Pre-dawn mist clung to the bridge, a shroud around the concrete pillars. A faraway siren echoed through the metal frame, like a sad song against Ares' throbbing headache. Metamorphosis, while vibrant, certainly lacked grace.

Before him, the glittering cityscape sprawled like a monument to humanity's crumbling empire. Ragged refugees hurried through overflowing gutters, their panicked scurrying a charming reminder that even humans could achieve peak rat agility when properly motivated.

A coppery taste lingered - a remnant of the night's carnage. The thought brought a twisted sense of pleasure, much like the blood of his meticulously chosen victims. Each kill was a work of art. But docile prey, ah, that was music to his ears.

Fear, though... that was a different kind of symphony. The flicker of hope in their eyes extinguished by raw terror, a cacophony of screams conducted by his every move.

Exquisite!

Ares' smirk stretched wider as he surveyed the scene. Lifeless human bodies, like discarded dolls, littered the ground. A few pawns wouldn't alter the game. He could always blame Eydis; her reign of chaos the perfect smokescreen.

Why did it matter, anyway?

The screech of tires shattered the pre-dawn quiet. Sharp headlights pierced the gloom, momentarily blinding Ares. A sleek Rolls-Royce purred to a stop, and a figure materialised from the backseat.

"Dmitri," Ares rasped, offering a curt nod.

Dmitri's eyes flicked to the bodies, a muscle in his jaw clenching briefly. "Eydis," he growled, the name a curse on his lips. "Back, and bolder than ever."

"A decade wasted, pretending to be a pawn. Now, she builds an army of the damned right under our noses!" Ares met Dmitri's impassive stare. "Tell me, Watcher, was I the only one caught off guard?"

A smirk played on Ares's lips as he sensed the tension rising in Dmitri. "The Watchers are questioning your leadership, wouldn't you say?"

Dmitri's eyes narrowed, a flicker of anger extinguished by a mask of steely composure. "A clever manipulator," he conceded, his voice a low growl. "One pawn, strategically placed, sows discord within our ranks”. He stepped closer, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "It begs the question, Ares, why the hesitation to reveal her face? What are you hiding?"

Ares lunged forward, barely contained fury twisting his face. "The Crown isn't a damn ornament, you infernal goat!" he spat.

Dmitri remained unflinching, his crimson gaze meeting Ares's head-on. "A powerful ornament, perhaps," he rumbled, a hint of amusement flickering in his eyes. "Does it grant her power that surpasses even the purebloods?"

"Our minds are safe," Ares conceded, a flicker of pride warring with the frustration in his eyes. "But damn Decree... Unless the Crown is removed," he gritted out, the memory of his failed attempts a fresh wound.

Dmitri's lips twisted into a humourless smile, the scar on his face a stark reminder of battles past. "There's another wild card in play, Ares," he said, his voice a low rumble. "Not just a hunter, but The Hunter. The one prophesied to end the Queen's reign."

Ares scoffed, dismissing the notion with a wave of his hand. "Hunters are gnats, easily swatted," he countered. "Our hope lies with Adrian's project. A creature designed to neutralise Eydis' power. But... we need your resources. A single hunter, for now."

Dmitri's gaze narrowed. "Hunters are a rare commodity, Grand Elder. And what do I get in return for this... expenditure?"

Ares' smirk widened, a predator baring its fangs. "Perhaps a lead on a certain missing vampire... one you seem particularly interested in." He leaned in. "Amelia Kruger."

Dmitri's silence hung heavy. Finally, a curt nod. "Very well."

A chilling laugh echoed from Ares. It scraped against the city's symphony of despair. "The world," he rasped, a dark hunger burning in his eyes, "will be restored under my dominion. The Queen, shall perish."

As Ares walked away, Dmitri watched him go. "A slave to the crimson tide, a pawn with ambitions," he mused, a spark of gold igniting in his crimson gaze.

The silence returned, punctuated only by the fading wail of a distant siren. A lone crow cawed, its harsh cry echoing through the deserted bridge. As the first ray of dawn touched the dark river, a single word escaped Dmitri's lips - a whisper that carried on the wind.

“Convenient.”

A dimly lit room. The orange hues of dawn peek through a window, casting an unsettling glow on the chessboard. Eydis sprawls languidly on the sofa, contrasting sharply with Athena's rigid posture.

Athena's gaze flickered across the board, her sharp mind dissecting the possibilities. With a click, a white knight landed on the board, severing a potential escape route for Eydis' black queen. A muscle twitched in Eydis' jaw, but her only response was a ghost of a smile.

"Clever," she conceded, "but predictable."

Athena's eyes narrowed. "Is that so?"

Eydis leaned forward, her gaze locking with Athena's. Each held a universe of secrets within their depths. "Free will,” she purred, “an illusion, wouldn't you agree?"

"Existential dread at dawn, Eydis?" Athena countered dryly. "Enough with the gloom. I've had my fill."

Amusement dancing in Eydis' eyes. "Still haunted by your vision, then?"

Athena's jaw clenched. "Focus," she snapped, a hint of unease betraying her facade. “The game.”

A slow, predatory smile spread across Eydis' lips. With a swift, almost theatrical gesture, she moved her queen, capturing Athena's knight. The ivory piece clattered to the board.

"Checkmate in three," Eydis announced, her voice dripping with mischief. "Again."

