“To Priestess Erada, we are pleased by your recent reports of the situation in Nevali. Recent events seemed to have created an opening to spread our influence within the Aristocracy, as their leader would be distracted by the Altaerrie.

Your choice to manipulate the boy, as he has proven helpful in gaining a foothold within the capital city of Cornot, significantly since the Vampire Lord relocated his operations to Forlace. Based on your letters, the daughter seems to be the more practiced one of the siblings; however, that should not change our plans.

You have done an excellent job subtly removing the boy's admiration for his father and swinging him to our way of thinking. Youthful with aragonite desires vengeance and self-worth, all wishing to accomplish great deeds for their legacy. Take all that within a male and place a beautiful Priestess as yourself, and they will bend to our desires.

Continued building the son to replace his father for the throne of the Aristocracy, causing friction within their ranks. Until better prospects arise from this great opportunity, in the meantime, continue seeking information about what that Vampire is hiding.” - Odessia Eraunis-Horkuo of the Temple of Enlightenment

March, 10th, 2068 (Military Calendar)

Fortress city of Forlace, Verliance Aristocracy

Nevali Region, Aldrida, Alagore

*****

Listening to the continuous arguments between Lord Kallem Verliance and the Priestess representative of the Katra, Erada, on the direction of the war, Assaiya hurriedly left the room to gather new drinks for her master guests.

While Assiaya tried to keep to herself, she couldn't help but listen to the conversations. A bad habit Roath and the inner voice continued to point out. From what she could understand, the arguments devolve into Erada wanting the Aristocracy to accept more oversight and control from the Unity, which Kallem opposes.

Reaching the kitchen door, the slave girl calmed herself before entering. A strong breeze exited the room, mixing cold air with the warmth of the hallway. Hating this part as she felt her exposed skin freeze, she entered the kitchen.

Castles and even homes had kitchens; they were nothing special. Expect if they are a vampire kitchen. Because they require blood to sustain themselves, keeping their food and drinks cold is vital. While there were warmer kitchens within this castle for regular food because she was her Master's personal slave, she never got those assignments.

The same annoying J'avais who slaved away in this kitchen noticed her. His hair was wild and white, and his facial hair was ungroomed and long. His clothing was thick, brown in base, with red, purple, and green blood stains splattered over the uniform, most old from the lack of washing. "It is you again."

The stench was reeking, but Assiaya understood that plugging her noise only leads to additional insults. As before, she endured the smell and said, "Please, not today. I am not in the mood."

"Mood?" the J'avais said with his thick accent. "I work here twelve hours a day while you stay warm."

"Let him brood."

"I need twelve drinks," Assiaya said. "Our Lord, guests are not happy."

"Not happy?" the J'avais grumbled. "Like I care dual eyes."

She watched the J'avais prepare the drinks; she endured many racial insults before the drinks were ready. Taking each drink and placing them on a tray, she carefully balanced the heavy tray, headed to the conference table, and handed everyone their drinks. While giving the usual blood-related drinks to the Vampires, there were far more traditional drinks of water, juices, and alcohol for the nonvampires.

Unlike the previous meetings with the highest-ranking military members of the Aristocracy, who were mostly fellow Vampires and key allies like the J'avais and Orcs, this meeting was more economical in nature.

Though powerful and influential Noble Vampire Lords were tied to the economy and made up most of the Aristocracy, other species to note were the Yalates.

While Assiaya had always found the Yalates in power physically beautiful, they were very distrusting and held an elitist sense of self-pride. They typically prioritized gaining influence and power through economic means within a host society, making up a significant size of a nation's oligarchy. They were always looking for any opportunity to take control of a guild or other avenues of the upper echelons of society.

While the slave girl avoided such creatures, she always admired the exotic color of their feathers. They had pale, thin, towering figures with bountiful feathers that grew from their knees and moved up to their waist. They stopped at their lower belly but continued along their sides towards their shoulders and ended at their elbows. Their feet resemble a bird, with three toes facing forward and one facing back. The only parts that were bare enough to resemble that of any human were their fronts, backs, and faces, along with their forearms.

