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Dracula had been invited onto the island by both guardians. Though cautious, he accepted the offer.
The island was vast—an ancient land untouched by time. There were two formal entrances: one to the west, and the other to the east. However, Dracula arrived from the north, a path less traveled. A wide but shallow river meandered through the land from north to south, nurturing the lush terrain. Trees towered like green giants, and thick bushes lined the paths. Strange animals rustled in the underbrush—creatures unlike any he had seen or heard before.
The guardians guided him down a narrow trail that eventually merged with the eastern road. They marched in silence until they arrived at the heart of the island, where a small rounded structure stood. It was crafted entirely of blue jade, smooth and gleaming even in the night. The air shimmered with quiet energy.
Though night cloaked the sky, the island glowed with a soft, natural luminescence. It was as if the land itself breathed light.
Inside the jade structure, a towering figure awaited them.
"Meet our youngest—Edith," said Ouranus, introducing the figure with a voice of quiet reverence.
Edith was a Phylax, an armored sentinel of immense size and strength. The metal plating of their body gleamed with a mix of polished silver and radiant gold. The design was flawless—sleek and powerful, like a knight born not of flesh but of myth and machine. Broad shoulders carried curved, ceremonial armor. Blue energy pulsed steadily at the joints, casting flickers of light across the jade walls. A regal helmet concealed Edith's face, crowned with sharp edges that gave the impression of nobility and command. Every movement exuded precision. Every step was deliberate—steel given grace.
"I greet you," came a voice, deep and metallic, resonating from Edith's chest like a distant thunderclap.
"It's nice to meet you," Dracula replied.
"Where's the evil one?" Edith asked Kaija directly.
Kaija reached into his cloak and retrieved a small, glowing white orb. He handed it over to Edith with a smirk. "You keep getting better and better."
"Thanks for the praise," Edith replied, their voice now sharp, charged with a hint of electricity. Sparks danced faintly around their armor.
"Evil creature!" Edith commanded, holding the orb high. "Respond to my call. Tell me—who was that woman?!"
Bolts of raw lightning surged from Edith's fingers into the orb. The sphere vibrated violently before a voice crackled from within.
"I'm not an evil creature! I'M AN EVI—" The voice cut off mid-sentence.
Then, more softly, it said, "What can I do to quench your anger, my lord?"
"Who was that woman?" Edith asked again, her tone stern and unyielding.
"She's Valerina Paisley," the voice responded hesitantly.
"Who was she really?" Edith pressed, louder this time.
"She's the greatest warrior the Paisley lineage has ever produced!" the voice declared. "She seeks to resurrect her husband… using the heart of the goddess."
"You weren't involved in that?" Ouranus asked, his voice thundering through the chamber.
"Umm... just a little bit?" the orb offered nervously.
"JUST A LITTLE?" Ouranus roared.
"NO! IT WAS ME! I CAPTURED HER HUSBAND'S SOUL AND TRIED TO USE HER!" the orb confessed in panic.
"Where can we find her?" Kaija asked.
"I don't know. Maybe... the Moonlit Forest?"
Dracula stepped closer, brows furrowed. "Then why did she betray you? You had her husband's soul, didn't you?"
"I don't know," the orb muttered. "Maybe she realized I was using her. Maybe she figured out I never intended to help her."
"Tell us everything about her," Ouranus commanded. "From the beginning."
"It'll be a long story," the orb warned.
"We have time," Edith said simply.
The orb pulsed once, then began.
"It was before the war began in the Weeping Plains. The Paisley family always sought to create the perfect warrior—a vessel capable of wielding any form of energy or mana. And eventually... they succeeded.
But their joy turned to fury when the vessel was born—a girl. The elders were enraged. They feared that, being female, she would one day belong to a man, her bloodline diluted. So they locked her away under the pretense of protecting her. In truth, they isolated her from the world, shielding her from experience. It was perfect.
Except... they didn't know that the place where they imprisoned her was an ancient city—a place where I had been sealed away by the goddess.
And one day, quite by accident... she broke that seal."
Ouranus raised a hand. "Wait. Are you saying a little girl broke a divine seal?"
"It had been weakening for centuries," the orb said defensively. "But yes. And I saw her potential. I slipped into the mind of one of the elders and used him to orchestrate her escape. She had just become a teenager.
Eventually, after negotiations, the elders agreed to give her some freedom. They called it a compromise—an acknowledgment that she was still their blood. I allowed it. I wanted her to fall in love, to bear a child. A child I could use. Imagine—the offspring of a being who could contain all forms of mana? It would be the perfect vessel.
And the plan worked. She wandered the edges of the Abyss Crack, where demons rampaged freely. She fought to protect humans, elves, Purin alike. Many called her the Hero of the Paisleys.
And as I hoped... she fell in love.
The problem was... he was an elf."
"An elf?" Dracula asked, eyes narrowing.
"Yes," the orb replied bitterly. "The blood of elves can resist me—nullify my influence completely. If they had a child, it would be the end of everything I worked for.
But I still had hope. Rumor reached me that the Paisley elders had begun developing a new vessel—an even more perfect one. It would take centuries, but if they had her body, they could speed up the process.
So I devised a plan.
I contacted Dagon, a demon general. He knew of me. Together, we set a trap in the Valley of Perdition—near the Moonlit Forest and the Dark Marshes."
Dracula nodded slowly. "I know the place."
"The trap was meant to destroy every living thing in the area... except her. She would survive—wounded, but alive.
It was flawless. Until her partner, Esil—brother of Estes, King of the Elves—appeared.
A massive battle erupted. Valerina and her followers were winning with the help of her partner. So I triggered the spell."
The orb fell silent for a moment, almost mournful.
"And everything changed after that..."
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