Chapter 38:The Ring of the Black Cloud

I stood in the complex of rooms belonging to the 18th Squadron, watching my brigade.

Fortunately, they only arrived at the war near the end. Even so, of the roughly two hundred and eleven members, thirteen had died. Twenty-four were gravely wounded. One hundred and eight had some kind of injury.

None of the people I knew had the misfortune of dying. But looking at them—sitting there, injured, bleeding—it was impossible to ignore the truth.

My newly-formed brigade was already shattered.

Impotence throbbed in my chest.

My lack of strength felt cruel—a sentence with no appeal.

Even after killing four second-level beasts… I couldn't protect anyone.

Even trying my hardest… I was always one step behind.

"Shit…" I murmured, voice thick with pain, watching doctors rush around the general quarter.

My body hurt. Every inch burned with the memory of battle.

Beside me, Flávia watched, anxious. Her eyes spoke, as did her voice:

"Bruno, sit down. You're injured. You shouldn't be wandering around."

I relented. I sat, leaning against a half-ruined building, finally letting the weight of everything fall upon me.

Ignis lay in my lap, emitting tiny happy growls, trying to distract me from the pain. Astrel, silent, rested its head against my leg, as if sharing in my grief.

Flávia continued to stare at me, as though afraid I'd vanish into thin air.

"Don't worry, Flávia… you should go. Help Sitha and Selena," I said, trying to reassure her as I began removing the bodies of beasts from my dimensional ring.

I filled the eaux-sacs with blood. The dark red liquid gushed—thick, hot… second-level beast blood.

If I could find someone to refine it, I could accelerate the formation of my True Pure Blood.

I used my telekinesis to guide the blood directly into the containers.

Meanwhile, I tore bits from the demonic beasts and tossed them to Ignis and Astrel. They devoured everything voraciously. They needed to recover—and so did I.

As I fed them, a persistent thought circled in my mind:

Give them the second-level crystals. Maybe that's the only way to strengthen them quickly.

For Ignis, it still seemed soon. But Astrel… he was almost there. Every fight brought him one step closer to the next stage.

Maybe… perhaps that idea is plausible.

If Astrel became a second-level demonic beast, his Vitae reserve would increase drastically…

And our transformation could be sustained on his alone.

But for now, these were just ideas.

Leaning against the cold wall, my head began to throb.

The pain… the exhaustion…

My body no longer responded.

Before I realized it, I fell asleep there, wrapped in thoughts that dissolved into nothingness.

---

A soft voice awoke me after an hour or two:

"Bruno… let's go. It's time."

Selena.

I rose slowly, Ignis in my arms. Astrel walked at our side, loyal and silent.

She handed me something.

"Here. It's what you asked for."

It was a black necklace, adorned with a fang pendant—a spiritual vessel crafted specifically to store beasts.

When I channeled my Vitae, it glowed intensely. The runic symbols of our family contract pulsed like tiny hearts.

Ignis and Astrel looked at each other… then vanished into spiritual form, entering the necklace.

"Thank you," I murmured, briefly entwining my fingers with Selena's.

We walked for several minutes under the dark sky of Tenebris.

Ahead, the carriage waited—imposing and silent.

Flávia was already there, waiting for us.

Selena helped me climb aboard and soon closed the door behind us.

"Are you okay?" Flávia asked softly, pulling me into an embrace.

I only nodded. I didn't want to speak about anything right now.

The carriage began to move. For a while, silence was all there was.

"Flávia…" I murmured, breaking the quiet. "I think I want to become an alchemist."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Why this sudden interest?"

"I always fight beasts… and I don't want to rely on others every time I need to purify their blood.

Also… an alchemist can create potions. That could help—not just me, but everyone."

"When you've recovered, we'll talk about that. But I don't understand why you insist on drinking beast blood when you have mine," Flávia replied, nudging my shoulder gently.

I smiled. I squeezed her waist affectionately and teased:

"Speaking of which, little bat… I noticed everyone in this territory finds beast blood disgusting, even though they know it strengthens the body and accelerates True Pure Blood formation."

Flávia puffed out her cheeks in mock offense:

"Of course! It tastes disgusting! And besides, vampires have despised beasts for millennia. It's embedded in our essence."

Selena, with her usual calm voice, added:

"You don't feel it as much now that you were human. But this… this revulsion… it's deeply rooted in our blood."

"If you gave this up, there might be more warriors. More beings of almost Baron-level.

And deaths would be limited," I said seriously.

Flávia and Selena knew. But neither of them intended to debate it. And neither did I.

We traveled the whole way in silence. Only the horses' hooves and the wind filled the void around us.

About thirty minutes later, we reached the castle. The silence still held.

I went straight to my room for a bath. Each step drowned me in thoughts.

Be stronger. Die. Soldiers dead. Demonic beasts. War. Spies. Wounded.

Everything happened so fast. It was supposed to be just another mission, but…

I fought four second-level beasts.

I was attacked by an advanced second-level monitor lizard.

Explosions everywhere.

A third-level intermediate beast appeared.

I decapitated a traitor.

Countless high-level spies. T3 bombs… and more.

All in just one day—I thought as I reached my room.

I turned on the bathtub and sank into it. I let the water flow over my body, hoping it would wash away more than just dirt.

After a few minutes, I staggered out, my body still aching, and headed to the dining hall.

