CHAPTER 15
The Night of Truth
Helena woke as the sun was setting.
Erik was sitting beside her bed, having stood watch. He saw her eyes open—still red, glowing in the twilight.
“How long?” she asked, her voice hoarse.
“Fourteen hours. It’s 6:30 p.m.” Erik handed her a bottle of water. “How do you feel?”
Helena sat up and drank greedily. Then she paused, staring at the bottle. “I… I’m not thirsty. For water, I mean.”
“But for something else?”
She nodded slowly. “It’s like… a burning. Deep in my throat. It hurts, but not physically. It’s… hunger.”
“Yuki prepared something,” Erik said, standing up and taking a thermos from a small refrigerator in the corner. “Animal blood. From a slaughterhouse. Thomas blessed it to… to maximize the effect.”
Helena took the thermos and opened it hesitantly. The smell rose—metallic, but not unpleasant. Her eyes widened, her pupils dilating.
“I should find this disgusting,” she whispered. “But I… God, it smells good.”
“Then drink,” Erik said, trying to keep his voice neutral. “It’s okay.”
Helena drank. Not greedily, not like a monster. But slowly, carefully, as if she wanted to get used to the taste.
After a few swallows, she stopped. “That… that helps. The burning is less.”
“Good.” Erik took the thermos back. “Thomas says you need to drink every six hours. At least at first. Later, when you… when you learn to control it, it can be longer.”
“When I learn.” Helena laughed bitterly. “As if I could ever control what I am now.”
“You’re still Helena.”
“Am I?” She stood and walked to the mirror on the wall. “Look at me. Red eyes. Pale skin. And if I concentrate…” Her canines lengthened slightly, becoming sharp. “Monster.”
“You’re not a monster.”
“I drank blood, Erik. Willingly. I took Katalin’s chalice and—” Her voice broke. “I remember everything. How it felt. The power, the clarity. It was… ecstatic.”
“That’s the transformation. It makes you believe it’s good.”
“But part of me still believes it.” Helena turned to him. Tears—yes, vampires could cry—ran down her cheeks. “Part of me wants to go back. To Katalin. To the power.”
“But you’re here. You chose to stay with us.”
“Did I?” Helena sank back onto the bed. “Or am I just too cowardly to fully change? Too afraid to admit that I want what she’s offering me?”
Erik sat beside her. “Helena, listen. Katalin manipulated you. She exploited your longing for family, your insecurity. But that doesn’t mean your feelings aren’t real. You’re torn. That’s understandable.”
“Is it?”
“Yes.” Erik took her hand. It was cold, but not inhumanly so. “You’ve spent your whole life doing the right thing. Now, for the first time, you’re feeling something else. That doesn’t make you weak. That makes you human.”
“But I’m not human anymore.”
“You’re more human than most people I know.” Erik’s grip tightened. “You saved me from a burning subway depot. You saved Lukas. You devoted your life to saving others. That doesn’t change because your biology has changed.”
Helena looked at him for a long time. “You’re too good for this world.”
“Or exactly right for it.” Erik smiled faintly. “Come on. The others are waiting. We need to talk.”
The entire team had gathered in the conference room.
Marcus stood at the map, marking something. Thomas sat at the table, surrounded by ancient books. Yuki was typing on her laptop.
And in the corner, unexpectedly: the three mothers. Anna Berger, Mrs. Hartmann, Mrs. Özkan. And Mrs. Wagner.
“What are they doing here?” Helena asked, surprised.
“They wanted to be here,” Marcus said. “They have a right to know what’s happening.”
“But—”
“Dr. Konstantin.” Anna stood up. “We know what happened to you. Yuki explained it to us. And we… we’re still grateful. You saved our children. That you’re now… different doesn’t change that.”
“I’m a vampire,” Helena said flatly. “The same monster that bit your children.”
“No.” Mrs. Hartmann stepped forward. “You are the woman who saved my granddaughter. Monsters don’t save lives. Monsters take them.”
Helena was silent, too overwhelmed to speak.
“Let’s sit down,” Thomas said gently. “We have a lot to discuss.”
They sat. Helena between Erik and Yuki, as if she needed their closeness for support.
“Status,” Marcus said. “The explosion in the subway tunnel delayed Katalin’s preparations. But it didn’t stop them. Yuki?”
“I’ve been monitoring activity. The altar is destroyed, the bones annihilated. But…” Yuki hesitated. “There have already been movements. Vampires collecting new materials. They’re rebuilding elsewhere.”
“Where?” Erik asked.
“Unclear. They’re more careful now. No more open transports. They’re using the catacombs, moving underground.” Yuki pointed to various maps. “But I’ve found a pattern. All movements converge on the Old Town. Specifically around…” She zoomed in. “The Frauenkirche.”
“The center of the ley lines,” Thomas said. “The most powerful point in Munich.”
“Exactly. If Katalin performs the ritual, it’ll be there.” Yuki looked at Helena. “You were with her. You heard her plans. What can you tell us?”
