Liora walked into the room where the other four Progenitors were present.
When she appeared with Arin, he was already unconscious due to the chain, so she decided to drop him off in another room and speak with the other Progenitors before he regained consciousness.
"He looks no older than seventeen," Vaelric commented.
Serak smiled as he glanced at Sylas. "It seems we have another young one."
"And he passed out even before they both returned here," Darius observed. "I don't think he has a large amount of Blood Energy."
Suddenly, Liora spoke up. "I have a proposal to make."
Vaelric immediately squinted at her, his gaze sharp. "Go on."
Liora's indifferent expression remained as she spoke. "I wish to speak to him first... alone."
Vaelric and Serak frowned, but before either of them could respond, she continued.
"Don't forget that I was the one who brought him here, but that's not the main reason," Liora said, her eyes narrowing. "From our first encounter, I can already tell he's the stubborn type. He won't just tell us his Special Ability."
"In that case, I'll need to... do it," she added.
Vaelric raised an eyebrow. "Okay, but is that a valid reason?"
Darius closed his eyes, then opened them again while stroking his beard. "You know she doesn't like doing that in front of others. Moreover, it's a new one, so it might take some time."
"Tch..." Serak clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Whatever."
Vaelric sighed, adjusting his red hair. "Okay, then. Consider this your compensation for bringing him." His gaze grew more intense. "But I hope you're not planning anything shady, Liora."
Liora stood up, ready to leave the room. "Rest assured, I have no shady intentions."
With that, she walked out of the room, leaving the others behind.
************
Arin's eyes suddenly shot open as he surveyed his surroundings. He was in a large, empty room with stone walls and a bright red orb on the ceiling, illuminating the space.
He still couldn't move because the chain was still around him.
'How long has it been...?' he thought. 'And from the look of this room, I'm pretty sure I'm already in the Vampire Kingdom.'
"Yes, this is the Vampire Kingdom," Seraphine's voice echoed in his mind. "And the lady who took you is a Progenitor."
'I knew it...'
Before he could discuss any further with Seraphine, Liora suddenly entered the room, two swords strapped behind her back.
"I'll go straight to the point," she began. "I've spoken with the other Progenitors, and they've allowed me to speak with you in private."
"I was barely given this opportunity, so don't ruin it by being stubborn," she added, her tone firm. "And since you're a Progenitor, you'll still be respected."
"Though," Liora continued, "the two of us will have a duel before you leave this room."
If Arin could speak, he had many questions, but for now, he was unable to talk.
Liora folded her arms and asked, "What is your Special Ability?"
She stretched out her hand, and the red smoke from the chain began to dissipate.
"I can talk now..." Arin whispered.
"Please, answer," Liora urged.
'I don't even know what they want from me, or if they have good intentions,' Arin thought. 'I can't just tell her that I'm a Chaos Progenitor Vampire.'
"Not telling, huh?" Liora whispered. "Then I'll just have to find out myself."
Arin was confused for a moment by her words, but before he could process it, she was suddenly standing in front of him, only inches away. Her blue hair fluttered, with strands brushing against his face. Her eyelashes fluttered as she blinked, and her smooth skin was so close that he could almost feel its warmth.
She was truly a beauty...
Before he could react, her smooth hand rested on his face, her nails tracing his skin. And in that instant...
WHOOSH!
Liora moved her face forward, locking her lips with Arin's in a deep kiss.
Arin immediately felt weak—almost hypnotized. His mind went blank as he focused solely on her lips.
Her tongue entered his mouth, swirling around his as the kiss deepened.
Suddenly, a system screen appeared behind Liora, positioned where he could see it clearly.
[A Progenitor is using their Special Ability on you.]
[Your Special Ability is being copied.]
'Is... is this because of the kiss...?'
[Copying in progress...]
[Error! Error!]
[The Chaos Element has infiltrated the Progenitor's body.]
[The Chaos Element has begun taking effect.]
'Huh?'
Suddenly...
"Ugh... Ugh... Aghhh..."
Liora pulled away from the kiss with a pained expression. She clutched her head and staggered backward.
[Do you want to remove the Effect from the Progenitor?]
'System, what's going on?' Arin asked in his mind, but the response he received was unexpected.
[The Chaos Element is the Major Weakness of the Three Supreme Races: The Vampires, The Phoenixes, and The Dragons.]
'Weakness?!'
*************
All the students were seated silently in the classroom as Riya stared at them.
Tessa kept glancing at the back where Arin's seat should have been, but he wasn't there.
'I remember he always sits there,' Tessa thought. 'But he isn't in class today... What happened?'
Suddenly, Riya broke the silence.
"Before we start, I'd like to make an announcement," she began. "Arin Vale isn't in school today because his mother is facing an issue and has requested that he be by her side for a while. That's the only way she'll be okay again."
"But don't worry," she added, "he'll be back tomorrow."
"Oh..." Tessa whispered. "I hope his mother is okay. I'll just see him tomorrow."
Classes finally ended, and as usual, Tessa went to the forest to wait for Chaos. But after a while, he still hadn't come.
'Arin wasn't in school today, and Chaos still hasn't shown up,' Tessa thought as she paced back and forth in the forest. 'Is this connected? This can't be a coincidence, right?'
Suddenly...
WHOOSH!
She felt someone behind her, causing her to turn around instantly. Tessa's eyes widened as she recognized what the figure wore.
'Isn't that the same cloak and mask Chaos gave me?'
The person was wearing exactly the same black cloak and black mask that she and Chaos wore when fighting Alex. From the person's figure, it was clear it was a female.
"Who are you?" Tessa asked, unsheathing her sword and staying alert.
"Calm down," the person said, her voice muffled by the mask. "Lord Chaos sent me to deliver a message."
"Huh?"
"Yes," the figure said, "he found an unowned Mana Cave in a distant city and will be training there for a while. He'll be back soon, so you don't have to worry."
Before Tessa could respond, the figure dashed off into the forest.
Tessa furrowed her brows, confused. 'If this is true, then is it really just a coincidence? Who was that lady, and is she working with Chaos?'
With no answers to her questions, Tessa decided to leave the forest and wait for Chaos's return.
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the forest, the figure looked around. Once she was certain no one was nearby, she removed the cloak and mask, revealing her face.
She sighed, then smiled softly.
"You have my full support... Lord Chaos," Riya whispered as she stared at the sky.
***********
In an unknown location, inside a dark room, a throne made of what appeared to be bones stood.
A beautiful lady with smooth skin and long hair, a mixture of red, blue, green, and black, sat on the throne. In front of her, a girl with long purple hair knelt on one knee, her head lowered.
The lady's black eyes glinted with a blue light before she spoke. "I believe you have found his current location?"
"Yes, My Queen," the girl replied.
"Good," the lady whispered, rising from her throne with elegance. Her red robe flowed behind her as she approached the girl.
The girl raised her right hand, and the lady took it, placing a red and purple ring on one of her fingers.
The ring immediately shone with bright light before it faded.
"I'm sure the family I left him with treated him well," the lady said, "but it's time for him to come home... to take over from me and lead the Dragons as I did."
"And I will make sure that happens, my Queen," the girl said.
"Go," the lady commanded softly. "Bring Arin to me."
The girl nodded and swiftly left the room.
The lady smiled gently as she sat back down on her throne. "It's time to come home... Son."