A ball the size of an adult dog's head was emitting a bright white light at the center of the dim room. The myriad of light showed a scene where a young woman waltzed her way as she savagely massacred the entire people in the Tessera Auction House.
A slight twitch from a set of onyx eyes was like a small ripple in the vast ocean — it was almost impossible to notice. The figure of a young man on a marble throne continued to watch the surveillance.
Amid the darkness, a sharp pair of fangs gleamed as the young man grinned menacingly, making his subordinate shiver. "What an interesting human."
The chilled subordinate did his best to control the pounding of his heart as sweat trickled down his back. "Shall I send the Wraiths to tail the human, My Lord?"
"No need. I can still smell the stench of blood from up here." An amused smile etched on the man's face. He stood up from his throne as he made his way to the tightly closed windows of his throne room. His movement was like the calm waves, so graceful and serene, not minding the damphir women he stepped on after draining them dry. The moment he flipped the curtains, the three moons welcomed him. "That little human is still in this city."
He touched the massive glass windows with his right palm. Not a moment later, the room chilled. As the temperature dropped, the glass window started to turn into ice, starting from the man's jade-like hand. The ice spread like a disease until the entire glass window turned into a freezing block of ice.
"Shatter."
The glass window shattered with one word from the man with cold eyes. The shards corroded into snowflakes before the night breeze swept them away.
The man inhaled with his eyes close. He filled his lungs with the sweet aroma of the human that stood out in this city full of pungent odor.
With his eyes closed, he remembered the woman's delicate face as she slaughtered anyone who stood in her way, which reminded him of the spider lilies — elegant but deadly.
The moment he opened his eyes once more, the temperature dropped more until a mist surrounded the opened throne room. Gone were the serene pair of eyes of the man, replaced with flashing scarlet eyes that reflected his urge to hunt the source of the captivating aroma.
'Soon, little human. We will meet soon.'
"My Lord, what will I do with Tessera Auction House? The owner wants to meet with you." The subordinate, though reluctant to disturb the peculiar countenance of his master, could not help but speak. It was his duty to sort out this kind of matter, but the Tessera Auction House was a big powerhouse rooted not only in the vampire territories but also in the other lands.
The man pursed his thin red lips, not even sparing the moroi a single glance. "Buy them. Tell them that the Vampire Lord eyed the Tessera Auction House for quite some time now. That will be enough to seal their useless mouths."
The subordinate bowed before he took a step back. He was about to disappear into the darkness when his master spoke in a gentle yet cold voice.
"Create a safe passage for the little human. I do not want to see her dead before I take her blood essence."
"Yes, My Lord."
"A HUMAN?" A man in black satin robes pulled his attention away from the array scroll he was decoding upon hearing the urgent report of the white owl. He tucked his loose long blue hair into a messy ponytail behind his right ear as he stood straight. His gaze was now fixated on his familiar.
The one-meter-tall white owl that landed atop his master's shelf cocked his head to the side. "Truly, master! The Vampire City is in an uproar since the entire Tessera Auction House was turned into a slaughterhouse by a mere human!"
A knot lodged between the perfectly carved brows of the man. He had long abandoned the array scroll on his desk before he trudged to the golden flask. The man poured a silver goblet with wine as he plopped his body onto the lavish long chair. His eyes focused on the swirling wine in his goblet as he crossed his legs like a spoiled rich young master.
"I thought that the Human Race has long vanished since the incident of fifty years ago. Turns out, there is still a surviving descendant of that pathetic race, huh." The blue-haired Lord's voice was gentle as the spring breeze, but the vileness of his words and the gleam of malediction from his silver eyes were anything but kind.
The white owl flapped his wings, showing how infuriated he was with the news. "Hmph! That human is malicious for sure, master! To be able to kill the other races with her waste-like body, I am sure she is hiding something!"
"Her?" The man abruptly stopped sipping the wine from his goblet. His gaze was now transfixed on his familiar.
"Oh. Haven't I told you, master? The human is a she!"
A small chuckle echoed within the luxurious office at the top of the Silver Tower. His eyes slanted into a moon-like crescent shape as dimples appeared on both sides of his cheeks.
