur against her ear,
A sound that seemed to twine around her very soul.
"Drink it."
A strange, metallic taste bloomed on her tongue, rich and dark, unlike anything she had ever known.
Instinct, primal and overwhelming, took over.
Her throat worked, a slow, deliberate swallow.
Gulp~
"...."
The liquid, warm and thick, slid down her gullet.
It was potent, intoxicating, a vintage beyond mortal comprehension.
Then without a second thought Leo snapped her neck.
Crack~
With a crack she fell down and Leo laid her down on the bed.
As Leo gently laid Queen Aemma back onto the bed,
The flickering candlelight made the crimson hue fading from his eyes glint faintly.
Behind him, Rhaenyra stood frozen,
Her voice trembling as she finally found the courage to speak.
"Who… who are you?"
She whispered, her body shaking, torn between awe and fear.
Leo turned his head slightly,
Wiping the thin trail of blood from the corner of his lip with his thumb,
His expression calm—
"...."
Almost human again.
"I'm the same man you met by the lakeside,"
He said softly, his tone steady, almost gentle.
"Nothing more… though perhaps a little more honest now."
Before Rhaenyra could respond,
A faint gasp made them both turn.
Aemma's eyes fluttered open.
"...."
Her once pale irises now glowed faintly red,
Shimmering like rubies under the candlelight.
She sat up slowly, confused, her hands trembling as she touched her abdomen—
Only to find smooth, unbroken skin where moments ago there had been ruin.
"It's gone…"
She breathed, voice trembling.
"The pain… it's gone."
Then, realization struck her—
Her heart still beat, her breath still came,
But something deep within felt changed, vast, and ancient.
Her gaze drifted to Leo,
Who stood silently near the bed,
The shadows seeming to bend slightly toward him as though in respect.
Aemma swung her legs off the bed and,
Before either could stop her,
Dropped to her knees before him.
"You…"
She whispered, her voice filled with both reverence and disbelief.
"You are not a man. You are… a god."
Both Leo and Rhaenyra froze at the words.
"...."
"...."
"Mother—what are you doing?!"
Rhaenyra cried, rushing forward, trying to help her up.
But Aemma only shook her head, tears welling in her red eyes.
"He saved me when no one else could. He gave me life when even the gods turned away. What else could he be?"
Leo blinked, genuinely taken aback,
Before letting out a faint sigh.
Sigh~
"I'm no god, Aemma Arryn,"
He said quietly.
"I just refuse to let fate decide who lives and who dies."
Then, in his mind, the familiar system voice chimed.
[Notice: Aemma Arryn has been successfully bound as 'Subordinate of the Host.']
[Protocol engaged: Transfer of comprehension and memory synchronization initiated.]
[Explanation: All subordinates gain basic knowledge of the Host's identity, multiversal nature, and hierarchy of command. This ensures loyalty and awareness of Host's existence beyond local dimensions.]
Leo's eyes widened slightly as he absorbed the notification.
'So… she now knew. All of it.'
Aemma lifted her head slowly,
A faint smile curving her lips despite her trembling form.
"Now I understand,"
She whispered.
"You are not bound to one world at all."
Rhaenyra looked between them, utterly bewildered, her mind struggling to keep pace.
"What… what does she mean?"
Leo met her gaze with quiet resolve.
"It means,"
He said, voice calm,
"that your world is only one of many—and that tonight, I intervened in its story."
Rhaenyra finally snapped out of her daze.
Her breathing quickened as she turned toward her mother,
Eyes darting between the unbloodied sheets and the flickering candles that still carried the metallic scent of iron.
"Mother…"
She whispered, voice trembling.
"What happened? Why were you—"
She stopped, her eyes widening as the memory of what she'd seen before Leo arrived rushed back—
The blood, the screams, the stillness.
"You were lying in a pool of blood. I saw it. And Father—where is Father?"
The mention of Viserys made the air in the chamber grow heavier.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Aemma, who only a moment ago had looked radiant with renewed life, froze.
"...."
The faint smile on her lips faded entirely.
Her crimson eyes dimmed,
The flicker of warmth replaced by something darker—
Something that made even Rhaenyra hesitate.
Aemma's voice, when she finally spoke, was low and trembling—
Not from weakness,
But from rage restrained by sheer will.
"Your father…"
She began, her hands curling into fists.
"He stood beside me as I screamed for mercy. He heard me beg, Rhaenyra. Beg."
Rhaenyra's lips parted.
"Mother—what do you mean?"
Aemma's gaze sharpened,
And for the first time,
Her new nature bled through her tone—
Icy, cold, and clear as glass.
"They couldn't deliver the child. So the Grand Maester told him there was another way—to cut me open, to take the babe by force."
Rhaenyra's face went pale.
"No… no, he wouldn't—"
"He did,"
Aemma hissed, her voice shaking.
"He chose prophecy over love. He chose his dream over me."