Helena closed her eyes, as if forcing herself to remember. “The summer solstice. June 21st. Midnight. That’s when the ley lines are strongest. She needs…” She took a deep breath. “She needs seven sacrifices. Seven innocent souls, sacrificed at the seven points around the Frauenkirche.”
“The three babies,” Erik said. “The ones we couldn’t save.”
“Yes. But not just them. She needs four more.” Helena opened her eyes. “And she’s already selected the candidates.”
“Who?” Marcus’s voice was tense.
Helena looked at each of them. “You.”
Silence filled the room.
“Us?” Yuki repeated incredulously. “The Night Watch?”
“Not all of you. Only those who offered the greatest resistance.” Helena’s gaze moved. “Thomas, because he’s a priest. Consecrated blood strengthens the ritual. Marcus, because he’s a warrior. Warrior blood brings strength. Yuki, because she’s a scholar. Knowledge feeds the darkness.”
“And me?” Erik asked, though he already suspected the answer.
“You, because you carry the Soul Key. Your blood, mixed with the power of the Key…” Helena’s voice grew quieter. “That would make the ritual unstoppable.”
“That’s… wonderful,” Marcus said dryly. “So we’re all targets.”
“And the babies?” Anna asked, panicked. “What will happen to them?”
“They’ll be sacrificed. At the same time. At different points.” Helena looked away, unable to endure Anna’s gaze. “It’ll be quick. Painless, Katalin assured me. But—”
“But they’ll be dead,” Mrs. Wagner finished.
“Yes.”
The mothers clutched one another, tears in their eyes.
“Then we have to find them,” Erik said firmly. “The babies. Before the summer solstice. We save them.”
“How?” Marcus asked. “Munich is huge. The catacombs are a labyrinth. Katalin could have hidden them anywhere.”
“But Helena knows where they are,” Erik said, turning to her. “Right?”
Helena hesitated. “I… I know where they were. Before I escaped. But Katalin will have moved them. She’s not stupid.”
“But it’s a start.” Erik stood up. “Tell us where they were. We’ll begin there.”
“Erik, it’s dangerous. Katalin will have set traps. She expects us.” Helena’s eyes were tortured. “If you go, you might not come back.”
“Then we all go together,” Thomas said. “United. As a team.”
“I can’t come with you,” Helena said softly. “Not into the catacombs. Not to Katalin.”
“Why not?”
“Because I can still feel her. The connection. When she gave me her blood, she created a bond between us. I hear her thoughts, feel her emotions.” Helena’s hands trembled. “If I get too close, she could control me. Force me to fight you.”
“Then you stay here,” Yuki said quickly. “Safe. You coordinate from HQ.”
“But—”
“No ‘but.’” Marcus’s voice was firm. “You’ve only just decided to stand with us. We’re not putting you in danger again immediately.”
Helena looked like she wanted to protest, then nodded. “All right. But be careful. Katalin is… she’s not like other vampires. She’s ancient, more powerful than anything you can imagine.”
“We know,” Erik said. “That’s why we’re going prepared.”
“When?” Anna asked.
“Tonight.” Marcus went to the equipment. “No time to waste. The longer we wait, the stronger Katalin becomes.”
“Then we prepare,” Thomas said, standing. “Weapons, blessings, warding circles. Everything.”
“And us?” Mrs. Hartmann gestured to the other mothers. “What can we do?”
“Pray,” Thomas said simply. “Pray that we come back. With the children.”
The next few hours passed in feverish preparation.
Erik trained again with the Key. But this time it was different. The Key felt… heavier. As if the weight of all the souls it had carried was pressing down on him.
“You feel them, don’t you?” Helena had come to the training room. “The previous bearers.”
“Sometimes. Like whispers. Or memories that aren’t mine.” Erik let the Key’s light flare. “Thomas says the more I use it, the stronger the connection becomes.”
“And the more of yourself you give to the Key.”
“Yes.” Erik let the light fade. “But what’s the alternative? Not fight? Let Katalin win?”
“No. You fight. That’s who you are.” Helena stepped closer. “But Erik, promise me something.”
“What?”
“If it gets too much. If you feel the Key taking over—let go. Throw it away, destroy it, whatever. But don’t lose yourself.”
“I can’t—”
“Promise me.” Helena grabbed his shoulders. “I’ve already lost so many people. I can’t lose you too.”
Erik looked into her eyes—red, inhuman, but still Helena’s eyes. Full of worry, full of fear.
“I promise,” he said at last. “I’ll be careful.”
“Good.” Helena let go and stepped back. “And Erik? Thank you. For everything. For believing in me when I couldn’t believe in myself.”
“That’s what friends do.”
“Friends.” Helena smiled faintly. “I didn’t have many of those. In my life.”
“Now you do.” Erik smiled back. “A whole family of them.”
At 10:00 p.m. they gathered again.
The mission team: Erik, Marcus, and Thomas. Yuki and Helena would coordinate from HQ. The mothers would remain in safety, ready to provide medical support if needed.
