The stiff collar of his cape reached up to his cheeks; his short black hair and eyes of the same color shone like spots fallen on his white skin.
Smiles appeared on the faces of the kneeling crowd with every step of the young man walking with tight-fitting trousers under his embroidered shirt. The cloaked man, advancing together with two elderly women following him, stopped when he came in front of the duo; after scanning them from head to toe for a few breaths, he did something that would leave everyone's mouth open.
"Welcome, mistress!"
The young man, whose arrival excited hundreds of people, suddenly greeted the young girl by kneeling on one knee; it was such a moment that no one could understand what was going on.
Nafız smiled; she gently placed her slowly raised right hand on Jashua's head.
"Listen to me, people of the Bloody Moon Fiefdom!"
The young girl didn't need to make this call, for all heads were turned towards her.
"You, Jashua, do you swear to protect the people of the Bloody Moon Fiefdom and show loyalty to the Holy Blood Sect?"
The kneeling people were unaware of what was happening; only the facial expressions of the two old women still standing had become serious.
"I do!"
The answer came in a deep tone of voice; the inside of the walls made of large stone blocks was groaning with this voice.
"Then I declare you the new Count by the decree of Mora, the last lady of the Bloody Moon Fiefdom. Rise and greet your people, Count Jashua of the Bloody Moon Fiefdom!"
While completing her words, Nafız would release the blood essence belonging to Mora inside her; the blood-red energy danced around her body and tossed her hair extending to her waist into the air.
"My lady!"
The two old women waiting standing until then fell flat on their faces; the ground where their heads were was getting wet rapidly.
Seeing this, Nafız closed the distance in a single step and lifted the duo up; the women, each clinging to one of her hands, continued to cry.
"I know the two of you were Mora's nannies; you are still wearing the clothes from your last farewell!"
After these last words, the old women completely let go; they were screaming as if tearing their lungs apart. They entered the chateau amidst the astonished looks of the people around. They proceeded in the long corridors with Jashua in front, Nafız and the others behind.
Finally, when they entered the great hall, the two old women fainted having no strength left; after their departure, Nafız and Count Jashua were alone.
"Tell me, how did your last year pass?"
Jashua looked at the young man dressed in white next to his master; he seemed to have hesitations to speak. Seeing this, while laughing with laughter, Alis suddenly turned into a tiny white rabbit from human form.
"I understand, so he completed the third stage of his evolution!"
"After coming here with your order, I discovered that the people outside the chateau were constantly subjected to attacks; a genocide spread over a period, if not all at once, was being implemented. When I wanted to meet with the past Count, he did not accept me; I had to kill him out of necessity!"
"Then I rescued your nannies from the rooms they were imprisoned in and asked them to gather the people inside the chateau; in the process continuing until today, we managed to endure even though we were attacked a few more times!"
Listening to Jashua, who summarized everything in a single breath, Nafız spoke putting her hand on her chin.
"Who were the attackers?"
"I say with regret that there were many Holy Blood Sect members among them; judging by their abilities, they were just outer court disciples yet, but what is annoying is that the traitor is someone from inside!"
Listening to the events within her predictions did not feel good to Nafız in the appearance of a young girl; she retired to rest to relieve the fatigue of the journey.
The two old women had already woken up; taking off the tattered fabrics on them, they had worn brand new sparkling clothes. The room Mora used was prepared for Nafız; the wide marble bathtub in its bathroom was filled with hot water.
"My lady, would you like to check the temperature of the water?"
"No need, there is no fire in this world that can burn me!"
Nora left her delicate skin to the waters without minding the steam reaching up to the ceiling decorated with figures of creatures looking as if they sprang from hell. While the old women were mixing various essences from small bottles in their hands into the water, various words were spilling from their murmuring mouths.
"The words of the hymn Mora's mother sang while putting her to sleep, but I don't understand anything from these words!"
"My lady, to tell the truth, we don't know which language it is in either. Since our great lady had strange movements and habits from her childhood, we attributed this to that too!"
"Well, why do you call me my lady?"
The two old women looked at each other, then the white-haired woman remaining on the right side of the young girl inside the bathtub spoke.
"I know you are not Mora, but how should I say, when I look at you, a place inside me aches as if that little girl with curly hair running in the garden of the chateau is looking at me from a corner!"
With the familiarity of all those years, the old women could feel a small part inside Nora; although a large part of their lives over a hundred years passed apart from her, the impression Mora left on them was truly great.
The night was calm; after the extraordinary events occurring during the day, calmness reigned inside the chateau until the large iron gate shook with a great noise.
"Once more!"
Before a period of five breaths passed, an even greater sound came from the gate; stones were rolling from the concrete walls around it, the iron block was bending slightly.
"Enemy attack, everyone to their places!"
"There are warriors at the Blood Awakening stage, stay in the trenches!"
The guard who slightly poked his head out from behind the stone block forward from the warning put himself inside as soon as he saw the crowd of about fifty people covering the narrow road. He had made a logical choice because immediately after, a green light came and eroded the stone he hid behind.
"Attack, break the gate!"
"Show no mercy to anyone once inside, kill everyone who appears in front of you!"
It was a young man in his twenties giving the orders; he was directing most of the warriors lined up behind him to the gate forming an obstacle in front of them.
"It's over this time!"
"Calm down, the Lord no Count Jashua is with us!"
While the two guards on the walls were talking among themselves, another one jumped in.
"So what if he is with us, have you ever seen him fighting even once!"
While the trio was arguing in fear, a shadow came and stood on the thick wall block they were hiding behind; when they lifted their heads up, there was an image they were familiar with.
A blood-red cape was dancing in the wind; Count Jashua had taken his place on the right side of the Chateau's ramparts.
Even though the third person seemed like he was going to speak, his throat knotted from fear; words got stuck unable to overcome this place.
At the same time, someone appeared as if from nothingness on the rampart on the left side too; the people of the chateau had seen this young man dressed in snow-white clothes in defiance of the night's black this morning.
"Jashua, Alis, it is my command!"
"No forgiveness, no mercy! I want flawless destruction!"
The inside of the chateau, its garden, outside, and almost all the land of the Bloody Moon Fiefdom rang with this shrill female voice. Before a breath passed, two shadows flew from the right and left ramparts amidst astonished looks.
The one who decorated his black outfit with a red cape landed in front of the gate, while the other landed at the beginning of the winding road.
Two katanas with tips inclined in different directions appeared in the hands of the one in white clothes; these weapons were shining towards the enemy's eye catching the faintest lights trapped inside the darkness.
Most of those who came to seize the Chateau and kill people turned towards him; as for the target of the others, there was the figure right in front of the gate.
"I had to endure your insolent actions for a year; tonight my lands will be soaked with your blood!"
Jashua, who started walking with his two hands behind him, had barely taken three steps when things began to take shape on his back.