"How does it feel? If you have given more time, you can kill that wicked witch, you know that. Your swordsmanship was perfect. You can cut anyone, and you can kill anyone. If you want more power, I will gladly give it to you; just call out my name, and vengeance will be yours."
Woke up in an unfamiliar room. Craig got up from bed. He looked around and saw Dumbo asleep on a chair nearby. He remembered a strange dream. Someone was talking to him; he recognized the voice, but he couldn't remember who it was. Later on, Dumbo also woke up and greeted Craig.
"Good morning, even though there's no morning here," Dumbo said while smiling at Craig.
"Are you alright? We were worried when you suddenly passed out on our way here," asked Dumbo.
"I'm fine, but I can't remember anything. What happened? "Craig replied.
"We hadn't gotten far from Aurdim's camp when you suddenly fell to the ground. You were unconscious and weak; we were worried, so Aurdim carried you on his back and ran here to the colony," Dumbo answered.
"My blade, where is it? "Craig asked while trying to find it in the room.
"Aurdim hid it; he suspects that the blade was the cause of your passing out," Dumbo replied.
"Where is he!? I need my blade! "Furious Craig asked as he stood up from the bed.
In an instant, someone knocked on the door,
"Dumbo, is he awake? "Asked by Aurdim, who was knocking on the door. Dumbo opened the door and let Aurdim talk to Craig.
"How do you feel? "asked by Aurdim.
"I'm fine; just give me my blade," Craig answered in rage.
"You'll have it after your meeting with our elder," Aurdim answered.
"And why is that? "Craig asked.
"It's just a precaution; our elder is somewhat different," Aurdim answered. "She's waiting for you; let's go," he added.
"I'll wait here," Dumbo said.
"My friend, you're in luck; the elder also wanted to see you," Aurdim told Dumbo, who was happy and excited.
"Maybe she misses the taste of human blood," Aurdim said to scare Dumbo.
"I guess I'm staying here," Dumbo replied, stuttering out of fear.
"Hahaha, just kidding, let's go, both of you," Aurdim said while laughing. The three of them went outside the room, then headed straight to the throne room, where the elder waited.
They reached the throne room door, which was big and elegant with medieval architectural design. Aurdim led the way into the room, and as they entered, they saw a woman sitting on a black throne; she's the elder.
"What took you so long, Aurdim, dear? "The elder asked Aurdim.
"Well, you know, I-I-I waited for Craig to wake up," Aurdim answered, stuttering.
"Is that so? "The elder replied, then she looked to Aurdim's companion.
"State your name, humans," the elder ordered Dumbo and Craig.
"My name is D-D-Dumbo, son of Hurakzia Zilk," Dumbo answered, stuttering.
"Ho, you've been adopted by that orc shaman, huh? Just like my sweet Aurdim," the elder responded as she looked at the embarassed Aurdim.
"How about you? "The elder asked Craig as she pointed at him.
"My name is Craig," answered Craig, but he stopped because he didn't know what last name he would give. Then an idea popped into his head. "Snow, Craig Snow, I am here to slay some witches," Craig added confidently.
"When you say some witches, do you mean all of them? Because there's not so many witches here after all," the elder replied. "I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Yshmilia Vorkhel, one of the four elders, head of the Vorkhel Royals," the elder proudly uttered.
"Royals? I've never thought royal vampires still exist," Dumbo replied.
"Well, we can't let the royal blood go extinct since our family was the greatest and almost perfect kind of vampire. After we've been exiled here, we tried our best to start again, and here we are, the vampire colony," Yshmilia said.
"Are you and Aurdim related? "Dumbo asked the elder.
"Hey, Dumbo, don't talk so casually to her; she's the elder, our leader, more like a queen," Aurdim angrily told Dumbo.
"Hahaha, he's my adopted son, like you were adopted by Zilk. I don't want to waste his potential; even as an ordinary vampire, he had talent," Yshmilia answered.
Aurdim walked closely to the elder and whispered to her, "My lady, you're embarrassing me." Yshmilia hugged Aurdim out of joy.