“The place where the babies were,” Helena said, pointing to a map. “Under the Ludwigskirche. There’s a hidden entrance through the crypt. I can show you the way.”
“Only on the map,” Marcus said. “You’re not coming.”
“I know.” Helena drew the route. “Here. Through the side chapel, a loose floor slab. Underneath is a staircase.”
“And security?” Thomas asked.
“Vampires. At least a dozen when I was there. Possibly more now.” Helena looked up. “And possibly Dimitri.”
“Your brother,” Erik said. “Will he… will he talk to us?”
“Dimitri talks a lot. Whether he tells the truth is another matter.” Helena’s face darkened. “He’s loyal to Katalin. Unconditionally. If he has to choose between me and her…”
“He’ll choose her,” Marcus finished. “Understood.”
They geared up. Weapons, ammunition, holy water, UV lamps. And the Soul Key, which Erik wore around his neck.
“Radio channel two,” Yuki said, handing out devices. “I’m monitoring city surveillance. If I see movement, I’ll warn you.”
“And if we don’t come back?” Marcus asked.
“Then…” Yuki hesitated. “Then we get the mothers and their children to safety. Leave Munich. And hope Katalin’s ritual fails.”
“It won’t fail,” Helena said quietly. “Not without intervention. The ritual is too old, too powerful. If she performs it, Munich will fall.”
“Then we make sure she doesn’t perform it,” Erik said. “Ready? Then let’s go.”
They left HQ. The night was cold, the sky overcast. No moon, no stars. Only darkness.
The Ludwigskirche lay in Lehel, not far from the Isar. A neo-baroque church, imposing, with two towers rising into the sky.
They parked two blocks away and went on foot.
The church was closed, dark. But Marcus had a spare key—“Helena gave it to me, years ago,” he explained.
They entered. The interior was silent, holy. Moonlight filtered through the stained-glass windows, casting colored shadows across the pews.
“Side chapel,” Marcus whispered, gesturing left.
They went there. A small chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary. And there, just as Helena had said: a floor slab, slightly looser than the others.
Marcus and Thomas lifted it. Beneath: a staircase descending into darkness.
“No turning back now,” Marcus muttered.
They went down.
The crypt was larger than Erik had expected. Stone walls covered in ancient engravings. Sarcophagi lined the sides, some open, some sealed.
And at the end: a door. Modern, steel, with an electronic lock.
“That’s new,” Thomas said. “Helena didn’t mention a modern door.”
“Katalin upgraded.” Marcus examined the lock. “Damn. Military-grade. I can’t crack it.”
“Let me,” Erik said, stepping forward and taking out the Soul Key.
“That’s an electronic lock,” Marcus said skeptically. “Not a magical one.”
“The Key opens doors,” Erik said simply. “All doors.”
He pressed the Key against the lock.
Light exploded. The lock hissed, smoked, then clicked.
The door swung open.
Beyond it: more darkness. And a smell—old, musty, with a hint of blood.
“They’re in there,” Thomas whispered. “I can feel it.”
They stepped through the door.
A long corridor stretched before them. On the walls: torches burning with an unnatural green light.
At the end of the corridor: a chamber. And inside—
Erik’s heart sank.
The chamber was empty.
No vampires. No babies. Only empty cribs, abandoned.
“They’re gone,” Marcus said. “Helena was right. Katalin moved them.”
“But where?” Erik went to the cribs, searching for clues.
“Everywhere.” A voice, from the shadows.
Dimitri stepped forward. Alone.
“Where are the others?” Marcus asked, raising his weapon.
“Gone. Just like the babies. Katalin knew you’d come. My sister is so… predictable.” Dimitri smiled. “But I stayed. To deliver a message.”
“What kind of message?” Erik asked.
“An offer. A final one.” Dimitri stepped into the light. “Katalin is willing to negotiate. She doesn’t want war. She doesn’t want unnecessary death. So she offers a deal.”
“We don’t listen to offers from monsters,” Thomas said.
“Not even if it saves the babies?” Dimitri’s smile widened. “She offers this: the three babies in exchange for the Soul Key. A simple trade. No one has to die.”
“Except Munich,” Erik said. “If she has the Key, she’ll perform the ritual. Thousands will die.”
“Perhaps. But not today. Not tomorrow. You’ll have time to prepare, to plan.” Dimitri shrugged. “Or you refuse. And the three babies die in seven months. Painfully. As sacrifices.”
“That’s not a real choice,” Marcus said.
“It’s the only choice you have.” Dimitri’s eyes lit up. “So, bearer. What will it be? Three lives for an artifact?”
Erik felt the weight of the Key around his neck.
Three innocent babies.
Against the safety of Munich.
An impossible choice.
Again.
“Give me time,” Erik said at last. “To think.”
“You have until midnight.” Dimitri turned to leave. “After that, the offer is off the table. And the babies…” He looked back over his shoulder. “Well, let’s just say Katalin will find other uses for them.”
