AN: Before any complains. Yes, i belive that Isaac is gay. In fact, i count with that to make part of the plot of this story. this pairing is a crack pairing, but it's a story that i ideated because, in reality, i don't have any good or favorite shipping on this fandom, so i said, why not?
In the dimly lit halls of the crumbling castle, the air was thick with tension. Isaac, Hector, and Lenore stood on Hector's forge, all in uneasy silence, their conversation hanging on the precipice of something far more dangerous than they'd anticipated.

Isaac, ever composed, broke the silence. "Carmilla's ambition is a threat to everything we've fought for." His voice was calm, measured, but it carried a certainty that was hard to ignore. "If she remains alive, her plans will continue. She sees humanity as cattle, fuel for her empire. The world is better off without her."

Hector, his pale face shadowed with doubt, nodded slowly. "I don't disagree, Isaac. She's pushed her plans too far, and she's too dangerous now. But..." His voice trailed off, his gaze lowering to the stone floor. "She wasn't always like this."

Lenore, standing slightly apart, stepped forward. Her eyes, normally sharp and calculating, were softened by something akin to desperation. "Hector's right. Carmilla wasn't always this way." She looked at Isaac directly, her voice steady but pleading. "She's been consumed by ambition lately, yes, but that doesn't mean she's beyond redemption. Her strength, her vision—it could be used for good, under the right circumstances."

Isaac's eyes narrowed as he studied her. "And how exactly do you propose we harness that ambition? Her vision is one of domination, Lenore. Of subjugation and enslavement. You've seen what she's capable of."

Lenore held his gaze, refusing to back down. "I know she's dangerous. But she's also brilliant. If anyone could find a way to harness that ambition for something greater, it's you, Isaac. You've always been a strategist. Isn't there some way to bend her will without killing her?"

Isaac exhaled slowly, the weight of the question hanging in the air. "And how would I ensure she doesn't betray me the moment I turn my back?" His voice was cold, with an edge that suggested he had already imagined the many ways Carmilla could turn on him. "Carmilla doesn't yield. Not to anyone. If I don't stop her now, she'll find a way to continue her conquest, enslaving humans, vampires, even creatures like you, Lenore. What makes you think she can be controlled?"

Lenore faltered for the first time, her confident demeanor cracking. "I... I don't know." Her voice was softer now, more uncertain. "But it doesn't have to end with her death, Isaac. You're right to be cautious, but there must be another way."

Isaac stepped closer, his presence imposing, casting a long shadow over her. "You're asking me to spare her life, Lenore. To risk everything, when I know she will never stop. How do you expect me to control a creature like her? You can't offer me a solution because there isn't one."

Hector, who had remained silent, finally spoke up, his voice wavering. "Perhaps... perhaps there's something we're not seeing. Carmilla's hunger for power has driven her mad, but maybe if we show her that conquest isn't the only path—"

Isaac's gaze snapped toward him. "Hector, we've seen what happens when you try to reason with power-hungry rulers. Dracula, Carmilla—they're cut from the same cloth. They don't listen to reason. They only understand force."

Lenore's eyes flicked to Hector, searching for support, but his hesitation was clear. He knew Isaac was right. Still, Lenore wasn't ready to give up. She turned back to Isaac, her voice pleading again. "Killing her will solve nothing in the long run. You'll just be creating another power vacuum. What happens when some other vampire, or worse, steps in to fill her place?"

Isaac's expression remained cold. "Then I'll deal with them, as I've dealt with every threat that has crossed my path."

Lenore's shoulders sagged slightly, her desperation now palpable. "I'm not saying you should trust her blindly. I'm saying we should find a way to channel her ambition. There's a difference between killing for survival and killing for control. You want to improve humanity, to reshape the world. Carmilla could help you do that—if only we could find a way to temper her rage."

Isaac stared at her, his face unreadable. Finally, after a long pause, he spoke, his voice quieter but no less resolute. "Lenore, I appreciate your faith in her, but I've seen too many like Carmilla to believe in redemption. Power corrupts. If I leave her alive, she will continue her path, and she will try to kill me, or worst, to enslave me. And you know this."

Lenore opened her mouth to protest, but no words came. She knew Isaac was right—Carmilla would never willingly bend to anyone's will. Not even hers. But that didn't mean Lenore could simply let her die.

"You're wrong," she whispered, though the words rang hollow even in her own ears. "There's always another way."

