Vast slowly opened his eyes. Walls of wood, somewhat rotten in some parts. In summary, an unfamiliar ceiling. He could sit up abruptly, but the familiar voices around kept him calm.

"Va-Vast! You're finally awake! Thank the Eternal King!!"

Vincent's face appeared in his field of vision. With the help of maids around, he managed to sit up. As he thought, he was in the room of an old house. At the door stood two elderly people — probably the original owners of the place.

The prince assessed his own body. Covered in bandages, he could be summarized as a mummy. Despite this, the fact that he was the only one in such a situation brought a relieved sigh.

"What happened?" he asked, squinting. "Is he dead?"

Funny to think that Vincent didn't even know exactly what he was talking about. People only saw huge mosquitoes flying, and maybe it was better that way. A normal mind should be spared the sight of a bloodthirsty Descendant.

The last thing he remembered was causing the mansion to collapse. If that thing were still alive...

"He's dead. We found the body under the rubble. He was already lifeless, but we exposed him to the sun just to be sure. Now he's nothing but a pile of ashes."

Vast stared at him for a few seconds, ensuring that the joy on that face was genuine. With certainty, he collapsed on the bed again, accompanied by a long sigh.

Great! There, hunched and wrapped like an ancient pharaoh — even the lack of blood was a canonical event —, he finally relaxed a bit. Of course, it lasted extremely briefly.

Almost at the same moment, he got up, questioning:

"Wait a moment... How long have I been out!?"

"Well..." The smile disappeared. Apparently, he expected Vast to take a little longer to remember the detail. "You've slept for two full days."

"WHAT?! AGAIN?"

He got up as if completely healed from his injuries. Two days meant that, of the total of twenty counting the last blackout, there were 13 days left to reach the Tower before the curse struck him.

To make matters worse, he wasn't that far away, perhaps halfway there. The original plan was to reach the Tower with plenty of time to spare, about three days at least, but there he was, busted in the first town he stopped at after leaving the kingdom.

"Prince Vast, I know it's complicated to hear this, but..." Vincent sat on the edge of the bed, staring at him. "Please, come back home."

The young man's expression closed, but not enough to be considered a grimace. Even with such a small reaction, Vincent was able to hear the next words before they were even spoken.

"I can't. I won't go back home after the things I've witnessed. The traitors of the kingdom, the vampires... Emilia! I will take care of each of these matters even if it costs me my life!"

The man sighed, accompanied by the lowering of the heads of each of the servants in the room. Everyone present only wanted the best for the prince, something obvious in the room's atmosphere. As a last resort, Vincent had to use something that could hurt his hero, but it was the necessary option.

"Vast, please understand that we only want what's best for you. The traitors and the vampires are indeed a problem, we all want something to be done about it." Vast was about to raise his voice, interrupted by the man's conclusion: "But Emilia is dead, my lord. What do you think she would say if she saw you in this state and still wanting to continue your journey, where enemies much worse than the one you just faced are waiting?"

Emilia... He clenched his fists, a wave of healing hit everyone in the room. Completely renewed energies as a trickle of blood ran between the prince's fingers.

"Vincent, she's alive!"

The man's lips trembled, ready to deny that confident assertion, but they were slower than Vast's.

"She's not dead, and... at the same time, not alive. I know this is hard for you to understand, but I need you to trust me. But here…" His clenched fist descended against his chest. "As long as this flame burns, she will continue to be the woman I love."

A brief moment of silence, broken by the sigh that came accompanied by a short smile on everyone's face in the room.

Vincent mimicked the rest of the people. He could insist, but both his mind and his heart knew very well that the man before his eyes would not be convinced by mere words.

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"If that's what you believe to be right, then I pray for your safety, Prince Vast!"

"I thank you. Thank you for everything you've done for me so far, Vincent. The Kingdom of Von Legurn will be eternally grateful to you."

He threw the sheet away, revealing the body that not even the several layers of bandages could hide how defined it was. Hard work in its purest form.

The new set of clothes was already prepared. A set similar to his royal attire, predominantly black with gold details — the hems and buttons of the shirt. Furthermore, it had been adapted for the Crimson Shooter. In other words, he didn't need to tear it to make way for the tubes through which his blood flowed.

After saying goodbye to everyone who had cared for his safety, Vast disappeared from the city like a shadow hit by the sun. Time was now more than short. A good distance still separated him from the Conqueror's Tower, and an even greater one stood between his ignorance and the truth of things.

Carmilla... Why?

An Original Vampire. Was Carmilla really… that person? The question was almost unnecessary, as it was impossible to manipulate the aura in any way, regardless of how powerful the individual was. Vast had never known anyone capable of doing so.

