31st Night

With speed as fast as a bullet train, both the Archduke, Eiraun Lancastrian and his closest aide, Izen Mergos, travelled from the castle of Leitmeritz towards the Northernheim Region, which was miles away south of the capital of Elysia where most of the Houses of Noble Bloods are. Each leap they take covers a few kilometer radius and their surroundings are left in a blur at how fast they are going. They are Noble Blood vampires, Purebloods in their race, and the powers they possess far exceed those beings who have tried their hardest to catch up to them. Considering that both of them – an Archduke and a Clan Leader, stood on a higher pedestal compared to the rest of the Nobles, travelling a few miles on foot would not take much effort from them.

"Won't the sentries notice our presence the second we pass through the gates of Northernheim?"

Naturally, they would. But Eiraun had been feeling a little restless for a while and he didn't know the reason why, so he could not give him a definite answer. He knew something had happened and before the end of the night, he was going to find out what it was. Eiraun glanced at Izen who was travelling beside him for a moment before focusing his attention back on the direction they were heading. Upon arrival at the border, they landed swiftly above the great wall that separated the lands of Leitmeritz and Northernheim from each other. They had been expecting to see the sentries but there was no one around to be surprised at their sudden arrival. With watchful eyes, they both looked around with a frown slowly appearing on their foreheads. Sentries who are supposed to be guarding the gates are nowhere to be found. Even those who are supposed to be patrolling the area are gone, leaving their stations empty.

"Did the Clan Leader of the House of Vespasian somehow recall them back to the capital?" Eiraun asked.

"I remember Air issuing an order for the sentries stationed here to be recalled a few days ago but I knew he also deployed another team as a replacement since this is the border. He is in charge of the Knights' Order and he knew that sentries are needed here to impose what you have ordered upon your ascension. He wouldn't have left the gates empty like this, knowing that you have forbidden anyone to enter the Northernheim Region, no matter which house they belong to."

Then where are the sentries, just as when the trees of the crystal forest have started to crystallize again? From above the wall, they could see the wide expanse of forest covering the hills and mountains of Northernheim that looked as black as a velvet sheet even with the full moon hanging above the night sky. From the trunks of the trees to the branches and their leaves, it looked like it was burned and even during the day when the sun is up, this forest has always been black. Hence, with the passage of time, instead of calling it the crystal forest, some have started calling it the forbidden forest.

Eiraun leapt down from above the wall and landed on the ground safely with Izen following behind him. They both glanced around the area which is already a part of Northernheim. An indication of a fight can be seen. Blood powers have been used and traces of it still linger in the air. Large holes decorated the wall facing the lands of Northernheim and some of them still have aural arrows created from an ability a normal human being could never possess. On the other hand, large slashes dug deeply into the ground as if something had passed through them with force.

"Did the Alliance finally find a way to enter our lands without us noticing?"

Eiraun remained silent at Izen's query. He is considering the thought. Besides, didn't Air send him a report not too long ago stating that, for the first time in a hundred years, there was a plane that crashed in the country, in the emerald forest of Leitmeritz? If he remembered correctly, Air had written that there were no survivors left alive after much investigation. But what if their traces were just covered intricately or erased to the point that they wouldn't suspect a thing? He had to praise them for that and for their guts to enter Elysia without his permission. Though, even with a few traitors in their midst, the Alliance had never once located the exact coordinates that could point to where Elysia is because of his power that hid the country from everyone else, so it couldn't be them.

There is a chance that it was done by the Great Wolves who have been lying low after all this time since they have a higher chance of finding Elysia. But if that was the case, the damage wouldn't have been this minimal, as if they were trying not to cause any further damage to Northernheim. They wouldn't have cared either way just as long as they could fulfill their mission.

Using his strong sense of smell, Eiraun inhaled. The scent of blood, one of which belonged to his people, was left lingering in that place. It was the only vestige that the sentries really fought someone here to the point that they bled.

"Izen, give me a path."

Izen could feel the anger slowly rising from the Archduke. If all of the sentries stationed here were annihilated, he would scour the region to find out who did it and kill them himself. Elysia had always been peaceful during his reign and knowing that someone would do something so unthinkable to those under his wing, he wouldn't let them escape so easily.

"What if the Monarch did it?"

"It can never be him. If it was the Monarch, there wouldn't even be a trace left for us to investigate, nor any evidence that would point him to be the perpetrator."

