LOMBARD’S POV
The news of the failed experiment reverberated through my being, leaving me in a state of despondency. The shadows that had haunted me now seemed to constrict, tightening their grip on the fragile threads of my existence. Seeking solace in the depths of the night, I ventured out to drown my sorrows in the bottom of a glass.
The dimly lit bar provided a sanctuary of anonymity, a place where the weight of my supernatural burden could momentarily be set aside. Each sip of the bitter liquid seemed to dull the edges of my despair, yet the shadows clung tenaciously to the corners of my consciousness.
As the night wore on, the haze of alcohol blurred the boundaries between reality and the numbing embrace of inebriation. I found myself in the company of a stranger—a fleeting conne
