The news of the neighboring countries being invaded and massacred reached the royal palace. However, no soldier on the battlefield survived to tell what had attacked the army except that it wasn’t human. Averinka had started spending more time in library to learn more about the Kingdom of Veroy whose people were great at the war, and were claimed to engage in the dark arts since ancient times.

She’s also in library going through some ancient scrolls and books, when Vladimir came rushing in with the news that all the soldiers stationed at the city gate had died, and nearby villages were also massacred. 

The queen immediately passed the order to evacuate the houses and move the people to the underground catacombs. General Nikolay led his troops of 5000 soldiers to the border, and waited for the enemy to launch an attack, but nothing happened during the day.

In the morning, Averinka received a news from the border that all the soldiers were brutally killed, and the remains of the general couldn’t be found on the battleground. The queen sent another army of 5000 soldiers under the command of General Dimitri, and waited the entire night for the news.

It’s almost dawn, and Averinka was waiting with Irina and Vladimir when a severely wounded solider on a horseback came to the palace to deliver the news about the massacre before passing away.The things that had attacked the entire army were in the air, and he could barely escape from the battlefield alive. 

Panic and dread spread in the court, and it’s debated whether to send another troop to the border not.

“It is a suicide mission.” The Queen had objected, but the ministers insisted there’s no other way. It’s inevitable. 

“I can’t sacrifice an entire battalion just to assess the situation.” She opposed to it. “We don’t even know what are we fighting against this time.” 

When she came out of the court, Vladimir knelt before the queen and said,“Let me deploy the secret order this time.”  He suggested to her. The order was the secret army of the queen trained under Vladimir in case of treason or coup d’état against the throne.

“Do you know what are you even asking for” The queen reprimanded him, but Vladimir kept his head down, and bowed himself on the ground.

“If it’s suicide mission this time, let me see to it.” He said to her. 

The queen turned her back to her and said, “It’s a secret order, I can’t officially recognize them if they die on the battlefield. The court will otherwise charge you of treason for growing a secret army behind my back. Can you still do it?” 

Having the secret army also meant that she’s on guard against her cousin, Prince Alexander since he’s to sit on the throne as a rightful male heir despite her being direct in lineage.

“I’ll bear the responsibility.” Vladimir told her, and Averinka let out a sigh.

 It was neither fair to him, nor them, but she couldn’t do anything about it. Hence, Vladimir left with the secret order under the pretense of taking the imperial guards with them.

That night, Averinka couldn't rest and kept the vigil. Irina found her standing at the balcony and went to drape a coat around her shoulders.

“There’s still no news.” The queen said to her.

“Shall I  go to the border to assess the situation?” Irina asked, but the queen shook her head. 

“I have already sent Christopher to retrieve Vladimir from the battleground.”

“He won’t return without his brothers.” Irina remarked, and Averinka knew that he wouldn’t abandon and sacrifice his brothers just like her. The dawn was approaching and all could she do was wait for his return.

When Christopher arrived at the battleground, he frantically looked for Vladimir among the piles of dead. Despite being a ruthless killer, the stench of blood and rotting flesh made his gut wrench. It’s then his eyes fell on a hunched figure, and he rushed to see kneeling person on the ground. Had it not been for sword in his left hand to support his weight, Christopher wouldn’t be able to tell that it’s even Vladimir. His face was disfigured beyond recognition and was bleeding, his right arm was ripped off and had a wide gash in his stomach. His eyes were closed, and was barely breathing.

“Vladimir!” Christopher called his name desperately and took the man in his arms.

 Vladimir opened his eyes, and managed to look up at Christopher who was pressing on his wound to stop the bleeding. 

“I have come to take you back home.” Christopher told him.

“Tell her to leave the palace.” He breathed out, and Christopher shook his head and held him in his arms.

 “Don’t speak!”

“Leave with her…” 

Then, Vladimir touched his face and said, “I’ve lost the bet.” 

Christopher’s tears fell on his face. Vladimir still remembered the day when the young man had entered the palace, and ventured into the training ground where Vladimir was training the secret guards. 