Isaac's gaze softened just slightly, enough to show that he understood her conflict, even if he didn't agree. "I wish there was, Lenore," he said, his voice almost gentle. "But sometimes the only way to stop a monster is to kill it."

The chamber fell into silence again. Hector shifted uneasily, while Lenore's eyes flickered with a mixture of fear and sadness. She knew what was coming, even if she couldn't accept it.

Finally, Isaac turned, his cape billowing behind him as he walked toward the door. "It's time," he said, his voice firm again. "I'll end this now."

Lenore took a step forward, her hand outstretched as if to stop him, but Hector gently placed his hand on her arm. "He's right," Hector murmured softly. "We can't save her from herself."

Lenore's gaze dropped to the floor, her shoulders sagging. Isaac didn't look back as he left, the weight of his decision pressing down on all of them.

In the ruins of Carmilla's castle, the once-grand halls were now a testament to the bitter clash that had just transpired. Blood, dust, and debris littered the floor as the two figures stood amidst the wreckage, locked in a stare-down, their powers spent but neither willing to back down.

Carmilla, once so regal and commanding, stood ragged and wounded, her pale skin marked by the brutality of her fight with Isaac. But her pride and fire refused to be extinguished. Across from her, Isaac, grim and stoic, still wielded his blade. His night creatures had fallen, his forces drained, yet his resolve remained unshaken.

"It ends now, Carmilla," Isaac said, his voice as cold as the steel he held, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes—a brief uncertainty.

Carmilla, noticing the shift, forced a smile through her bloodied lips. "Ends? You think this is over?" She staggered forward, still defiant despite her injuries. "You may have bested me today, but you can't kill me..."

The admission hung in the air between them like a heavy fog. They were equals in strength right now, maybe Isaac had the upper hand with his night creatures, but even now Carmilla was still deadly, and neither could deliver the final blow. Isaac remained motionless, his eyes narrowing as he considered his options.

Carmilla's mind raced. She couldn't defeat Isaac in this state, but she could still survive. There had to be a way. She had survived centuries by adapting, by being cunning when brute force failed. She searched Isaac's expression for a crack in his stoic mask, something she could exploit.

Isaac's grip on his weapon tightened as he recalled Lenore's words from earlier, how Carmilla had not always been this way. "Her ambition can be used for good," Lenore had said, but how could he trust that? Carmilla's lust for power had brought endless suffering. Still, killing her now would feel like a repeat of his past—more bloodshed, more destruction. Would it ever end?

"You desire a world of order," Carmilla said softly, her voice shifting from taunting to something more calculating. "A world where humanity rises above its flaws... isn't that what you've always wanted, Isaac?"

His eyes flashed. "I seek a world free from cruelty. A world where people aren't dominated by monsters like you."

Carmilla chuckled weakly, the sound bitter. "And yet, here we are. You dominate with your night creatures, I dominate with my rule. We're not so different, you and I."

Isaac's gaze hardened, but her words lingered. She saw the hesitation, the faint wavering in his otherwise unbreakable will, and seized her chance.

"Think about it," she continued, her voice more measured now. "If you kill me, what then? More death. More enemies. My lieutenants, Morana and Striga, and many nire, will come for you. Vampire and human armies will fight on, and you'll be back where you started—drowning in blood."

Isaac didn't respond. The truth of her words weighed on him. Even if he destroyed Carmilla, it wouldn't end the cycle of violence. His life had been one of endless conflict. Could there be another way?

Carmilla took a breath, her mind working rapidly. "But there's another path," she offered, her tone softening. "We could… combine our power. An alliance, but not just any alliance. Marriage."

Isaac's eyes narrowed at the absurdity of the suggestion. "Marriage?" he repeated, his voice dripping with disbelief. "Do you think I'm a fool?"

"Yes, I do" she countered, stepping closer despite her injuries. "But you are also a strategist. You know I can't be left to roam free, and I know you won't rest until I'm dead. Marriage binds us both in a way that ensures neither of us can betray the other without consequence."

He frowned, his suspicion still sharp. "You would have me believe that you'd surrender so easily? After all you've done, you expect me to trust you?"

Carmilla smiled thinly, a hint of desperation creeping into her expression. "Trust? No, Isaac. I don't ask for trust. I ask for survival. You need control, and I need to live. If we're bound together, you get what you want: my power, my armies, under your rule. I, in turn, will ensure the vampires follow your commands. Together, we could reshape Styria—no, the world—into something far greater."