He vanished into the shadows.
Erik, Marcus, and Thomas stood there, in the empty chamber.
“What do we do?” Marcus asked.
Erik looked at the Key.
Then at his friends.
And he made a decision.
CHAPTER 16
The Ritual
“We are not giving her the Key.”
Marcus stared at Erik. “You’ve got to be joking.”
“No.” Erik’s voice was firm. “We can’t. If Katalin gets the Key, everything is lost. Munich, the Night Watch—everything.”
“But the babies—”
“We’ll save them another way.” Erik turned toward the exit. “We have until midnight. That’s…” He checked his watch. “Four hours. Enough time for a plan.”
“What kind of plan?” Thomas followed him down the corridor. “We don’t know where the babies are. We have no clues, no leads.”
“Then we create some.” Erik reached the stairs and started up. “Yuki is a genius hacker. Helena knows how Katalin thinks. Together we can—”
“Erik.” Marcus grabbed his arm and held him back. “Stop. Think. We’re talking about three babies. Three innocent lives.”
“I know.”
“And you’re willing to sacrifice them? For a piece of metal?”
“For the thousands who will die if Katalin performs the ritual.” Erik turned to face him. “Marcus, I understand how that sounds. I understand that it seems inhuman. But we have no other choice.”
“There’s always a choice.”
“Not always.” Erik’s voice softened. “Sometimes there are only bad options. And we have to choose the least bad one.”
Marcus let go and rubbed his face. “This is fucked up.”
“Yes. It is.” Erik continued on. “But this is our reality now.”
They reached the church and exited through the main door. The night had grown even darker; the clouds had thickened.
“It’s going to rain,” Thomas murmured. “A storm is coming.”
“Fitting,” Marcus said bitterly.
They drove back to headquarters. The ride passed in tense silence.
When they arrived, Helena was already waiting in the conference room. Her eyes found Erik immediately.
“You didn’t find them,” she said. Not a question—a statement.
“No. But Dimitri was there.” Erik sat down heavily. “With an offer.”
He told her everything: the empty hideout, Dimitri’s bargain, the midnight deadline.
Helena listened, her face growing paler by the second. “You refused.”
“I asked for time. To think.”
“But you’re going to refuse.”
“Yes.” Erik met her gaze. “I can’t give Katalin the Key. You know that.”
“I know.” Helena’s voice was barely audible. “But the babies…”
“We’ll save them. Another way.” Erik turned to Yuki. “Can you hack Katalin’s network? Her communications? Anything that tells us where she hid the babies?”
Yuki shook her head. “I’ve tried. For hours. But Katalin doesn’t use modern technology. Everything runs through couriers, face-to-face meetings. She’s too careful.”
“Then we use Helena.” Erik turned to her. “You said you feel a connection to Katalin. Through the blood. Can you use that? Track her?”
“That’s… complicated.” Helena stood and went to the window. “The connection works both ways. If I try to sense her, she senses me too. She could manipulate me. Control me.”
“What if we expect that?” Thomas stepped closer. “Prepare for it? I can draw warding circles, provide protection. You try to see through the connection where she is. And if she tries to control you, we break the link.”
“That’s dangerous.”
“Everything we do is dangerous.” Thomas’s voice was gentle. “But we’re here. We’ll protect you.”
Helena was silent for a long time. Then she nodded. “All right. But if something goes wrong—if I start acting strange—stop me. By force, if necessary.”
“We won’t have to,” Erik said, though he wasn’t sure he believed it.
They prepared a room.
Thomas drew intricate warding circles on the floor—silver, gold, and white, concentric rings with symbols between them. In the center: a chair for Helena.
“This should protect you,” Thomas explained. “The circles block external influence. If Katalin tries to control you, the symbols will resist.”
“Should,” Helena repeated skeptically.
“Will,” Thomas corrected firmly. “I’ve done this before. Exorcisms, summonings. I know what I’m doing.”
Helena sat down in the center of the circle. Erik, Marcus, Yuki, and Thomas took positions outside it, at the four corners.
“Ready?” Thomas asked.
“No. But let’s start anyway.” Helena closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then her body began to tremble. Slightly at first, then more violently.
“Helena?” Erik’s voice was tight.
“I… I can feel her.” Helena’s voice sounded different. Distant. “She’s… everywhere. Her presence fills the city.”
“Can you be more specific? Where is she right now?”
“Underground. Deep. Where no light reaches.” Helena tilted her head, as if listening. “I hear… water. Running water. A river?”
“The Isar,” Yuki said. “There are old channels under the Old Town that lead to the Isar.”
“And voices. Many voices. The council is assembled.” Helena jerked. “They’re… they’re talking about the ritual. The preparations. Three more weeks, they say. Not seven months.”
“What?” Marcus stepped closer. “They’re speeding it up?”
“The attack on the subway altar made them nervous. They think we’ll keep sabotaging them.” Helena’s voice grew urgent. “They want to perform the ritual earlier. At the December full moon. That is—”
“In three weeks,” Yuki said in horror. “December 21st. Winter solstice.”