As Assyaia approached the most influential of the Yalates, Ixtilia Rhiyaki, controlling the most powerful guilds within the economy, looked at her kind's favorite drink. A vibrant, sunset-colored juice with a living organism inside - typically insects or other worms slithering inside, sometimes tiny reptiles made their way into the beverage.

Rhiyaki sat, legs crossed, teal eyes locked on the conversation as she reached for her drink without paying much mind to the slave girl. She stirred the concoction with her finger before giving it a lick for taste.

Once satisfied, Rhiyaki stood up to engage in the discussion, revealing her stature and beautiful tail feathers. Her feathers looked like a dancing flame with a mixed and explosive combination of warm autumn colors of yellow, orange, and red.

Her outfit boasted an intricate and delicate shoulder-less, double-slit dress that parted at the bottom of her bosom and complemented her natural beauty. Fully utilizing more fabulous colors, variations of blue, purple, and black feathers decorate her wardrobe with some gold highlights blended in. The center part of her slit dress was adorned with vibrant teal feathers. Its sleeves started from her mid-upper arm and ended mid-forearm with loose cape sleeves. Gold patterned designs were around the waist of her dress with a trail that connected to her bosom and edged around the top of her dress. She wore gold laced crown jewelry with mini wings attached to the front, long illustrious gold earrings with matching bracelets, gold laced trinkets around her ankles, and a gold and diamond necklace with a sapphire jewel at that center. To flaunt her status, her outfit had a pair of beautiful sky-blue wings attached to the dress's back to complete her look.

"These are a tall demand," Rhiyaki said. "It will be expensive to ramp up production this quickly."

"If you have not noticed, we are mobilizing for war," Kallem said. "The enemy we are facing is well-equipped and determined. We will need every piece of armor and flechettes we can muster."

"You will not enjoy this, but then I must squeeze the labor of the Nevali region to meet these demands," Rhiyaki said. It is the only way to sustain the numbers you wish for."

Kallem stood there quietly, reflecting on the comment. Unlike before, where he wore his armor when dealing with his military folk, with the elites of the economy, he wore clothing. He wore a yellow scarf with green lining, while his black wool jacket had these circular designs that started from the shoulders and then flowered like a river to the ends. The lines were silver, and the design was noticeable but manageable, as he preferred being more modest.

From Assiaya's experience, this was normal, seeing her Master change outfits based on the crowd he was currently engaging with. The process was something the slave girl would have associated with the female nobles who constantly changed for the occasion. At the same time, males typically wore their armor regardless of the setting. Kallem never struck her as feminine, which greatly confused the dual-eye girl. Roath once said the leader matched his guest to maximize his influence - something related to brotherhood and common ground, a concept she struggled to understand because it seemed everyone hated her.

"My Lord," Teibumi said. "We could redirect our quotes for the Unity white to meet our needs."

Assiaya saw the Kitsune male. He was a broken fur with white stripes flowing across his body. His clan was influential in the textile industry, owning a chain of workshops. Like the Yalates, they have always found a place in economics over warfare. A critical difference between the two was that the Yalates saw business as an opportunity to gain status and influence. At the same time, the Kitsune enjoyed the art of owning an institution, big or small.

"The Unity will reject that proposal," Erada said. "All quotas will be met for our armies against the Hispana Republic and the Thali'ean Fiefdom, and reduction will be seen as an act of aggression."

"You might be wise in religious matters," Kallem said. "But the Unity knows nothing of business. We cannot supply your war against the Coalition and simultaneously wage war against the Alterrie."

"And yet, how were our little demands overstretched your economy?" Erada asked. "It was only decades ago that your country was economically stronger than all the nations of Coalition. Now, you cannot sustain one merely front."

"Second largest does not mean unlimited," Kallem said, ignoring the insult. "Between our needs and supplying you, much of our extra capacity had to go to sustain the territories we annexed."

"I see," Erada said with a condescending tone. "That sounds like a personal problem. Maybe your situation would be less dire if you had not invaded Nevali without our blessing."

Kallem stared at the Priestess with determination in his red eyes. "I will not give you command of my fiefdom. I will also reduce the quotas to your forces against Hispana."

"Do not make a bold statement-" Erada started to say before being interrupted.

