The moonlight cast long shadows across Nebula's dorm room, transforming the once-cozy space into an arena of tension.

Books lay scattered on her desk as if witnessing the unfolding situation. In the game, this meeting happened months later, after the Obsidian Vampires had rebuilt their strength and the Vampiric Father had recovered from his injuries. But this time, he was dead, and Munera Obsidian stood now, perched on the window like a predator sizing up her prey.

My mind raced through the implications. The timeline had shifted dramatically, and some things happened too early, too fast. In the game, Munera had appeared during the summer break, not during our first year. The changes I'd made by killing the Vampiric Father had cascaded into this moment, and I didn’t know how to counter it.

"I have to say, when you brought that titanic sword down at Father, I had no doubt you were lying about being engaged to Nebula. I was sure that you're some kind of demon who somehow learned about my daughter, perhaps through mind reading," Munera said as she jumped off the railing, her movements fluid like dark water. Her boots made no sound as they touched the wooden floor. "Imagine my surprise when I later learned that you indeed are engaged to her. Much of my rage and desire for revenge calmed down."

The air grew dense, and tension spread, making it hard to breathe. The small room felt even smaller, trapped under her aura. My heart hammered against my ribs, but I kept my face neutral. "What are you saying?"

"It’s complicated. Val, my younger brother, was the Young Patriarch. But he rejected the position after Father's death because he blamed himself. I took the seat and became the Matriarch." Her crimson eyes gleamed in the darkness. "As a daughter, I want to avenge my father's killer. While you didn't deal the last blow, I consider you as the killer. But as the leader of a withering faction?" She smiled, revealing perfect white teeth. "It's better to enslave someone of your caliber, no?"

"You're NOT going to do any such things, Mother!" Nebula moved from behind me, her arms spread wide in protection, a fierce determination burning in her usually calm eyes. The moonlight caught her silver hair, making it glow like a halo, casting ethereal shadows across her face that made her look more vampire than ever. Munera stared at her.

Nebula’s stance was rigid, protective, almost maternal in its intensity. "I've been telling you, you're not going to do anything to him! Not while I draw breath, not while I have blood left in my veins to fight with!"

"My dear, if you won't help me by seducing him as I asked, at least let me beat him into submission? When did you grow so disobedient?” Munera sighed, shaking her head. “It seems he's in a weakened state after the recent battle. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been in a coma for three days. I see he also lost an arm. Step aside now."

“....”

"Whatever the case,” Munera's voice dripped with false concern. “He's not as strong as he showed back then, or at least it's not something he can do anytime he wants. So, I can bind him with a [Slave Contract] beneath your control. He'll become your devoted slave-husband, and above all else, he'll remain faithful. Loyal.”

“You’re crazy,” Nebula said.

“What? No. At this moment, his loyalty toward you is questionable, believe me. But after the contract, his allegiance will be absolute. Everything will work out perfectly, my baby. Then we'll return to where you truly belong, Nebula. Move out of my way.

Nebula scowled, glaring at her. I stayed silent, my mind full of thoughts as I watched the mother and daughter clash with their eyes. I wondered what to do. I wondered what I could do. Then, I let my tense muscles slowly relax as an idea formed.

Sometimes, the best defense was a show of absolute confidence. To just wing it.

I dropped my fighting stance, letting out a deliberate sigh as I rubbed my neck, cracking it while maintaining eye contact with Munera. "I don't understand," I said, completely shifting my demeanor. I let my control slip, allowing Demonic Qi to leak into the room. The temperature dropped, and shadows seemed to writhe in the corners. "How does your mind work? You're confident I'm a weakling even though I annihilated your father in one blow? You believe I'm weakened because I let an 8th Ascension demon flee? Most of all, are you forgetting that you're merely a 7th Ascension? You're nothing."

I glanced at her level floating above her head.

[Munera Obsidian, Level 145.]

She was strong. Very.

But I had to bluff.

"Step aside, Nebula," I said in a voice full of command while Munera's eyes narrowed at my display. I straightened, channeling how the Heavenly Demon carried himself in his memory package. I noticed how different my demeanor was. "And my apologies if your mother ends up hurt."