"Hahaha, don't be ashamed; you will always be my baby boy." the elder uttered while laughing, then she became serious and said, "Aurdim already told me about everything, and honestly, this is the worst." the elder somberly said. The room was filled with silence when suddenly Yshmilia happily shouted, "Good thing, I'm on my way to my slumber, so I don't have to deal with this, hahaha." Aurdim slapped his forehead out of shame.
"Slumber? "Craig confusingly asked.
"It was the time when an elder slept in their coffin. Only one elder can rule the colony at a time. Every hundred years, one of them awakes to replace the current elder," Aurdim answered.
"And why is that? If all of the elders wake up at the same time, maybe we can win against the enemy," asked Dumbo.
"That can be done, but we won't, because of our people," Yshmilia answered.
"Here in Igdris, there are certain laws that maintain the balance of power. According to the equilibrium law, an entire race can't exceed their population based on their overall mana limit. After all, mana is power," Yshmilia added.
"I don't get it," Dumbo confusingly said.
"Each witch has an immense amount of mana, so they can't maintain a large population, not to mention their queen, whose mana is almost limitless. However, our race seemed to have a balanced distribution of mana for each ordinary vampire. While the royals, since we're much more powerful than them, have an extraordinary amount of mana," the elder elaborated more.
"What happens when you exceed the mana limit? "Craig asked.
"An unevitable death for your race will occur to balance the mana limit. It's random, so even an elder like me might be a casualty," answered Yshmilia.
The room filled with tension, and all of them imagined the horror brought upon their race if they didn't abide by the law.
"But we've discovered a loophole, and that's where our slumber came from. Once one of us sleeps, we are exempted from the equilibrium law; that's why the four of us decided to rule the colony, one at a time," the elder said.
"Now I understand. If you're going to sleep, then who's going to replace you? "asked by Dumbo.
"It's up to them who will wake up," answered Yshmilia.
"But if there is an upcoming war, I hope Alucard will lead," she added.
"Alucard? "Craig asked.
"The strongest of them all, he once fought nameless toe to toe," Dumbo answered.
"How about you? How strong are you are?"Craig asked the elder. Everyone was surprised by his question.
"Want me to show you? "asked by Yshmilia, then she released a sinister aura that's overwhelming. Dumbo and Aurdim were terrified of it, but Craig just stood still, unruffled.
Yshmilia stopped flexing her power and said, "Aurdim was right; you're a brave one, but being fearless won't be enough." The elder came closer to Craig and said, "You'll need more power to defeat her." Yshmilia teased Craig. "Anyway, I'll grant your wish; we'll help you out on what you called a mission, maybe a successful one. On one condition, my team will take charge," she added.
"My lady, what team? "asked by Aurdim.
"The best of the best; let them meet the captain," the elder ordered Aurdim.
"Oh no, this is a disaster," Aurdim said to himself. The three of them bid farewell to Yshmilia and moved on to greet their new ally.
When they were about to reach their next stop, they heard someone shouting inside a room, "We'll work with mortals?! But why?! They'll just slow us down and be a burden someday! "The three of them went inside the room and saw their three new allies.
"Captain, they are the new members on our team, as the elder ordered." Aurdim introduced Dumbo and Craig.
"Hmp, such weaklings," said a vampire kid.
"Enough, Ruviel; we should obey the elder's order with no complaints," said the captain.
"I am Sharlock Wihtz, a royal blood, and captain of this team, known as the expedition team. This kid is Ruviel Serpentis, also of royal blood. I'm sorry for his behavior. And this is Melisha," he added, as he introduced his whole team.
"Nice to meet all of you, but can I ask a question? I'm just tagging along with this guy, Craig, but I don't think I can help you with this expedition thing; I'm not a fighter, as you can see. So I'm thinking of going home, so can I go? ", said Dumbo.
"I don't think you get it; you're one of us now, so you'll have to stick with us," Sharlock said.
"Captain, he's right; it will be dangerous for him to get involved in this." Aurdim backed up Dumbo.
"Shut up, brute; if you're not a fighter yet, I will make you one," the captain said as he pulled Dumbo outside the room.
