sophia676173
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- Parts 41
In the Dark Ages of Romania, where salvation is measured in suffering and sin is hunted with torches, a village girl is declared unclean. As vampires ravage the countryside, the Church names its answer: her. They call her an enchantress, a succubus, a woman whose very existence invites evil. Each whispered prayer becomes another mark against her soul.
Crushed beneath the weight of accusation, she flees each day into the forest-the one place not yet claimed by scripture-to kneel in the dirt and beg God to cleanse her. She prays until her knees bleed. She confesses sins she has never committed. She asks not to be spared, but to be made worthy of punishment.
Her prayers are answered.
Regulus Black hears every word.
A vampire born of ancient magic and damned blood, Regulus has long abandoned God, mercy, and the lie of redemption. Yet the girl's devotion gnaws at him-her terror mistaken for faith, her suffering mistaken for holiness. He watches her with something dangerously close to reverence. To him, she is not cursed, but consecrated. Not a temptation, but a sacrament.
What begins as silent guardianship becomes obsession. Regulus bends the forest to hide her, twists shadows into shields, and leaves the bodies of her would-be executioners drained and unrecognizable. He tells himself it is protection. He tells himself it is justice. But beneath it lies a darker truth: her survival has become his religion.
As the village prepares to burn the "witch" and the Church sends men armed with relics and scripture, Regulus steps fully into damnation. If God will not answer her prayers, then he will. If holiness demands blood, he will spill it. And if loving her means condemning himself further, then damnation is a small price to pay. faith becomes a weapon, love becomes a curse, and salvation comes not from heaven-but from the monster listening in the dark.