HIS DAUGHTER, HIS CURSE

The storm had refused to leave Ravenhallow since dawn. Rain battered the windows of Ravenhallow General Hospital without mercy, drumming endlessly against the glass as dark clouds swallowed every trace of sunlight. The wind howled through the towering pine trees surrounding the old building, bending their branches until they scraped against one another like whispered warnings. Inside the hospital, the warmth of the maternity ward stood in sharp contrast to the cold weather outside. Doctors hurried through the brightly lit corridor, nurses pushed metal carts from one room to another, and anxious relatives occupied every available chair, each silently praying for good news. Yet one delivery room carried a tension unlike any other. The sharp cry of a young woman echoed beyond the closed doors. “Ahh!” Madonna’s scream tore through the room as another contraction crashed over her. Her breathing became uneven. Sweat clung to her forehead despite the cool air from the ceiling vent, while loose strands of chestnut hair stuck to her damp cheeks. She gripped the bedrail so tightly her fingers trembled. “It hurts…” The words escaped her in little more than a whisper. Beside the bed stood an elderly woman dressed in a long navy-blue cardigan over a simple black dress. Though age had painted silver through her dark hair, nothing about her posture suggested weakness. Maya. She held her daughter’s hand firmly, gently brushing damp strands of hair away from Madonna’s face. “I know it hurts,” she said softly. “But don’t give up now.” Madonna shook her head weakly. “I can’t…” “You can.” Maya’s voice remained calm. “You’ve survived far worse than this.” The doctor standing at the foot of the bed glanced briefly at the monitor before looking back at Madonna. “You’re doing well,” she encouraged. “Just one more strong push.” Madonna let out a shaky laugh that sounded closer to a sob. “People keep saying one more…” A nearby nurse smiled sympathetically. “We promise we’re telling the truth this time.” Another contraction seized her body before anyone could say another word. Madonna cried out again, squeezing her mother’s hand so tightly that Maya felt the pressure in her own bones. Maya never complained. Instead, she leaned closer and kissed her daughter’s forehead. “You can do this.” For a brief second, Madonna’s eyes filled with tears. “Mom…” “I’m here.” “I’m scared.” Maya’s expression softened. “So am I.” The confession surprised everyone in the room. The nurses exchanged quick glances. Throughout the entire pregnancy, Maya had been the calmest person in every appointment, every examination, every sleepless night. This was the first time anyone had heard uncertainty in her voice. Madonna searched her mother’s face.“Scared… of what?” Maya smiled gently. “Nothing you need to worry about.” It was a lie. A necessary one Because the greatest danger wasn’t inside the delivery room. It was waiting outside. The doctor adjusted her gloves before looking at the monitor again. “The baby’s almost here.” Madonna drew in another trembling breath. “I don’t think I can—” “You can,” Maya interrupted firmly. “You must.” The room fell into focused silence. Only the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor and the relentless rain outside filled the air. “Push!” the doctor instructed. Madonna obeyed with every strength she had left. Seconds stretched endlessly. Then… A tiny cry echoed through the room. The doctor smiled. “I’ve got the baby.” Relief washed over Madonna’s exhausted face as her body finally relaxed against the pillows. “I… did it…” Tears blurred her vision. A weak smile found its way onto her lips. “My baby…” But before anyone could place the newborn in her arms… The doctor’s smile disappeared. She frowned. “…Wait.” One nurse looked up. “What is it?” The doctor stared at Madonna in disbelief before quickly looking back down. “No…” Another contraction had already begun. Her voice became urgent. “She’s not finished.” The nurse’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?” The doctor looked at her, stunned. “There’s another baby.” Outside the delivery room, the storm seemed quieter. Not because the rain had stopped, but because the corridor itself had fallen into an uneasy silence. Only three people occupied the otherwise empty hallway. One stood by the rain-speckled window, his hands clasped neatly behind his back as his crimson eyes remained fixed on the endless curtain of rain outside. He hadn’t moved in nearly an hour. His expensive charcoal suit was immaculate, his polished shoes reflecting the fluorescent lights above. Even standing perfectly still, he carried the kind of presence that made people instinctively lower their voices around him. Caius. The first Original Vampire. He neither sighed nor paced. Yet something about the slight tightening of his jaw betrayed the impatience he refused to show. A few feet away sat another man. Unlike Caius, he appeared completely unbothered. One ankle rested comfortably over the opposite knee as he flipped another page of the newspaper in his hands. His expression remained unreadable. Calm. Collected. Almost annoyingly