"Wait, where are we going? "asked by Dumbo.
"I'm going to train you and make you a fighter in no time," Sharlock answered. Everyone just stared at the two as they got away.
"Is he always like that? "Craig asked Aurdim.
"He's just happy; you see, this team doesn't have many members; no one wants to join us because of our dangerous mission that could put our lives at risk," Aurdim answered.
"And now that we're stuck with such weak mortals, I highly doubt they'll survive such dangerous missions," Ruviel said.
"Craig is different; he made a scar on the wicked's face in a blink of an eye," Aurdim replied.
"I don't believe you. Celesta may be the weakest among the four, but she's still the wicked." Ruviel refused to believe.
"Why don't you try me? "Craig said.
"That's not a good idea. Ruviel may look like a kid, but he has a hundred years more battle experience than you," Aurdim told Craig.
"You're an arrogant one; let me put you in your place." Ruviel accepted Craig's challenge.
"Hold up, the elder called us; let's go," Sharlock said out of nowhere. All of them went to the throne room to see Yshmilia.
When they reached the throne room, they saw the elder standing, waiting for them.
"There they are." Yshmilia greeted them.
"You've called for us, my lady? "asked by Sharlock.
"Yes, and this is urgent. I'm about to take my slumber, so before I go, I would like to give you an official mission as a team," the elder answered. Everyone was quiet, waiting for Yshmilia's order. "Captain Sharlock Wihtz, Aurdim Vorkhel, Ruviel Serpentis, and Melisha, I want you to help Craig Snow and Dumbo on their quest to slay the nameless. If possible, don't let an all-out war break out. May you succeed on this mission," Yshmilia announced. Then, out of thin air, a coffin appeared and took her in, then completely vanished. The people in the room remained quiet for a while when suddenly they felt an overwhelming presence. Another coffin appeared, and when it opened, a young vampire came out. Everyone kneeled down except Dumbo and Craig.
"You two are on your knees right now," Aurdim softly said to the two mortals. The two of them kneeled down like the others.
"We are here to serve you, my lord, Ruvinov Serpentis," the captain said.
Dumbo and Craig looked at Ruviel, and they were surprised that they had the same name.
"How touching, my twin brother, to personally see me in my awakening," Ruvinov said.
While bowing his head, Ruviel grinded his teeth out of anger.
"Who are those mortals? "The newly awakened elder asked.
"They're with us; Lady Yshmilia gave us a mission to help them out on their quest," Sharlock answered.
"I see, and what mission is that? "asked again by Ruvinov.
"To slay the nameless and prevent an all-out war against them," the captain answered.
The elder came close to the two mortals, looked at them, then went for the throne and sat down. The room was filled with silence as Ruvinov took a glance at each of them, then he said,
"This is the worst, but relying on a mortal for that mission is outrageous."
"That's what I've been telling them, but they're not listening," Ruviel responded angrily.
"Did I ask your opinion?! "Asked by the elder, as his strong aura became hostile to Ruviel.
"I'm sorry," Ruviel apologized, shaking.
"Anyway, we have to respect the previous elder's decision; I believe she had her reason," Ruvinov said.
"You may go and continue what you must do," he added as he dismissed them.
Everyone went outside the throne room and made their way to their team's room.
"What happened? He just looked at us; did he already know everything? "asked by Dumbo.
"That's just one of his skills; he can precisely read the situation just by observing," the captain answered.
"And he was Ruviel's twin brother? "asked again by Dumbo.
"Stop calling me so casually by my name; we're not even close! "Ruviel annoyingly responded.
"At such a young age, his twin brother, Ruvinov Serpentis, proved himself to be an elder. He might not be the strongest physically, but he's the brightest one among them four," Aurdim answered.
"So you're saying I'm not smart, huh? "Ruviel asked Aurdim.
"We're here," the captain said as he opened the door.
When they came inside, Dumbo and Craig were amazed by the collections of weapons, armor, and suits on the wall. Aurdim went to get Craig's blade, then handed it to him. All of them found themselves a place to sit as the captain stood in front of them.
"Let's discuss how we're going to start this insanity," Sharlock said to them.