My hand is sliced open within a few seconds after opening it... Blood drips onto the artifact as well. The pain isn’t really noticeable but I did notice that my wound healed pretty quick.

Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum.

The heart begins to beat from within the box, like it was never idle in the first place. I find my eyes drawn to it; it almost feels like it is calling to me for some reason. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"I didn’t think you’d open the box that quickly," Morrigan says with a bit of a surprised tone.

"The strength is needed as soon as possible," I reply while continuing to stare at the heart.

I don’t really know what is going to happen next since the heart is just beating and I don’t have any clue what to do. I’ve never used any artifact before... Especially not one that is a literal heart from a vampire god.

This is all completely new to me.

Maybe taking the heart out from the box would be the next smart move to make here. It could be exactly what it is waiting for since my blood activated it again... Or at least that is my best guess.

I reach into the box, taking hold of the heart in both of my hands. It still beats as I hold it, but something else feels like it is happening.

A sharp pain ignites from within my hands, almost like a bunch of needles are being jammed underneath my skin. It is slowly creeping up my arms as well now... This could be the artifact doing something.

"This is right."

"It is. He made the right decision."

"Our time is coming."

I fall to my knees as the pain intensifies throughout my entire body, like I’m being ripped apart all over.

"Dante!" Lia shouts with concern in her voice.

Somehow I manage to lift one hand up to tell her I’m fine since words don’t want to come out right now. She looks like she understands the message I’m sending too.

"He’ll be fine. This is just a sign the heart is accepting him," Morrigan assures her.

"How do you know?" Lia asks.

"Because he would’ve died if he wasn’t accepted," Morrigan answers with a serious tone.

I never thought I’d go through something like this before, especially with everything I’ve dealt with over the years. Leaving the manor really has changed a lot about me.

Then again, it was never really a choice to leave or not. Humans forced me out of my home and didn’t realize how much of a mistake it would be.

Now I’m preparing to bring death to the hunters with more strength than I previously had. I can’t say it’ll definitely work or if I’ll gain anything from this heart... But I’ll try my best regardless.

With Lukas being alive and my father potentially alive as well... I have to do something.

The room begins to get darker around me before it suddenly just disappears. Everything around me appears to be just pure darkness but yet I’m still on some sort of ground.

So I stand up and begin to look around the area. The girls are no longer here with me so I’m completely on my own in this place, wherever it is.

"Find him."

"Find him."

"Find him."

The voices echo around me once again, this time louder than every other time they spoke to me. Yet again, no one appears to be in sight here.

I don’t know who they want me to find since they didn’t give me a name or any sort of description. This place also feels like some sort of wasteland with no end in sight.

There wouldn’t be any people inside of a place like this.

But what would I know? I’ve never been here before and I sure as hell don’t know a damn thing about the place. Am I even still in the same room with the girls?

Or did I collapse on the floor in front of them as this is all happening. It feels like a pretty logical conclusion to come to when I’m seeing pure black.

"Seek him out!"

"Seek him out!"

"Seek him out!"

"Can’t you give me something to work with!" I shout with some frustration.

Absolute silence is all that happens next. No more voices, no sounds, just silence.

Asking for something like that must’ve been stupid since everything got so damn quiet now. I don’t mind the break from the voices though.

It’ll give me a chance to collect some thoughts of my own instead of listening to them every few seconds.

Shuffle!! Shuffle!!!

The sound of someone moving around immediately catches my attention, taking me away from my thoughts. But once again I don’t see a single person here but me.

Regardless of what I’m hearing, I begin to make my way towards the sound of them moving.

"Closer."

I continue onwards until I reach what feels like the edge of a cliff. Looking down doesn’t really tell me anything since it is pure darkness here.

Shuffle!! Shuffle!!

Immediately I turn around to see where the person is that I keep hearing around me but nothing again.

Shove!!

"Shit!!!" I shout as I begin to fall.

This all feels strange to me. I’m falling into darkness even more with no idea on what I’m supposed to do. Why was I even taken here in the first place?

Thud!!

I hit the ground but there isn’t any pain from the fall, just the sound of footsteps approaching me once again. Getting louder and louder until they finally stop right behind my head.

"Stand up," A deeper voice speaks up.

This one actually sounds like it might be a real person in front of me and not just a random voice that’s trying to speak. I guess this is the only way for me to get out of here somehow.

I stand up and turn towards the direction of the voice I heard.