Louisa stands on a balcony deep within the Vampire Woods, looking out at the glowing horizon of Hell City.
Her voice is soft, like the woods themselves are listening:
“Michelle has the crown now. And I trust her to keep it. This City — it needs her light more than it ever needed my shadow.”
She exhales, eyes glowing crimson.
“They no longer kneel for me in the streets. That’s fine. The woods still do. And when they speak my name, they whisper it like a prayer.”
A lone bat cuts through the moonlight. Louisa tilts her head, smiling faintly.
“Let them play at politics. Let them fight for their throne. I am not a piece on their board. I am the forest — and the forest outlives them all.”