Nebula immediately spun around, blocking me instead.

Fear flashed across her face, not of her mother now but of me. "Please, stop this," she begged, her voice cracking. "I don't want you guys to fight each other! You two... you two are both my families. Please stop!"

"Iskandaar Romani," Munera chuckled, a predatory grin spreading across her face. "I like that." Her aura exploded outward, filling the room with crushing pressure.

Our energies collided mid-air — Demonic Qi against Blood Mana — and the very walls of the room cracked under the strain. My jaws clenched. The clash of our energies turned the room into a whirlpool of power. Books flew off shelves, papers scattered like confetti, and the air was tense.

I held back my expression from shifting, worried. I thought she'd back off, dammit, now we're fighting?!

The temperature fluctuated wildly, one moment freezing from her blood magic, the next scorching from my demonic energy.

I was surprised. My initial worry faded as I realized something crucial, I wasn't being pushed back. Despite Munera's overwhelming presence, my stance remained firm, my energy holding steady against hers like an immovable mountain facing a storm.

Of course. How could I have forgotten? My energy level far exceeded that of a typical 5th Ascension. Plus, the will of the Heavenly Demon coursed through my veins, even if I was merely imitating it, each pulse of power rippled with the idea of who I had to be.

The very notion of crumbling before her seemed absurd now. I could feel my golden eyes blazing with intensity, matching her crimson glare.

Our auras collided like tidal waves, sending shockwaves through the room. We didn’t move from our spot and let our aura talk. Cracks spiderwebbed across the walls, and the window behind Munera shattered, sending glass tinkling to the floor. The furniture groaned under the pressure, wood splintering and metal warping. The carpet beneath our feet began to smoke, unable to withstand the conflicting energies.

Then I heard it. A choked gasp from Nebula. She stumbled between us, her face pale, struggling to breathe in the dense atmosphere we'd created. “S- stop…!” Her white hair whipped around her face from the supernatural winds we'd generated.

I blinked, but Munera moved first, breaking off her clash of willpower and catching Nebula by the shoulders before she could fall. Her crimson eyes narrowed as she steadied her daughter, maternal instinct temporarily overriding her predatory nature. She snapped her head back up to look at me, "You ought to be gentler, you know? She's your fiancée."

"...She'd be more hurt if I died," I feigned calmness and shrugged, my stance relaxing but my muscles coiled and ready. "I'll take that as my victory."

She scoffed but made no move to resume our confrontation, though her aura still pulsed dangerously. "Whatever. But… Allow me to apologize, my dear. I was simply testing you. Whatever your secrets are, I had to ensure you could protect my baby even if you couldn't use your secret skills."

Sure she was. I knew better. The predatory gleam in her eyes earlier hadn't been faked; she would have enslaved me if I'd shown weakness, if I had crumbled. But now she was changing tactics, trying to salvage the situation.

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The logic was simple: if she couldn't control me or kill me, the next best thing was to use her daughter's connection to me.

In her eyes, I was a powerhouse and would be immensely valuable to her struggling vampire clan. Perhaps having learned from her father's meaningless attempt at revenge for centuries, or maybe simply because I was her daughter's fiance, she didn't want me dead. I'd seen this kind of political maneuvering before. Otherwise, she’d have done more than an aura clash.

"Let's all calm down and talk," Munera suggested, helping Nebula to her bed. Her voice had taken on a honeyed tone that set my teeth on edge. She smiled at me from her shoulder, "There's much to discuss, don't you think?"

“Huh,” I lowered my guard slightly but kept my Demonic Sphere on high alert, its invisible tendrils mapping every movement in the room. Trust would take more than a few pleasant words among us. I'd learned that lesson the hard way too many times before.

****

Munera's posture had also shifted, the predatory tension bleeding away as she sat on the bed, cradling Nebula against her chest with surprising gentleness. “My poor baby…”

The moonlight streaming through the broken window cast strange shadows across their faces, highlighting how similar they looked despite their years apart. They had the same sharp features and silvery hair—though Nebula's was a shade lighter.

