It was done. The traitors were punished, and the Original Vampire, Eduardo, was eliminated after a fierce battle.

His body was partially burnt, as if he had fallen into a remote-controlled barbecue grill by mistake. Fortunately, his hair was intact in its ponytail, unlike his precious clothes. The right sleeve was missing, currently tied around his waist, part of the collar, and random pieces that were lost during the fight.

Thank goodness none of my subjects are here.

It would be bad for them to see the one who had placed himself as a symbol of hope in such a situation, but he wouldn't deny Russischi's help if he conveniently appeared before his eyes.

Unfortunately, this didn't happen.

Vast walked the rest of the way to the Tower. Less than 300 meters, taking advantage of the calm moment to better analyze the structure. At least, that's what he intended, because just at the entrance — 50 meters remaining —, a familiar figure appeared. The aura made the introduction.

After checking the readings, he lowered his head, tired, and asked:

"How long have you been here, Carmilla?"

With her hands on her waist, the woman smiled. The open-sided dress displayed the monumental pair of thighs perfectly preserved — Vast had holes in his legs. Her eyes gleamed, a green like a vivid field on the first day of spring — Vast's struggled to keep the flame of life alive in his chest.

"I arrived shortly after the start of the fight. I've been watching from a platform on the outer wall of the Tower."

He searched quickly, but found nothing.

"So? Did you come to avenge Eduardo or…!"

He didn't even see when, but she was by his side now, close enough to give him a kiss. Despite the surprise, he didn't recoil, a fact due to what she held in her hands.

"Impressive how you would make such a sacrifice just to defeat that guy. You're always demanding when it comes to that." It was a set of new clothes, identical to what he was wearing now. "You wouldn't want to see the Eternal King looking all beaten up, would you?"

Vast didn't react, but he knew his joy was more than noticeable to the one who had been by his side since he could remember. So, without hesitation, he changed clothes.

He was now as good as new — except for the open wounds.

As he got himself organized, he looked her directly in the eyes. She was still by his side, the natural and pleasant scent of a clean person. But, despite a beautiful image, she still blocked the way to the Tower.

The question he should ask next was obvious, but there was another one he wanted to ask first. Gathering a bit of courage, he asked:

"Why? What was your reason for doing all this? Me, the castle, my subjects… What were your motives?"

He watched that sweet face express confusion for a brief moment. The delicate hand lightly scratching the slightly reddened cheek. Seconds passed like this until the answer finally came:

"I had the idea and… decided to test it out." She dropped the fake sweetness, returning to brutal neutrality. — I thought it would be fun.

But, unlike what she thought, the only thing Vast did was clench his fists and lower his face slightly, not enough to hide his expression.

"And what about me?" He raised his face again, still serious. "Emilia… Was she fake too?"

Carmilla gave a short smile. No, was her answer, this time managing to draw a short jump from the prince.

"I don't act, at least not like that show-off" she continued "I just made you see me in a different way. The intention at first was just to create a Cursed One with my blood and see what would come of it, but it turned out you were much more interesting than I thought."

"And do you intend to stop me too? I just killed an Original."

"Nah, I don't care what you do." She leaned down a bit, bringing their faces closer. The dominating aura. "But I think you won't let a cruel vampire like me live, will you?"

The prince now looked up, unaffected by that aura as oppressive as Eduardo's. Brief seconds where they stared at each other, and after a dense sigh, Vast said:

"Good."

Huh? Carmilla expected the grumble to come from the prince at some point, not from herself. Time to question was another thing she didn't have, because soon the boy added:

"I'm glad we won't have to fight. I don't think I could bring myself to kill you."

The relieved look on the prince's face gave a bit of color to the Vampire's pale skin for an almost nonexistent moment. She was quick to neutralize the beating of her heart — which should have stopped years ago — and stepped away with quick steps.

"Ye-Yeah, right! I'm too strong for you, darling. You wouldn't defeat me even in your dreams!"

"It's not in that sense that I mean." With his attention focused on her, he puffed out his chest and smiled. "Honestly, I don't think there's a man who, intentionally, would be able to kill the woman he loves."

She froze for a few seconds.

"The woman… he loves?" A quick reasoning that led her to scratch her face again, embarrassed. "Are you still on that? I kinda fooled you your whole life, you know?"

That's not it! Vast's firm voice completely dispelled that pose of someone who didn't care.

"You're a Vampire, and I really don't accept that. You're a cruel creature, no doubt, and I normally wouldn't hesitate to eliminate you. But… as much as you're this monster, you'll always be the first and only woman I've fallen in love with. If that sweet, caring, and charismatic girl I called Emilia was a part of the true person known as Carmilla, then it's enough for me to keep my love alive."

His hand went to his chest, crumpling the clothes. Carmilla, in turn, let out a long laugh and wiped away the tear that escaped.