Kallem held his hand, showing that he was not finished speaking. "I said against Hispana. Those resources will be diverted to all Unity Orders who aid us against the Altaerrie. Or are you informing me that Unity will not deploy forces to counter this new threat or will not need our supplies?"

With the question, an awkward silence throughout the conference room was a small rodent climbing the inner walls. The slave girl stopped and glanced toward the Priestess Kitsune. It was rare when she was silent as she always enjoyed expressing her dominance over her Master.

"I was informed that the Council has authorized two full Orders to assist against the Altaerrie and your occupation," Erada said. "More will arrive once available, so I expect you to supply them fully."

"Tell your superiors that the Lord of Verliance is thankful for your aid in these troubled times. I will take care of them if it is within my means."

"I did not say they are under your command," Erada quickly responded.

The two began a long debate regarding who would command the joint military forces. This became a tradition at these meetings, so the guests ignored the sight and conversed in whispers.

Erada frowned as she held her empty glass. "As expected, this will be a long night. Would it be wise to have another round of wine?"

"That sounds like a splendid idea," Rhiyaki said. "I will take juice with my wine."

Seeing that her Master agreed to the group's request, Assiaya walked around the room and collected the empty glasses. When she reached the Priestess, the kistune handed her a glass.

As Assiaya took the glass, she noticed the Priestess smirking toward her. The green eyes felt like a dagger piercing her body.

"I see you are grabbing my glass with your left arm," Erada commented. She then leaned toward the slave girl. "It seems that you have been straining your shoulder from all the hard work you have been doing. You must be an excellent servant."

"She knows what happened," the voice said in a fearful tone.

"Yes, she is," Kallem said, staring at the two with annoyance. "It is hard to find good servants these days."

The Priestess placed her hand on Assiaya's wounded shoulder. The woman lightly squeezed, intently inflicting pain on the wound, knowing exactly where to touch it.

"Yes," Erada said. "You should be careful. Your Master would not want anything bad to happen to you. Now, move along."

Feeling a sense of horror ripping through Assiaya's body, she quickly walked out of the room. She had no idea what had just happened or why. All the slave girls were happy about being out of the room to refill their drinks.

"That was intense. Is that what we will do when we get older?

"I hope not," Assiaya said. "It seems like adults are always backstabbing each other."

Heading toward the kitchen, the slave girl stopped and saw a boy blocking her path in the hallway. To her horror, it was Ere-hian Verliance waiting.

"Where are you off to?" Ere-hian asked.

"Do not show fear that he will feed off it."

Remembering the feeling of his fangs crunching into her shoulder and draining the life from her body. Her arms started to tremble as fear began to consume her. "That is easy for you to say."

"We are in this together, remember! Why is he even here?"

The voice made an excellent point: Why was Ere-hian standing there? It seemed that he knew she was coming. This was the primary direction to the kitchen, though, so it was not surprising, but the exact timing threw her off.

The vision she had from the last encounter with Kallem – Priestess Erada was speaking to Ere-hian in a corrupting manner. "This was planned. Erada knew that he assaulted us and sent us away for it to happen again."

"I believe you are right. Act normal, and hopefully, the boy will let us by."

Assiaya stopped and forced herself to bottle her fearful emotions. Curtsying to her Lord, she said, "My Lord. I apologize, but I must pass. I am getting drinks for your father and his guests."

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The statement seemed to annoy Ere-hian, who looked away angrily. "My father. You are always bouncing around like a baby slim, using my father as a shield."

"I apologize. It is my job to serve."

Ere-hian then punched the wall out of anger. "To serve. You are pathetic. Your kind pretends to be a great people, but underneath, you are still barbaric, weak, and servitude among true strength."

"I understand my Lord." Noting that her response only angered Kallem's son, she stepped back when she noticed him coming after her. Before she could escape, Ere-hian grabbed her maid's dress and lifted her off her feet with his superior strength. The tray fell, breaking the expensive glassware onto the stone floor.

"I know you have been envying these new Lats," Ere-hian said. "I have seen you talking with yourself, inquiring about these new people. They are not your salvation, and you will be crushed. Finally, all your kind will be reminded of where your true station lies."