The memory replayed behind her crimson eyes—
The blade, the pain, her husband's trembling hand holding hers even as he damned her.
"And for what?"
She spat, her voice breaking.
"A son who took one breath and died in his hands. That was the price of his throne."
Rhaenyra staggered back,
Her eyes wide with horror, shaking her head as tears welled up.
"That can't be true… Father wouldn't… he couldn't…"
But the look in her mother's eyes left no room for denial.
"...."
Leo stood silently nearby, watching the exchange.
The quiet hum of power still lingered faintly around Aemma—
A reminder that her rebirth was far more than physical.
Aemma turned her head toward Leo,
Her expression now calm, too calm.
"And now he lies sleeping peacefully, while I died screaming his name."
Her words were a whisper of venom, quiet and final.
Rhaenyra looked between them helplessly.
"Mother… what are you going to do?"
Aemma's eyes glowed faintly red again, her voice soft yet cold.
"He took my life for his prophecy, my child. Now he will learn what it means to live with its curse."
Leo stepped forward,
The air around him darkening as his shadow stretched across the chamber.
His hand came to rest gently on Aemma's shoulder and then on Rhaenyra's, steadying them both.
"Enough,"
He said quietly, his tone calm but carrying an edge of authority that silenced the room.
"Viserys has already chosen his path. The words he spoke and the choice he made have already written the ending he deserves."
Aemma's crimson eyes flicked toward him,
Anger still smoldering.
Leo's gaze softened slightly.
"You need not stain your own hands,"
He continued.
"Sit back, and watch how fate collects its debt. I promise you—his end will be one he himself invited."
The cold conviction in his voice stilled her completely.
Aemma inhaled slowly, and for the first time since her rebirth,
Her rage dulled to quiet trust.
If Leo Morningstar spoke of vengeance, then it was already certain.
Leo turned to the trembling Grand Maester,
Whose pale face glistened with sweat and fear.
The shadows around Leo thickened into a heavy mist that swallowed the man whole.
When the darkness receded, another form stood where the Maester had been—
"...."
An illusion so perfect it stole Rhaenyra's breath.
Lying upon the bed was an image of Aemma,
Lifeless once more, her robes and the bed red-stained as before.
The Maester's essence was sealed inside the illusion,
His voice and movement bound by Leo's magic.
Leo looked to Aemma, his expression unreadable.
"Now there will be no questions,"
He said.
"To the world, you died tonight. Let them mourn what they destroyed."
Aemma nodded slowly,
Nod~
The weight of his words sinking in.
Then Leo turned toward Rhaenyra,
Who still stood stunned.
"...."
He gave a faint smile and gestured to the door.
"Come. There's nothing left for either of you in these walls."
Aemma reached for her daughter's hand, gripping it firmly.
"He's right,"
She said softly but firmly.
"This place worships prophecy more than life. You will not wither under it as I did."
Without another word,
Leo extended his hand.
Rhaenyra hesitated for a heartbeat, torn between confusion and awe.
Her mother —
Reborn, radiant in a strange way —
Reached out to her.
"Come, daughter. Do not stay in a cage that would have chained you as it did me."
That was enough.
Rhaenyra swallowed hard and placed her hand in Leo's.
Gulp~
He tightened his grip, and without warning he stepped backward off the balcony.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Gasps and frantic footsteps echoed behind them —
The palace guards and maesters, still trapped in Leo's illusion,
Turning on one another in blind chaos, striking at phantoms only they could see.
Their shouts faded as reality blurred.
Leo's lower body dissolved into swirling black mist, carrying Rhaenyra effortlessly through the air.
Bats burst outward around them —
hundreds, a tide of wings and shadow —
Wheeling toward the skies.
Above them,
Screech~
Syrax screeched in recognition and descended.
Leo landed lightly upon the dragon's head,
Thud.
Boots touching scaled bone as if gravity itself answered to him.
Rhaenyra found her footing behind him, clutching Syrax's warm neck.
A second storm of bats twisted beside them —
Dark, elegant, and fast.
They spiraled together, forming the shape of a woman.
When the shadows peeled away,
Aemma stood there, reborn and unearthly, her eyes shimmering with crimson fire.
"...."
Rhaenyra's breath caught.
'She can use it too… Mother has his power now.'
Leo voice carried on the night wind:
"To the lake, Syrax. The place where we met."
Rhaenyra blinked, then whispered the command in High Valyrian.
"Sōvēs, Syrax. Embāzagon īlva jevon."
(Fly, Syrax. Take us to previous lake.)
With a mighty flap,
FLAP!!!
Syrax rose into the star-streaked sky, wind and wings clearing the darkness.
The Red Keep shrank beneath them, its torches flickering like tiny, frantic stars in their wake.
Three figures —
A dragon, a good man, and two daughters of dragonblood—
Disappeared into the night.
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(Author's POV)
(A/N)I hope you guys are enjoying the story.
Thanks for reading the chapter!
Please give areview
And power stone!!!
It will Motivate Me.