Immediately, all three of them fell silent. All they could do was be silent and wait for the person approaching. Soon, the person came into view. A middle-aged man in a vest with his sleeves rolled up. It was none other than Garyuu.
"Well, well, well, look at these cute little dogs. Have you all been enjoying your time here? What about the food- oh, I forgot to send it, haha." Garyuu gave a small laugh and said with a wide grin. "Whatever, it's not like you all will die if you don't eat for a few days. Besides, food is not what you should be worried about right now," he added.
In response, no one said anything. Ricky and Miyu remained silent and didn't even bother to look at Garyuu. Shin, on the other hand, was glaring at Garyuu. A strong sense of silent anger in his eyes. Seeing this, Garyuu got a bit angry. "Huh! What are you looking at?" He kicked the iron bars.
Clang!
The bars shook violently, which scared Ricky and Miyu a little, but Shins' eyes remained stone cold. Garyuu's strength was abnormal. He smirked and said, "You should be grateful. I came here to fulfill your wish." his voice dropped heavy as he smiled and added, "Your mother is here."
As soon as he said that, Miyu got up. A shocked expression was on her face, and a little bit of hope. She wanted to meet her mother so badly. Shin was also shocked; his previous stone-cold gaze was now completely gone.
"W-where…where is she?" Miyu stammered her words.
Garyuu took out a cigar packet from his pocket and lit a cigar with a match, covering it with his left hand before taking a slow drag and exhaling the smoke into the air. "Heh, now we are talking. The noble has arrived earlier than expected. I will take you two to meet him." As he said that, he took out a ring of keys and opened the cell door.
"Get out! We don't have all day!" He raised his voice a little.
Without wasting any time, Shin and Miyu quickly got up and followed Garyuu to the exit. Ricky glanced at their backs as he thought, I have a bad feeling about this. Soon, they climbed up the stairs and arrived in Garyuu's office. The room was the same as before, except it was a bit tidier and cleaner. Shin glanced at the same towering bookshelves and desk. Garyuu went around the desk and sat on the chair just like before. He didn't say anything. Shin was about to ask him something when Miyu stopped him and told him to wait. The hanging clock on the wall continued to tick-tock, tick-tock as time went by.
…
In the central cathedral of Akuro City. On the 3rd floor in a vast room. A bright and luxurious chandelier hung above the high ceiling, illuminating the room with warm light. At the center of the hall stood a long, mahogany table stretching nearly the length of the room. There were 6 seats on both sides and 1 seat of honor on the edge, for a total of 13 seats. Mysterious human-like figures occupied all of them.
The table was lined with Silver candelabras, their wax dripping down like red blood. Alongside that were silver trays, platters, and goblets, each filled with food. It was a long dinner table!
However, something was wrong. The red liquid in the goblets smelled like blood. The food on the table wasn't for any human! It was for vampires! The figures that occupied the 13 seats were all vampires. The table was filled with human flesh and blood like a buffet. Some were grilled, some raw, and some roasted. A silver pot was filled with human eyeballs; another was filled with human fingers. It was all arranged according to the appetite of the 13 figures.
No one spoke a word. The figures delicately ate the food with fork and knife, savoring quietly. Some human maids would refill the empty plates from time to time. And some men wearing white cloaks stood outside the room, guarding the place.
After some time had passed, the figure on the seat of honor spoke with a deep and ominous voice.
"How is the restocking process going?" he said as he gently cut a piece of meat with a knife with his black-gloved hands that reached his wrists and put it in his mouth using a fork. He wore a red coat on top of a black vest with black buttons and a black collar. He had white hair and red eyes just like the vampires on the street. But his presence was far more intimidating than any other vampire.
He was the leader of Gehenis, Lord 'Valmir Von Blackthorn'
"My Lord, Most sectors are doing well except for sector 12 Akuro, which is under my surveillance, and sector 7. The restocking for these 2 was delayed, but this is only temporary. The issue will be resolved soon."
A man sitting to Valmir's right spoke in a calm voice. He also had red eyes, but his hair was dark blonde. His chest was wide chest and his jawline Sharp. On his left breast pocket, a crest hung, shining in the warm light—the crest of Gehenis.
This man was the right-hand man of Valmir and second in command of Gehenis, General Strategist Lucian von Stravok.
The crest of Gehenis was like a rugged shield with A single blood-red eye with a slit pupil in the middle. And bat-like wings came out from behind the shield.
"Heh, how shocking for your sector to experience a delay. You never fail to disappoint, Sir Lucian," a woman sitting in the 4th seat mocked Lucian. She wore a beautiful gothic ball gown, a Gainsborough hat which had two feathers poking out, along with a domino mask. Her radish hair cascades down elegantly while her eyes remain hidden under her mask.
She is the head archivist and the sadistic mistress of Gehenis, Valentina Von Thornecrest. She is also in Love with Valmir, although it's one-sided.
