In a dense forest where even the moonlight of the night couldn't slip through the thick canopy... deeper within, stood a dark black castle that remained untouched by time or destruction.
Its structure was forged from pitch-black marble, exuding a cold, lifeless aura that sent chills crawling down the spine of any who approached. An eerie silence surrounded the massive building, pressing down like a suffocating fog that whispered secrets of ancient horrors.
Inside the shadow-cloaked halls of the castle,
Ophis Dracula and Gluttony knelt in silence before a towering obsidian throne.
A figure sat motionless upon it, his posture regal yet utterly still, his eyes closed, as if asleep... or deep in thought, lost in the vastness of memories that stretched far beyond time.
For a long, heavy moment, nothing moved. Even the flickering torches seemed to dim. Then, slowly, the figure raised two fingers with quiet authority.
Ophis parted her lips, her head still bowed low, her voice steady yet cautious as it echoed softly through the grand hall, "Father... I've made contact with the Fated One."
"..." No words came from the figure. He remained perfectly still, as if weighing her statement in silence.
Without looking up, Ophis lifted her hand, revealing a slender glass tube. Inside it swirled a thick crimson liquid.... Leo's blood.
The figure flicked his fingers once, and the tube floated gently from Ophis' hand, gliding through the heavy, cold air until it settled weightlessly in his grasp.
He held it between his fingers and finally opened his eyes—deep crimson, glowing faintly like dying embers in the dark. He stared into the blood, his gaze unwavering. Swirling it ever so gently, he watched with interest... until there it was. A flicker—just a fleeting wisp of black and gold mist formed within the blood and then vanished as quickly as it appeared.
"Hmmm... Return to your mother," the figure said at last, his tone flat, expression unreadable.
Ophis nodded without a word. She stood slowly, her movements smooth and respectful, and turned away, her footsteps soft as she vanished into the dark corridor.
Only Gluttony remained, still kneeling, head low in reverence, not daring to speak until spoken to.
The figure's voice echoed again, slightly curious, "How did she perform?"
Gluttony replied without hesitation, his tone respectful and measured. "She toyed with a woman from the Asterra Household with ease... Master. Her speed was exceptional, even I barely caught her speed... and her control over blood—it's nearly on par with your own."
The figure let out a quiet hum, both thoughtful and amused. "Receiving praise from an old god... She must've truly given it her all... hasn't she, Camazotz?"
Gluttony nodded slowly. "Yes, Master. She has proven herself worthy."
There was another stretch of silence, deeper and heavier this time. Then, the figure raised his other hand. A red spark snapped from his fingertips—sharp and sudden.
A thick black book materialised mid-air, its surface resembling a sealed door, ancient and menacing, bound with skulls carved into its cover.
"It's time... to reclaim what was stolen from you, Camazotz," the figure muttered in a low and dangerous tone.
*****
Back to Leo's house,
"Hmmm..." Leo let out a soft groan, his face scrunched in pain as he lay across the sofa.
"He's lost a lot of blood today... His body just needs time to recover and settle," Pride said, almost to herself, gently brushing his messy hair back with a worried hand.
Her green eyes lingered on his pale, weakened face, filled with concern. Then, she turned to glance at Valra and Envy, who stood quietly behind her, observing everything.
"I don't know your true intentions yet... but thank you—for protecting my Master when I couldn't," she said softly, lowering her head in a small bow of both gratitude and guilt.
"W-Well... there's no need to bow or anything like that..." Valra mumbled, a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks. She looked around at the mess and destruction left behind in the house. "I think we should start repairing this place before dawn. Otherwise, people might start asking questions and poking around."
Pride blinked, "But Master is unconscious. Without his permission, I cannot proceed," she explained gently. She was referring to the restoration stone without his permission.
Valra stared at her for a moment, her lips pursed. Then, she glanced toward Envy. "See that? Learn from her."
"Tsk," Envy clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed but choosing to stay silent. He casually shrugged his shoulders, feigning disinterest.
Valra sighed and turned away. "Well, don't worry about it then. I'll take care of it myself," she said, pulling out her own red restoration stone from her coat pocket and kneeling on the floor.
She placed it gently on the ground in front of her.
Sssshhh!!
The red stone pulsed with light, glowing brighter and brighter until a small magic circle formed beneath it. The circle began to expand outward, glowing fiercely as it spread across the entire house. A warm red glow enveloped the walls and floor. Gradually... everything began returning to how it had been.
The magic circle rotated counter-clockwise as—
Shattered glass panes floated back into their frames, glimmering softly. Splintered doors mended and slid back into place. The broken roof reshaped itself, each tile returning precisely. Even the storage room, previously destroyed, reverted to its untouched state.