so. Theron. Caius's twin brother. Without lifting his eyes from the ward door, he spoke. “If you keep glaring at the rain, it still won’t make the child arrive any faster.” Caius didn’t respond. Theron turned another page. “I’ll take your silence as agreement.” Still nothing. A soft chuckle broke the quiet. “Must the two of you always communicate like statues?” The only woman among them stepped away from the coffee machine carrying three paper cups. She wore a long wine-colored coat that perfectly matched her confidence. Her dark hair rested loosely over one shoulder, and amusement danced freely inside her pale eyes. Maelis. The youngest of the Original siblings. She held out one of the cups toward Caius. “Coffee?” “No.” She shrugged before offering it to Theron. “You?” Theron accepted it without looking away from the ward. “Thank you.” Maelis stared at him. “You’re welcome.” She waited for something else still Nothing. She sighed dramatically. “You know, normal people usually ask how someone is before accepting free coffee.” Theron calmly took a sip. “I’m aware.” “And?” “It wouldn’t change the taste.” Maelis blinked. Then she looked toward Caius. “Do you see what I have to deal with?” Caius finally turned from the window. “I’ve dealt with him longer than you have.” Theron his hands “Unfortunately.” Maelis laughed. “There it is.” “What?” “You actually spoke.” “I spoke before.” “No.” She pointed toward Caius. “You were ignoring him.” Then toward Theron. “And he was pretending not to notice.” Theron lowered turned towards her, just enough to meet her gaze. “I wasn’t pretending.” “I know.” She smiled. “That’s the problem.” A sharp cry echoed from inside the delivery room. The three siblings turned toward the closed door at the same time. The cry was unmistakable. A newborn. Caius’s shoulders relaxed ever so slightly. “So…” Maelis smiled. “It worked.” Theron quietly folded his newspaper and set it beside him. His calm expression didn’t change. But his eyes remained fixed on the delivery-room door. None of them spoke. They simply waited. Then— A second cry pierced the silence. Different. Just as loud. Just as alive. Maelis frowned. “…That’s impossible.” Theron slowly rose to his feet. Even Caius’s composure cracked. His eyes narrowed “No…” The delivery-room doors burst open. A nurse stepped into the hallway, her face drained of color. She looked from Caius… To Theron… Then to Maelis. Her lips parted. “There are…” She swallowed hard. “…twins.” Caius looked genuinely shaken. “…Twins?” The single word fell into the corridor like a curse. The delivery room door opened. Maya stepped into the corridor, carefully pulling the door shut behind her. She took a slow breath, her shoulders heavy with exhaustion, but the relief in her eyes was unmistakable. Her daughter had survived. Before anyone could speak, Theron rose from his chair and walked toward the young nurse who had announced the birth “Look at me.” Theron’s voice was quiet, almost comforting. The nurse met his eyes without thinking. “You’ve had a difficult shift,” he said evenly. “The delivery went well. Mother and child are safe. Mother and child are safe,” she repeated You saw nothing unusual." "I saw nothing unusual.” “You’ll finish your shift, go home, and forget this conversation.” “I’ll forget.” Theron gave a slight nod. “You may go.” The tension drained from the nurse’s face. She turned and walked calmly down the corridor as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Only after she disappeared around the corner did Maya turn her attention to Caius. He was already watching her. She spoke before he had the chance. “I don’t care about your curse.” Her voice was steady. “I don’t care which child belongs to your prophecy.” She held his gaze without flinching. “The only person I care about is my daughter.” Caius regarded her for a long moment before answering. “We made an agreement.” “We did.” “When Madonna gave birth, I would take the child.” “And you would compel her,” Maya replied. “You promised she would never remember you. She would never remember loving you, searching for you, or throwing her life away for you.” “I also promised you would leave with your daughter.” “You did.” “Then keep your part of the bargain.” His eyes shifted toward the delivery-room door. “There are two children.”“There are.” “Which one is mine?” Maya’s expression didn’t change. “Neither.” A faint smile appeared on Caius’s face, though there was no warmth in it. “You’re lying.” “I wish I am but I'm only protecting my daughter.” He stepped closer. “You know exactly what I’m asking.” “And I’ve already answered.” His patience snapped. “You expect me to believe that the Starolite bloodline produced ordinary children?” “They were conceived before Theron bit Madonna,” Maya said calmly. “Whatever you expected to happen… it didn’t.” Caius stopped only a step away from her. “I don’t believe you.” “I didn’t ask you to.” He reached toward her. Maya lifted her hand. Ancient silver symbols flashed across her palm, spreading like glowing vines over her wrist. The air between them rippled. An unseen force pushed Caius back a pace. He looked down at the