"Aalakhor Archipelago?" (Lucian)
"Indeed... apparently, it's in the eses continent. One of the islands there has an undiscovered labyrinth, and in its heart is the crimson star we desire." (Noctis)
"That makes things easy." (Lucian)
"Not necessarily, we'll have to wait some months or maybe even a year or two for the stone to mature. Still, nothing stops us from planning ahead right?" (Noctis)
Noctis leaned back in his chair, a small smile playing on his lips.
"Elzed will do well," he said. "He's a ruthless one, one of the most efficient of the lower progenitors. I have no doubt he'll retrieve the crimson star for us."
Lucian nodded in agreement. "He's always been one to get the job done, no matter the cost."
Vyndariel looked skeptical. "But even with Elzed's prowess, it won't be easy to navigate through an undiscovered labyrinth. He won't have any maps or guides to help him."
Silvana spoke up. "But as Lord Noctis said, it won't be fully manifest for a few months or years. That gives us enough time to plan and prepare. We can come up with a strategy before then."
Noctis nodded. "Exactly. And once we have the crimson star, we'll be one step closer to our goal."
Fetoria, who had been standing quietly in the corner, spoke up. "I'll pass the news to Elzed, my lord."
Noctis turned to her, his eyes flickering open for a brief moment. "Good. And keep an eye on his progress."
Fetoria bowed before leaving the room.
It was then that Noctis noticed Velrossa, who had been standing silently by the door.
Noctis couldn't sense his power, which meant he was incredibly weak compared to the others in the room.
He waved at him casually. "Nice to meet you."
Velrossa bowed deeply in respect. "It's an honor, my lord," he replied.
Noctis didn't seem overly interested in him and went back to sipping his glass of blood.
The conversation continued, with the group discussing the various preparations needed for the ritual.
...
Fetoria and Velrossa exited the room and walked down the long, dimly lit hallway, their footsteps echoing against the walls.
Velrossa, who was usually the quiet one, broke the silence.
"I didn't expect Noctis to be so laid back," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I didn't expect such from the supreme ruler of all vampyres."
Fetoria chuckled softly. "Lord Noctis is always like that," she said. "I've never seen him serious before, and I hope I never have to."
Velrossa nodded in agreement, his reticent nature keeping him from saying more.
But Fetoria seemed to sense his curiosity.
"There are twenty progenitors in all," she said, leaning in closer to Velrossa. "But the lower fifteen can't hold a candle to the upper five."
Velrossa raised an eyebrow. "I know that already," he said.
Fetoria grinned. "But did you know that in the upper five, the third to fifth progenitors can't hold a candle to Lucian and Noctis?"
Velrossa was surprised, the pecking order in this world of vampyres was absolutely unbelievable.
"I never wanted this," Velrossa said quietly, his voice laced with a hint of sadness. "I had no interest in becoming a vampyre."
But Fetoria didn't give him a choice, and he was stuck with this eternal life.
"You may grow to become as strong as the five progenitors someday," Fetoria said. "After all, you're a Dark Child of Azazoth."
Velrossa sighed, wishing she wouldn't call him that. "What makes you think that?" he asked.
Him becoming as strong as the five originators didn't seem realistic.
Fetoria shrugged. "I don't know, call it a hunch," she said, a playful tone in her voice.
"An unrealistic one.." (Velrossa)
"Who knows... there might be other ways to become a progenitor." (Fetoria)
Velrossa remained ambivalent.
As they walked down the dark hallway toward Elzed's chambers, Fetoria felt a twinge of disgust and fear coursing through her veins.
She knew what awaited them - the gruesome scene that was all too familiar to her.
Her heart pounded as they approached the door.
She hesitated before knocking.
But she knew they had to go in.
Noctis was counting on her to deliver the message to Elzed, and she couldn't refuse him.
After the second knock, Elzed's voice boomed from inside. "Come in," he said, his voice echoing through the hallway.
As they entered the room, Fetoria suppressed a shudder as the smell of blood mixed with sex assaulted her senses.
The walls were lined with the headless bodies of naked women, their blood spattering the walls and floor.
And there was Elzed, sitting on his bed, completely naked except for a blood-stained white garment barely covering him.
He was holding the severed head of a woman in one hand, and his eyes were fixed on Velrossa as soon as they entered.
Fetoria didn't flinch at the sight - she had seen it all before.
Actually, she only hesitated because she taught it'd be worse.
But this was Elzed showing his empathy.
For Velrossa, it was clearly a shock.
He adjusted his mask.
His body trembled as he watched Elzed take a bite out of the woman's skull.
Elzed raised an eyebrow when he saw Fetoria.
"Ah, my dear Fetoria," he said, his voice dripping with malicious intent. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"
Fetoria gave him a small smile. "I have a message from Lord Noctis," she said, her voice steady.
Elzed grunted. "And who is your guest?" he asked, eyeing Velrossa.
Fetoria introduced him, and Elzed sneered. "Another dark child," he said, his tone cold and heartless.
Elzed then proceeded to devour the rest of the woman's head as though it was nothing and then hopped down from the bed and stretched.
He walked toward Velrossa, his eyes glinting with cruelty.
"I have one question for you," Elzed said, his voice low and menacing. "Do you think I'm pretty?"
And then, without warning, Elzed's head morphed into the dead woman's face, and he spoke in a high-pitched voice that sounded like hers.
Velrossa felt a chill run down his spine.
This man was senile.
'So this is Elzed, the twelfth progenitor,' he thought.
Elzed approached Velrossa, his face still disguised as a woman.
Slowly, he brought his hand up to Velrossa's mask, attempting to remove it and steal a kiss.
But Velrossa pulled away, adjusting his mask quickly.
"What are you doing?!" Velrossa hissed. "Get away from me!"
Elzed chuckled. "Oh, come on, Vely. You know you want me."
Fetoria scolded Elzed for playing around and commanded him to stop.
"This is not the time for your games, Elzed. We have business to discuss." (Fetoria)
Elzed let out a sigh and his face shifted back into his true form.
It wasn't necessarily his true form.
Elzed was a headless demon turned vampyre.
「Headless demons are a subspecies of demons born without heads.
But when they eat the head of another they not only gain the ability to manifest their victim's head.
They also gain their memory and experience.」
"Alright, alright. What do you want, Fetoria?" (Elzed)
Fetoria explained that Noctis had assigned Elzed to watch over a labyrinth in the Aalakhor Archipelago until it was ready to be explored.
Elzed groaned.
"Just the thought of being stuck on some stupid maze is giving me a headache. Is that why you disturbed my feast?" (Elzed)
Fetoria's voice was cold. "I did not come here to entertain you, Elzed. I came to deliver a message from Lord Noctis."
Elzed smirked, his eyes cold and calculating. "Ah, yes. Noctis, our dear boss. What does he want now?"
He didn't even care to refer to their supreme ruler as - "Lord Noctis."
"He wants you to carry out this mission, Elzed. It is not negotiable." (Fetoria)
Elzed's smirk turned into a sneer. "You forget, Fetoria, that I am a powerful progenitor myself. I answer only to Noctis, not to you."
Fetoria's voice grew harder. "You may be powerful, Elzed, but you would do well to remember your place. I am a higher progenitor, and as the seventh progenitor, I outrank you as the twelfth. I could command you to do anything I please."
Elzed's eyes flashed with malice. "You're right, Fetoria. You can do whatever you want. Unfortunately for you, that also means I can do whatever I want. Don't forget that."
There was a deafening silence in the room.