"You're really very interesting." And a necessary complement. "And kinda crazy too."

Vast then began to walk. The vampire cleared the way, and now there he was, facing the entrance of the Conqueror's Tower.

It's been a long journey.

Twenty days passed quickly, but the amount of complications made everything slower. The enemies, the allies, the rests, and the fights that never seemed to end. After so much, he just needed to move forward.

"Carmilla, can I ask you a favor?"

Still by the boy's side, she put her arms behind her back and mimicked the bow she used to do when she was Emilia. "Speak, master!" The irony was evident.

"I'm entering here to find a cure that ends vampirism once and for all. I don't know what will happen, and in a situation like this, any kind of help, from anyone, would come in handy... That's what you must be thinking." He turned around, his gaze narrowed and his forehead furrowed. "But I can't afford this luxury. Whoever enters after me, if there will be anyone, needs to be as strong as me. So, if I can, I'd like to ask you to take care of that; don't let anyone weak enter this tower after me."

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She analyzed him with her usual neutrality on her face, allowing herself to waver with a short smile that didn't last long but was definitely genuine.

"I'll think about it; protecting the Tower is already part of my job, anyway. It's a good chance to meet other interesting people." She kicked a pebble, as if it were nothing. "But this is the last time we'll see each other. You know that, don't you?"

It was Vast's turn to give a short laugh. With the same joy he had expressed a moment ago, before turning around and walking into the Tower, he said:

"I'll carry you in my heart until the day I die. Thank you for everything, Carmilla."

"Goodbye, Vast." A response in the same tone.

***

Upon entering the Conqueror's Tower, Vast Los Filho had only one sensation: there was someone else besides him in the place.

He didn't feel the terrifying aura that Eduardo had spoken so much about that prevented him from entering. Perhaps it was a capability because he was a Cursed, or perhaps vampires themselves were prohibited from entering due to some other unknown factor. Either way, it didn't matter.

Just like the outside, the interior of the Tower was also made of that strange black metal. A type he had never seen in his life, and he was absolutely sure that no other nation possessed it. One of the reasons was how that strange material behaved.

Vast had made a point of slowing down his steps to observe such a thing. Certainly, there were no creatures, no matter how tiny they were. The only solution to the question would be invisible monsters; after all, how else would the walls move on their own?

Constructing, screwing and unscrewing. They relocated in other patterns and forms, constantly improving logistics and organization in a way that even the most ignorant person could perceive.

Speaking of the corridor, for a while, there was no sign of an end. However, after so much time running from one side to the other for countless reasons, having a single-path corridor to his goal left Vast relaxed.

And perhaps that's why he took a short scared leap. The darkness suddenly dissipated, and now he was at the end of the corridor, which led to nothing less than a hall. So large that the walls became invisible, replaced by darkness.

This is...!! He didn't analyze the surroundings. He didn't need to, nor would he dare. His initial action was simply to continue walking forward in a way he judged instinctive, towards something in the center of the place.

Despite being completely enclosed, a light of mysterious origin came from above. It bathed not a throne but a simple chair made of dark wood, equipped only with comfortable beige cushions for the buttocks, the back, and smaller ones on the armrests. It was at the same height as Vast.

However, it would definitely be bad to ignore the one sitting so simply, for he was the total opposite of the seat.

Vast approached close enough, staying ten meters away. He immediately kneeled.

It was instinct, and there was no reason to be ashamed of it. Any person, whether he, the King, Eduardo, or even Carmilla, he was more than absolutely sure that they would all do the same thing. After all...

What is this aura... What the hell is it!?

Unknown Race

Strength (Error)

Agility (Error)

Intelligence (Error)

Passive Abilities: Number exceeds calculable limits.

Active Abilities: Number exceeds calculable limits.

In addition to the inconvenience in the three base statistics, there were also two extra categories in the aura. Passive and Active Abilities. He had no idea what that meant, and to make matters worse, such information was not presented either.

"Please, raise your head."

The voice was that of an ordinary person, literally nothing special about it. Far from being that of a charismatic leader, a dictator, or a monster. In fact, if one tried to be as precise as possible, Vast would say it was like that of a curious teenager.

He obeyed the request, allowing himself to analyze the figure sitting right in front of him.

It was shrouded in shadow. Again, confusion. There was light of unknown origin, and although it illuminated this person, they remained covered by a shadow that many would not accept the existence of, starting to create conspiracy theories or simply giving up on everything they had seen so far.

However, there was only one thing visible in this man, something that somehow answered Vast's question: Why do they call him the Eternal King?

A simple answer: his eyes. Beautiful? Wonderful? Hypnotic? There were several definitions, but the prince couldn't choose one.

Both displayed with a total of three colors — red, blue, and platinum — divided in equal amounts in the iris, while the pupil was black, standard for all.

