Rose's sobs echoed through the small cabin, her body shaking in Blake's arms. The pain of losing Gunther was almost too much to bear. She had known him for centuries, and now he was gone forever.
"I can't believe it," Rose whispered between sobs. "Gunther... he was always strong, so brave. How could this happen?"
Blake held her tightly, his own grief mixing with hers. "Duncan caught us off guard. We never saw it coming."
"Duncan…how is that possible? Isn't he a legend, how did he kill Gunther? I don't get it."
Reggie stepped forward, his face a mask of sorrow. "Gunther died protecting us, Rose. He went down fighting, just as he would have wanted."
Rose nodded, trying to find comfort in Reggie's words. But as she opened her mouth to speak again, her eyes suddenly went wide. Her body stiffened, and a cruel smile spread across her face.
"Oh, how touching," the Nesis sneered, its voice once again coming from Rose's mouth. "Poor, poor Gunther. Such a sha, really."
Blake recoiled, his face twisting with anger and disgust. "You monster! How dare you mock his sacrifice!"
The Nesis laughed, the sound chilling in its lack of humanity. "Sacrifice? Is that what you call it? I call it the first of many."
Randal stepped forward, his fists clenched. "What do you an, the first of many?"
The entity controlling Rose turned its black eyes to Randal, its smile widening. "Oh, you simple fools. Did you really think Gunther would be the only one to fall? The mont I'm free, there will be a bloodbath the likes of which you've never seen."
Blake's grip on Rose tightened, his voice a low growl. "That's not going to happen. We won't let you free."
The Nesis cackled, the sound sending shivers down their spines. "You won't have a choice. Your precious Rose is growing weaker by the mont. Soon, she won't have the strength to fight at all."
As if to prove its point, Rose's body suddenly sagged, her skin growing even paler. Blake looked down in horror, noticing for the first ti how gaunt and dry she had beco.
"She needs blood," Blake said urgently, looking to Reggie and Randal. "We have to feed her, now!"
Reggie held up a hand, his face grim. "Wait, Blake. Think about this. If we feed her, we're not just feeding Rose. We're feeding the Nesis too."
Blake's face contorted with anguish. "But we can't just leave her like this! Look at her, Reggie. She's drying up before our eyes. She needs blood or she'll die!"
Randal moved closer, his eyes filled with concern. "Blake's right. She's too weak. If we don't do sothing soon, we might lose her forever."
Reggie shook his head, his voice firm but compassionate. "I understand your fear, both of you. But we have to think this through. Feeding her might give the Nesis the strength it needs to take full control."
Blake looked down at Rose, torn between his desperate need to help her and the logic of Reggie's words. "There has to be another way," he said, his voice breaking. "We can't just watch her suffer."
Reggie was silent for a long mont, his face twisted with internal conflict. Finally, he spoke, his voice low and hesitant. "There... there might be a way to keep her from using up all her energy. But Blake, you're not going to like it."
As Reggie spoke, Randal's eyes widened in sudden understanding. He exchanged a knowing glance with Reggie, his face paling slightly. "Oh no," he muttered under his breath.
Blake, noticing the exchange, looked between them in confusion. "What? What do you have in mind?"
Reggie took a deep breath, steeling himself for Blake's reaction. "Our kind, vampires... we have the ability to enter a state similar to hibernation."
"Eternal slumber," Said Randal with an unhappy expression.
Blake's brow furrowed, not quite grasping the implications. "Eternal slumber? What do you an?"
Reggie continued, his voice gentle but firm. "It's a form of suspended animation, Blake. We can put Rose into a deep, death-like sleep. Her body's processes would slow to an almost imperceptible rate, including the speed at which she's burning through her remaining blood."
Blake's eyes widened in shock as understanding dawned. "You want to put her in a coma? For how long?"
Randal stepped forward, his face grim. "That's the thing, Blake. We don't know. It could be days, weeks... maybe even years."
Blake shook his head vehently. "No. No way. There has to be another option."
Reggie placed a hand on Blake's shoulder, his voice filled with sympathy. "I know it sounds extre, but it might be our only chance to keep her alive long enough to find a way to exorcise the Nesis."
Blake looked down at Rose, his heart breaking at the sight of her weakened state. The Nesis seed to have retreated for the mont, leaving Rose unconscious in his arms.
"And what if we can't find a way?" Blake asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "What if she's trapped like that forever?"
Reggie's grip on Blake's shoulder tightened. "We won't let that happen, Blake. We'll find a way to save her, no matter what it takes."
For a long mont, the cabin was silent save for the sound of Rose's labored breathing. Blake looked from Reggie to Randal, then back to Rose's pale face.
"Okay," he said finally, his voice thick with emotion. "Let's do it. But Reggie, you have to promise sothing."
Reggie nodded solemnly. "Anything, my friend."
Blake's eyes t Reggie's, filled with a fierce determination. "Promise that if sothing goes wrong, if it looks like we're going to lose her... promise you'll give her blood, consequences be damned. I can't bear the thought of her dying like this."
Reggie hesitated for a mont, then nodded. "I promise, Blake. If it cos to that, we'll do whatever it takes to keep her alive."
As they began to prepare for the dangerous procedure, none of them noticed the faint smile that flickered across Rose's face. Deep within her mind, the Nemisis waited patiently, biding its ti.
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