Arlo was perplexed about why the leader would suddenly shout, after all, there was no one before them.
It didn't take him long to realize why.
A cloud of darkness suddenly streaked from afar toward them. From the direction it came from, Arlo could tell it was coming from the faraway fort.
In a mere instant, the cloud of darkness arrived before them.
'What?' Arlo screamed in his mind.
'Fast!' He looked intently at the cloud of darkness on the ground before them.
*Whoosh.*
The cloud of darkness roiled about for a moment before a figure swished out from within it.
Arlo stumbled back a few steps from the sudden emergence of the man.
The man before him was adorned in black armor, and he held a black spear in his right hand.
Arlo's eyes widened slightly.
'How handsome!' Aside from his dad, this was the most handsome man he had ever seen.
His hair was stunning black with a few streaks of white mixed within it. His iris was black, however, his pupil was a thin black slit. Most importantly, his skin was pale white, and he looked like a person who already had one foot in the grave.
"Speak." The man said.
"Yes." The leader affirmed respectfully, his waist bent forward in a bow.
"I am here to sell a royal from the central continent," the leader continued as he pointed a finger at the trembling Joe who was still on the ground.
"Oh!" A look of interest appeared on the man's face.
"Hehe, that is not all. I am also here to sell a human," said the leader, as he pointed his finger this time at the standing Arlo, his trembling finger betraying the excitement he was feeling.
"WHAT?" sure enough, the man let out a small scream. He quickly focused his entire attention on Arlo.
After three breaths.
"A Human!" he said, as he felt his heart thumping faster. His black eyes suddenly turned scarlet red, and two long fangs protruded down from his mouth.
Looking at the sudden transformation of the man, and his fiery gaze on him, Arlo's scalp turned numb. His body turned cold, and he felt a primal fear well up within him.
However...
"Be still!" a feminine voice suddenly resounded.
Hearing that voice, the black armored man suddenly fell with his head kissing the ground as he voiced out respectfully:
"MY LIEGE!"
Arlo looked above him and he saw a woman standing in the air.
*Gasp* Arlo gasped softly as this was the first he saw someone flying.
He focused his vision on her and was shocked once more.
This woman was tall, too tall. Arlo could not tell her exact height but he could swear she was above 3m.
What shocked him however wasn't her height, it was her appearance.
This woman was simply beautiful. She fell just a little short of his mum.
She had long snow-white hair that cascaded like a waterfall down her back. Her eyes were ruby red, and her pupils were red long slits. Her eyes were simply enchanting to look at.
Moreover, just like the armored man, her skin was pale white, however, unlike the armored man, it didn't make her look like she was sick but added to her natural beauty.
"Huh?" Arlo was suddenly perplexed.
He was shocked to see that the woman was looking at him with two contradicting emotions flashing in her eyes.
He could recognize one emotion as his mother was the only one who looked at him like that. It was familial love!
The second emotion however was hatred. She looked at him as if he had stolen the most important thing in her life.
This continued for several breaths.
…..
'This aura.'
'He really is the one,' Scarlett thought to herself.
Her body trembled slightly from the myriad of emotions welling up within her.
Joy.
Anger.
Pain.
Grievance.
After a while, she collected herself and said a single word.
"Leave."
"YES, MY LIEGE!" the armored man voiced out before he morphed back into a cloud of darkness and streaked into the distance.
Only now did Arlo realize that at some point, both Joe and the leader had lost consciousness as they both lay on the ground.
However, for some reason, he didn't panic.
He felt some form of cordiality with this grand woman in front of him.
A few minutes passed, however, neither of them said a thing.
Arlo waited for her to initiate a conversation while Scarlett just continued to gaze at Arlo, seemingly without any intention to talk.
After a while, Scarlett closed her eyes.
"Huh?" Arlo was a bit stumped on the spot but he still decided to hold his tongue.
What he didn't know was that Scarlett was actually communicating with her subjects.
"My children!" Scarlett sent out telepathically.
"OUR LIEGE!" Tens of thousands of vampires from across the northern and eastern continents responded respectfully.
"NONE SHALL DRINK FROM THIS CHILD'S BLOOD!" continued Scarlett, with a warning tone in her voice.
An image of Arlo was imprinted directly into the mind of every vampire in this world.
"YES!" they all responded respectfully once more.
Scarlett cut off her connection to all her subjects; all but one.
"Grandma!" a cold voice echoed out in Scarlett's mind.
Focusing on her connection with the snow-white-haired girl of about ten years old with a cold temperament that didn't match her age, Scarlett replied in a gentle voice:
"Yes?"
"You have been in seclusion for more than two years now, however, you suddenly appeared because of him. Who is he for you to act in such a way?" the little girl asked in confusion.
Scarlett didn't reply for about two minutes, however, the little girl didn't pester her and simply waited for her reply.
After a short while, Scarlett finally spoke:
"Find out yourself." She didn't wait for her granddaughter's reply and immediately cut the connection between them.
Scarlett opened her eyes, and she fixed her gaze on the still-waiting Arlo.
"Count Vlad!" her voice echoed out.
*Whoosh!*
Unlike the armored man that appeared from a cloud of darkness from the ground, a dark smoke fell from the sky and a middle-aged man adorned in a black robe that covered all his features apart from his head kneeled beside Scarlett.
"MY LIEGE!" he said respectfully.
Arlo almost fell on his butt from the appearance of this man.
Since only the head of this man was visible, Arlo inspected him in curiosity.
Long silky black hair that fell down his back, with several streaks of white mixed within. Just like the armored man, his face was very pale, however, he was far more handsome than the former.
"Take this boy with you. No need to give him any preferential treatment. Treat him as you would any human," said Scarlett.
Count Vlad flashed in front of Arlo, his hand stretched out toward him.
"WAIT!" Arlo shouted quickly as he took a few steps back.
Count Vlad frowned, then snorted as his hand once more moved to grasp Arlo.
However...
"Wait!" Scarlett voiced out lightly.
Count Vlad immediately came to a stop, and responded, "Yes my liege."
Scarlett looked at Arlo, her intention very clear.
"Thank you."
"Please, can I bring him along with me?" Arlo pointed at the fainted Joe.
Scarlett didn't shift her gaze to the direction he was pointing at and simply spoke one word:
"Why?"
"He is the first friend I have ever made," Arlo implored her.
Scarlett looked at him for a short while before she shifted her gaze to Count Vlad and nodded her head.
"YES!" Vlad bowed respectfully.
A thick cloud of darkness extended from him toward Arlo and Joe and then the three of them vanished from the spot.
"Count Aizen!" Scarlett called out.
*Whoosh.*
A man appeared beside her and bowed respectfully.
"Handle him." She waved her hand at the fainted leader, and she turned around, about to leave.
"My liege, how much should I give him?" Aizen asked this question as the boy this man brought seemed to be important to his Liege, and he wasn't sure how to reward him.
Scarlett turned back, her face cold as she asked with an icy voice:
"He laid his hand on my young master, and you wish to reward him?"
Count Aizen upon seeing Scarlett's glare immediately fell and prostrated with his face kissing the ground:
"I don't dare. I don't dare." He repeated twice as his body trembled from fear.
"Humph." Scarlett harrumphed in displeasure, and then she immediately disappeared.
Only two words kept echoing in the mind of the still-prostrated Count.
'Young master?'
AN: Thanks to all those following the novel.