Izen pursed his lips. Out of every Noble Blood left after the First Blood War, only the Archduke and Thryden Agvain know the Monarch personally. He had heard of him back then, but Izen never had a chance to meet him since he rarely leaves Northernheim, so he can only believe what the Archduke says about him. Besides, the Monarch only ever visits Leitmeritz when the previous Archduke summoned him to the castle for whatever reason he could think of back then.

Izen's crystal blue eyes glistened as its color slowly turned red and, one by one, crystals of different colors slowly formed around them. Izen's eyes were a unique trait only the Mergos twins possess because of the powers that lie in their blood. While his were crystal blue in normal circumstances, his twin, Pyro's eyes were a dazzling red-orange. Their eyes' color only ever turned red when their blood powers were in use.

Izen was both a tracker and a combatant. His blood power enables him to be so.

"How many?"

With his power in active, Izen glanced at his superior. He was asking how many the sentries had fought in this place. "Two…" he frowned, "and one other."

"And the sentries. Where are they?"

"They were alive but unconscious. All fifteen of them."

"What?"

Izen couldn't understand it either. How could fifteen Noble Blood vampires who are working as sentries under the command of Air Vespasian fall when fighting just three individuals? When Izen saw a string of crystal dust being drawn from their positions towards the center of the dark forest, he moved and followed it immediately, the Archduke following from behind this time as if letting him take the lead. Even though Eiraun knew that the direction they were heading for was the palace of Northernheim, he remained silent.

A few moments later, they stopped on their way at what had welcomed them in the dark and dense forest, completely forgetting that they are tracking someone. A few trees, big enough to be compared to a sequoia tree were glowing softly. With the help of the moonlight, depending on where they stood, colors emitted only from a white diamond stone can be seen from the trees. They must have been the first ones to return from their original state. They are completely crystallized from their trunks to their leaves, since the rest around them has only a few leaves in the process of crystallizing, a few branches on the others and a part of their trunks on the rest, as if they are starting to awaken at the presence of the one who owned this place.

But before they could gather their thoughts, a sudden attack that came from somewhere made Izen and Eiraun leap away from each other to avoid getting hit. When they looked down from the trees they were standing at, a man with silver hair and silver eyes now stood at the place they were at just a moment ago. He didn't seem fazed, nor didn't he seem surprised that they evaded his attack. He looked like he was already expecting it. And when he looked up, his eyes stared directly at them without an ounce of fear, just indifference.

"Archer was right, we have visitors." With their enhanced sense of hearing, they heard the man say before he continued, "and a certain someone ordered me to give you guys a warm welcome."

Eiraun frowned. Who is he talking about?

Izen's eyes gleamed and ice crystals in the shape of daggers formed around him. "How dare you attack the Archduke?!"

Saber was not able to immediately dodge the crystal daggers sent directly into him by Izen when the latter had attacked him at a rapid pace. The Noble had forced him to take cover in his place so easily without giving him a chance to counterattack. When he was finally able to move away, his arms which he used to cover himself ended with deep cuts that can be considered serious, but within seconds, they immediately healed because of his regenerative abilities.

"So this is how Noble Blood vampires fight." Saber thought to himself when he landed not too far away from where he leaped as he watched his arms heal in an instant.

Compared to the vampires who belonged in the lower vampire society, or the Lepers who prey on everyone on their way, they don't use their fangs and claws to kill their enemies nor were they bothered by the scent of blood. In fact, they did not even draw their fangs and claws out. Even while in the middle of the fight, they still looked regal and enthralling, like gods that descended on the earth. They use the powers within their blood so that their hands will not be tarnished by the blood of another being. Looking at them, they rarely engage themselves in combat since they could easily fight without even moving an inch from their place.

Noble Bloods are known to possess extraordinary powers within their blood. They are called Pureblood vampires because of that trait. It is something naturals have always envied since the beginning of time, along with their endless beauty and lengthened life. Didn't the Alliance conduct inhumane experiments on unfortunate naturals like them just so they could reach the pedestal where Pureblood vampires are? He, along with Archer and Lancer, were created because of the dream of humans who wished to become as powerful as these beings. They were used as discarded materials for the advancement of more important people. But seeing these two, along with living with the Monarch and the Werewolf Supreme, he could tell human beings still have a long way to go to be called equal with them.

