Chapter 15: Dracula's Growing Concern

Alaria's nights had grown darker and more mysterious than ever. Despite the city's glittering lights, a strange unease permeated the air. The same atmosphere pervaded Dracula's stronghold, an inaccessible castle nestled in the Black Mountains. Its tall, Gothic spires and jagged battlements, looking even more ominous in the moonlight, cast a dark shadow over Alaria.

In the castle's highest and most magnificent chamber, adorned with ancient warrior portraits and enigmatic symbols, Dracula sat upon his massive throne. His eyes, gleaming like red rubies, scoured the darkness for prey. Before him, vampire lords and his most trusted generals knelt, their faces pale with fear. They knew Dracula's wrath all too well.

"It has been four years!" Dracula's voice thundered, like a volcanic eruption. His voice, brimming with anger and frustration, shook the very walls of the chamber. "Four years since that unknown power rose from the ashes of Lilywood. Four years, and you still haven't found it!"

The lords bowed their heads, their breathing quickening. None dared to meet Dracula's gaze directly.

"That power," Dracula continued, his voice now a terrifying whisper, "that Anomalous power, which rent the sky and bent nature to its will... and you are incapable of finding it?"

One lord gathered courage. "Master, we have scoured every corner of Alaria. We have searched every village, every city, every forest. We found no trace indicating the source of that power. It's as if it vanished into thin air."

Dracula raised a hand, his fingers pointed. "Vanished? Power never vanishes; it merely changes form or hides. You haven't searched properly."

A deep line of concern creased his face, highly unusual for Dracula. He was never careless about any threat, especially one that could challenge his authority.

"This is my greatest concern," Dracula said, his voice unusually grave. "If Dragor finds it before us, it will be a huge problem for us."

The lords exchanged glances. Dragor, Emperor of the Werewolf Empire. The animosity between Dracula and the werewolves was as old as Alaria itself. They knew that if Dragor acquired this new power, it could be disastrous for the vampires.

"Dragor will be using all his might to find it," Dracula stated, his eyes now fixed on his lords. "He knows this power might be connected to his lineage. If he subjugates it, our dominion over Alaria will be jeopardized. We must find that power at any cost, and either bring it under our control, or destroy it!"

Dracula rose from his throne, his colossal shadow engulfing the entire chamber. "I do not want a single vampire soldier idle in my fortress. All of you, go out and scour every corner of Alaria again. Every village, every city, every secret cave, every ancient ruin. I want to know the whereabouts of that power. And this time, there is no room for failure."

Trembling, the lords stood and promptly exited the chamber, fear and resolve in their eyes. They knew how terrible Dracula's wrath could be, and they also knew that a power had awakened in Alaria that posed a significant challenge even to their master.

Dracula was left alone. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths. The massacre of Lilywood, which he had committed to obliterate a small village, had now brought him an unwelcome consequence. He had been searching for the 'Last Remnant,' but he had unwittingly awakened the 'Red Wolf.' This was a mistake he desperately wanted to rectify before it could shake his throne.