Ignis and Astrel had eaten already and slept soundly.

The hall was empty when I arrived. I sat in the central chair, waiting for Flávia and Selena.

After a while, they arrived—with a guest.

Gabriel. Flávia's nephew.

"You took your time," I joked.

"We were settling some things. Then we waited for Gabriel to arrive," Flávia said as she walked over. She kissed my cheek. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. Just a bit sore," I replied, turning toward the young blond man.

"You should have told me Flávia had a nephew," I said, messing with his hair.

"Sorry. I didn't know my aunt was married… so I thought it best to keep my surname a secret," he said quietly.

"Don't worry about it. Just sit."

At the table, Flávia clapped her hands as always, and food was served.

We began to eat. Flávia immediately struck up a conversation, asking Gabriel about his life.

Selena and I listened silently—curious about the young man—and a little surprised by Flávia's sudden enthusiasm.

"Where were you before the army?" she asked, leaning forward.

"It was a small southern village called Syly," he replied, smiling. "It had flags with a water spirit and crossed swords."

A dense silence followed.

Tension spread through the air. Flávia stared wide-eyed, about to speak.

"Gabriel in…" she began—

"Gabriel," I interrupted, in a firm but neutral tone, "tell us how your time in the army was."

Flávia froze, understanding my intent, and remained silent.

Gabriel, with innocent enthusiasm, answered:

"Doctor Malven took me on as a disciple when I joined, so I never had trouble. But, because I'm still young, I can't officially be placed in a battalion."

He looked at me hopefully, his eyes shining as if waiting for sponsorship.

"No," I said shortly. "You're still not authorized to join any battalion."

His expression fell. He understood and didn't insist—he simply nodded.

Selena, who had been silently eating, spoke up:

"Why don't you form a small escort team, Bruno? You could include Gabriel. It's low-risk."

"No," I repeated firmly. "After today, it's clear the war will worsen—and probably intensify."

I sighed, finishing firmly:

"We need experienced soldiers now, not children. You know that. This isn't the time to be soft—family or not. It's settled."

They fell silent, acknowledging my resolve, and changed the topic—trying to shift the shadow of war from us.

---

Later, in the room…

I was already in bed. Flávia and Selena were there. With eyes closed, I tried to sleep.

"Bruno," a soft voice whispered at my ear.

It was Flávia, curled against me, seeking comfort.

"Did something happen?" I asked, still with eyes shut.

"No… but I can't sleep. My thoughts are racing. They're eating me alive."

I opened my eyes. She looked small in the dark, curled in a shell of worry.

"What's wrong, little bat?"

"Nothing like this has ever happened before… T3 bombs in large numbers… Dark miasma… A third-level intermediate beast… A magical circle inside our own general's quarters… And banners of the Laps Spirit."

"That's a lot at once," I whispered. "I feel overwhelmed. Sleepless. Afraid."

I wasn't surprised. Too many things had happened in recent days—more than any of us could process.

I sat up slowly, my back against the headboard. Flávia followed with her eyes. Without a word, she climbed into my lap like a warm little cat.

I stroked her hair gently.

Minutes later, she fell asleep on my chest, finally at peace.

But me…

I still couldn't sleep.

What tomorrow would bring… I wondered, staring at the ceiling.

I must reach Warrior level… soon.

---

Two days passed quickly.

Stability seemed to return to the general's quarter.

Due to my injuries, I remained at the castle, while Flávia and Selena went daily to review reports and investigations.

In the castle's waiting room, I sat with Many, the Elder Blacksmith from the village.

We discussed recent events in soft tones tinged with war's burden.

"It's a real shame such an attack happened—and when only the 1st and 4th Divisions were present," Many sighed.

"Tragic," I agreed.

"But do they know who's responsible?"

"Not yet. They were deeply infiltrated—Baron-level spies, magic circles, T3 bombs…"

"T3 bombs?" Many frowned. "Those require a near-Baron level in forging, runes, and organic alchemy. Even here, only the Master Blacksmith could make them—and he's exclusive to the army."

"Exactly," I muttered. "Someone with internal access."

"Fascinating…" he said, folding his arms. "But I didn't come here to gossip, brat. Look."

He tossed me a dark ring with a cloud symbol on top.

"I designed it based on your black lance. Good craftsmanship. Limited to 2nd-tier, but with intermediate-level durability."

"Anywhere to test it?" I asked, intrigued.

"Come with me."

We went to the castle's training grounds. Facing a practice dummy, I bit my finger and let a drop of blood fall on the ring.

A bond formed. I channeled Vitae into it—the artifact responded.

A black armor emerged, covering me entirely.

Smooth, resilient. Two thick horns grew from the forehead, black scales armored my shoulders. Its weight was balanced… almost natural.

I struck the dummy.

Boom.

The punch shattered it to splinters.

The armor boosted my strength—and endurance.

"I feel like a Power Ranger," I laughed.

"Like it, brat?"

"It's incredible," I said, amazed by the artifact's power.

"Glad you approve," Many said, pride lighting his eyes.

But after the punch, a sharp pain shot up my arm. My broken bones reminded me I wasn't fully healed.

Pulling my Vitae back, the armor retracted into the ring.

My expression showed it: tired and defeated.

"Well, brat? Haven't tested the armor's innate ability yet."

"Innate ability?" I asked, eyes widening.

---

End of Chapter.