And compared to the vampires whom Archer and Lancer fought with Siegrain a while ago, Saber knew that the power of these two was at another level. Especially the one who just watched everything take place as he remained unbothered by what was happening in front of him. For some reason, with his raven black hair and dark red eyes, he reminds him of the Monarch. Like they exude an aura similar to each other – a ruler.

Didn't the vampire in front of him call his companion the Archduke? His eyes widened at that. Does that mean the other one was the present ruler of all Pureblood vampires? He stared at him. He looked… young. But aren't they all?

"Wolf…" Izen whispered when he saw how Saber's wound healed within a moment, as if it never existed in the first place. The frost that tried to penetrate his blood vessels through his wound was also rendered useless.

What is a werewolf doing in Elysia? But there is something wrong. His presence is not like those beings who basked themselves in the moonlight. In fact, it was too distorted that he'd think him to be an apparition of a being that's not supposed to be him. He smelled human but his presence was that of a wolf born. Izen studied Saber until he came to realize something. He is a human being with the heart of a wolf from the race where the Werewolf Supreme belonged. Which Great Wolf died in place of him?

"A modified human," he said, his voice full of disgust and displeasure.

Something snapped in Saber at that statement, especially at the way Izen said those words. It's not like he volunteered himself to be experimented upon. The modifications made to his body were done without his consent. Before he knew it, after much suffering from the hands of his fellow human beings, he woke up being that way with no chance of turning back. He knew he lost the right to live when he woke up possessing a heart that belonged to a supernatural being because he was certain someone had died in place of him. He too wanted to die back then, but someone wanted him to live and he had already found a reason to continue living. He did not need a vampire of Noble Blood to make him think otherwise.

Without a warning, he went and attacked Izen, who was forced to defend himself from him. Aside from his canines that appeared at the height of his anger, both of Saber's arms have partially shifted with his nails turning into sharp claws which only a Great Wolf born should have been able to do. With their clash of power and strength which cut down a few of the trees in the crystal forest and causing explosions here and there, Eiraun is left wondering why no one had come to check what was happening in that part of the forest yet.

The Archduke remained in his place and watched Izen fight the modified human at an almost equal standing. The man has not completely transformed into his wolf form yet, but the power he posses somehow catches up to his closest aide, who is one of the members of the Chamber of Elders that helped him in overseeing all Pureblood vampires for over a thousand years. At one point, he was able to land a hit on Izen, which irritated the latter because of his pride as a Pureblood vampire.

While watching him fight, Eiraun could tell that the man was not just an ordinary modified human being. He has already grown accustomed to the power given to him in exchange for the modifications done to his body and he freely uses it like it was his own. He has already surpassed his limits, yet he is still on the verge of growing - not as a human, but as a being who has been turned into something that he is not born to be but has been made to become. He is already closer to that of a Great Wolf than that of a human.

"So this is how much human beings have evolved after the passing of time." Eiraun thought to himself as he continued standing by the sidelines.

As long as he could remember, even during the Golden Age when his late father ruled over all of the Pureblood vampires, naturals have always been fickle beings that do not stay idle. It is something that supernatural beings like them have always envied since. Humans have always pursued success and accomplishments that would leave a mark on their history. The discoveries they made along the way were used for the advancement of future generations. They are not like supernatural beings who never cared about the passing days because time is at their disposal. Maybe it was because it is in their nature. After all, humans were born… prosaic. Hence, why they always seek power and are immediately enticed by greed at the mere sight of it.

From being a race who have always needed the protection of those born with powerful abilities like the Nobles, after all this time, they were able to create something that almost resembled supernatural beings, even those from the wolf race. But Eiraun knew their accomplishments had been tarnished by a great amount of spilled blood and wasted lives. And still, it would not be enough to stop their acquisitiveness. After all, human beings were naturally born avaricious. Being greedy is embedded deep within their blood and bones down to their bone marrow. They have always wanted to possess something that they weren't born to have and they will do anything, even by despicable means, to achieve it. Human greed incited the First Blood War which ended the Golden Age, and in the prophesied Second Blood War that is yet to come, he is certain that the same race will be standing on the other side of the field as their enemies.

Eiraun gave out a sigh. Would they not be able to prevent it if it was already prophesied to come true? Time can only tell. But with all the advancements the naturals have made, the after effects of the upcoming Blood War will surely be worse than the first one. After a while, Eiraun moved from his spot to go and get in between Izen and his opponent. But as if waiting for him to do so, a black aural sword fell down from above to attack him. He was glad he was able to notice it immediately. When he evaded, a few other swords went to attack him simultaneously with the intention of taking him down and when it stopped, he realize the purpose of the attacks was to completely separate him from Izen.

