“Laroam Forest, huh.”
Wox muttered the name under his breath as he stood at the edge of the forest. The half moon hung in the sky, casting a faint silver light over the tops of the trees.
Laroam Forest was located near Lasol town. Its outer edge was nothing more than a thin boundary before miles of untouched darkness spread inward. The deeper one went, the less the moonlight reached. It was known as one of the most dangerous forests in the region, home to all kinds of monsters.
Wox had heard stories about this place over the years. Merchants took the long way around rather than risk crossing through. Even seasoned hunters thought twice before entering.
But Wox did not care about any of that. The information he had overheard in the tavern was still fresh in his mind. Those three men in the tavern had kept their voices low, leaning in as they talked. They were careful not to be overheard. But they had no way of knowing that someone else in the room was listening to every word.
A vampire imprisoned in a castle near the wetlands. If there was even a chance it was true, he had to see for himself.
Wox stepped forward without hesitation and walked into the forest.
***
“What do you want now… after all these years?”
The vampire’s voice echoed faintly in the vast hall. He was on his knees, forced down against a floor as smooth as polished glass. The space around him was wide and silent, illuminated by soft light.
A glowing magic circle surrounded him, the symbols flickering as they kept him bound, preventing even the slightest movement.
A few steps ahead stood another vampire.
Tall and lean, with long silver-white hair falling past his shoulders. His pale skin was almost flawless, and his crimson eyes carried a calm, cold confidence. The dark, fur-lined coat over his formal suit seemed out of place in the warm glow of the chandelier.
“Did they send you to see what I’m doing, Rip?” the kneeling vampire asked again.
“Well, let’s just say I’m here to see what you’re doing. But that’s not the only reason I came here…” Rip’s lips curved into a smirk. “This time, the elders have decided to free you from your miserable life.”
“Hah, so Kaerosh has finally decided to kill me?”
“You could say that. After all, he’s the one who suggested we should kill you… instead of keeping you alive.”
A faint, bitter smile appeared on the kneeling vampire’s face.
“I see… so he’s still sitting comfortably in the lord’s position after killing my father. What is that old fart up to now?”
“Why do you ask? Is that your last dying wish, Myor?”
“Have you forgotten your manners, Rip? Don’t you know who I am?”
“Of course I know. You are Myor Mecassus, the last of the Mecassus family. The former ruling family of our kingdom. But don’t tell me... you’re trying to say you’re the head of your family now that your father is dead? Because I don’t think it matters now when you’re about to die too.”
Myor’s jaw clenched. The bastard in front of him didn’t even bother to hide his disrespect. Even with no one left in the Mecassus family to stand beside him, he was still the rightful head of his family. And beyond that, he was an Origin.
Even as a prisoner now, how could someone who was not even an Origin speak to him like this… and dare to call him by his name?
Rip stepped closer and knelt on one knee, bringing himself to Myor’s eye level. “You should have stayed silent back then. If you had just obeyed Kaerosh, you wouldn’t be in this situation.”
At those words, anger flickered in Myor’s crimson eyes. “I am not a coward who’ll lick the foot of the bastard who murdered my family.”
“Still holding onto your pride, even now. Did you really think you could defeat Kaerosh back then, when you were that weak?”
“Of course I would have defeated that bastard. If he hadn’t drunk that much human blood, and you know it too. He broke the rule of our clan.”
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