"Why would you suggest something as silly as starting over, Caspan?" Silvana asked, her blood-red eyes narrowing suspiciously. Her voice echoed through the lit chamber. She sat up in her pool of blood.
Caspan stood calmly before her, arms folded. His skin was grey like polished stone, his long red hair cascading over his noble attire. His sharp, crimson eyes didn't flinch at her growing hostility.
"I don't know," he said bluntly. "But the current world… it's not so bad. The skies are clear. The cities are alive. People are—well, they're thriving. I wouldn't want to see it twisted into the kind of hell you showed me from 200,000 years ago."
He let out a small sigh and looked away. "It sounds… boring."
Silvana's lips parted in shock. "What?!" she snapped, her voice cutting through the air like a whip. Several servants around whom were busy killing people immediately stopped as they stared at Caspan.
'Those awful stares again,' Caspan thought bitterly. He could feel Alfred and the others glaring at him like he was abnormal. As if he was the mad one in the room.
'What a joke,' he thought. 'She was just a bored goddess, always watching mortals tear each other apart for amusement. There's no divine purpose—just indulgence. And this is the woman I have to call mother?'
He smiled—but it was a cold, false expression meant only to please the monster before him.
"Let's be realistic, Mother," he said, his tone calm. "At the rate you're going, you'd need to slaughter millions just to fully restore your body. And mortals today aren't the same as they were 200,000 years ago. Magic has advanced. Technology has grown. Some of them can stand against the top strongest races. Do you really think they'll allow themselves to be butchered just to fuel your resurrection?"
Silvana's expression faltered. Her clawed fingers stopped trailing through the blood. The silence in the room grew tense.
Caspan didn't stop.
"Your current followers are weak. Loyal, yes, but they couldn't defend you from a single Grand Mage, let alone a whole army. If we continue like this, your revival will be interrupted."
Silvana's lips tightened. 'He's right… He's right and I hate that he's right. I was speaking from rage. Not strategy. I've lost my edge...'
"So," she said with a bitter smile, "do you have a better idea?"
"Yes." Caspan stepped forward, his voice growing colder. "We need numbers. Strong numbers. More followers. More soldiers. People with ambition and power. The kind of people who'd kill for something in return."
"But master," Alfred protested, "powerful beings don't follow orders easily. And most won't join us freely."
"They will," Caspan said with a smirk. "If we promise them something valuable. Something that only I, Mother, can provide."
Silvana raised an eyebrow. "Immortality?"
"Exactly," Caspan said. "The immortality of a vampire. You know how mortals crave longevity. They fear death. And only the most powerful among them ever manage to stretch their lifespans beyond a century."
He glanced at the pile of corpses to the side—mutilated, twisted, bled dry.
"We can forcefully turn some into lesser vampires—your servants. Especially the fresher corpses would do nicely."
"Won't they become mindless zombies?" Alfred interjected, frowning.
Afterall zombies and ghouls were simply mindless beings. Though they needed a few orders, they weren't organized nor could they strategically plan as well. They battle power was low as well and only a few ones manage to upgrade.
"They might," Caspan agreed. "But not for long. What's more, mother your power allows you to have absolute control over the corpses. With enough mana and blood, they could turn them into something new. We could cultivate an entirely new breed of vampires—one that grows stronger the more they feed. They could infiltrate cities, convert others, build nests. All in your name."
There was a pause.
Silvana's eyes gleamed with eerie light. She studied her son for a long, tense moment.
'This boy… he's thought all of this through. Every step. He's always been strange, but maybe… maybe I've underestimated him.'
"Fine," she said at last, waving her bloodstained hand dismissively. "Do whatever you want. As long as it brings me closer to my goal and my vengeance."
Caspan bowed low. "Of course, Mother."
But as he rose, the gleam in his eyes didn't match the submissive tilt of his head.
_________
"Hmm… so what mission should I take?" Odessa murmured to herself, eyes scanning the cluttered mission board in front of her. It was a tall, wooden wall plastered with flyers of varying sizes, shapes, and states of wear. A few were crumpled at the corners, others stained with ink or smudged fingerprints. She stood in front of the F-rank section—quests for beginners, the kind no seasoned adventurer would give a second glance.
Her gaze wandered upward, curious, but noticed something odd. The rows for B- and A-rank quests were empty.
"Excuse me… may I ask where the higher-level quests are?" Odessa asked, turning to the receptionist's desk nearby.
A young woman leaned over the counter—bright blonde hair chopped into a short bob, soft brown eyes full of mischief, and twitching white rabbit ears perched on top of her head. She gave Odessa a sly smile.
"Why?" the bunny-eared woman asked. "Looking for a big job already?"
Odessa shook her head quickly, her dark curls bouncing with the motion. "No way. I'm not nearly strong enough for something like that."
And that was true. She had barely survived her last D-rank mission back at the ministry of magic. and that was with luck and her partner was a group of knights helping her more than she liked to admit. Anything higher than that felt like certain death.
"Then you've got nothing to worry about," the bunny-woman said cheerfully. "The higher-ranking quests are kept on the upper floors. You'll need a verified adventure rank to even step foot there."
"Upper floors?" Odessa blinked. "How would I even know when I qualify?"
"Simple. Once your name appears on the guild ranking registry, you'll get access. The guild constantly updates the board based on your performance and mission history. You can't cheat the system—our magic ensures all ranks are legit," the bunny-woman explained with a smug little wink. Her ears twitched again, and Odessa found herself distracted for a moment by their soft flicking.
"That makes sense," Odessa said with a nod. "I did try to go upstairs once… but there was this invisible barrier. Surprised the hell out of me."
"That'll do it," the woman laughed. "The system doesn't care how curious you are. Rules are rules."
"Vivy didn't explain anything either," Odessa muttered under her breath with a sigh. "She just let me walk into it."
The bunny-woman snorted. "Sounds like Vivy."
Odessa turned back to the board and scanned the F-rank jobs again. "Hmm… maybe this one," she said, pulling down a flyer. "It's a garden help job. Seems simple enough."
"Oh?" the woman leaned closer. "Do you have plant magic?"
"I do," Odessa replied with a small smile.
"Then that job's perfect for you!" the bunny-woman grinned brightly. "The garden belongs to a farmer. He always appreciate someone who can help keep the mana plants alive."
Odessa walked toward the front counter, flyer in hand, and placed it down. "I'd like to take this job, please."
A second receptionist stepped forward. She was Peppermint.
"Alright," Peppermint said, offering a gentle smile as she stamped the quest flyer with an official gold seal. "You're all set. The quest location is here—just follow this road map on the flyer."
She handed Odessa a small enchanted slip for verification.
"Also," she added, "remember that the guild takes a 10% cut from the reward once the job's complete."
To most people, that might've seemed like a steep price. But not to Odessa.
"That makes sense," she said sincerely. "Without the guild, adventurers wouldn't have access to jobs, resources, or protection. I figure the tax also helps fund things like rescue parties when someone goes missing, right?"
Peppermint raised an eyebrow, impressed. "Exactly. I'm glad to see someone who understands how the system works—and respects it."
Odessa blushed slightly at the compliment, then gave a small nod. "I'll get going then."