After the incident at Parliament, Ana was left mentally scarred.
Fear.
An emotion she had never felt before attacked her like a pack of wolves, ripping apart her fragile mental state.
It didn't take long before Ana was forced to run like a coward and hide in her bedroom.
A sniveling mess, she already accepted the fate of BoneHaven.
Everything would die and there was nothing she could do about it.
Hopelessness burrowed its way in as well and soon, she sat at a corner, repeating the same words over and over again while the voices in her head grew distinct, tempting her to let go… asking her to break the seal.
Alex stared at this with a complicated expression on his face.
Closing his eyes, he felt his consciousness spread, reaching the four corners of BoneHaven.
He quickly understood the situation.
BoneHaven was close to ruins.
Basar was about to win as it was already the third day… the promised day that would spell the end for BoneHaven and the beginning of the end for the Zion Empire.
"I didn't think he would play such a card. He must be desperate." Alex muttered.
Sighing helplessly, he had to accept that he had lost the battle with Basar.
Of course, the war was yet to be over.
Alex quickly gathered his subconscious before making his way over to Ana.
He crouched in front of her and reaching out, placed his palm on her head.
Gently rubbing it, a serene calm came upon Ana.
She stopped trembling and her repetitive statements ended with the voices quieting down.
Taking a moment to catch her breath, she slowly raised her head before making eye contact with Alex.
Her irises, which were as wide as saucers, quickly narrowed into slits before she muttered.
"Alex… are you there?"
Taken aback for a moment, Alex casually replied. "Yes. Can you hear me?"
"... You must be far away," Ana said. "How are you able to communicate with me?"
Alex pursed his lips as he was also unaware of how that happened.
However, a quick scan and he quickly deduced a possibility.
For some reason, Ana's shadow looked darker than it should while indoors.
"You are my subordinate. Isn't it right that I have the means to communicate with you at all times."
Ana revealed a thoughtful expression before she nodded. "That makes sense."
"What happened?... I didn't think the great dragon would be in such a state. Is the Eye of Truth that powerful?"
"I… I don't know what came over me. But the moment I heard the Eye's voice in my head… something I'd never felt in my life came over me and robbed me of my senses. I couldn't think straight and I found myself hallucinating and imagining the worst."
Alex nodded. "And now?"
"Now… I'm calm. The situation is indeed dire but… we can salvage it somehow."
"That's good." Alex was satisfied with her statement as he wanted to say more only to feel a sharp pain.
'It would seem I can't maintain this state for long'
"Will you help us?" Ana asked. "I know you don't have to and I could also easily run away but… the people of BoneHaven. I…"
"Await my arrival, Ana. I will be there soon."
With that said Alex disappeared from the room and returned to his body, leaving Ana to ponder on his words.
Biting down on her lower lip, she clenched her fist. "This is not befitting of a dragon. I must stand ready for his arrival!"
However, hardly had she finished those words when a familiar trumpet sound echoed across BoneHaven.
The time had come!
***
Alex opened his eyes to the familiar clear blue sky with the Lightbringer open.
Blinking a few times, he sat up to find Emily snuggled next to him, sleeping rather peacefully.
He had a smile on his face as he checked her pulse before glancing at her stomach to discover that it was no longer bulging, returning to its normal shape.
Heaving a sigh of relief, Alex felt good that everything had worked out well in the end.
Before he passed out, he was sure that someone had gone after the monstrosity that attempted to take Emily and the other villagers away.
"Could that have been Douglas's master?" Alex wondered as he attempted to survey his surroundings only to find Douglas hanging in midair not too far away.
His skin was torn at different places and his arms and legs were tied apart with a thin white light connected to an area in space.
Douglas didn't seem to be in good health as his breathing was unstable and his heart rate was abnormally slow.
Alex frowned at the sight as he quickly activated his spirituality to discover that Douglas was poisoned.
It was the poison which stopped him from regenerating and also caused his pulse to be abnormally weak.
Standing to his feet, Alex made his way over and without asking questions, grabbed Douglas and tried to pull him down.
"Those are not ordinary ropes that can be cut so easily." A female voice was heard at that moment.
Alex paused and slowly turned to find a woman stepping out of the void.
Dressed in black leather tights while carrying a parasol over her head in one hand and a serrated whip in the other with a black cat curled around her neck, she reminded Alex of a certain dominatrix he had come across during one of his missions on Earth.
Of course, the one before him had an unnatural beauty and some inhuman features like abnormally pale skin, and elongated ears and she was floating in midair.
"You are?" He broke the silence that lasted for a full minute.
The lady smiled at his casual demeanor. "Lady Victoria the Third."
"I see…"
"And you?"
"Hmm?"
"What should I call you?"
"Alex."
"No" the lady, no, Victoria shook her head as a sinister grin formed at the corner of her alluring red lips. "Your true name."
"I don't quite understand your request."
"We both know you aren't Alex… so I'd like to know, who are you?"
Alex furrowed his brows for a moment before ultimately sighing as he remarked. "Is there even a reason for a disguise anymore?... It's almost like any new person I run into knows I'm not Alex."
"Huhu… don't feel bad. Your disguise is quite good. Unfortunately, Douglas told me everything I need to know."
"He must have a big mouth," Alex said.
Victoria chuckled. "Not at all. But then, he is sired to me so he has no choice but to answer my questions when I ask."
"Sired?"
"Indeed, do you not know of such a simple concept?"
"Enlighten me."
Victoria smiled. "When a Trueborn Vampire transforms a human into a Vampire, they become newborn. This concept is different from humans taking the blood of us Vampires to become Monster Wheel Mystics."
"A Vampire?" Alex raised his brow.
Victoria bowed slightly. "Indeed, I am. Do I catch your fancy?"
"Keep explaining."
"Hah, no fun." Victoria sighed. "I saved your brother after he was attacked and bitten by a vampire."
"But he has werewolf blood."
"It was sealed when it happened."
Alex furrowed his brows. "So you helped him survive by turning him into a vampire while he was still human and because of that, the seal on his bloodline was unlocked?."
"Indeed, you are quite smart," Victoria said excitedly.
"Quite intriguing," Alex said. "So Douglas is sired to you because you transformed him into a vampire."
"Exactly. I knew you'd get it."
Alex nodded. "Alright."
It was enough to know that Douglas hadn't spoken of his free will.
"So what is your name?"
"Is there a point in you knowing?"
"I like to know the names of my pets before I catch them."
Alex raised a brow. "Pet?"
Revealing a most sensual expression, Victoria licked her finger as she replied. "Indeed. You would make a very fine pet."
"... Hmm." Alex cracked a smile. "I do thank you for helping me take care of the monstrosity that attempted to destroy Townsend but there is no need to overstep your boundaries."
"Boundaries?" Victoria looked amused. "I didn't kick back that disgusting entity to save you. I did it because I naturally dislike Otherworldly. Those creatures are disgusting and I'd like to beat up as many that come my way."
"So you won't listen?" Alex had reached the edge of his patience as his expression turned unnaturally cold.
Victoria smiled. "Don't resist and there would be no reason to treat you like that disobedient idiot over there."
"Disobedient, you say?"
"You talk too much. What is your answer?" Victoria's authority rushed out like a flood and suppressed Alex… at least, it tried to.
Taking a deep breath, Alex sighed. "You wanted to know my real name, yes?"
"..." Victoria had an unnatural look on her face as she realized Alex was still fine.
"Let me tell you."
Pa