"You're toying with me," Athena sighed, resetting the board with a flick of her wrist. "Though considering my supposed 'ability,' your victory remains a mystery."

"Speaking of mysteries," Eydis murmured, "let's discuss this very notion of free will, shall we?" Her grin widened as Athena groaned, the sound bordering on theatrical despair.

The room dissolved into a blurry mess. Eydis jolted awake, a memory of happier times flickering from the depths of her past. A fleeting image, a sweeter scent, and then... blood. Disgust choked her as she opened her eyes. She had succumbed again.

Crimson dripped from the ceiling like a macabre chandelier, staining the cracked concrete floor of the abandoned warehouse. Bodies, drained of colour and life, lay sprawled amidst the rusting machinery.

One. That's all it took. One damn drop.

Free will? She had none. Forever trapped. An eternity. A prisoner.

Standing guard at the door was Orion, her golden glare as sharp as the daggers strapped to her thighs. Her gaze swept the carnage before settling on Eydis, the Queen, slumped languidly in a dusty armchair. 

"Your Majesty, something troubles you." It wasn't a question.

Eydis waved her off dismissively, rising with a fluid grace that mocked her inner turmoil. Her gaze fell on a figure pinned to the ground, a hulking vampire struggling against Orion's iron grip. "And who graces us with their unwelcome presence?"

Orion tossed the vampire aside. A cruel smile played on her lips as she twirled a strand of her blonde hair. "Seems the Watchers weren't above using their own 'hounds' to track Amelia," she snickered. "Adrian's watchdog, reporting for duty."

Eydis glanced at the vampire with indifference. However, a crimson stain blossomed on her ruined silk blouse, catching her eye. In one swift movement, the garment slipped from her shoulders, momentarily revealing a bare back as she draped a tailored blazer over it.

A glint of desire crossed Orion's face for a fleeting moment before it was schooled back into professionalism. Eydis, meanwhile, offered a nonchalant, “Enjoy the meal."

The vampire, sensing an opportunity in Eydis' distraction, lunged for her with a guttural roar. But before his hands could even brush against her back, he froze. A silent scream contorted his face as he hung suspended in mid-air, an invisible hand toying with his windpipe.

"Are you not gracing him with your own touch, my Queen?" Orion's voice held a hint of veiled curiosity.

Eydis didn't turn. "Let me know if there is anything… interesting from your investigation."

The Queen didn't wait for a response. She strode out of the warehouse. Orion watched her leave, a mixture of confusion and concern warring on her features. With a sigh, she reached for the dagger strapped to her thigh. But a glint in her eyes betrayed the sigh - it was more theatrical performance than genuine.

"Now, now, little bat," Orion's grin stretched wide across her face. "Heard whispers about a trap for me, or should I say, 'Amelia'? Tell me, how exactly do you plan to spring it?"

As Eydis swung her leg over her motorcycle, the distant echo of a scream pierced the pre-dawn silence. The first rays of dawn painted the cracked windows in hues of orange and gold. Bathed in the ethereal light, she couldn't help but wonder - when would oblivion claim her, and grant her the peace she so desperately craved?

Perhaps the closest thing to freewill she could ever achieve was how to end everything in her own terms.

Everything.

Eydis parked the motorcycle underground with a mechanical screech. With a tap on her ruby ring, her hair bleached to platinum blonde. She slipped on the pristine ivory dress hidden in her boot, the silk clinging to her skin.

A silent command activated the elevator, whisking her towards a hidden passage in the Spring garden. The flowers, bathed in early dawn's light, held a melancholic beauty. Dewdrops clung to their petals, creating a fragrance that warred with the fresh morning scent.

Her steps faltered as she spotted a familiar figure sprawled on a weathered wooden bench, seemingly asleep. Despite the self-control she closely guarded, her feet carried her forward. Each step felt like a betrayal, yet the sight of a dimple gracing Astra's temple sent a conflicting tug at her lips.

A cocktail of smoke and alcohol hung in the air, laced with the intoxicating scent of precious woods. "Have you been out here all night?" Eydis murmured, her voice barely a whisper against the chirping of the birds.

A fierce internal battle raged within her. Finally, with a squeezed shut eyes and a conceding sigh, Eydis scooped Astra into her arms with ease. "Don't make a habit of it now, sweetie," she smiled, a hint of tenderness in her voice.

Eydis lowered Astra onto the firm mattress, amusement tugging at the corner of her lips as a soft snore rumbled from Natalia, sprawled on the other side of the room. Her fingers hovered for a moment, a whisper against the midnight strands of Astra’s hair. A conflicted desire flickered in Eydis' eyes, a fleeting warmth at odds with the steely resolve that usually held them captive. With a silent sigh, she turned to leave, making a mental note to request a more comfortable bed for Astra. And perhaps, a padded bench for the garden.

The click of the closing door was the only sound as Astra, or rather Callista, snapped her eyes open. Confusion and a raw ache, deeper than longing, bloomed in their depths. Her heart hammered a frantic rhythm against her ribs.

'Why?' 

Why offer comfort, even a small kindness, if it meant nothing? The sting of rejection was a familiar burn, but this time, it was laced with a new, sharper pain - the agonising awareness of her own vulnerability. How had she allowed herself to become so attached?

She knew it was reckless, this growing feeling for a creature of the night. Yet, the heart, as they say, has a will of its own. This wasn't mere attraction; it was more.

Much more.