Lucian elegantly chugged a glass of blood and wiped his lips with a red handkerchief as he said, "I have no excuse, but perhaps you shouldn't be the one pointing out other people's mistakes. You killed half of Sector 9's supplies for your sadistic desires. I fear for the future of Gehenis."
"Huh? Can you blame me? It's because humans are too weak. It's their fault for dying! They can't even handle my basic tortures! Besides, being tormented by me is a reward. They should be begging me to torture them. If only there were a human who couldn't die no matter how much I torment them. Ahh! It would have been soooooo much fun!" Near the end, Valentina's voice went high-pitched as she moaned and hugged herself. She was turned on.
Lucian let out a silent sigh.
Suddenly, a young man seated in the 3rd seat glanced at Lucian. "Sir Lucian, I thought the veilkeepers couldn't reach Akuro, but for them to cause a hindrance to you and a delay in your restocking process is a concern."
The young man, who looked no more than 17, spoke with arrogance and confidence, a smirk on his face as he chewed an eyeball and licked his lips. He wears a fitted black shirt, black pants, and sleek black boots. Over it, he has a long, dark coat with a sharp look. He wears a silver ring on one hand and always has a smirk on his face.
He is the master of deception and control, the one who weaves illusions to bend reality to his will. In charge of the 10th sector, he is known as the Illusionist of Gehenis—Theo von Vexis.
The unique thing about him was his hair and eye colour. He had half black and half white hair. One eye colour was black, and the other was red, like the other vampire.
The mention of the "Veilkeepers" left the room momentarily silent. With his calm voice, Lucian spoke, "That has certainly become more of an issue than I had anticipated. In the past years, they had attacked our ships countless times, but that didn't prove to be much of an issue. Only an ant biting at an elephant's foot. But it seems the ant has entered the elephant's trunk. But our forces are still strong. We have caught many of their members repeatedly and are slowly demolishing them. However, just like always, Valentina didn't send me any new information on their recent attack patterns, so I am unable to form a proper strategy."
Valentina gave a small laugh before saying mockingly, "Oh, Sir Lucian, the great strategist, completely helpless without a little piece of information. Tell me, shall I tie your shoes next, or is that still within your skill set?"
She doesn't like Lucian because she wishes for his position and to help her precious Lord Valmir.
Just the sight of this guy annoys me. I want to choke him with my whip and take his position already! Such a thought crossed Valentina's mind.
"Valentina, as much as I enjoy your wit, I trust you've gathered at least some information, or do you plan to be a hindrance to Lord Valmir?" Lucian answered calmly, keeping his priorities straight.
Valentina's smirk faded as she quickly straightened her back and began to speak. "My informants report multiple sightings of Veilkeepers near the bar 'Kikyo Nomiya'—right here in Akuro. They didn't enter the Subterra Facility, but none of them were caught. That alone tells me they sent their top agents."
Lord Valmir listened to the entire conversation silently, but then suddenly, he stopped eating his food before Valentina finished her report. She added as her voice dropped heavy, "I think…they are about to attack. They might be on the act as we speak."
…
Near the bar of mysteries, "Kikyo Nomiya," multiple shadowy black-cloaked figures could be seen jumping from one building to the other like ninjas. Some white-cloaked figures were chasing after them, trying to catch them. As the chase was on, 3 of the ninja-like figures managed to evade the white figures while the rest acted as bait.
These 3 Figures came to a stop. One of them had red hair that peeked out from her hood. It was a woman. She reached up and took down her hood, letting it rest behind her shoulders, which revealed her face. She wore a green military general uniform with long boots and fingerless gloves. Her red hair was tied into a tight, braided bun—built for battle, not beauty. That red hair glowed like a vampire. She looked like someone who was in her thirties.
With a commanding voice, she said, "Quick, we need to plant the bombs as soon as we can. Valentina should be aware of our presence by now."
The other two ninja-like figures took off their hoods as well and revealed their long, lime-green hair and pointed ears that peeked through. They were unmistakably elves. They, too, had military uniforms. These two female elves were relatively younger than the red-haired women. They put one hand on their chest, bowed slightly, and replied in unison, "Yes, commander!"
Suddenly, the red-haired woman reached her waist and took out a small knife. With a slash, she cut off all of the 5 fingers of her left hand. Blood came rushing out and splattered everywhere, but it quickly stopped. New fingers grew out from the wounds, and in an instant, all 5 fingers were back to normal, their lower parts still covered in blood.
The detached fingers quickly grew white veins all over their body; they kept on shrinking and expanding like worms. These small veins quickly entangled the detached fingers, solidified, and turned them into black root-like objects.
The red-haired girl picked up the 5 fingers, now black root-like objects, and gave them to the two lime-haired elves. The two elves once again bowed and murmured something in unison.
"Conceal"
Instantly, both of them became transparent, but the outline of their body and outfits was still barely visible. They weren't completely invisible. With their invisibility, they jumped down the building and arrived in front of the bar of mysteries.