Christopher had stopped to watch him spar with his men, and let out a snicker after seeing Vladimir. The man had stopped to glare back at the intruder, but Christopher told him that his footwork wasn’t agile, and his moves weren’t flexible. 

“Why don’t you show me?” Vladimir had asked him, and Christopher proudly took on the challenge. It took him less than a minute to overthrow Vladimir in a hand-to-hand combat. The guards were trained with their weapons, but couldn’t fight efficiently without them.

“If it were a battlefield, you’d have died.” Christopher had told him back then.

“I fell in the battle.” Vladimir coughed out blood as he tried to laugh, and Christopher chided him. “I’m taking you home.” 

“I can’t…” 

Vladimir looked up at the dull sky and confessed, “If there’s another life, I’d be with you.” His arm fell at his side, and Christopher shouted out his name in horror. He hugged Vladimir to his heart and cried silently.

“In next life, I’ll protect you.” 

Averinka was in the front yard of the palace waiting for the news, when she saw Christopher carrying Vladimir in his arms. She slumped down on the ground as Irina ran to her side to hold her. 

Aaron had tried to take Vladimir from Christopher’s arms, but the man refused and carried him inside the palace to the monastery.

Irina had comforted the queen, and it took her some time to regain composure before she called Aaron to her study.

“Escort Alexander out of the palace tomorrow.” She instructed the man.

“What about you?” 

“I’ll lead the last troops of soldiers to the battleground myself.” The queen told him. 

She had visited Christopher in the monastery, and sat beside him as he mourned Vladimir’s death. He had buried him in the back garden, but the smell of his blood still lingered on him.

“He had died valiantly.” She commented, but the man remained silent. “I have a last favor to ask of you. If Vladimir was here, he’d have done it, but now I can only turn to you.”

“What is it?” 

She took him the dungeon, and showed him the cell she had prepared to chain down Irina before she could leave for the battle.

“Does she know?” Christopher asked in surprise, but the queen shook her head. “She won’t leave with you and Aaron, so I can only hold her back for a while.” 

“You know something about it, don’t you? He inquired her, but she didn’t answer. 

Averinka burnt the secret letter in the fireplace that she had received from Velatin. She couldn’t send Irina to her as a peacekeeper for her kingdom after learning the truth. She had found an old scroll in library about Veroy. The people of Veroy practised the forbidden art of bringing corpses to life, and nurtured blood creatures as their killing machines. 

Averinka knew how to counter the situation, but it needed her to sacrifice herself. 

She wouldn’t surrender to him.

That night she had passionately kissed Irina, and made love to her. She had put a ring on her finger as promise to come back to her, but she cried silently when the girl fell to deep sleep after being drugged. She dressed Irina, and carried her to the dungeon inside the cell and put her in chains.

She then turned to Christopher and said, “You can depart in the morning with Aaron.” 

“No, I’ll stay here until you return.” He told her, and the Queen cast a last glance towards the sleeping girl before turning to leave. She put on her armor, and climbed on  horseback leading army of soldiers to the battlefield.

“Let me out!” Irina thrashed around in chains after regaining consciousness, and threatened Christopher to release her.

“I’ll rip off your throat!” She snarled at him, but it didn’t intimidate him.

“You can kill me, but I have promised Averinka to keep you safe.” He told her.

“Please, let me out!” Irina tugged at the chains, and begged the man, but Christopher had had his back to her and told her to stop struggling. Even if the vampire killed him later, he wouldn’t regret keeping her safe for Averinka.

Aaron had difficult time in escorting Prince Alexander out of the palace. The young prince had hid himself in the bell tower, and became adamant about staying until he heard from about the troops at the border.

“I won’t leave the palace!” The prince shouted at him, and dodged the attack when Aaron tried to render him unconscious. The man pinched his nose in frustration upon remembering that it’s Christopher who had been training the young prince under the Queen’s instruction.

“Please, let me stay here till Averinka returns.” 

The boy begged, and Aaron felt conflicted between obeying the queen’s order and listening to the young prince.

“Fine, I’ll wait for another hour. If we don’t get any news by then, you will leave with me.” 