"Your highness, this is just us retaliating after someone has trespassed in our territory. I hope you can forgive us."

Eiraun's face darkened. After all these years, he knew and remembered clearly who owned that voice. When he glanced at where that irritating voice came from, he saw the Monarch's attendant standing above a tree not too far away from him. Though still human, because of the blood contract which the Monarch had established between them, he had never aged at all since the last time he saw him more than a thousand years ago. His sapphire blue eyes still gleamed mischievously as if he knew something only he did and the smirk on his lips was still as haughty as before, like he was looking down on the Purebloods.

"Siegrain…"

If he's here, then his thoughts about the Monarch coming back home to the Northernheim palace are right. After all, it was Siegrain who declared he'd never return to Elysia if he failed to find the master he himself had chosen to serve. Besides, he wouldn't have been this arrogant if he had not been able to find the missing Monarch.

"Retaliating, my ass. You just want to fight."

Wasn't he widely known in Elysia to be the crazy human who always comes barging into the castle of Leitmeritz to ask the previous Archduke to fight him in a duel? But since his late father, Eren Lancastrian, was too busy with his responsibilities as the symbol of authority to indulge him in his whims, the previous Clan Leaders had always been the ones to test out his abilities through duels that lasted for hours.

Siegrain chuckled. "Mind your words, your highness. You are no longer the son but the Archduke. Etiquette is highly observed if you have those kinds of fancy titles attached to your name."

Eiraun glared at the hateful natural before his eyes. Siegrain stayed a human despite being this powerful. If the Alliance found out about his existence, they'd surely come after him – not with the intention of killing him but to convince him to join them in their cause. But considering that he's a little bit crazy when it comes to power, he might end up destroying the whole organization if given the chance. Instead of being an ally, there is a high possibility that he'd become their greatest nemesis instead.

When he glanced at where Izen was at, another two modified humans had joined in on his fight. One was holding a sheathed sword while the other had specialized guns in his hands. And with their presence, Eiraun could tell that they too are modified human beings whose physical abilities are enhanced in a way that could make them on par with the supernatural beings. And seeing that Siegrain is here with them must mean that he had something to do with their modifications.

"I see you still continue with what you were doing back then when the previous Clan Leaders were forced to hunt a single human down." He said as he attacked Siegrain without restraint. He is aware he won't easily die anyway. "Did you do it behind the master that had taken you under his wing?"

After covering for himself and dodging the rest, Siegrain attacked the Archduke back. He could tell that Eiraun had gotten strong. They may have lived their lives in seclusion after the Blood War, but they surely did not stay idle. Their abilities and strength couldn't have been this powerful if they had been. Besides, Eiraun needed to be so since he was the one leading the Nobles up to this point. He alone carries a burden and responsibility which he inherited along with his title.

"I did not modify those three if that's what you are implying." He answered. "I'm just helping them stabilize the powers handed out to them forcefully by the Alliance after they have finally gained their freedom from them to prevent any problems along the way. And seeing that they can stand fighting a Noble Blood vampire and a Clan Leader at that for this long with all of their limbs still intact, don't you think it's worth all the effort I spent on them?"

Siegrain gestured his hand and countless aural swords appeared in the sky. By the snap of his fingers, the swords descended to strike the Archduke who had a hard time avoiding his attack this time. When he stopped, Eiraun was left standing with a bleeding wound on his shoulder after the dust on the ground subsided. He was not able to dodge completely this time.

Siegrain smiled. "You know, if you're not going to fight me seriously, you're going to die. Oh, by the way, we had fun playing with the sentries sent by the Clan Leader of the House of Vespasian. The way they screamed as they drew in their last breath sounded like a requiem to me."

At that, both Eiraun and Izen froze. It only meant that the ones they were tracking down and the ones responsible for the missing sentries were them. They stopped in the middle of a fight, as if time had stopped. Siegrain has a satisfied grin etched on his lips. He wanted to test out how strong they had become after a thousand years at present, but he knew simple provocations wouldn't make them unsheathe their swords.

Saber and the rest looked at each other dumfounded. Had Siegrain somehow gone crazy again? Why did he have to say those words as if they'd actually killed the sentries when actually they were just being restrained in the cells underneath the palace? They might be unconscious but they were fine with only injuries that weren't actually life threatening. The three of them had already sustained injuries while fighting one of the Nobles who had never even used half of his real strength and they knew it was going to take a while for their injuries to heal. How are they going to hold up if these vampires decide to end them there after being pushed into a corner by Siegrain's words?

