Ascian's gaze followed the girl, whose eyes were twinkling in joy. She did not look back again after defeating Baldrick, dabbing the sweat from her forehead and brows using her sleeve. She placed her sword back in the sheath and smiled as the crowd made way for her to leave. She nodded at that astounded crowd, her smile not leaving her face.
The moment the girl disappeared from his sight, Ascian wanted to follow her, his mind urging him to run to her. However, the crowd around him was making it difficult to move. They had gone berserk in shock and excitement as they started to push each other, and the vampires were shoved aside as they tried to follow the mysterious girl, who had defeated the great Baldrick.
Though they were irked by the way humans were behaving around them, the vampires stood still as they were still in a trance, and Ascian was controlling their minds. He had instructed them to not hurt even one human, and they did as they were told. Ascian noticed the way his army was enduring the way the humans were treating them, and his eyes narrowed dangerously.
Though he wanted to find out more about the girl, his army was his priority, and they had to reach Ismene soon. So, he gave up the thought to follow the girl, who had captured his heart and mind at the first gaze. 'Whoever you are, love, I'll find you soon. It's my promise, and Ascian never breaks his promise.'
With a confident smile, he directed his army back to the path that led to Ismene, and Liard took the lead, steering his family of Arrans towards their destination. Ascian took one last glance in the direction the girl had walked away before he trailed behind his army, his mind still unable to remove the girl's beautiful face.
The vampires walked as slowly as possible, controlling their power as many humans were walking around them. Though they glanced at them curiously, the distinct red eyes of the group of strange people intriguing them, nobody stopped them. So, Liard could maneuver through the crowd with ease and reach the borders of Ismene.
However, they had to stop, for they faced a gigantic wall that separated Ismene from Ingora. The wall looked to be constructed recently, and Ascian clenched his fist, grasping the reason for doing so. Ingora had isolated Ismene completely, prohibiting anybody from entering or leaving the kingdom.
"These despicable humans," He seethed, his eyes taking a lighter shade of red as fury consumed him. His army shivered on seeing their Lord's rage. They had never seen him this incensed, not even when he and his army had been banished from Arran. The vampires understood the reason for his anger, for they too were furious. The humans had become monsters to their kind by restricting movement between the kingdoms and forcing the kingdom of Ismene to suffer alone.
"Milord, what are we going to do now?" Liard queried, staring at the wall of separation.
Ascian looked at the wall in front of him before he turned back to gaze at the path from where they had come. "Let the wall be. If the humans want to isolate Ismene, let them. I'll make sure they will regret doing so for generations to come." Ascian's face was cold, devoid of any expression other than exasperation. There was madness in his eyes, urging him to kill the selfish humans. However, he controlled himself, for he had other matters to handle.
"Army," He commanded, trying to restrain his wrath. His army did nothing, and he was not an irresponsible ruler to unleash his wrath upon them for no fault of theirs. "We need to reach Ismene, and this puny wall of separation will not stop us. We will have to cross it, and we will have to do it before anyone spots us. If you trust me and are willing to follow me, jump onto the other side. However...."
Ascian did not even have to continue, for Liard had already jumped across the wall. One by one, the vampires followed suit until Ascian and Vulir were the only two left. Vulir glanced at his brother before he too leaped over the wall and joined the other vampires. The Lord's smile widened seeing the trust his subjects had on him, and he too jumped over the wall, landing beside Liard on the path that led to their future home.
The path was completely deserted, devoid of any sort of presence of life. The land seemed barren and the flora too was dried, marking their end slowly. Ascian frowned, seeing the situation in front of him. They were yet to reach the kingdom, and the situation was already this horrendous. He wondered how bad it would be near the kingdom.
The vampires did not hesitate to increase their speed this time, and they ran with all their might. It was somewhere past afternoon, and the sun was blazing in the sky, spreading its heat and warmth everywhere. However, the blazing sun did not hinder the vampires or their movements, for they were immune to it, and they continued to progress towards the land that was about to perish soon.
The moment they approached the entrance of the kingdom, the smell of death hit them hard. It was undoubtedly strong, and even the vampire children who were yet to develop and strengthen their senses could detect it from where they were. Wails and cries fell on their ears, and Ascian realized that the situation was worse than he had assumed it to be.
There were no guards to stop them, unlike the kingdom of Ingora, and they entered it with ease, cautious to their surroundings. But what they saw made them stop on their feet. They did not even have to venture more than few steps, for the humans were lying on the ground before them in a pile. It was a sight Ascian never wanted to see even though he had anticipated it. There was no human standing on their feet, healthy and lively. The plague had hit Ismene horribly, and the kingdom was as good as dead.
"Oh, Lord," Some of the ladies in his army gasped, and their voices broke his chain of thoughts. He shook his head, trying to formulate the plan to save the kingdom. Though he could just allow everyone to die before he rebuilt the kingdom again, that was the last thing he had in mind.
Ascian wanted the humans to live in coordination with his army. He wanted a harmonious environment where both the species could live in comfort and happiness. And the only way to do so was to save the humans, who were on the verge of dying.
"Army," He turned to face his subjects, his expression solemn and his reaction reticent. "Listen to me, and listen to me carefully. I do not want any blunders to take place. We will now try to save as many humans as possible. Remember, we want them alive and well. But if their situation is serious and impossible to save, convert them into one of us."
Ascian knew that his army would go berserk once they tasted the human blood. So, he controlled their minds to obey him. "Cremate all the dead humans. Let us give them the respect they deserve."
Ascian turned back when he heard a woman cry from somewhere afar. "Army, we will return the glory this kingdom once had, and we will build it from the scratch, for this our home now. This is our Ismene."