Far beneath the surface of Sanguival, buried in the ancient earth where even the darkest secrets are meant to be forgotten, lay the Black Dungeon.
There, in a chamber of silence and torment, two figures were chained in darkness—Valerian and Prince Adeodatus.
For ten long days, they had endured agony. No food. No blood. No rest. Their once-powerful bodies now hung limply, bruised and bleeding, from the silver shackles that bound their wrists and ankles. The chains seared their flesh, and the constant burn of silver drained what little strength remained in their immortal veins.
Even their minds, once sharp and defiant, now swam in a haze of pain and delirium.
Above them, in the towering halls of the Vampire Court, a different kind of fear was taking root.
The First Ones had summoned a r