…
In the central cathedral of Akuro, the headquarters of Gehenis, in the dining room.
Lucian slightly tightened his grasp on the goblet filled with blood, trying not to break it. He said with an angry, composed voice, "Valentina, why didn't you deliver such important information sooner? Do you not understand the meaning of punctuality?"
"Huh? What are you on about, great strategist? You must be confused. The sighting of the Veilkeepers happened six hours ago—plenty of time for me to run my own investigation. I mean, I wouldn't want to bother Lord Valmir with some baseless rumor… now would I?"
Valentina replied with a mocking smile, arms crossed loosely as if she hadn't just delayed critical intel. Valmir listened to her report as he continued to eat his food elegantly, like the noble he was.
Lucian had an urge to fist-palm his forehead.
Valentina continued, "That being said, they must be quite stupid if they're here to attack Akuro's Subterra Facility—especially since Akuro hasn't even started restocking its test subjects. The Veilkeepers have been attacking our supply ships for years, but this is the first time they've invaded one of our sectors. I suspect they're here to 'rescue' the test subjects in Akuro… which, of course, is impossible because there aren't any. Then again, they might be aiming for the Gehenis headquarters itself. If that's the case, they're out of luck. There's no way they could've known all the founding vampires would be gathered here today. Honestly… It's almost funny." Valentina let out a soft chuckle, tilting her head with a smirk that didn't quite reach her eyes.
All the other figures listened quietly. Is that the reason you didn't report it to me immediately?… Lucian had such a thought.
Suddenly, Valmir stopped eating. With his sharp red eye, he glanced at the illusionist Theo and said in his deep voice, "Would you like to add something to the conversation, Theo?"
Theo, who munched leisurely on a piece of juicy barbecued human flesh, occasionally forgetting his manners to lick the blood from his lips, straightened his back and regained his composure.
"Certainly, my Lord. The sudden appearance of the Veilkeepers is... intriguing. But I believe there's a critical flaw in Valentina's judgment. First, I'm confident they're well aware there are no test subjects in Akuro. They've been attacking our supply ships for years, freeing a fair number of test subjects each time. How could they not know Akuro's current state? Which makes it unlikely they're here for the Subterra Facility. The only other target that makes sense is this place—the headquarters of Gehenis. But such an assault would demand a sizable force, including their commanders. Moving that many troops covertly is nearly impossible. This means if they are planning to strike here, it would have to be a direct assault. And that… feels even less likely."
Theo's voice dropped slightly as he gently spun the goblet in his hand, blood swirling inside like a lazy whirlpool.
"So that brings us to the real question—why are they here?" He paused, then smiled faintly. "There could be countless reasons, but here's my wild guess—maybe they've figured out when 'He' will awaken… and they're here to take 'him' away from the subterra facility."
Tsk… this bastard!
Valentina clicked her tongue, barely hiding a smirk. She hated how much sense he made.
"Is that so, Sir Theo? With a brilliant mind like yours, perhaps you could explain how your wild guess makes any sense. How could 'He' awaken when there aren't even any test subjects in the Subterra Facility to begin with? Or… did such a simple thought fail to cross that mud-soaked brain of yours? Not to mention, how on earth could they have known when 'He' would awaken? When we, the 13 founding vampires, couldn't even figure out a way to predict 'His' arrival."
Her tone dripped with sarcastic sweetness. She leaned back with a satisfied smirk, tapping her nails against the armrest. Theo looked at her, half-closed his eyes, and smiled.
"Well, well, looks like the great archivist isn't even aware there are three test subjects currently being held captive in the underground subterra facility of Akuro. I even know their names: Shin Nomiya, Miyu Nomiya, and Rick Falkner. Heh, I guess I'm more of an archivist than you are."
Theo smirked at the end and returned to eating his food. Valentina's mind raced with a mix of irritation and disbelief, clouding her thoughts.
How does he even know all this? Akuro isn't even his sector. Don't tell me he has his own information circle.
Her eyes narrowed as the realization set in—he had indeed outplayed her this time. Sighing softly, she steadied herself and spoke with a controlled voice, trying not to let her annoyance show.
"I see, but how would the Veilkeepers have known that one of these three would awaken?"
Theo paused mid-bite, glancing at Valentina with a mockingly puzzled expression.
"How would I know? Isn't that your job?"
Without waiting for a response, he returned to his meal, completely ignoring her as he licked his lips, his attention already elsewhere. Valentina's brows twitched. She clenched her fists under the table and had an urge to punch Theo. But she quickly regained her composure.
I can't show any annoyance in front of Lord Valmir. That would be so embarrassing!.I need to control myself and keep my urges in check. Otherwise, I won't be a good wife… Wait, no! I didn't mean it like that.
She mentally groaned, cursing her own thoughts.
It's- It's not like I'm hoping to become the wife of Lord Va… _she suddenly blushed and once again moaned in her head.