The sight was a little absurd, but it proved that even a villain had people they cared about.

"Sit," Munera gestured to the chair by the desk, her voice carrying that same honeyed tone that set my teeth on edge.

I remained standing, my back straight, golden eyes fixed on her every movement. "The professors will be here soon. That clash of energy wasn't exactly subtle. You want to sit and talk over tea in this situation?"

A smile played across her lips as she stroked Nebula's hair. "That’s an unnecessary worry. I've set up a spell to block energy detection from outside. It was bothersome to pull off, given the recent upgrade to your academy’s wards, but I managed. Why else do you think I'm so relaxed here?" Her eyes gleamed with amusement. "I'm surprised how cautious you are."

The room still felt smaller somehow, even though she didn’t radiate her aura anymore. Yet, she radiated invisible authority like a queen holding court. Books lay scattered around her feet, casualties of our earlier clash, their pages rustling in the night breeze through the broken window.

Nebula stirred in her mother's arms, her eyes clearing from the earlier clash as she pushed herself upright. "Mother..." Her voice carried. "Why are you here, really?"

"To meet my daughter, why else? Are you not happy to see me?” Munera asked.

“I am. Trust me, I am. When I first saw you, when you revealed you weren’t dead, I was delighted beyond belief. But then… then you had to bring up Iskandaar and your plans against him. I don’t like that.” Nebula’s words made Munera shift.

“I… That aside, I’m here to understand why my daughter rejects her heritage," Munera's voice hardened slightly. "Why do you refuse to feed properly, living off animal blood like some common beast? Why did you let that woman, that human who stole your father from me, look down on you?" Her fingers tightened in Nebula's hair. "You're better than this, my dear. You’re greater than this."

"Better?" Nebula jerked away, anger flashing in her eyes. "You disappeared for almost two decades! Left me alone with them, never once visiting, never once explaining! Can you blame father for remarrying when you fooled him with your death?" She stood, fists clenched at her sides. "And now you return, not to reconnect, but to control me? To judge how I live? To tell me to enslave my fiancé?"

The hurt that flashed across Munera's face looked genuine. She went silent, unsure how to react. A moment later, she turned to me, clearly attempting to change the subject. "Tell me, Romani boy. How did you really kill my Father? What are you truly?"

Nebula huffed to the side, frustrated at being ignored, while I considered my options carefully. Perhaps some truth, wrapped in convenient lies, would serve best here…?

Slowly, I let my demonic energy seep out again, filling the room with a heavy pressure that made the shadows freeze.

"I advise you to stop being curious. I am far more than what your limited perception can grasp," I said, channeling every ounce of divine arrogance I could muster. It sounded a little embarrassing in my head, but my demonic energy made up for it. A faint smile played on my lips as shadows darkened around me like eager servants. "The Vampiric Father was nothing before my power. A mere footnote in my journey. A mere Demigod.”

“....”

“Your pathetic attempts at intimidation earlier only confirmed how far beneath me you truly are, Obsidian Matriarch," I let my words hang in the air, heavy with implied threat. “I imagine you’d have met a different fate if you weren’t my mother-by-law.”

Sometimes the best way to deal with someone trying to assert dominance was to crush their ego completely. Even if it meant lying through my teeth.

"Is that so?" Munera's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Then perhaps you'd be interested in helping rebuild the Obsidian Clan?" She stood, pacing the room with measured steps.

An amused, mocking laugh escaped my throat, echoing in the tension-filled room. The sound held a sharp edge like steel sliding against steel. "You're asking for my help? Do you hear yourself?"

My eyes met Munera's, but unlike how I expected amusement to dance in their depths, there was only seriousness. The audacity of her request after what just transpired was almost funny.

"Mother!" Nebula's voice cut through the air, sharp with disbelief. "Do you understand what you just asked? Minutes ago, you were trying to enslave him with a Blood Contract, and now you want his help? Aren’t you embarrassed?" Her silver hair caught the moonlight as she stepped forward, placing herself between us again. "Stop this."

