The beautiful crimson-haired girl's name was Hecate, a talented individual the seventh Paragon had picked up from the battlefield of the southern front. Discerning that these newly arrived individuals were her master's acquaintances, she sighed in relief and calmed her pounding heart.
'My seniors, huh?' Even though she had pacified herself, fear continued to flood her mind. It was an instinctual fear, akin to that of prey confronting its predators. But it was to be expected. After all, these were the ones that her master had chosen.
They should be powerful and oppressive.
Only then could she be relieved, as strength mattered the most for her. Before meeting her master, an army of blood-sucking bastards hunted her down into the borders. She ran and ran for days and nights.
Exhaustion consumed her, and hope dimmed within her heart. She was weak, utterly helpless. She could only watch as the world took everything from her. She could only run away and never dare to look back.
In any case, two black-suited figures stepped out of the black mist. One was a gorgeous lady whose graceful curves rivalled the statue of the goddess of beauty. The other was a young man, a dangerous monster.
Hecate's crimson gaze widened as she could feel the aether oppression emanating from the young man. He was a bit older than her, yet it felt as though she was staring at an Aberrant. No, he was an Aberrant.
"I could feel that bloodlust from a mile away. My junior is quite spirited." Damien muttered with a tinge of exasperation while Francine glanced at the newest member of Block 7 standing beside Miss Alastair.
'Another talent, but a troublesome one like him.' She inwardly sighed, hoping that her juniors wouldn't be problematic for the division.
"Damien, Francine! Looks like both of you got along much better than I previously thought. I heard about your escapades in the Manhattan Exclusion Zone. As expected of my members."
Alastair waved her pale hand at them while chuckling after mentioning what the two of them had done to the ruined cityscape of Manhattan. The incident was a massive commotion that shook both the federation and the military.
She was even brought to questioning by the defense force. But unfortunately for them, she had already left the southern front with the newest member of Block 7.
"I can't believe that Manhattan got flattened." The silver-haired lady smirked while Damien shook his head. "It wasn't my fault."
Francine glanced at her junior, wondering if he had thrown her under the bus or not. But she didn't care as she was primarily interested in the crimson-haired girl in front of her.
"Miss Alastair, you employed a vampire into our ranks?" Instead of dawdling around the subject, she decided to get straight to the point and questioned the arrogant seventh Paragon.
Hecate was shocked to the core. Chills echoed throughout her body as she felt dread since her identity was supposed to be a secret. Being a vampire in the middle of New York was too dangerous.
It was like being a human in the center of the Clan's capital city, Bloodhaven. Everyone and everything could be an enemy.
On the other hand, Damien was also astounded at the straightforward question of his senior and the identity of the newest member. A cryptid, and a vampire at that?'Damn, Miss Alastair probably captured her.'
It was the same for him. Just when he escaped the armored convoy that was supposed to transport him to the SIGIL Headquarters, he was discovered by the seventh Paragon and employed by force.
They were contemporaries.
Silence whistled through the air as the conversing crowd became a muted noise in the background. Alastair and Francine gazed upon one another, their eyes unmoving and resolute.
"Yes." After a couple of seconds, the white-haired lady finally responded to the question of her second-in-command. Francine raised her eyebrows and glanced at Hecate once again. "Even if she was a talented vampire..."
"You wouldn't have employed her to Block 7 without a reason. For you who consider power as a pillar of the future, it must be that something within her interests you."
Listening to the statement of her secretary, Alastair chuckled and grinned while leaning against the wooden chair. "As expected, I cannot hide anything from you, Francine."
"You're right, her body is intriguing, especially the one inside it-" Before she could continue to speak, Hecate interrupted the conversation. "Master, does it really need to be unveiled?"
She was anxious since it brought nothing but misfortune. Whether it'd be past tragedies or the fact that she was hunted. It attracted misery.
"There's no need to be nervous, Hecate. The two of them are to be trusted, especially Francine. She even took care of my Aberrant and trained him." Alastair maintained her arrogant grin.
"I see... I will follow your lead." Hecate's velvet eyes dimmed for a moment before returning to their usual calm. She prepared her mind and heart for what was about to come.