Assiaya looked down and saw the raw hatred within the boy's eyes. "Why are you doing this?"

"Why?" Ere-hian said. "I am tired of my family being cowards. I am tired of being told to stay within these walls while the rest of the world builds a name for themselves. My father is selfish and only wishes to build upon his name. Watching my father embarrass us with the presence of a Lat while refusing to seek vengeance against them. Your kind is a curse on these lands. Unnatural, according to the legend, which seemed to be true."

As Ere-hian spoke, he only got angrier. Assiaya then saw the boy's fangs emerge, and he intended to drink from her again.

"If my father wishes to delay my birthright, then I will violate his favorite pet," Ere-Hian said. He ripped the side of her dress and prepared to bite into her other shoulder.

As Ere-hian prepared to bite into Assiaya's shoulder, a closed fan impacted his head, making him turn.

Assiaya looked up and noticed Roath, the head maid, standing there. She stood, staring down at the two. Usually, the Head Maid's facial maintained a disciplined manner; however, this time, she looked pissed.

"How dare you hit me!" Ere-hian said, shocked by being hit by a motuia. While these types of servants were above slaves and had legal protections, it was still highly illegal for one to assault their Master. The risk of assaulting one major could result in a break of contract and demoted to a slave if one is not careful. "I will report-."

"Report?" Roath said. "You are going to tell your father that you disobeyed a direct order not to touch his girl? What will he do after finding out you tainted her?"

Defiantly seeing Roath, Assiaya glanced down at the boy and saw the anger in his eyes disappear, replaced with fear. While the Kitsune was an indentured servant, she held lasting influence and power and had been in his life since childhood.

Ere-hian let go of Assiaya. She landed on her feet. She quickly grabbed the upper part of her dress to cover herself.

"Ere-hian," Roath said. "I am old enough to remember changing you as a baby. Do not cross me. You are a Verliance, meaning you have standards, and treating a subject like a J'avais is not one of them."

Ere-hian started as the Head Maid before turning to the dual slave girl. He then said, "She is correct that war is coming. That means my father will not be here to protect you when we are alone. I will ensure his little dual-eye trophy will never be so pure." He then walked away.

Seeing that they were alone, Assiaya rubbed tears from her cheek and looked toward her Head Maid. "Thank you."

"Kallem was wondering why it was taking so long for more drinks," Roath said as she crossed her arms, shaking her head in disappointment. "That boy really hates you. I thought that was a fling, but it seems this had become personal."

Assiaya looked at the Head Maid to express her opinion but stopped herself. However, she saw the glare from her superior and said what was on her mind: "It is Erada. I think she is manipulating him to attack me."

She expected Roath to disciple her for blaming the Unity Priestess; however, only silence was mentioned. She then pulled out a dioliet and requested two motuia servants to come and clean the glassware.

"I will inform him that there was a complication," Roath said. "I will give you time to get properly dressed. A new round of drinks will be ready for you."

Before Assiaya could ask further questions, Roath walked away, heading toward the conference room. Seeing that she was now alone again and fearing that someone would approach her, she ran down the hall crying.

Hearing voices down the hall, she stopped and entered. Once in, she closed the door and heard voices walk past the door.

"I do not know what to do anymore," Assiaya said out loud.

"You need to stay strong."

"How?" Assiaya asked. "Ere-hian is right. Kallem will be leaving soon, and no one will be here to protect me. He is going to rape us and then drink all our blood! I am so alone and weak. All because he is angry at his father."

Hearing nothing but silence, Assiaya knew what that meant. There was no hope. Fear started consuming her mind, and she began to panic, as she knew there was a plot against her for some reason.

A small but bright light floated from the fireplace in the dark room and hovered before her.

Seeing the light, Assiaya felt herself regaining control of her emotions. To her surprise, the light came from a Spirit bug.

Most people consider these bugs holy, bringing good luck to those in need, unlike the Pixie bugs, which bring bad fortune. At least, that is what the Temple says. Whoever these bugs bless or curse at any given time? Because of the glowing nature of these bugs, no one knows what they look like, so some see them as an annoyance while others treat them as Tekali influencing the world. For Assiaya, she always felt there was something more when in these bug's presence. Bring peace and remind her she was never alone, but she has no idea why.