Why...? The heartbeats faltered for a moment, forcing him to abruptly stop running.

The brake worthy of a rally car making a drift raised a mass of earth, enough for him to stop abruptly and pose dramatically towards the city.

The mansion, the place where he last saw that figure, was destroyed. However, the foundation that supported Vast's heart was as solid as ever.

"Let's talk later, Carmilla."

He might never even hear about the Vampire again, but something made him feel that the moment would come someday.

Tump! Well, definitely not now. Tump! The heavy and somewhat muffled footsteps behind indicated the presence of the enemy. Roawr! A rather unusual one, by the roar.

Vast turned calmly. Before him, a mass of fat that stood on two legs to reach an intimidating three meters in height.

"A brown bear? Now this is something you don't see every day. Anyway, it arrived at a great time."

He aimed with the Crimson Shooter. Two shots, one tore off the animal's left ear, while the other turned into a rope that Vast took in his hands.

The animal prepared to flee at the same time, but it was already too late. The prince grabbed it by one of its legs and stared into its eyes.

"Very well, daddy bear..." He stretched the rope. A whip crack sound. "Get down on all fours."

Urgh! As much as he wanted to refuse, he had no choice.

Vast mounted the bear's back. It was certainly far from being like a white horse, but he had no intention of impressing any lady other than Emilia anyway.

All right, I'd better hurry before more complications arise.

Vast pulled the reins, and with a powerful roar, the bear dashed — a giant meatball when seen from above — toward the Conqueror's Tower.

The faster he went, the greater the chances of avoiding enemies and the easier it would be to make up for lost time. However, the world was already more advanced compared to him.

***

As night fell on the same day, the bands placed around the wreckage of Vincent's mansion were insufficient to prevent a couple of figures from making an appearance at what was the scene of an intense battle the night before.

"Vast Los Filho... Are we really talking about the same kid?"

The threatening and oddly misplaced sensuality in this scene male figure glared with his pair of eager eyes at the relaxed woman right beside him. With no immediate response, he shouted:

"Answer me, Carmilla!"

"Huh? Oh! Sorry, was thinking about something else here."

"You...! Ugh! Whatever. That kid has already caused enough trouble. What are you going to do about it?"

He stood up, placing one leg on a small pile of rubble and posing for the moon.

"Nothing. He's in your territory, not mine!" She smiled triumphantly. "Besides, I don't do anything for free."

Ah~! He sighed like a heartthrob, turning at a speed sufficient for his bangs to sway as on a rainy day — even though the sky was completely clear.

"Seems like there's no helping it. Well, anyway, I've sent my best lackeys after him." He glanced at the woman again. "Don't you care what's going to happen?"

She stared back for a few seconds, expressionless. Finally, she crossed her arms and sighed one last time, an impossible-to-identify feeling.

"What happens between me and a Cursed One is none of your concern."

"Heh! If you say so... I just hope you don't mind receiving a corpse as a gift one of these days."

"If it's from a hottie, I might even think about thanking you."

"Aff! You never change... But anyway, did you get any answers from that fancy guy?"

"He said everything will be fine as long as you follow the plan. You'll get your reward as soon as the ritual is successful."

With slow movements, Carmilla dipped one of her hands between her breasts, from where she pulled out a flower, a red rose in perfect condition.

"Eat this."

Eduardo hesitated, but was forced into action by recognizing the disguised tone of command. Despite its normal appearance, the texture of the petals revealed that this was no ordinary flower.

"Doesn't he trust me or something? Tsk! Using a trick like this on someone like me."

He could complain, but not refuse. His mouth opened to the point of breaking his jaw, forming a lizard-like maw, shattering his exuberant beauty. The flower was swallowed whole, his face regenerated in the next instant.

"He! You guys are so stupid." A smile on her face.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing."

He ignored her, but now out of patience, ended his sensual pose and snapped his fingers. "Lackey No. 1!"

A shadow immediately appeared by his side. Face hidden in darkness, only a sphere next to him was noticeable — the checkered pattern it had stood out.

"Yes, Master Eduardo!"

"Keep an eye on that prince. I'll need you to take care of him in case those idiots I sent fail in their task. Also, if that happens, make sure to eliminate them."

"Yes, Master! Keep shining and leave all the work to me!"

He said with satisfaction that brought a smile to Eduardo's face, one that wasn't seen by the lackey before he disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"Yes, you can be sure, I'll show this world a brilliance they'll never forget!"

He smirked mischievously, gazing at the rest of the city which was currently engulfed in night.

For the people, an excruciating brilliance was approaching, but Vast would only see the dense darkness hidden behind so much light.