The earth seemed to fall away beneath me, pulling me down into the cold darkness. My hands scrambled for something to hold onto, but there was nothing—just a void swallowing me whole. The vampire’s cruel laughter echoed in my ears, and for a terrifying moment, I thought this was it—this was how I’d die.
But then, just as abruptly as it started, the fall stopped.
I hit the ground with a jarring thud, my breath knocked out of me. I lay there for a second, dazed and disoriented, my body aching from the impact. Slowly, I pushed myself up, my hands sinking into the cold, damp earth beneath me. It was pitch black, the only sound my ragged breathing.
What just happened?
I struggled to my feet, my heart still racing from the fall. My body felt heavy, weighed down by the strange energy swirlin
