Fangless: The Alpha's Vampire Mate-Chapter 322: A Fate Worse Than Death

"This is my theory," the Fallen One began.

Florian’s body, being a vessel for the demon, was just that—a vessel. And within it resided two souls. The first belonged to the demon, accidentally summoned by the late Queen Isodle’s forbidden ritual. The second was Florian himself, a child born as a direct result of that same ritual.

Logically, no single body should have been able to sustain two souls, especially when those souls were in conflict. Florian’s timid nature stood in stark contrast to Ol’gaz’s ruthless essence. They were opposites, irreconcilable. Coexistence should have been impossible.

And yet, it happened.

This paradox warranted examination. When Ol’gaz was sealed, Florian was the sole governor of his body, the only active soul. The demon was dormant, practically asleep.

But the moment that seal was broken, everything changed. Ol’gaz awakened, and a struggle for dominance ensued. Sometimes Florian would seize control, other times Ol’gaz would. It all depended on which of them was stronger at any given moment.

Griswold listened as Riona translated the Fallen One’s words. His brow furrowed in suspicion. "And how, exactly, do you know all this?"

Sir Orlo opened his mouth, ready to defend Riona—perhaps argue that she must have learned it somewhere before. But he hesitated. That couldn’t be true. He knew better. Riona had never liked studying, let alone anything about black magic or demon possession.

"It’s not me. I only told you what he told me," Riona said.

"Who?"

"The ancestor," she replied nonchalantly.

The group gasped in unison.

"What? She can hear the ancestor?"

"She spoke to the ancestor? No—the ancestor spoke to her?"

"Is that even possible? Only elders are supposed to receive that kind of blessing!"

"She must be lying!"

Riona rolled her eyes, uninterested in correcting their assumptions or proving herself. "Anyway, that’s that."

"Wait," Lisbeth suddenly spoke up. "Can you explain his manifestation?"

Riona blinked. "What manifestation?"

Lisbeth recounted, in vivid detail, how she had seen a shadowy figure detach itself from Florian. The memory still sent a chill down her spine. Based on the sheer terror she had felt in that moment, she was certain—it had been the demon, manifesting as a separate entity from Florian.

The Fallen One didn’t respond right away. Not because he was withholding information, but because he truly didn’t know the answer. This was new to him, too. And as he mulled it over, he tried to connect the dots—what did this mean for them? For their mission?

"That is a manifestation. True," a voice cut in.

Everyone turned to find the source. It was Perseus, the group’s walking encyclopedia.

"Ol’gaz was bound by spells, trapped in a cage with no way out. That much was certain," Perseus explained. "But the use of black magic in a forbidden ritual—one performed by inexperienced hands—disrupted that prison. It pulled him out."

He paused, then added, "However, in the end, it was still a cage. The only difference was that this one—Florian’s body—was malleable. A mortal’s mind is like clay; it can be shaped, influenced, even manipulated. Unlike the prison Ol’gaz was originally sent to, this body could be controlled."

Ol’gaz wasn’t just able to control his prison—he was beginning to manifest beyond it, taking form as a shadowy figure.

"A living being is a unique host for a demon," Perseus continued. "Demons feed on fear, anxiety, and every other negative emotion. The more the host fuels Ol’gaz, the stronger he becomes."

Florian, being human, had limits. He wasn’t an infinite well of power. At some point, Ol’gaz could surpass him—outgrowing his prison. And when that happened, it wouldn’t be impossible for the demon to separate entirely from its host.

Riona’s stomach twisted. She didn’t even want to consider the thought, but the question spilled from her lips before she could stop it. "But... doesn’t that mean Ol’gaz is feeding on Florian?"

Perseus hesitated. Then, finally, he nodded. "Yes."

A heavy silence settled over the group.

"In other words," Elijah said, piecing everything together, "if Ol’gaz fully detaches from Florian... that boy will be no more."

The words hit Riona like a slap. Her eyes widened in horror. No. She refused to let that happen. Florian was her brother. She wouldn’t let him be consumed—wouldn’t let him disappear.

Her voice trembled as she demanded, "Then tell me—how do I kill the demon before it kills my brother?"

Perseus lowered his gaze. "I do know how to eliminate demons... but one bound inside a living prison? That’s another matter entirely. There has never been a recorded case where such an exorcism didn’t end with the death of both."

The words struck Riona like a hammer. Her heart clenched, her breath turning rapid and uneven. Was there really no way to save Florian?

Madam Silvia shot a glare at Perseus and Elijah, as if blaming them for casting a shadow over the one person who could defeat the demon. What if Riona lost hope? What if despair robbed her of the will to fight?

Sensing the tension, Elijah quickly tried to shift the conversation. "Your dream," he said, grasping at anything that might help. "You said your brother is trapped, and the ancestor told you it was a message from him. Maybe that’s the key. The cage."

Even as he spoke, he wasn’t sure what he was getting at. He just hoped someone else would make sense of it.

Lennix was the one to pick up the thread. "What if you could trap the demon in an invisible cage?" he suggested.

"And what if your dream... isn’t just a dream? It’s been happening more often the closer we get to Florian, right? What if—" his voice grew more excited, "—what if it’s actually a kind of realm? A space where you and your brother can connect? And if you can reach Florian there... you can reach the demon, too. And if you can do that—"

His eyes locked onto Riona’s.

"Maybe you can kill him there."

Riona stared into Lennix’s eyes, her vision blurring as tears welled up. She hastily wiped them away, sniffing back the lump in her throat.

This was the first time someone had given her even a sliver of hope—a way to kill the demon without hurting her brother.

It sounded impossible. Maybe even absurd. But she didn’t care. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ

Right now, it was the only hope she had. And she’d rather cling to that than accept a world where she had no choice at all.