"Take a moment to rest. This is your favorite room, so."

Taking a moment to regain her nerves, she noticed that she was in Kallem's study, the first place Ere-hian assaulted her. Her fear came roaring back as she saw the location of the attack, but she also saw the glowing spirit bug floating away.

Assiaya saw a painting on the wall as the creature flew toward the ceiling. She slowly walked to the middle of the room while holding her dress. Getting a better view, she stopped to see her favorite oil painting.

It was a father and son on a cliffside, staring out at a forested valley and mountains of Nevali with Tekali in the sky. For some reason, this painting brought her peace, always making her want that life. Being free, having someone who cared about her, and experiencing the world together. Feeling the love and warmth of a hug. The slave girl knew it was impossible since being brought her six years ago, however….

She was not a motuia who was contracted as a servitude but a pure slave from conquest. For some reason, Kallem brought her here into this life. He was powerful and would never allow her to leave. Defiance was one line he never tolerated.

Expect….

She recalled watching the Altaerrie man defying her Master as he refused to break. It was possible, especially since his son did the same thing with the Unity Priestess blessing. She could also with the Altaerrie blessing.

"Do not consider that."

"I must," Assiaya said out loud. "If we stay, we will be…."

"I understand, but escaping? If you fail, you will wish that was the only punishment, especially if Kallem is forced to hand you over to Unity. You have heard what they do to disloyal females. The Katra does not forgive the unbelievers and betrayers."

"I am not choosing death," Assiaya said. "I want to live, and we need him."

"The Altaerrie are not strong enough. You saw that man fight Kallem and all those prisoners."

"And yet, Kallem fears them. Why else is he preparing this much for an all-out war? Even the man, while he beat him in a fight, only resulted in his anger. It is the only choice to escape before it is too late."

"Even if he helps you escape, how do you know he won't harm you? You know nothing about him and his people. We would be completely at his mercy."

Assiaya knew that the voice was correct. It was more likely that once alone, the Altaerrie man would enslave her for his use or sell her at his first opportunity. The beast abandons her in the middle of nowhere for nature to consume to save himself. However, she felt that something was different.

While staring at the painting, she placed her free hand over her chest. "I do not think so. When the man winked, I felt that he was not a monster. I do not think Kallem would care this much about breaking him if he was. I want to trust my feelings."

"Okay. I will support you. Do you have a plan?"

"I think I do."

*****

Peeking through the sparing door, Assiaya saw the Kallem continuing his sparring match with the Altaerrie man.

She leaned back around the corner and pressed her back against the stone walls, taking multiple deep breaths as she maintained control over her emotions. The weight of what she was planning to do was finally hitting her, opposing her Master, and it terrified the slave girl. The only comfort was the heat emitting from the dark gray stone from the gas pipes embedded into the wall.

"This is insane."

"I know, but we must," Assiaya forced herself to say while slowing her breathing.

"They will kill us if you do this! Their vampires, you know what they will do. Kallem himself will drain or worse. Hand you to his son for this treachery."

"That is the problem. With Kallem gone, no one can protect us from him or anyone else. I know the Priestess is plotting against us. If I do not do something, then…."

"I understand. I do not want Ere-hian to rape or drain us. But oppose our Master to free a man you know nothing about? What if they are just as bad as the Unity?"

"I thought you said you were on my side?" Assiaya said out loud.

There was silence before the voice returned. "I apologize. We are in this together. Request Tekali for aid, and she might bless us."

Assiaya stood there, hesitant to act, as she pondered her conviction: "I keep asking Tekali for help. I believe Mother has answered, but I am terrified. I am barely old enough to have children, and I am about to oppose one of the most powerful men in Aldrida. But I can feel that there is something different about him. I do not know why, but I must act before it is too late."

Hearing the ongoing match in the sparing room, Assiaya took one last convincing breath. Remembering her servant training, she regained her composure. Once ready, she entered the room.