Isaac's mind raced. The proposal was, in many ways, absurd, but also practical. With Carmilla's strength and influence harnessed under his direction, his vision for a new world could be realized faster. He could contain her, use her as a tool to achieve his goals. And yet, the risk was monumental.

"You expect me to believe you wouldn't betray me the moment you saw an opportunity?" Isaac asked, his tone flat but intense.

Carmilla's eyes gleamed with cold calculation. "Conquest is pointless if I am dead. But alive, at your side, I could help build something greater than either of us could alone. You want to reshape humanity, Isaac? Then use me. Use my influence, my strength, to achieve that."

Isaac, his sword lowered but his posture still rigid, regarded her with cold eyes. "I cannot trust you, Carmilla," he said, his voice steady. "You and I both know that any alliance with you would be precarious, at best. Your ambition is like a disease, consuming everything in its path. You seek power at any cost, and you've shown time and again that you'll stop at nothing to get it."

Carmilla smiled, though there was no warmth in it. "And yet, here we stand. You haven't killed me, Isaac. Despite your proclamations of my danger, you hesitate."

Isaac met her gaze, unwavering. "Because I've changed." His voice was quieter now, more introspective. "I've traveled. I've fought. I've killed. And I've seen what that endless cycle brings. Killing you would be easy, and yes, it would end the immediate threat you pose. But I've already walked that path. I've killed for revenge, for survival, and for control. It never truly ends the bloodshed."

Carmilla tilted her head slightly, watching him with calculating eyes. "So what will you do, Isaac? Spare me? You know what I am, what I want."

Isaac's expression hardened. "I will contemplate my options. Your death may seem like the most obvious solution, but perhaps... perhaps I'm tired of that simplicity. You claim to want to survive, to build something. But what do you really want, Carmilla? Do you want to survive, or is this just another power play?"

Carmilla's eyes flashed with indignation, but she forced herself to remain calm. "I want to live, Isaac. And if that means working with you, so be it."

Isaac studied her for a long moment, weighing her words. Finally, he nodded, though there was no sense of victory in his tone. "You'll live—for now. But I will not be reckless. You'll remain in the dungeons until I decide what to do with you."

Carmilla's eyes widened in outrage. "You expect me to grovel in a cell while you toy with my fate?" Her voice was laced with fury, her pride wounded. "I am a queen, Isaac, not some prisoner to be thrown away at your convenience!"

Isaac's gaze darkened. "You've ruled through fear and domination, Carmilla. If you want to survive, you'll have to accept that your ambitions have led you here. You have no power in this moment, and your survival is entirely in my hands. You will stay in the dungeons until I've made my decision."

Carmilla's fists clenched at her sides, the humiliation of being caged beneath her own castle almost unbearable. But she knew she had no choice. Not now. Not yet. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to smile, though the venom in her voice was unmistakable.

"Very well, Isaac. I'll play your game for now. But know this—I will not be broken."

Isaac nodded, his expression cold and unreadable. "I don't expect you to be. But your future depends on whether you truly understand that this time, you are not in control."

He turned, gesturing to the few remaining night creatures under his command. They moved forward, surrounding Carmilla, who stood tall despite the bruises and blood that stained her pale skin.

"I'll see you when I've made my choice," Isaac said without turning back, his voice echoing in the vast, empty hall.

Carmilla was led away, her mind racing. Though her body was weak, her resolve remained intact. She would bid her time, as she always did. And when the moment came, when Isaac's guard was down, she would strike. For now, though, she would wait in the darkness of the dungeons, plotting her next move.

As Isaac walked away, he couldn't shake the unease that settled in his mind. He had spared Carmilla, but at what cost? He had broken the cycle of bloodshed for now, but he knew better than to think it was truly over. The future of their strange alliance—if it even became one—remained uncertain.

Carmilla's eyes flashed with frustration, but she quickly masked it with a smile. "Very well. But don't take too long, Isaac. You wouldn't want me getting any ideas, would you?"

Isaac turned, leaving the broken vampire queen in the ruins of her once-grand throne room. As he walked away, he couldn't help but feel the weight of the choice before him. Could he truly bend Carmilla to his will, or was he just setting the stage for an even greater betrayal?

Only time would tell.