Thursday, September 1st, 2044

Hell’s Fort, Purgatory Island, Atlantic Ocean

Inside a dark hall sat a man in his black throne of thorns, and in his hands was a scroll that had just been delivered to him by a messenger of Hermes.

His dark eyes went through everything mentioned in the letter, and soon a sinking feeling engulf his heart, slowing it down.

The seven Ancient Houses of Vampires in Europe, the most powerful Vampire Faction in the world, had submitted themselves to the Lord of Darkness. They had done so on their own accord, and Erebus did not even have to use any force or the powers of the Pure-Blood Princess in his home to subdue them.

Qin Feng could not help but feel like he had pushed a great power into the hands of someone he did not want to come across again just because of his haste. But he knew that they would have to stand against each other one day. He did not know why, but this was his gut feeling, and he had all his life trusted in it.

It was not just a letter that contained the information regarding the Ancient Houses, but there was a message for him too inside it. And it was penned down by Erebus himself.

Keith Demiliore had reminded him yet again about their agreement. And time was approaching when he would have to hand over the Carmilla Princess to her sister.

Just a mere thought of it tightened his heart for some reason. Qin Feng had not realised when he had started caring about that mischievous little girl so much. She was only eleven this year, but she was so breathtakingly beautiful that he could not bear the urge to never see her face again.

He was certain that once she grows up, her beauty would astound even the most beautiful of people. And then there was this unimaginable power that she held within herself that even scared him at times.

But she was not his.

Rage bubbled in his heart and a mysterious green flame flickered in those dark iris’ of his eyes. The hand that he had suddenly smashed against the throne, and had gotten pierced by one of the thorns on it, started healing at an alarming rate, leaving no evidence of it ever getting injured.

He had regretted betting against Keith ever since the day he had lost to him. And he had lamented his foolishness as he had not even thought over what it was going to cost him.

But for someone who had never before lost anything to anyone, how could he have known that the day of his reckoning had arrived?

Time passed, but his mood did not improve.

All his plans were ruffled up now, and he could no longer proceed as he had intended. Unifying all the Vampire Factions of the World was no longer possible unless he went to war against Erebus, and he knew that if he did such a thing, it would be his doom.

He could no longer approach the Werewolf Packs too, as the information he had received stated that the Ancient Packs were intending to approach Erebus and were most likely intending to submit themselves to him.

Everything was falling into the hands of the person who was already too powerful. And Qin Feng could clearly feel the gap between them increasing over time.

He was not richer than him. He was not as Powerful. And even if his personal strength was greater, which he had not determined yet, what could he do with it?

A sense of helplessness dawned on him, and for someone who had never felt helpless before, it was a little too hard for him to cope with it.

“Brother Feng!”

Suddenly, a cheerful voice resounded in the dark hall, and his eyes beheld an enchantingly beautiful little girl skipping her way towards him, wearing a red frock.

He smiled despite the guilt that burned in his heart. And he never thought he would ever feel it when he killed her father and destroyed her family. He even hid the fact from her that her dear older sister was out there, searching for her, and he had done all of it to gain power.

“Su’er…” He gently called out to her by the name he had given her; Another attempt to make her forget about her identity and feel closer to him and think of him as her family.

“You promised to take me out today and fish with you!”

“I remember.” He nodded his head as he patted hers, which made her naturally red lips curve into a heartwarming smile. “Do you want to bring anyone else with us?”

“Sister Meng!”

“Okay. Go and tell her to get ready.”

“Okay!” Ingvild happily laughed and then merrily skipped out of the hall room to inform her sister Meng to get ready for the day.

Her brother Feng rarely allowed her to leave the Fort, but when he did, he always accompanied her.

Though she was always bored by being holed up inside these silent and haunting walls, reading and learning, she always looked forward to the day her dear brother Feng would take her out to show her around the island.

It was always the best day of the month, and she was very excited about today.

“Sister Meng!” She knocked on the door once before she entered the room, and found the girl she was looking for wearing a combo suit, doing push-ups on the floor.

“Su’er.” Meng, who was a Chinese girl in her early twenties, brightly smiled at her.

“I told brother Feng that I want you to come with us. Come on, get ready now!”

“What?!” The girl was shocked when she heard those words and then immediately stopped exercising. “Wait! I will be back in a few minutes!” She said right before she stormed inside the bathroom to take a quick shower.

Ingvild giggled as she saw her sister Meng behave funnily once again. She always behaved like this when brother Feng asked for her.

“Let’s go, Su’er. We must not keep Lord Hades waiting!” Meng spoke as soon as she returned from the restroom, and Ingvild burst out laughing.

“You are the one who took her time, sister Meng. And you look beautiful today.” She reminded her and gave her a compliment, which brought a smile to Meng’s face.

“Let’s go…”

At the same time, thousands of miles away, an enchantingly beautiful girl lay in her bed, her red locks spread over the white pillow. And she has a frown on her face as her eyes quivered, leaking tears whilst she dreamt about her sweet little sister whom she had lost all those years ago.

She often dreamt about her family and fought against the nightmare where she had witnessed her father being murdered. She remembered how those despicable men had hunted for her, and how hard she had to run to escape from them.

Hatred welled up in her heart, and she was just about to scream in her dream when she felt a warm arm wrap around her waist, and her eyes opened.

Ingrid smiled when she realised whose arm it was, and she could hear the even breathing of Kiara, who was sleeping with her, hugging her.

At first, when Keith had given her to Kiara, she had only respected and obeyed her Master, but now, after living with her all these years, she deeply cared about her and thought of her as her own sister. And she was glad that she had found someone like Kiara in her life.

She may have lost her sister and family, but now she had another, and Ingrid had vowed long ago that she would never let anyone harm her family again.

Yes, she wanted Hades dead, but the hatred in her heart was no longer as intense as one it used to be. And maybe, if she came across that man in the future, she would not lose her composure and feel compelled to shred him to pieces. But it did not mean that she did not want to avenge her blood anymore.

It was something she would never let go of, but she remembered the promise Keith made to her, and she was patient and confident that her Master would keep his word.

Ingrid knew that Hades was bound to die. And she ardently waited for the day to come, and as her mind skipped from one thought to another, it suddenly stilled on the profile of her Master, and her heart skipped a beat and her face warmed up when she recalled his smile, his beauty, his scent, his taste, and just everything about him.

She knew she loved him, and she loved him with all her heart. A lost smile crept on her face when she felt a little grudge against him.

Despite knowing how she felt towards him, he had still not taken her, claimed her, and made a woman out of her.

And her patience was running out now.

Maybe she should talk about it with Kiara, and though she knew that her dear sister would tease the life out of her, at least, she would speak to Keith about it. She knew that Kiara would ask him to not keep her waiting for long. And maybe, just maybe, she would not have to wait long to touch her Master the way she yearned to touch him…