"Vast Los Filho," said the King. "What brings you here? Don't be shy, ask as many questions as you want, although I believe your time won't be enough for me to answer them all."

My name? The prince thought, startled. Was it the effect of some Curse? He looked down, wanting to hide his fear. In doing so, he noticed that in the front pocket of his shirt was his name, embroidered in an enviable and entirely legible way with a golden thread. Probably Carmilla's work.

He composed himself and took a deep breath. That man really didn't seem to wish him harm, so he had to make up for all the time the Vampires had made him lose.

"I'm here to put an end to Vampirism." Direct and to the point, but without a reaction from the King. "Legends say it's possible to make a wish to the Eternal King when one reaches the Tower of the Conqueror. Here I am."

"Hehe! So that's how things unfolded?" He looked up, clearly excited. "So you came here to wish that I put an end to Vampires once and for all?"

"If possible..."

The King chuckled briefly, far from ignorant or proud, simply surprised. After that, he looked at the prince.

"Before anything else... How honest do you want me to be?"

Vast swallowed hard but dared: "Completely. Using as few words as possible, preferably."

The King smiled and, as promised, began:

"I myself cannot do anything, I am merely an observer. The most I can do is provide you with the necessary situation to make your wish a reality." A brief pause to breathe. "And you, Vast Los Filho, are too weak to do this alone..."

The prince grumbled in response. He wanted to question, but would never do so. Even though, in a way, the Eternal King exuded a kind of humble aura, no one would think to doubt such a firm statement.

"However," he continued, "you can expect help."

And his expression jumped in surprise again. Expect? How could he do such a thing? The Curse had a time limit that would expire today, not to mention the wounds still open on his body. Blood manipulation was a good help, but it wouldn't last forever.

The King then pointed to Vast's legs and asked, "What wounds are you talking about?" He immediately checked, and to the surprise of some, his wounds were completely healed. Just like that, in an instant.

When did he...!?

He remembered the aura. Such a large number of active and passive abilities — whatever that meant — had become incalculable. Someone with so much power surely wouldn't claim to be capable of something just for show.

"How exactly would this work?"

The answer came quickly, but not before something else appeared in its place.

Vast blinked and an altar rose to his waist right in front of him, within his reach, separating him and the King. It was adorned with wavy details, seemingly handcrafted. The top had a base made of dark wood, with sides reinforced in golden metal, each extending into one of the four corners in the form of an inward-facing waning moon. At the top, nestled in the space created by these moons, was a crystal ball half the size of the prince's head.

While Vast admired that small structure, the King explained:

"I can put you in a state of hibernation, I imagine you know what that is. I can't say when, but I know that at some point, more people will arrive here with a goal similar to yours. Basically, I'll put you to sleep until that time comes." He pointed to the sphere at the top. "Place the palm of your hand on this ball."

He did, and the sphere began to emit a bright white light. Strong enough for Vast to close his eyes for a brief moment.

"When more people arrive and place their hands under this sphere, at some point it will turn green. Once this happens, you and the others who are here will wake up from hibernation, as it will be the sign that the minimum strength needed to meet the challenge has been reached. However, victory will still not be guaranteed."

A short period of silence between the two. The King noticed Vast's analytical gaze, focused on that sphere, perhaps even imagining the future, when that whitish color would finally turn into the green of victory.

"You may proceed."

The sudden declaration startled the King, who questioned right away.

"Are you sure? I thought you'd ask more questions."

"In fact, no. Just knowing that it will be possible to fulfill what I promised is enough for me to be at peace." He took a deep breath, relieved. "Besides, the sooner you put me to sleep, the faster I'll wake up."

The King stared at him for a few seconds, somewhat perplexed, before finally leaning back in his chair and, in a satisfied tone, saying:

"An interesting person." He raised one hand and snapped his fingers. "Very well, get into a comfortable position and keep one hand under the sphere."

Vast simply relaxed his torso and let his left arm hang loose. Then, a transformation began from the tips of his fingers.

Curious... His skin changed texture, but that was all. He felt no pain, no difference in weight, cold, or heat. It was the exact sensation of beginning to sleep after a long day of work. Both his body and his clothes were turning into stone.

Instead of panicking, he eagerly awaited the transformation. A cocoon that would hatch at the right time, he was sure, because the one caring for him was more than trustworthy.

"See you soon, Prince Vast."

"I thank you." He took one last deep breath. "So, until next time."

In a few seconds, his entire body was enveloped in that layer. His clothes and all his flesh turned to stone, a state of preservation as immaculate as the passing of time itself. He had become a sculpture that would make even the most incredible sculptors cry with admiration.

"Yes, until next time."

And thus, the interior of the Tower of the Conqueror fell back into absolute silence. Inside, one person now awaited the arrival of the next individuals, wherever they might be at this exact moment.