7. Whispers of the Forgotten

The forest had grown quieter. Too quiet. Darius felt the oppressive stillness pressing against him, a tangible weight in the air that seemed to crush his resolve. The man's words echoed in his mind—Blood Sovereign… ruler… hunted. He had no way of knowing what was real or why this power had chosen him, but the pieces of his old self—his humanity—were slipping away faster than he could gather them.

"Fledgling Sovereign." Darius muttered under his breath, his fingers brushing the bark of a nearby tree. "What does that even mean?"

The silence was broken by a faint sound—a whisper, soft and mournful, like the wind carrying a secret. It was close, too close. Darius spun around, his heightened senses catching the faintest trace of movement.

"Show yourself!" he barked, his voice more commanding than he intended. To his surprise, it didn't feel unnatural. It felt… right.

From the dense shadows emerged a figure, smaller and slighter than the man he'd encountered before. This one was a woman, her pale skin glowing faintly in the moonlight. Her hair cascaded in silvery waves over her shoulders, and her eyes were an eerie, shimmering blue. She was ethereal, otherworldly, but there was something off about her presence—a fragility, as though she might disappear with the next gust of wind.

"You're loud for one so new," she said softly, her voice melodic yet tinged with caution. "If you're not careful, every predator in these woods will hear you."

Darius narrowed his eyes. "Who are you? Another 'courtesy' visit?"

The woman smiled faintly, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Hardly. I'm not here to threaten or guide you. I'm here because I felt the stirrings of your awakening. You're… different."

"Different?" Darius echoed. "I don't even know who I am anymore."

The woman stepped closer, her movements fluid and deliberate. "You're not meant to know—yet. The Sovereign's path is not one of ease or clarity. It's a trial by fire, and only the strong survive."

"Strong? I barely know how to control this… hunger," Darius admitted, the shame of his earlier feeding still fresh in his mind.

She studied him, her gaze piercing yet unreadable. "The hunger is the least of your challenges. What lies ahead will test not just your strength but your will, your soul. Many have tried to rise to Sovereignty, but few succeed. Most are consumed."

Darius clenched his fists. "Then why me? Why was I chosen for this? I didn't ask for it."

"None of us do," she replied. "But something about you—your blood, your essence—has awakened an ancient power. You've already started to feel it, haven't you? The pull of something greater than yourself?"

He hesitated. The whispers in his mind, the unnatural strength, the strange sense of connection to the forest around him… it was all too much to ignore. But he wasn't ready to admit it—not yet.

The woman seemed to sense his hesitation. "You'll find answers soon enough, but be warned: the moment you awakened