With the student's agreement, Alastair continued. "Hecate's body has a secret. It comes from the combined experimentation of the smartest vampires within the Clan. Inside her is an ancient progenitor."
The muted noise of the crowd became deafening as Damien and Francine stared at the crimson-haired girl with shock. Progenitors. They were the first of the Cryptids, the strongest of them.
Each cryptid species has one Progenitor. They were a symbol of power and authority, ensuring that the existence of their race endures in this world, no matter how much of eternity passes.
The reason why Alastair hadn't annihilated each and every single cryptid in existence was because of these old monsters. While she was the strongest of humanity, she wasn't the strongest in the world.
Such a title remained in question as those who stood at the summit never dared to fight one another. It wasn't because of fear. It was the consequence of the confrontations that would bring the world and the respective species together.
"You are playing with fire, Miss Alastair." Francine furrowed her eyebrows while Hecate lowered her head as shadows formed to obscure her face. But it all changed as the gorgeous black-suited lady continued.
"However, I trust your judgment. Otherwise, I wouldn't have followed you since that day." It was a promise long ago. No matter what happened, she would always stand with the one who saved her.
A complicated hope glimmered through the velvet irises of Hecate, but she understood the reasoning of her senior. It wasn't solely loyalty. There was a complete utmost trust between the two of them.
"So, what kind of situation is this? Is the Progenitor inside her body or mind? Or is it sealed within her?" Damien inquired as there was a significant difference between the two circumstances.
If the Progenitor were residing within her body without limits and could emerge abruptly, she would be too unstable and dangerous. The only ones who could handle her were probably Francine and his boss, Miss Alastair.
The gorgeous white-haired lady thought about it for a moment before responding to his inquiry. "The ancient Progenitor is currently sealed within her body. The ones who crammed the abomination were the Clan."
"I already checked the integrity of the seal, and it's good. The monster inside Hecate probably isn't an ally since the arrogant vampires placed numerous restrictions throughout the seal."
"A seal, huh? That is some good news. But, Miss Alastair... Are you confident that those vampires cannot manually open the seal with a key?" Damien continued probing, earning the furrowed eyebrows of the seventh Paragon.
"A key... That sounds troublesome. I don't know much about seals, so I can't confirm that notion." She shook her head and realized how thoroughly cautious her Aberrant was.
"If the vampires created her, it should be possible that they wanted her to become their weapon. A weapon without a bit of control is useless. I propose to have her seal inspected by the Crucible."
Damien suggested, as none of them were experts regarding such subjects. Francine and Alastair glanced at one another before nodding. "You have grown these past two weeks, Damien."
"Repairing Manhattan was worth it." Alastair grinned at the black-suited young man and felt that her choice back then had been a good one.
Meanwhile, Damien was somewhat confused when he heard of his boss repairing the devastated city. It was then that he turned his gaze towards the exclusion zone and saw the ruined skyline looming over the distance.
His sable-tinted eyes widened, astonished by the untouched, decrepit city of Manhattan. "No wonder Francine remained confident despite flattening an entire city. Even if it was an abandoned one, the punishments shouldn't have been so light."
"Should I have expected this from you, Miss Alastair?" He glared at his boss for always breaking his sense of reality every time he met her. He hadn't forgotten that warped mirror world where the two of them fought.
Combined with the restored Manhattan Exclusion Zone, it made him ponder the extent of the seventh Paragon's capabilities.
"Hehehehe~ There's no need for praise, Damien. Taking care of my subordinates' troubles is normal. After all, the three of you are under my wing." Without a hint of shame, Alastair waved and pretended to be humble.
But her pearl-like gaze turned towards the newest member of Block 7. An idea quickly arose from her mind, prompting her supple lips to curve upward. Francine raised her eyebrows, but wanted to see what her leader had in mind.
The seventh Paragon brazenly pointed at the young man and commanded with a sly tone. Her words brought chills to both Damien and Hecate.
"Damien! From now on, you and Hecate will be partners. I hope that you will take care of your junior and introduce her to the world of Jaegers."