Even Leo's shirt, which had been torn and soaked in blood... was now whole, clean, as if freshly laundered and never touched by anything.
Valra nodded with satisfaction, then turned her gaze to Pride and added, "For now, look after him. Do not let him step outside under any circumstances. His memories still haven't returned, so it's better that he doesn't wander off. I'll speak with him tomorrow night... as the Master of Envy." Her tone shifted, suddenly becoming firm and commanding. "You know exactly what that means, don't you?"
Pride nodded, her expression growing serious as well, mirroring Valra's tone.
"Good," Valra said with a final nod before turning on her heels and walking away, with Envy following at her side.
However, instead of heading straight out, Envy suddenly veered off and led Valra toward the storage room.
Valra crouched down slowly, brushing the dusty floor with her gloved hand. Her eyes narrowed as she uncovered a strange, intricate design carved deep into the stone floor.
"It's definitely a summoning circle... but why here?" she muttered, her brows furrowed as her face took on a tense, stern expression.
Envy's expression also shifted to one of seriousness. "I believe he might be a mage too... Master, we shouldn't be blindly helping someone who could be our enemy. What if he's just pretending to be innocent? What if he's getting close to us for his own gain... maybe even planning to use us to win the war?"
Valra stared blankly at the circle for a moment, her mind swirling with uncertainty, before she slowly shook her head. "I know, Envy... I understand your doubts. But I know him more than you do. If anything... he feels like an innocent caught up in something much bigger than himself," she said, her voice softening unexpectedly.
Envy clicked his tongue in frustration. "Then explain this summoning circle to me. Why would an innocent bystander have something like this under his home? And how in the hell could he summon a champion without any prior training or magical knowledge?!"
Valra bit her lip, unable to hide the conflicted look in her eyes. Honestly, she had no clear answers either. The entire situation was a tangled mess that didn't make sense.
Still...
Valra exhaled and shook her head. "Whatever it is... I believe Leo is innocent. If there's something hidden here, we need to dig deeper. Maybe someone else used to live here—an old mage, perhaps, or someone long forgotten. There could be secrets buried in this house... Hmm..." Her voice trailed off as she drifted into thought.
Envy eyed her quietly for a moment. Then, out of nowhere, he asked, "You... love him?"
Valra flinched so hard it was visible. "W-WHAT?! W-What do you mean? I—I love him?! N-No way!!" Her entire face flushed beet red as she stammered, practically tripping over her own words. "T-There's no way I, the proud heir of the greatest Asterra Household, would fall in love with a human! My parents would kill him if that ever happened!"
Envy stared at her with a blank expression. "Oh... I see. So that's the reason you haven't gotten close to him. You're worried your parents might kill him? How adorably noble of you."
Valra's face burned hotter. "Y-You!!"
A sly grin crept onto Envy's face as he leaned in just a little. "Well, now it makes sense. That's why you used your family's heirloom to save that boy. The Asterra's Holy Scabbard—gifted by the Lady of the Lake herself—an artifact that can even heal someone on the verge of death. Your parents gave it to you for emergencies... and you used it on a weak mortal. So noble... so selfless... so very romantic—"
"GET OUT OF MY FACE!!" Valra screamed, her voice exploding with embarrassment and rage as she waved her hand violently.
Envy vanished instantly, his smug grin the last thing she saw. It only infuriated her more.
Gritting her teeth, Valra stormed out of the house, her face red as a cherry. No—she was practically running away, desperate not to let anyone else see her in such a vulnerable state.
Meanwhile,
Pride sat silently beside her Master, her expression hollow and defeated.
Leo slept peacefully on the bed, his face still pale but calm. The faint rise and fall of his chest was the only movement in the room.
"Please forgive me, Master... I failed to protect you," Pride whispered, her voice trembling with quiet guilt as her eyes stayed locked on Leo's resting face.
Suddenly, she flinched. A sharp pain surged through her back. She winced as her hand reached behind her and gently pressed against her skin—her fingers brushing the deep claw wounds carved across her back.
"I... I can't heal without Master's mana..." she muttered with an emotionless tone. Her gaze dropped to her blood-covered fingertips, red and glistening. "Hmm... I suppose I need to rest to begin healing," she added softly, her body beginning to sway.
She gave Leo one last glance.
Her body slowly shimmered, small green particles lifting from her skin like fading fireflies as she leaned back and allowed herself to rest.
The chaotic night finally began to settle... and above, the sky started to lighten—the first hints of dawn creeping over the horizon.