The first sight she saw was the fight. The two men were shirtless as before, showing their decades of physical training and fitness. There were minor scares, probably from previous battles. While the human male looked strong, the Kallem figure still outmatched the human. The Vampire Lord had a dark purple skin tone compared to the lighter tone of his opponent, with his long brown hair reaching toward his chest. Unlike the Altaerrie man, he had the scares of old wars and assassinations throughout his body.

While the two both had bruises and cuts throughout their bodies from their continuous sparing, it was clear to the slave girl that the Altaerrie man was losing.

In addition to the two men fighting, Assiaya noticed a guard standing by the ring on the floor. The guard was a fellow vampire who seemed bored. He had probably been standing there for hours, watching the one-sided fight.

As the slave girl approached the wooden table, she noticed her arms tremble with fear. Knowing that, she realized she was about to challenge the most powerful man and fail; her life would be forfeited.

"Do not feel fear," Kallem said.

Hearing her Master, she stopped and turned. The Lord of Verliance stood there with his shirt off, blood stains on his chin and fists.

"The Ryder is all bark," Kallem said, returning to the Altaerrie human. "Never show fear before your enemy as they will exploit it. Fulfill your intentions regarding emotions that seek to unleash."

Seeing the Altaerrie man catching a breath as he held his chest, it seemed he wouldn't last another round. The sight caused her to fear that her plan was fruitless and made her question whether she should follow through.

"Did you notice Kallem using the Altaerrie man's name?"

That was when Assiaya recalled that detail. Her Master never wasted time learning his enemy names unless they hadn't earned it, for whatever reason. It reminded her that maybe, while Kallem was winning the physical fight, the man was still defiant. "I must remain defiant."

Assiaya took a deep breath and partly calmed herself. "Yes, my Lord." She reached the table and sat the tray down. Seeing the two drinks, being water with lemons. While the lemon brought no natural value to the Vampire, her Master did enjoy the sweetness after a long fight.

Hearing the sparring match continue, it sounded like the man was thrown into the wall. She turned and saw the man on the ground. He looked exhausted as he caught his breath. Kallem looked down at him with a disguised face, but the man responded by raising his middle figure for some reason.

She then turned back to her drinks, knowing that it was time. As she hoped, she saw the box of healing potions that Roath had brought yesterday. Everything seemed ready for her plan to unfold.

"It is okay. You can give him one after taking care of those two."

"And then he will take us away from this place once and for all." Assiaya reached into her uppermaid dress and pulled out two vials of sleeping medication. This standard medication is typically used for the wounded or those who struggle to sleep. It was a powerful medicine, putting the patient asleep within seconds. It all depends on the right dose for the correct species.

Opening the two vials, she poured one into each drink. To help cover the blue coloring, she grabbed the blue mix that was on her try. The color blended into the drink, adding a powerful aroma to help hide the sleeping potion smell—a flavor mix she knew her Master enjoyed.

Seeing that everything was ready, Assiaya grabbed the tray and approached the two vampires. Her arms still trembled, causing the tray to shake slightly. It took all her emotional strength to maintain her composure. "My Lord. Your drink."

Kallem grabbed the glass cup, raised it to his nose, and took a large sniff. "I can tell that you put my favorite aroma into it. Thank you."

Thrilled that her Master took the drink. She walked over to the guard, to which he took his drink.

Seeing the two take a drink, she walked back to the table smiling, thrilled that her plan had worked. The two would pass out any moment, and she would use the healing potion to awaken the Altaerrie man and then freedom.

"What is this taste?" Kallem asked. "Assiaya?"

The thrill evaporated as fear engulfed Assiaya's body. The life left her face, which went pale when she turned around. She saw her Master staring at her with a concerned but angry glare. His hand was on his forehead as if he had a headache. While he looked slightly dizzy, he was not falling asleep as planned.

"Did you put enough into the drink?"

"I put an entire vial," Assiaya said.

"He is a male vampire in his prime. A vial might not work that quickly."

"Oh no…. I screwed up!"

Kallem approached the slave girl. "Assiaya. Why do I feel dizzy? What did you do to my drink?"

"Now what?"

Seeing her Master approaching, she turned and grabbed the pitcher of water, tossing it at the Lord of Verliance before running out the door in fear.

"This was your plan?"

"I did not think this far. I assumed the potions would work!" Assiaya yelled out loud.