“But you said it had to be the summer solstice!” Erik felt panic rising. “The ley lines—”
“Are also strong at the winter solstice. Not as strong, but sufficient.” Thomas’s face had gone pale. “If they have enough sacrifices, enough power…”
“Then it still works.” Helena suddenly opened her eyes.
But they were no longer red.
They were black. Completely black—no white, no pupil.
“Helena?” Erik stepped back.
When she spoke, it was not her voice.
It was Katalin’s.
“Hello, hunters. How lovely that my daughter leads you straight to me.”
“Out!” Thomas shouted. “Helena, come back!”
But Helena stood up, ignoring the warding circles as if they weren’t there.
“Impressive work, priest. But my bond with Helena is stronger than your symbols.” Katalin—through Helena—smiled. “She is my flesh, my blood. No ward can break that.”
“Fight her, Helena!” Erik stepped forward. “I know you’re still in there!”
“She is here. Trapped. Helpless.” Katalin’s laughter came from Helena’s mouth. “But don’t worry. I will make good use of her body.”
Helena’s hand shot forward, grabbing for Erik’s throat.
But Erik was faster. He dodged, rolled aside.
Marcus drew his weapon, then hesitated. “I can’t shoot Helena!”
“You don’t have to.” Thomas had produced a bottle of holy water and hurled its contents at her.
She hissed and recoiled. Smoke rose from her skin where the water struck.
“That… hurts,” she said. And this time it was Helena’s voice. Weak, but there. “More… more holy water…”
Thomas threw more. Helena screamed and collapsed to the floor.
The blackness in her eyes began to fade.
“No!” Katalin’s voice fought back. “She belongs to me!”
“She belongs to no one!” Erik knelt beside Helena, gripping her hand. “Helena, come back! Fight!”
Helena trembled, her body torn between two wills.
Then, with monumental effort, she screamed.
The blackness vanished. Her eyes turned red again—her vampire red, not Katalin’s black.
She gasped, coughed, curled in on herself.
“She… she’s gone. I threw her out.” Helena looked up, tears streaming. “But Erik, I saw something. Before she let me go. A place.”
“Where?”
“The old sewer facility. Under the Gasteig. They rebuilt it. Into a… a temple.” Helena grabbed Erik’s arm. “The babies are there. I saw them. In glass cages, surrounded by runes.”
“Gasteig,” Yuki repeated, already typing. “That’s a cultural center. On the edge of the Old Town. And yes—there are old structures underneath, from the nineteenth century.”
“How many vampires are guarding them?” Marcus asked.
“I… I couldn’t see everything. Maybe a dozen? More?” Helena shook her head. “But Katalin knows we’re coming now. She’ll be ready.”
“That doesn’t matter.” Erik stood up. “We have the location. We have a window. We go. Now.”
“Erik, that’s insane.” Marcus grabbed his arm. “If it’s a trap—”
“Then it’s a trap. But we have no other choice.” Erik looked at each of them. “Three weeks. That’s all we have. If we don’t save the babies, if we don’t stop Katalin’s ritual—Munich falls.”
“He’s right,” Thomas said. “We have to act.”
“Then we act.” Marcus headed for the armory. “But this time we go in with everything. Maximum firepower. Maximum preparation.”
“And I’m coming with you,” Helena said firmly.
“No—” Erik began.
“Yes.” Helena stood, swayed slightly, then steadied herself. “Katalin tried to control me. She failed. That means I’m stronger than she thought. Stronger than I thought.” She met Erik’s eyes. “I’m a vampire. I have abilities you don’t. Use them.”
“But if she takes control of you again—”
“Then kill me.” Helena’s voice was ice-cold. “Don’t hesitate. Just do it.”
Erik wanted to protest, but the look on her face silenced him.
“All right,” he said at last. “You’re coming. But you follow our orders.”
“Of course.” Helena smiled faintly. “I may be a monster, but I’m still part of the team.”
They set out at 11:30 p.m.
Thirty minutes before Dimitri’s deadline.
Two cars. The first: Erik, Helena, and Thomas. The second: Marcus and Yuki—“someone has to handle the tech side,” Yuki had insisted.
The mothers stayed behind, with strict instructions to seal the base if they heard nothing by 2:00 a.m.
“In case we don’t come back,” Marcus had said grimly.
The Gasteig was a massive complex of concrete and glass, housing concert halls, a library, event spaces. At this hour it was closed, dark.
They parked in a side alley and stepped out into the now-falling rain.
“Entrance?” Marcus asked.
“Service entrance, back side,” Yuki replied, studying blueprints on her tablet. “From there we can access the old tunnels.”
They circled the building. The service entrance was secured with a padlock.
Marcus cut it with bolt cutters. They went inside.
Beyond it lay a storage room, crammed with chairs, instrument cases, stage equipment. And at the back wall: a door labeled MAINTENANCE – NO ENTRY.
