Lemuria, Draugr Domain
Hildr sat on a mat with her legs crossed. Two figures in dark cloaks stood above her. These people had their hands on her head, their hands glowing with a mysterious, watery power.
The entire room was illuminated by their power. By the side, Harald, King of the Draugr, stood with his hands crossed over his chest. There was a layer of worry over his face.
A few days ago, Hildr had jumped out of her chair during a meeting and soon after, she had collapsed.
This had never happened. In fact, Hildr had never been sick for a day in her life. Hildr had the strongest Draugr bloodline—this bloodline was even purer than her father's.
For her to collapse out of nowhere was truly unbelievable.
Harald had immediately called over the Shadows, mysterious beings that were bastions of knowledge and wisdom.
If anyone could find out what was wrong with Hildr, it would be these things.
Even though the price to call the Shadows was great, Harald had gladly paid it. To him, his daughter was the key to his future.
After a few minutes, the Shadows moved away from Hildr and appeared next to Harald. They moved in such a bizarre manner that if a mortal were to see them, chances were that they would die from a heart attack.
"What is wrong with her?" Harald hurriedly asked.
The Shadows said nothing for a few seconds.
Until Harald regained his composure, they just stood there, being creepy.
"The Draugr has formed a bond with another of great power," the Shadows all spoke at the same time, creating a sound that was hard to listen to.
Harald was shaken by their words, but he hid it as best he could.
"The Draugr will wake up after the bond has settled," they continued.
Harald was already thinking of who could possibly be powerful enough to form a bond with his daughter.
Not many people knew this, but Hildr was stronger than her father. The old magics of the Draugr flowed through her veins. Even though she had yet to learn how to effectively use it all, she was still too powerful for most people to even look at her. This was the reason their palace had so few people—these were the only Draugr who could look at her without dying on the spot.
If the person who bonded with her had power as great as this, Harald began questioning his information-gathering network. Even though there were many powerful figures on Lemuria, he was sure that these people were not on the same level as his daughter. Even he did not have as much power as Hildr.
"The Draugr must cement the bond with the other within a month if she wants to stay on the mortal plane."
After saying these ominous words, the Shadows melted into the world. Harald was left with countless questions, but even he could not afford to call back the Shadows. Calling them back so soon would increase their price, and this was too much even for a king like him to handle.
Hildr woke up a few days later, and when she heard what her father had to say about the situation, she was not surprised. She could feel the bond that had come out of nowhere.
She had even gotten glimpses of the person she had been bonded to.
On Lemuria, bonds were not too rare, but they could not be found so easily. These bonds could be formed between parent and child, between friends, and the most common one was between lovers.
It was said that these bonds were ordained by fate.
"Did you get any idea of who you are bonded to?" Harald asked.
He was still very concerned about what had just happened and what it all meant.
Hildr thought for a few moments before replying.
"I saw a girl. She is a very bloodthirsty thing. She must be a Child of Night."
Harald thought about any possibilities, but still, no one came to mind.
On Lemuria, there are eight creatures that a human might call vampires.
These creatures were the Children of Night.
These included the Draugr, Strigoi, Aswang, Pontianak, Churel, Baobhan Sith, and the Jiangshi.
The Draugr were the leaders of these creatures, but this was only because they were currently the strongest. The role of leader had changed hands many times over the centuries. A little over five hundred years ago, Harald grew in power and challenged the queen of the Strigoi for the position of Night King. The Strigoi Queen had been leading the Children of the Night as the Night Queen for over one thousand years by then. She had held onto her position for that long due to her great power. All those that had challenged her in the past had been brutally defeated, with some of them even being killed by the queen. She was a ruthless figure whose reign was covered in blood. Everyone expected King Harald to lose, but to their surprise, his power had greatly increased. He defeated the queen with some difficulty, but it was still his victory.
After that, Harald was not only King of the Draugr but also the Night King.
Harald thought about all the Clans of the Children of Night, and there was but a single possibility. If what he suspected turned out to be true, Harald was sure that there would be war.
Hildr saw the realization on her father's face. When he explained to her whom he suspected, Hildr understood the trouble that it could bring if it turned out to be true.
"Have you gotten a reply from Lemuria Academy?" she asked.
Harald frowned even deeper. It now seemed that his troubles were just piling up.
"They are still silent about the matter," he said.
Hildr was already frustrated that she had been forcefully bonded to some crazy woman, and her frustration drove her to her next decision.
"Let me take a few of our people and deal with these fools. We cannot waste time anymore. If it turns out that I am bonded to a crazy woman from the Strigoi clan, we need that power more than ever."
Harald nodded in agreement. This was not the first time that Hildr had suggested that they just attack the academy and take what they wanted. Harald had rejected her proposal in the past, and even when she collapsed, they had been debating this very issue.
This time around, Harald agreed with his daughter. They did not have the time to wait for the academy to make up their mind.