fading runes and gave a dry laugh. “Still relying on Starolite wards.” “They’ve protected my family long before you existed,” Maya replied. "And they’ll protect them long after you’re gone.” His crimson eyes hardened. “You cannot hide the truth forever.” “I don’t intend to.” “Then tell me.” "I told you already." Caius looked at the closed delivery-room door one last time before turning away. “This isn’t over, Maya.” “It never was.” He strode down the corridor without another word. Maelis sighed dramatically before hurrying after him. “Caius!” she called. “Would you slow down for once?” Her voice faded as she disappeared around the corner. Theron remained where he was, watching the closed door of the delivery room. Inside, Madonna still slept peacefully, unaware that the future of her daughters had already been decided outside that room. The corridor had finally grown quiet. The echoes of Caius’s footsteps faded into the distance, followed closely by Maelis, whose voice became softer with every step until it disappeared completely. Maya remained standing where she was for a few seconds, staring at the closed delivery-room door. She released a slow breath. “It isn’t over,” she whispered to herself. “It has only just begun.” Theron stood nearby, his hands tucked into the pockets of his trousers. His calm expression hadn’t changed, but he knew Maya well enough to recognize the exhaustion behind her composure. “You should go back inside,” he said quietly. “She’s going to wake up soon.” Maya nodded. Without another word, she pushed the door open and stepped into the room. The lights had been dimmed. The nurses had finished cleaning the room and quietly left, leaving only the steady beeping of the heart monitor and the gentle breathing of two sleeping newborns. One lay in a pink blanket. The other in white. Both looked impossibly small. Maya walked toward them. Her fingers trembled as she brushed a tiny hand that instinctively wrapped around one of her fingers. A faint smile appeared on her face. “My beautiful girls…” Neither of them knew the world they had been born into. Neither of them knew that one was already being hunted before she had even opened her eyes. A quiet sound came from the hospital bed. Madonna stirred. Her eyelids fluttered before slowly opening. Everything looked blurry. The bright lights above her ceiling swam in and out of focus until they finally settled. Her lips moved weakly. “…Mom?” Maya immediately left the babies and hurried to her side. “I’m here.” Madonna tried to sit up, but the pain in her body forced her back onto the pillow. She looked around the room, confused. Then a smile slowly appeared. “My baby…” Her eyes searched the room. Before Maya could answer… Madonna asked the question that shattered her heart. “Where’s Caius?” The smile on Maya’s face disappeared. Not… “Are the babies okay?” Not… “Did I have a boy or a girl?” Only… “Where’s Caius?” Maya couldn’t bring herself to answer. Theron quietly looked away. Madonna noticed their silence. Her brows knitted together. “Mom? Where is he?” Maya swallowed. Before she could speak, Theron stepped forward. “He left.” Madonna looked at him. “…Left?” Theron nodded once. “He said he had to leave the country immediately.” The color drained from Madonna’s face. “He… left?” "He asked me to tell you he couldn’t stay.” Madonna stared at him as though she hadn’t understood the words. Then she shook her head. “No… He wouldn’t. He did. He promised.” Tears gathered in her eyes. “No… Caius wouldn’t leave without seeing me.” She pushed herself upright despite the pain. Maya immediately reached for her. “Madonna, stop.” She pulled away. “I have to find him.” “You’re in no condition to—” “I don’t care!” Her voice broke into a sob. “I have to find him.” She threw the blanket aside and forced her feet onto the cold hospital floor. Pain shot through her body. She nearly collapsed. Theron caught her before she hit the ground. “You can barely stand.” “I don’t care.” She pulled free again. “I’ll walk. I'll crawl if I have to. I have to find him.” Maya closed her eyes. Every word felt like another knife twisting inside her chest. This was exactly why she had wanted Caius to keep his promise before Madonna woke. She had hoped her daughter would never have to experience this kind of heartbreak. Instead… She was watching it happen with her own eyes. Madonna staggered toward the door. Just before she reached it… She paused. Her hand rested on the handle. “…My babies.” The words were barely above a whisper. She turned around. She looked toward the two sleeping newborns. Tears rolled freely down her cheeks. “I’m sorry… I’ll come back. I just need to find him.” Without waiting for anyone to stop her again… She pulled the door open and hurried out into the corridor. Maya stood frozen. Her eyes followed her daughter until she disappeared from sight. Only then did she look back at the twins. A heavy sigh escaped her lips. “They don’t even know… their mother has already chosen love over herself.” Theron remained silent. His gaze rested on the two sleeping babies. Somewhere deep inside, he knew the hardest decision was still waiting for them.