But instead of smiling like the man, his familiar, the owl, shuddered. Ever since he signed the master-servant contract with his master, the owl could confidently say that he knew his master well. And the soft laughter he heard just now? It was an omen! An omen!
The white owl could only pity the human on the receiving end of his master's sinister plans. The white owl witnessed that those recipients of his master's so-called generosity died without even knowing why.
'Such a poor lass. If only that human remained pathetic, she would not have incurred the special attention of the master.'
The white owl's attention was snapped from his trance when his master stood up from his comfortable position.
"Master?" The white owl flew a little to follow his master before it landed on the table. He watched as his master changed his robe from black to white using his spiritual energy. "Are you going out, master? Can Orin come?"
The smiling face of his master made the white owl freeze. "Of course, you can, Orin. After all, I need a new sacrifice to test my transportation array."
Stupefied, the white owl remained frozen like a brick. The man smiled genuinely after seeing the reaction of his familiar. He took a step back to pat his familiar's head.
"Worry not, my dear familiar. Who knows? I may be able to acquire an interesting new familiar. Having a human as a slave... hmm. Not bad."
LUPINE PACK
BEASTMAN TERRITORY
"That bitch escaped? How? How!" Lucca Lupine smashed his office table into smithereens.
The communication tool blinked, indicating that the person behind the device was still there — listening to the Lupine Pack's eldest young master's tantrums.
A woman with frail-looking beauty bit her lower lip for a fraction of a second before she regained her calm demeanor as if the change of countenance was only a mirage. She caressed Lucca's back soothingly to calm his anger. "Young Master, my step-sister is nothing but a human. I can ask my mother to send his delta-ranked men to look for her."
Lucca, fueled with anger, slapped his lover's hand away.
"Aaah!"
"Shut up, Sabina! You know how important that transaction is for me, for us!" He could not give a damn with Sabina when 'that' man was coming back. He simply had no time to play house, especially that the day when the Elders would choose the next heir was drawing near!
Upon hearing her husband's claim to her wretched step-sister, Sabina could no longer hide the disdain she felt as she scoffed. "Young Master, that slut is only a human! A human! What use does she have for us? She should be happy that we sent her to the auction house! At least her wretched life has still some use for us —"
Sabina Terin, Sue Terin's step-sister, could not continue her spiteful remarks when a pair of clawed hands strangled her. Her body was raised high above the marble floor as she struggled against the firm grip of the man she had stolen from Sue Terin!
"Do not make me regret that I chose you!" His canines inched closer to Sabina's throat. His growls could not be suppressed. His golden eyes were surrounded by a red ring around his pupils, indicating that his wolf was slowly taking over.
"That bastard is coming back. I need a connection through the dealings of Sue's new owner to strengthen my backing. Those Elders favored that bastard ever since he showed his wolf! Sue Terin is my only hidden chip to succeed against that crazy bastard, do you hear me?" He threw the limp body of his lover away from him. Lucca was able to pull himself together from killing the heir of the Terin Bloodline. He could not dispose of her yet, for she still had some use for him, at least not now.
Lucca drew a deep breath while tugging his crimson hair. His bare torso heaved from calming down his fury as the tattoos that littered his arms were now drenched with cold sweat upon the mere thought that his younger brother was coming back anytime soon.
He could not let that happen! He must become the next Beastman King!
Lucca looked at the blinking communication tool on his shelf. "Mobilize all the beastman in the Vampire City. I want that bitch back here. And while you are at it, break a limb or two so she would not dare to escape from me again."
A solemn voice answered from the communication tool. "As you wish, Young Master."
When the communication tool stopped emitting light, Lucca turned his attention to the slumped woman near him. With a growl, he addressed her with gleaming golden eyes. "And you. Send the elite beastmen from the Terin Clan to intercept that crazy bastard. I want to be the only son of the Lupine Pack by tomorrow."
Sabina's leopard bloodline submitted to Lucca when the latter ordered her through the Alpha Command, a skill that only the descendants of the royal beastman race could use. She showed her marked neck as she answered with a trembling voice. "This subject promises to deliver Lucien's head to you, Young Master."