The prince agreed, and sat down on the floor looking at the setting sun through the tower’s window.

“She will return right?” He had asked Aaron who also told hoped for the queen’s safe return.

Averinka had asked the archers to be ready, and told the soldiers to set up the formation.

“The enemy we’re facing isn’t human. You must be on guard the soon darkness sets in.”

The fires were lit to torch the arrows, and the archers got into their position. The sun was about to set, and Averinka could sense the silence before the storm. No, matter what it was or what would happen, she’d stop it with her life.

She had to protect her people. She had to protect her.

Irina’s wrists and ankles were bruised and bleeding after thrashing around in chains. Christopher was sitting on the floor guarding the cell when he heard the commotion inside the dungeon. He heard screams and shouts of the men, and stopped one of the guard to inquire about it.

“What’s going on?” He asked in confusion.

“It’s here! It’s here!” The guard sweated in panic, before running away in fear. In the shadow on the wall, Christopher saw the guards being slashed by something with wings.

“Let me out!” Irina asked him, and Christopher immediately opened the cell to unchain her. She came out of the cell and saw the flying creatures flooding in their direction.

“Run!” Aaron had shouted to Alexander. 

The prince panicked as he saw the guards being ripped and killed by those creatures. Aaron urged him to run through the corridor, but those things swarmed in through both ends. He pulled the boy aside to another passage and asked him to keep running, but those things kept coming after them.

Then, Aaron had stopped and ran in the opposite direction of Alexander to guard the entrance with his body.

“Aaron!” The young prince had become horrified, but the man shook his head as he pushed against the door.

“Find Christopher!” 

Claws slashed through Aaron’s stomach from behind the door, and Alexander stumbled back in horror. He back stepped from there as Aaron’s head fell to side, and started running from there.

Christopher and Irina had hard time navigating through the palace as those bloodthirsty creatures had been swarming around. Irina was exhausted, and couldn’t continue fighting them. 

She had needed blood, and she couldn't take anyone's except Averinka.

“Isn’t there another secret passage?” She asked Christopher, but the man couldn’t recall it either. The passages they had taken before either blocked, or led them back inside the palace, and they couldn’t go back. Irina heard the approaching footsteps, and Christopher became alert ready to attack before coming face to face with the young prince.

“Alexander?” Irina asked in surprise. “Didn’t you leave?” 

“Where’s Aaron?” Christopher asked him in dread, and the prince started crying.

“He’s dead.”  He told them, and Irina hugged the young boy. Alexander then, asked about his father and mother, but Irina shook her head.

“They are gone as well." She told the prince, and felt pity for the young prince for losing both of his parents.

“How do we get out of here?” Christopher commented checking the walls to open the hidden passage.

“I know a way out of the palace." Alexander spoke, and led them back to the corridor. He pressed the mechanism to reveal a underground passage that would lead them out of the palace. They descended the stairs, and continued walked through a secret tunnel before coming out to the other side of the river.

"How did you know about this one?" Christopher asked him, and Alexander told them it's Averinka who would take him out of the palace to play.

“I need to find her.” Irina told them. “The palace is breached and there’s no going back.”

"You can't go alone." Christopher tried to stop her, but she told him that he needed to take Alexander to a safe place.

She hugged the young prince, and promised him to bring Averinka back and find him, but all promises made on that day were broken.

The battlefield was a burning ground full of stench of blood and torn limbs of soldiers. She shouted the Queen's name and looked for her among the piles of dead, crying in distress but couldn't see her.

That day, she found nothing but her blood soaked red cloak that she wore to the battlefield.

Since that day, the game of karma and reincarnation had begun.

__

Ava woke up in the middle of night feeling thirsty and looked for her water bottle on the night stand, but it's empty. Not wanting to wake up Irina, she slowly climbed out of the bed to refill the water bottle from the kitchen.

She's going back to her room from the kitchen, when she saw his father going inside Viktor's study room, and she became confused.

'What's he doing there at this hour?' Ava thought to herself, and went after her father. The man had closed the door, and Ava could only lean against the door to listen to Viktor talk to his father.

"The time has come to revive her."