“That’s it,” Yuki said.
Thomas opened the door. Beyond it: a staircase descending downward. And a smell—old, damp, with that unmistakable metallic tang.
Blood.
“They’re definitely down there,” Helena murmured. Her nose twitched. “I can smell them. Vampires. Many.”
“How many?” Erik asked.
“Too many.” Helena’s eyes glowed in the darkness. “But we don’t have a choice, do we?”
“No.” Erik drew out the Soul Key. “We don’t.”
They went down.
The stairs were steep, wet, slippery. After thirty steps they reached the bottom.
A tunnel stretched out before them. Wider than the subway tunnels, with a vaulted ceiling. Along the walls: old pipes, rusted, dripping.
And at the far end, perhaps a hundred meters away: light. Green, flickering light.
“There,” Erik whispered.
They moved carefully, weapons drawn, senses sharpened.
The light grew brighter. They reached an opening and peered through.
What they saw stole their breath.
A vast chamber. A former sewer facility, now rebuilt. The walls were covered in symbols, glowing with their own light. In the center: an altar, larger than any they had seen before.
And around it: vampires. Dozens of them. Fifty, perhaps more.
All in black robes, all with glowing eyes, all chanting in a language Erik didn’t understand.
And before the altar, in three glass cages, exactly as Helena had said:
The babies.
They slept peacefully, unaware of the horror surrounding them.
“My God,” Thomas whispered. “This isn’t just a hideout. This is the ritual site.”
“They’re preparing. Now.” Helena’s voice was tight. “We have to—”
“Welcome.”
A voice, amplified, echoed through the chamber.
Katalin.
She stood atop the altar, arms spread wide. Beside her: Dimitri and Valentina.
“I knew you would come. My daughter led you to me so beautifully.” Katalin smiled. “Thank you, Helena. You were very helpful.”
“You used me,” Helena whispered, horrified.
“Of course I did. Why do you think I let you escape so easily?” Katalin’s laughter echoed. “I needed a way to bring you all here. And you cooperated perfectly.”
Erik felt his heart sink. “It was a trap. From the beginning.”
“Not quite from the beginning. But since Helena returned to us—yes.” Katalin gestured to the vampires around her. “She wanted to go back to you. So I let her. Knowing she would lead you straight to me.”
“The babies,” Marcus said. “Are they real? Or is that part of the deception too?”
“Oh, they are very real. And very important to the ritual.” Katalin stepped to one of the cages, running her fingers over the glass. “But three babies aren’t enough. I need seven sacrifices.”
She looked directly at Erik.
“Three babies. And four hunters.” Katalin’s smile widened. “Perfect.”
The vampires moved, encircling them, cutting off retreat.
They were trapped.
“Run!” Marcus shouted. “Everyone, run!”
But it was too late.
The vampires attacked.
And the battle began.
CHAPTER 17
Konstantin’s Death
The attack came from all sides.
Vampires lunged at them, too fast for the human eye. Erik raised the Soul Key and called the Light.
It exploded from him, a wave of golden fire that hurled the nearest vampires backward.
But there were too many.
Marcus fired, his pistol booming in the enclosed space. Silver bullets struck, vampires howled. But for every one that fell, two more took its place.
Thomas swung his blessed staff, murmuring prayers. Holy water sprayed, vampires hissed and recoiled. But they learned quickly, circling him, waiting for an opening.
And Helena fought like a fury.
She moved with vampiric speed, her powers fully unleashed. She tore out throats, snapped necks, fought with a savagery that frightened Erik.
But even she was slowly being overwhelmed.
“To the babies!” Erik shouted. “We have to get to the babies!”
They fought their way forward, meter by meter. Erik led the way, the Soul Key a burning sword of light cutting through the darkness.
They reached the glass cages.
“How do we open them?” Marcus gasped as he knocked a vampire down with the butt of his gun.
“The key!” Erik pressed it against the glass.
The light pulsed. The glass began to crack, to splinter.
Then it exploded.
Erik reached in and pulled out the first baby. The Wagner baby, he realized. The one they hadn’t saved before.
It was still asleep, despite the chaos around it.
“Give it to me!” Yuki fought her way to him, blood streaming from a wound on her forehead. She took the baby and held it protectively.
Erik turned to the next cage. But before he could reach it, someone stepped into his path.
Dimitri.
“Not so fast, Bearer.” Dimitri’s eyes glowed. “These babies belong to the Council.”
“They’re not objects!” Erik raised the key. “Get out of my way!”
“Make me.” Dimitri smiled—and attacked.
He was fast. Faster than Valentina, faster than the other vampires. Erik barely saw him before Dimitri’s fist slammed into his stomach.
Erik was hurled backward, crashing into the wall. Pain exploded through his body.
“Erik!” Helena rushed toward him, but two vampires held her back.
Dimitri approached slowly, savoring the moment. “You’re brave, I’ll give you that. But bravery isn’t enough against us.”
