Lyanna sat beside Azrael’s bed throughout the night, holding his cold hand. His condition was deteriorating with each passing second.
"There has to be sothing we can do." Lyanna said again when the healer ca to check on him an hour later.
"Unless you have access to blood magic, there is nothing." A junior healer said. "That magic that requires significant sacrifice. But that knowledge has been lost for centuries. I’m sorry."
After healers left, Naomi appeared at the door.
"Your Majesty...You should rest. I can sit with him."
"I’m not leaving him."
Naomi entered and sat opposite her.
"The healer ntioned sothing about blood magic, right?" She asked.
"She said the knowledge was lost."
"Maybe not completely." Naomi said. "In the eastern territories, there are old vampires. So even rember things from before written history. One of them, Elder Mara, lives near here. She might know sothing."
"Where does she live?" Lyanna asked imdiately.
"Five miles towards the forest." Naomi replied. "But Elder Mara doesn’t interact with outsiders. She’s reclusive. And even if she does know about blood magic, the cost might be..."
"I don’t care about the cost." Lyanna cut her off.
Lyanna rode into the forest imdiately, following Naomi’s directions.
They found Elder Mara’s ho deep in the woods. It was a small cottage covered in moss and vines. Lyanna knocked but no one answered.
"Elder Mara!" She yelled. "Please. I need help. My husband is dying."
The door opened slowly,
"The queen?" Mara said. "I heard about the attack. Your husband protected you and is now paying the price."
"Can you help him?" Lyanna asked, crying. "The healers say he is dying and only blood magic could save him. Do you know how?"
Mara looked at her for a mont.
"I can save him."
"Please." Lyanna said. "I’m ready to pay and do anything. Just save him."
"Anything?" Mara smiled. "Blood magic is a transaction. To save him, sothing of equal value must be sacrificed."
"My life?" Lyanna asked. "Take my life. Save him."
"This doesn’t work like that." Mara said. "He is dying because he protected you. Taking your life would make his sacrifice aningless. The magic won’t accept it."
"Then what?" Lyanna asked.
Mara gestured for her to enter. Inside the cottage, Lyanna saw shelves full of ancient books, jars containing weird substances, and strange symbols carved into the walls.
"The magic requires a true sacrifice. Mara explained. "Sothing that costs you deeply."
She picked up an ancient book and opened it.
"Your humanity." Mara said.
"What?"
"You were human once and later transford into a vampire. But by heart, you’re still a human. Your compassion, your way of thinking, your empathy are still human. The magic can take that as a sacrifice." She paused.
"You’ll beco a full vampire not just in body, but in mind and soul."
"I’d beco like..." Lyanna trailed off, thinking of the ruthless vampires she had t.
"A true vampire." Mara finished for her.
"Is there another option?"
"Your mories of him." Mara replied. "All your mories of him will be erased. He’d wake up to find his wife no longer rembers him."
"I’ve decided." Lyanna said imdiately.
"Which sacrifice?"
"My humanity. Make a complete vampire and save him."
"Are you sure?" Mara asked. "You’ll never feel the sa way about the world again. The compassion that makes you hesitate before making difficult decisions will be gone. The empathy that makes you cry for strangers will also disappear. You’ll beco pragmatic and willing to do whatever is necessary without guilt."
"Will I still love him?" Lyanna asked.
"Yes. You’ll still love the people close to you. But your love will be more possessive and fierce."
"I can live with that." Lyanna replied. "Save him."
"Fine." Mara said. "But you cannot tell him about the sacrifice. If you tell him what you gave up, the magic will fail and he’ll die."
"Don’t worry. I won’t tell him."
"Then let’s begin."
Mara led Lyanna to a ritual space in a small room. She drew strange symbols on the floor and placed candles at specific positions.
"Lie here." Mara said, pointing to the centre. "The magic will flow from you to him. It will hurt. You will feel like sothing is being burned away from your soul."
Lyanna lay down in the centre of the symbols.
"Think about him. Think about why you’re doing this. The magic needs to understand that you value him more than your humanity. It needs to see that you choose love over compassion."
Mara began chanting in a language Lyanna didn’t understand. The symbols on the floor began to glow. Lyanna’s chest started burning with pain. She scread.
"Let it go! Don’t fight the change!"
The pain intensified. She felt warmth draining from her chest, replaced by coldness. Then, suddenly, it stopped.
Lyanna lay gasping on the floor, tears streaming down her face. But the tears were not because of her emotions. They were just a physical response to the pain.
"It’s done." Mara said. "The magic has taken your humanity. Your husband will wake up soon."
Lyanna stood up slowly. The world looked the sa but she felt detached from it.
After thanking Mara, she rode back to the town. On her way, she saw a child crying in the street. The old Lyanna would have stopped but the new one continued to ride without feeling anything.
When she reached the town, she saw chaos outside the healer’s cottage.
"Your Majesty!" The healer shouted. "It’s a miracle! His Majesty’s wounds are healing. I’ve never seen anything like this!"
Lyanna rushed inside imdiately. Azrael was still unconscious but his breathing was normal now.
"He will survive." The healer said.
Lyanna sat beside him and took his hand. She waited to feel relief and joy. But all she felt was satisfaction as if she had completed a mission.
Her love was still there but the emotional intensity was buried sowhere.
"I saved you." She whispered and smiled.
Azrael regained consciousness, hours later.
"Lyanna?"
"I’m here."
"What happened?" Azrael asked. "The attack... I rember protecting you... then..."
"You nearly died." Lyanna replied. "But you survived. The healers brought you back to life."
"You feel different. You’re not crying." Azrael noticed. "I expected you to be emotional."
Lyanna forced tears to her eyes.
"I am relieved. I just... I’ve cried so much already. I have no tears left."
He squeezed her hand.
"I’m sorry I scared you."
"Don’t apologize. You protected . You saved my life."
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