A sudden surge of power oozed from Izen and Eiraun as their eyes gleamed so angrily that Saber, Lancer and Archer flinched and shivered in fear. The power these two are emitting cannot be compared to what they have been using just a while ago. Their presence put pressure on them and their instincts is telling them to either kneel and surrender or just run away.

"You dare…" Izen said, his voice as cold as ice.

"I will kill you, Siegrain," Eiraun declared, his voice full of hate, and when he held his right hand out in front of him, Siegrain knew he made a mistake.

Siegrain only wanted to test their strength in close combat, not test their full strength with their blood weapons in their hands. He never expected the Archduke would draw out his blood weapon. In this way, he was not like his late father at all, because the late Archduke almost never drew his blood weapon back then. When he glanced at the heir of Mergos' family, he knew they were fucked because he, too, was starting to draw out his blood weapon. He knew he would survive an attack from these two, but not those three who were facing a Pureblood vampire for the first time in their lives and a Clan Leader at that.

"Come to me…" Eiraun whispered as blood appeared in front of him, forming a long sword which appeared at the mention of its name, "Ciergo…"

"Shit!"

With both of them calling out their blood weapons, no matter how far the palace is from here, both the Monarch and the Werewolf Supreme will come running to check it out. Is it okay for the Archduke to meet both of them at the same time after they have remained hidden from everybody else?

"Heed my call," Izen said in a chilling voice as crystal dust gathered over his arms before two daggers appeared in his hands, "Aciel…"

"Archduke…"

"Keep your mouth shut, Siegrain. I don't intend to hear any of your words," Eiraun cut him off without any emotion as he raised his sword.

No! With one swing of it, it will erase half of the forest in a blink. And if Izen uses Aciel, he will freeze almost all of the Northernheim Region in seconds.

"You three! Prevent the Clan Leader from using his blood weapon and I will handle the Archduke."

Saber glared at him, obviously blaming him for the situation they found themselves in, and he could just look away.

"Handle me? Siegrain, my father may have acknowledged your power, but I am still on a pedestal higher than you."

"Yes, I'm aware," Siegrain thought to himself with a chuckle.

Siegrain knew how much power an Archduke holds. After all, the Archduke was always second to the Monarch who stands at the summit of the vampire race. His power which he obtained from experiments which he conducted back then may have reached the level of the Clan Leader, but it is still below that of the Archduke and the Monarch.

"You have harmed my people and I will never forgive you for that."

Almost simultaneously, Eiraun and Izen release their power through their blood weapons, creating a beaming light that could blind anyone else. Saber and the rest were already expecting their end but when they opened their eyes, nothing disastrous happened. In fact, it was as if their power had been released but immediately disappeared. The only change in their situation was the additional presence of two beings whom they never once thought would get themselves involved.

Blaze, whose silver hair and golden eyes glimmer under the moonlight, is holding the wrist of Izen, who stood there dumbfounded, because he never expected he would see the Werewolf Supreme right here, much stop him with a single hand at that. He, too, had disappeared after the Blood War. Does it mean he was with the Monarch all this time that they thought him to be dead?

"What do you children think you are doing on this peaceful night?" Blaze asked, his eyes looking at them like they were little kids waiting to be reprimanded, but nobody dared to make an excuse.

On the other hand, with his right hand holding the edge of Eiraun's blood weapon, the Monarch, whose blood red wings were spread open, is standing in front of the Archduke who was left staring at him.

"M-master?"

With a stoic expression, Aelvien glanced at his attendant. "I see you've been playing again, Siegrain."

He flinched even though the Monarch said those words in his usual tone. "I'm sorry."

"What did you do?"

Siegrain looked the other way. "What makes you think I did something?"

"Because the Archduke wouldn't have called out Ciergo if you did not."

"We kidnapped a few Noble Bloods?"

Eiraun glared at Siegrain. "Kidnapped a few? You killed them!"

"They're alive, your highness," Lancer interceded.

Aelvien withdrew his wings, making Eiraun and Izen withdraw their blood weapons.

"I apologize, Archduke. This is not how I planned to meet you after a thousand years."

Eiraun was speechless. He never expected the Monarch himself would apologize. But hasn't he always been this kind of person?