“Maybe not bravery alone.” Erik staggered to his feet, gripping the key. “But bravery plus this—”
He called the Light. Not as a wave this time, but focused, concentrated—a beam of pure energy aimed straight at Dimitri.
Dimitri had no time to dodge.
The beam struck his chest, drilling straight through him.
Dimitri screamed, fell to the ground, smoking, burning.
But he rose again. Slower, wounded—but alive.
“Impressive,” he rasped. Blood—black, thick blood—poured from the wound. “But not enough.”
He attacked again.
This time, Helena was faster.
She threw herself between them, intercepting Dimitri’s blow.
“Sister,” Dimitri hissed. “Are you truly standing against me?”
“Yes.” Helena’s voice was ice-cold. “You made your choice. I made mine.”
They fought. Brother against sister. Equal in speed, equal in strength—a whirlwind of strikes and counterstrikes.
Erik used the distraction. He rushed to the other cages, shattering them with the key.
Thomas took the second baby. Marcus the third.
“We’ve got them!” Erik shouted. “Now get out of here!”
“The exit is blocked!” Yuki pointed back. Vampires filled the tunnel they had come through.
“Then we find another!” Marcus scanned the chamber. “There! A second tunnel!”
He was right. On the far side of the chamber, half-hidden, another opening.
“Move!” Erik gathered the team. “Helena! Come on!”
But Helena didn’t hear him. She was completely focused on Dimitri, their fight growing more brutal, more desperate.
“Helena!” Erik shouted again.
Dimitri took advantage of her distraction. He struck her hard, hurling her against the altar.
She fell, stunned.
Dimitri stood over her, his hand closing around her throat. “I’m sorry, sister. But you chose the wrong side.”
“No!” Erik ran back, the key in his hand.
But he was too slow.
A voice echoed through the chamber. “Enough.”
Katalin.
She now stood on the floor, approaching. All fighting stopped. The vampires stepped back, reverence in their movements.
“Dimitri, let her go.” Katalin’s voice was gentle—but absolute.
“But Mother, she betrayed us—”
“She is my daughter. And I will decide what happens to her.” Katalin helped Helena to her feet. “My poor child. So confused. So torn.”
“I’m not confused.” Helena spat blood. “I know exactly where I stand.”
“Do you?” Katalin brushed hair from Helena’s face, a grotesque maternal gesture. “You fight your own family. Your own blood. For what? For humans who will fear you the moment they learn what you are?”
“For what is right.”
“Right and wrong are constructs.” Katalin’s eyes glowed brighter. “There is only power. And survival.”
“Then you taught me nothing.” Helena shoved her away. “Because I believe in more than survival.”
Katalin sighed. “A shame. I had hoped you would understand. But perhaps you simply need more… persuasion.”
She snapped her fingers.
The vampires seized the team. Erik, Marcus, Thomas, Yuki—all were overwhelmed, thrown to the ground.
The babies were torn from their arms and placed back into the shattered cages.
“No!” Erik struggled, but there were too many of them. Hands—cold, inhumanly strong—held him down.
“You had your chance,” Katalin said. “I offered you a bargain. You refused. So now I take what I want.”
She stepped toward Erik and tore the Soul Key from his neck.
Erik screamed, feeling physical pain as the artifact was removed—like part of his soul being ripped away.
Katalin held the key up, examining it in the green light. “So many have borne this. So many have failed.” She looked at Erik. “You lasted longer than most. But not long enough.”
“Give it back,” Erik snarled through clenched teeth.
“Why would I? It’s mine now.” Katalin turned to the altar. “And with it, I will complete the ritual. Not in three weeks. Not at the winter solstice.”
She placed the key on the altar.
“Tonight.”
Horror flooded Erik. “You can’t. The ley lines aren’t strong enough—”
“Normally not. But with the Soul Key?” Katalin smiled. “It amplifies everything. Makes the impossible possible.”
She began to chant—ancient words, in a language that did not sound human.
The other vampires joined in, their voices merging into an eerie chorus.
The symbols on the walls began to glow—brighter, more intense.
The ground began to tremble.
“No,” Thomas whispered. “She’s really doing it. She’s calling the Darkness.”
“We have to stop her!” Marcus struggled against his restraints.
But the vampires held fast.
Katalin’s chanting grew louder, more urgent.
The Soul Key on the altar began to glow—not gold as when Erik wielded it, but red. Blood-red.
And something began to pour from it.
Darkness.
Pure, manifested darkness, rising like smoke, spreading.
“The ritual,” Yuki gasped. “It’s working.”
The darkness reached the ceiling, began to gather, to condense.
Then it exploded.
Upward—through stone and concrete, through the building above, into the sky.
Erik couldn’t see it, but he knew: above Munich, a wound opened in the sky. The night grew darker—unnaturally dark.
The eternal night had begun.
“No!” Helena tore herself free from the vampires restraining her, hurling them aside with superhuman strength.
She charged the altar and grabbed the Soul Key.
“Helena, no!” Katalin cried.
