The spotlight focused on Xylon.
The band began to play, and just like the previous performances, Xylon offered another sorrowful ballad to the audience of Paradiso Bar.
He slowly closed his eyes as he began to sing.
With every word he sang, memories of his beloved wife resurfaced.
The pain buried deep within his heart had never truly faded. Rather than letting it consume him, he poured every ounce of his grief into the song.
After the performance, the band gathered around a nearby table.
"By the way, where's Heberlin? He didn't come with us tonight," Stephen asked as he poured himself a drink.
"He said he and Blake had somewhere to go," Xenon replied.
The group continued drinking and chatting among themselves.
Xylon, however, remained silent, absentmindedly staring into his glass.
.
.
.....
Meanwhile...
Akuma slept soundly in his room. Strangely enough, among all the vampires, he was the only one who truly slept like an ordinary human.
On the bed across from him, Viel writhed in agony.
Dark veins slowly spread across his face as unbearable pain coursed through his body. He clenched his teeth tightly, forcing himself not to make a sound that might wake Akuma.
Moments later, his strength gave out.
His vision blurred, and he collapsed unconscious.
.
.
Elsewhere, inside the academy...
A lone student walked through the dimly lit hallway.
The corridors were eerily silent.
Suddenly, the student froze.
Someone...
was following him.
He slowly turned around.
The moment he recognized the figure behind him, his face turned pale.
"D-Do you... need something from me?" he asked nervously.
The mysterious figure said nothing.
Without warning—
A surge of lightning exploded from the attacker's hand.
"AAAAAHHHH!!"
The student's scream echoed through the empty hallway as electricity engulfed his entire body.
Within seconds, he was reduced to ashes.
The assailant let out a loud, maniacal laugh before deliberately stepping on the scattered ashes of the unfortunate vampire, grinding them beneath his feet as though mocking what little remained of his victim.
.
.
.....
Blake and Heberlin arrived at the basilica where Zander's body rested.
They approached the coffin, which was protected by an ancient magical seal.
"I'll begin now," Heberlin said.
Blake simply nodded.
Heberlin raised his hand over the coffin and closed his eyes in concentration.
Moments later, the coffin began to glow with a soft, radiant light.
"It's done. We can open it now," Heberlin said.
The two carefully lifted the lid together.
Inside lay Zander, peacefully asleep, as though time itself had stopped for him.
Without hesitation, Heberlin placed his right hand over Zander's chest.
His intention was to remove the curse of Solitary Confinement once and for all so that Zander could finally awaken.
Several minutes passed.
A puzzled expression slowly appeared on Heberlin's face.
"That's strange..." he muttered.
"Is something wrong?" Blake asked.
"I've already removed the curse. He should have awakened by now... but he isn't," Heberlin explained.
"W-What?" Blake was surprised.
Heberlin fell silent for a moment before closing his eyes once more. "...I can't sense his soul inside his body."
Blake's eyes widened. "Don't tell me... his soul isn't here? Is it possible that only his body was sealed inside this coffin while his soul remained free?"
Heberlin slowly nodded. "That seems to be the case. Zander may have deliberately sealed only his body inside this coffin, allowing his soul to travel safely without restraint."
"So... the story about Solitary Confinement was only a cover?" Blake said.
"It would appear so," Heberlin said.
A heavy silence filled the basilica.
"But then..." Heberlin whispered. "Where is Zander's soul now?"
Blake suddenly looked up. "Aria... she might be able to help us. I'll go get her."
Without wasting another second, Blake hurried out of the basilica, leaving Heberlin behind to guard Zander's body.
.
.
.....
Back at the academy...
"Another vampire student was killed last night," Mist said grimly.
"This is getting worse," Lucas replied. "The academy isn't safe anymore."
"I've already informed Father. Hopefully they'll take action immediately," Viel said.
"AAAAAHHHH!!"
Akuma's scream suddenly echoed from their room.
Everyone rushed inside.
They found Akuma clutching his arm as blazing flames engulfed it.
"I-I can't control it!" Akuma cried.
Mist and the others froze in panic.
Suddenly—
The window burst open.
An icy wind swept into the room.
Everyone instinctively turned toward the window.
Frost rapidly spread across the walls, the floor, and the ceiling until the entire room was covered in ice.
"W-What's happening?" Lucas exclaimed.
At that very moment, the flames surrounding Akuma's arm vanished.
A figure stepped through the open window.
"Brother!"
Akuma's face lit up with relief as he immediately ran over and hugged Xerxes.
"Were you the one who created all this ice, Brother?" Akuma asked.
Xerxes silently nodded.
Viel and the others stared at him in amazement.
.
.
.
Inside the royal palace...
"For two consecutive nights, incidents have occurred inside the academy... and not one of you thought to report them to me?" Xylon's voice echoed through the council chamber as he glared coldly at the ministers before him.
"W-We sincerely apologize, Your Majesty," one minister replied while trembling. "We believed we would quickly capture whoever was responsible for murdering the students... We were mistaken."
"Tsk," Xylon clicked his tongue in annoyance. "If the Crown Prince hadn't sent me a message himself, I wouldn't have known anything. What if something had happened to him?"
The ministers immediately lowered their heads.
"Our deepest apologies, Your Majesty."
"Make sure every student in that academy is protected," his crimson eyes turned colder. "And if anything happens to the Crown Prince...none of you will escape the consequences."
With that, Xylon turned and walked out of the chamber.
Arden quietly followed behind him.
"I've received reports that a demon has been wandering inside the academy," Arden said.
Xylon immediately stopped walking and looked back at him. "A demon? How could the people managing the academy fail to notice something like that?"
Arden simply shrugged.
"Go to the academy," Xylon ordered. "Investigate everything."
"At once, Your Majesty," Arden bowed respectfully before disappearing without delay.
.
.
.
Xerxes was about to leave.
He planned to return the following day to continue teaching Akuma how to control his powers.
As he walked through the academy grounds, someone suddenly stepped in front of him.
It was Mist.
Xerxes stopped and looked at him.
"You're Lord Xerxes Grey... aren't you?" Mist asked.
A faint look of surprise crossed Xerxes' face. "How do you know my full name?"
Mist smiled politely before giving a respectful bow. "My name is Mist. I'm the son of Lord Kan Vral."
Xerxes' eyes widened. "L-Lord Kan...?"
His former master...
At that instant, memories buried deep within his mind resurfaced.
His thoughts drifted back several centuries—
To the days when he was still a vampire...