Sixteen Hours Ago

***Ethan Lucian***

"You're certainly quite stubborn, aren't you?" I said with a mouthful of sushi. "You refused the dress I picked for you. Don't you think you're doing too much?" I managed to lecture her as she stepped in looking like a goddess.

I must say she looks great in this plain white dress, but I prefer the one I chose. I spent a lot of time and money last night picking the dress for her in the most expensive designer brand boutique.

Last night, Kai, my personal assistant, brought important intel to me during my disciplinary session with her, causing me to leave her and attend to the emergency. I saw the dress displayed elegantly on the mannequin, which shape looks exactly like hers while I was out, and I know it will look great on her.

The dress perfectly flaunts the tattoo I had secretly imprinted on her last night. I had discreetly instructed the maid I appointed for her to make sure she's aware of the tattoo, but why is she acting like it's nothing, not even a thank you?

She took her seat next to Kai, opposite me, and this deflated my ego. Why would she prefer to sit there? Is she developing some attraction for Kai?

My heart fluttered when I saw her flash a very beautiful and graceful smile at him when he pulled the chair for her. I've never witnessed her flashing such a smile at me, but she's doing it for my P.A.

Ignoring me completely, Kim concentrated on her plate, chewing softly and elegantly. Is she mad at me for leaving her to attend to work last night?

Too bad I can't listen to her mind right now; I'm getting older, and my powers are dwindling. I can only use thirty percent of my powers now. This is part of the reasons I need her in my life, she's a powerful being who's completely clueless about her own power.

Pissed off by the unusual silence between us, I clashed my fork loudly against the golden plate before me, the ear-piercing clashing noise echoing through the walls of the dining hall. But she didn't bat an eye, even Kai was so engrossed in pouring her drink, and cutting her tough steak chunk that he didn't even notice I was annoyed.

"Orea mama, why are you and the girls standing over there while Kai is busy doing your duty?!" I snapped rudely at my butler and the group of maids standing idly in a corner of the dining hall.

Madame Orea, a shape-shifting centur, has been my butler since seven hundred years ago. She's good at handling the household matters and guarding the secrets of the castle.

She scurried over to Kimberly's side and began to help serve. Kai tilted his head to me and scoffed loudly.

"Out of bounds," I glared at him communicating with him through the mind link.

Kai also signed a blood pact with me, this is my way of making sure he doesn't betray me to my enemies.

Everyone thinks I'm the mighty undefeatable ruler of Faeloria realm, but the truth is I'm getting old, and my powers have reduced drastically compared to how they were thousands of years ago when I defeated the dragon lord, who's the previous ruler.

My enemies are starting to notice the change in my power, and very soon I'm very sure they will strike, after all everyone wants to be the ruler of all beings. If only Kimberly knows how precious her blood and dormant powers are.

My mind flashed back to the event that lead me to her sixteen hours ago.

**SIXTEEN HOURS AGO**

[The Infernal Library]

That day, I found myself lost in mediation within the confines of my sanctum—the Infernal Library—concealed behind a veiled entrance within a corner in my chambers.

It bore a mysterious allure, devoid of the sinister aura one might expect from a demonic domain. Instead, it exuded a tranquil aura, the dimly lit spacious library bathed in the gentle glow of starlight filtering through an obsidian ceiling that mimicked the night sky, brimming with a multitude of shimmering stars.

Amidst the dusky tranquility, rows upon rows of ancient tomes adorned the shelves, their weathered covers bearing the weight of years past. These volumes, with their antique bindings and cryptic titles, held within their pages the accumulated wisdom of ages long gone.

Nestled amidst the books were an array of magical artifacts—goblets adorned with mystical symbols, scepters mellowing with latent power, and amulets gleaming with mysterious energies—all filled with a sense of ancient magic.

Lost in the peaceful aura that enveloped me, I was abruptly jolted from my meditative reverie by an inexplicable phenomenon—a meteorite crashing into Faeloria, an event rarely seen in its history.

Hastening my mind to the scene— using the eyes of my mind, I was surprised to discover not a celestial rock, but a young woman—a stranger to this realm.

Who was she, and by what means had she traversed into Faeloria? What unfathomable power did she possess?

I rose from my meditation mat hastily, instinctively made my way to the vaults of books and scrolls that surrounded me.

Rummaging through the ancient texts and scrolls, my quest for answers led me to a prophecy inscribed in a long-forgotten tongue—a prophecy that spoke of the return of the Descendant of Draco, a harbinger of balance and destiny. With anxiety coursing through my veins, I read the words inscribed upon the ancient parchment:

"The embodiment of light and darkness, the descendant of Draco. Thousands of years to come, she shall return reincarnated as a being from another world, and balance shall be restored. She will be his karma and his safety, his nemesis or his shield, his enemy or his lover. Destiny's hands shall decide!"

As the realization dawned upon me, fear gripped my heart, panic surged through my body, and the scroll slipped from my trembling grasp.

The Descendant of Draco—my karma, my nemesis, or perhaps my lover? Fate may dictate, but I would forge my own destiny.

She would be my shield and my beloved, regardless of whatever fate may have plotted, I shall bend destiny to my own will.

I made my way to her once again, using the eyes of my mind, I saw that she's already been captured by the werewolves and ready to be auctioned in the House Of Pleasure.

"Nobody touches what is mine! Five hundred million pestos," I auctioned, claiming the descendant of Draco as mine.