But Helena held it. The key burned in her hand, but she didn’t let go.
“I… I can feel it,” she gasped. “The souls. All those who carried it. They’re… calling to me.”
“Drop it!” Katalin moved closer. “You’re not strong enough!”
“Maybe not.” Helena looked at Erik. Tears—of pain, of resolve—streamed down her face. “But I have to try.”
She raised the key and called the Light.
It came—weaker than when Erik summoned it, flickering, unstable. But it came.
The red light of the ritual collided with the golden light of the key.
The chamber began to shake.
“What are you doing?” For the first time, fear crept into Katalin’s voice. “You’ll kill us all!”
“Better that than letting you win.” Helena’s eyes—normally red—turned gold, reflecting the key’s light.
The collision intensified. Cracks spread across the walls, stones raining from the ceiling.
“Everyone out!” Marcus shouted. “The chamber is collapsing!”
The vampires fled in panic, their order shattered.
Dimitri grabbed Katalin. “Mother, come! We have to go!”
“But the ritual—”
“Is lost! Come!”
He dragged her into the second tunnel, away from the collapsing chamber.
Valentina and the others followed.
Only Helena remained, holding the key, calling the Light.
The vampire restraining Erik suddenly let go—too busy fleeing to care about prisoners.
Erik ran to Helena. “Let go! We have to get out!”
“Not… until I finish this.” Her voice was strained, every word an effort. “The ritual… I can reverse it. Push the darkness back. But—”
“But what?”
“It will kill me.” Helena met his eyes, a sad smile on her lips. “The key… takes everything. To banish the darkness, I have to give myself.”
“No!” Erik grabbed her hand, trying to pull the key away.
But Helena held tight. “It’s my choice, Erik. My redemption.”
“You don’t need redemption! You did nothing wrong!”
“I drank from Katalin’s chalice. I became a monster.” Tears fell faster. “But now… now I can do something good. One last time.”
“Please.” Erik’s own tears fell. “Please don’t do this.”
“Look after them. The Night Watch. The city.” Her grip tightened. “Promise me.”
“I promise.”
“Good.” Helena turned toward the altar, toward the exploding light. “Then… farewell, Erik Schönwaldt. It was an honor to fight by your side.”
She screamed—a piercing, unearthly scream—and the light from the key exploded.
A wave of golden energy filled the chamber, shattering the walls, tearing everything apart.
Erik was thrown backward, flying through the air, slamming into something hard.
Then everything went black.
When he woke, there was silence.
Erik lay beneath rubble, pain flaring through his entire body. Slowly, agonizingly, he freed himself.
The chamber was destroyed. Completely. Nothing remained but ruins.
“Helena?” His voice was hoarse, weak. “Helena!”
No answer.
He dug desperately, throwing stones aside, searching.
And he found her.
Helena lay beneath a massive slab of concrete, half-buried. The Soul Key was still in her hand.
Erik pulled the slab away and knelt beside her.
“Helena? Helena, stay with me.”
She opened her eyes—weak, flickering. They were no longer red. No longer gold.
They were brown.
Human brown.
“Erik,” she whispered. “It… it worked.”
“What worked?”
“The ritual. Reversed. The darkness is… gone.” She coughed, blood spilling from the corner of her mouth. “And the transformation… gone too. I’m… human again.”
“That’s good!” Erik took her hand. “That means you’ll heal. You’ll survive!”
“No.” Her smile was sad. “The price… was too high. The key took… everything.”
“No, no, no.” Panic rose in Erik’s chest. “You can’t die. Not now. Not after everything.”
“It’s… okay.” Her breathing grew shallow. “I had a good ending. Saved… saved the city. Saved you.”
“You saved more than that. You saved all of us.”
“Then… then I died for something… good.” Her eyes began to close. “Erik?”
“Yes?”
“The key. Take it. It… it belongs to you.”
“I don’t want it. Not if it costs you.”
“Too late.” Her hand opened, the key slipping free. “Promise… look after it. And… the others.”
“I promise.”
“Good.” One last smile. Then: “Thank you… for everything.”
Her breath caught.
Her eyes closed.
And Helena Konstantin, leader of the Night Watch, died.
Erik held her, weeping, screaming her name into the ruins.
But no one answered.
She was gone.
Later—he didn’t know how much later—the others found him.
Marcus. Thomas. Yuki. All bleeding, all exhausted—but alive.
And the babies. All three, unharmed.
They saw Helena, saw Erik’s tears, and understood without words.
“She saved us all,” Thomas whispered, kneeling to pray.
Marcus said nothing, tears in his own eyes.
Yuki collapsed, sobbing.
They remained there among the ruins until the first rays of morning sunlight broke through the shattered ceiling.
The sky over Munich was clear. The unnatural darkness was gone.
Helena had won.
But the price was unbearable.
Erik took the Soul Key—cold and lifeless now.
And he swore an oath.
Helena’s sacrifice would not be in vain.
He would go on. Keep fighting.
For her. For everyone.
Until the end.