Chapter 9 - The Matriarch's Demand
Evelyn Vance did not look like a woman who had just hiked down an abandoned logging trail and traversed subterranean tunnels. Her silver-grey hair remained sculpted to perfection, her pearl necklace gleaming against her immaculate silk blouse. But under the harsh floodlights carried by her men, Alina saw what Diane had spoken of: the skin around Evelyn’s eyes was gray, paper-thin, and webbed with dark, necrotic veins. The Crimson curse was devouring her.
Julian stood a pace behind his mother. His eyes were entirely red now, the irises having expanded to consume the whites of his eyes, glowing with a malevolent, feverish intensity. His jaw was set, but his hands twitched violently at his sides, as if fighting an internal battle for control.
"You have caused an immense amount of trouble today, Alina," Evelyn said, her voice smooth and devoid of human warmth. "Ruining a family breakfast was ill-mannered. Damaging our estate’s perimeter was expensive. But leading us directly to the Vault... that, I must admit, is delightfully cooperative."
"You used him," Alina said, her voice steady, refusing to look away from the terrifying matriarch. "You sent your son to play a role because you’re dying."
Evelyn smiled thinly, revealing teeth that were unnaturally pointed along the edges. "I am preserving our legacy. Julian understood his duty. He played his part brilliantly. Did you really believe a man of his standing, his lineage, would look twice at an unremarkable girl drawing floor plans for municipal libraries?"
The cruelty of the words was designed to cut, but Alina felt nothing but cold, crystalline clarity. She glanced at Julian. He wouldn't meet her eyes. His gaze was fixed on the glowing blue labyrinth on the iron door behind her, which was only three rotations away from fully unlocking.
"Shoot the exile," Evelyn ordered casually, gesturing toward Diane. "Break Alina’s legs so she cannot run, and place her hands on the remaining dials."
Two Vanguard soldiers raised their assault rifles, aiming directly at Diane’s chest.
"Julian!" Alina yelled, her voice cutting through the damp chamber like a whip. "Is this what you wanted? You hit me because you couldn't control me. Are you going to stand there and watch your mother butcher your own aunt and cripple the woman you claimed to love?"
Julian’s breath hitched. A violent tremor ran through his shoulders. The red in his eyes flared violently, battling against a sudden surge of human hazel. "Mother... wait. She will cooperate. She doesn't need to be broken."
"Silence, boy!" Evelyn snapped, not even turning around. "You let her strike the first blow against our authority this morning. You hesitated. You have always been weak when it comes to sentiment. I will secure the Core myself."
Evelyn raised her hand, signaling the soldiers to fire.
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In that split second, Alina didn't wait for the locks to solve themselves. Channeling every ounce of the icy fire running through her veins, she drove her fist directly into the central hub of the rotating iron dials, intentionally breaking the alignment.
A piercing, mechanical alarm blared through the vault chamber as the failsafe engaged. The ceiling above them groaned, and massive iron portcullises began dropping from the darkness, separating the catwalk into isolated combat zones.