She turned around and saw Kallem leaving the sparing room. After looking down at the other end of the hallway, he noticed her and started following.

"What should I do now?" Assiaya asked.

"Maybe you should go to where they are keeping the Altaerrie stuff. He may have something that could help."

Seeing no alternative, she ran as fast as she could to Kallem's personal armory.

*****

Being forced to spare nonstop for two days, or what constitutes two days on Alagore, Mathew Ryder lay on the fighting ring map, catching a breath. He did not understand why the fighting stopped, but he kept his eyes closed and acted passively so he could welcome the breather.

He had no idea what Kallem was. Were these sparing matches for sport? The Comanche Warrior could only assume that the Vampire intentions were trying to prove some racial superiority complex, or was this upset for losing a battle? Kallem made his intention to kill him clearly but was taking his time to do so. The only answer he could conclude was that there must be some deeper motive for choosing this path.

Hearing a strange commotion, he slightly turned his head and barely opened his eyes to pretend that he was still knocked out. To his surprise, it was that dual-eye-colored girl from before. She had just finished delivering the two vampire drinks and returned to the table.

To Ryder's confusion, he saw Kallem drop his drink and start acting strange. He then placed his hand on his forehead and approached the girl, terrifying her.

The exhausted captain then noticed the same reaction as the guard.

"Did she try poisoning them?" Ryder pondered.

Whatever the girl gave them seemed to have an effect but not the desirable result. She stood at the table as if she saw a ghost with how pale she had become.

As Kallem approached the dual-color eyes slave girl, she tossed the pitcher of water at him and ran off.

Ryder closed his eyes and pretended to have passed out. He couldn't understand what the two vampires were saying but heard Kallem's footsteps heading toward the door; he could assume that the Lord of Verliance was chasing after the girl after that stunt while the guard stayed here.

Whatever the girl was trying to do failed to achieve its intended result. The guard seemed drowsy. The captain knew this would be his one opportunity to get out.

Cracking his eye again, Ryder noticed the guard cleaning the mess the girl made before leaving. The Vampire was grumbling about something as a white glowing spirit bug flew in and buzzed around the Vampire, to his annoyance. However, the critical fact was that the guard was distracted.

Summoning all his strength, Ryder silently stood and faced the Vampire's back. Before the blood-sucking beast noticed, he locked the guard and snapped his neck.

Unable to catch the body because of its weight, Ryder allowed it to hit the ground. He stared at the door momentarily to see if anyone would come inside. Still, nothing happened. Realizing that no one else was around, he grabbed his olive-green shirt from the table.

That was when he noticed the box with the red liquid potions. Recalling that the Kitsune woman and the Lat girl had him this yesterday and much of his strength and wound healed, these must have been those healing potions that Fraeya talked about.

Besides that, he had yet to learn what these potions were outside of the name. All he knew from personal experience was that they accelerated the healing process. However, it was not instant like he had seen in video games or anime. One feature he noticed was the return of his strength, giving his body a more energized feeling; however, it did not last.

Seeing no choice, as he did not know what he would face outside this room, he took the court off one of the vials and drank it. The taste was bitter and thick, closer to cough syrup without flavoring. Within moments, he started to feel a surge of energy, as he had hoped. He would need all his strength to escape this castle and rejoin his people.

Ryder checked if he would wear the guard armor; however, it was too large for him. He then grabbed the shirts and headed toward the door. Seeing the hallways, he stood, trying to decide which direction to take.

The same spirit bug hovered around him as he waved his hand. Based on their footsteps, he knew that the girl and Kallem had left, so it would have been wise to go right, away from where the guards would flow. He took a few steps but hovered around him again.

As the captain waved his hand again to brush away the annoying bug, an image of his wife appeared in his head for a moment. The image faded away, and he deeply regretted his wife leaving him.

He shook his head and wondered if these potions would give off hallucinations but couldn't get the memory out of his head.

Regardless, Ryder felt he needed to move forward. He took a deep breath, knowing he would probably die. However, some of him couldn't abandon the girl for trying to save his life.

"No. Not again. Not this time."

Mathew Ryder turned around and ran toward Kallem and the girl with dual-colored eyes.