Munera's perfectly sculpted eyebrow arched upward, her lips curving into a smile. "My dear daughter," she purred, her voice dripping with honeyed venom, "whose side are you on?"

The question hung in the air, and I looked at Nebula for her answer.

She tensed me, her breath catching in her throat at the implied accusation as she looked away. The temperature in the room dropped several degrees as the broken window let in a chill breeze that stirred the scattered papers at our feet.

"I've already absorbed several smaller vampire factions. With ancient relics we could reclaim, further alliances we could forge..." She told me. Then, she turned to Nebula. "Your bloodline carries a unique trait, my dear. You’re special among your cousins and could be the face of a new era. Won’t you like to succeed your grandfather as the Obsidian Vampire? Support me here, help me convince this boy."

Without waiting for a response, her gaze shifted back to me, those ancient eyes flickering with calculated interest. “I won’t be convinced,” I said before she could, making her chuckle.

"Romani boy, come on. We could forget this bad blood between us. You were merely protecting yourself that day, acting on instinct like any cornered creature would. No reason to be eternal enemies, no? Besides, I don’t want my son-in-law to be an enemy." Her voice was soft, but I could taste the poison underneath. "My daughter will be the Queen of Vampires, and you’ll be her King. Doesn’t that sound fantastic? Join us, and together we could reshape the very foundations of this world."

"No," I let out a sharp breath. "I won’t join you, and neither will Nebula."

"He’s right, Mother," Nebula's voice trembled but held firm. "I won't be part of this. You can be the Queen or whatever. It’s not as if the prosperity of age restricts us, like how it happens with human Kings and Queens."

Munera's expression darkened. "You fail to understand the depth of my offer. But no worries, we have time. I’m not giving up just yet. Just think carefully about returning home, Nebula. About supporting your clan." She shrugged, moving toward the window. "I must help Mirella with her task. She must be having trouble since she’s this late. Once again, this discussion is not over. I will convince you, if not today then tomorrow."

Her form shimmered red aura flaring, shrinking, and twisting until a bat fluttered where she had stood. She vanished into the night with one last look at us, leaving only the cold breeze and scattered papers in her wake.

…..

That left the room in a heavy silence broken only by the whisper of wind through the broken window. The tension lessened as seconds passed, and I let out a sigh. “So that’s that, huh,” I said.

Nebula stood still for a moment, then turned and pressed herself against me, her arms wrapping around my waist tight enough to hurt. “I’m sorry,” she said, “for everything.”

I hugged her back, feeling her trembling slowly subside as she relaxed in my embrace. “It’s alright,” I kissed her head. Her silver hair tickled my lips, and I could smell the faint scent of lavender from her shampoo. The familiar comfort of her presence helped ground me too.

We stayed like that for a while, the moonlight casting long shadows across the floor. Neither of us wanted to break the moment. This quiet felt like a sanctuary after all the chaos with her mother, even if we both knew it wouldn't last.

I guess it’s much easier to swing my sword than arguing with my mother-in-law. I found the situation absurd.

"Can I..." Nebula's muffled voice pressed against my chest. She pulled back slightly, looking up at me with those striking blue eyes. The moonlight caught their depths, making them shimmer crimson. "Can I sleep in your room tonight?"

My heart skipped a beat. Not because that question touched me but out of panic. Shit, no. It will be troublesome with Lilian. I had no idea what my werewolf maid would do at that. I had to reject her somehow. "Hey, uh, your mother won't harm you in your sleep, you know? She might be intense, but she clearly cares about you in her own way."

I tried to keep my voice gentle, but my mind raced through potential scenarios, none of which ended particularly well.

A soft scoff escaped her lips. "I know that, idiot." She pressed her forehead against my chest again, her fingers tightening in the fabric of my shirt. The familiar scent of winter roses that always seemed to cling to her filled my senses. "I just... I don't want to be alone right now. Why? Don’t you want to?"

Double shit. I let out a long sigh, running my fingers through her hair. What could I do? After everything that just happened, I couldn't exactly refuse her. "Of course I do, love," I nodded, already dreading how this might play out.