Deep beneath the ancient ruins Rey had long since abandoned, a hidden chamber pulsed with dark energy. Torches of ghostly blue flame illuminated a wide hall, carved from abyssal stone, decorated with bones and tattered banners. At its center stood a blackened throne, cracked with time but pulsing with eerie vitality.
Seated upon it was Vladis Mortis, the one who had discovered the human blood.
His body was tall and skeletal-thin, yet laced with demonic power. His skin was pale gray, veins glowing faint blue beneath its surface, and his eyes were like deep holes that drew in light itself. One of his arms rested lazily on the throne's edge, the other wrapped around the waist of a half-monster woman perched on his lap.
Three female monsters, all half-human in appearance but twisted by the Abyss, surrounded him. One lay draped across his lap, with long black hair and a coiling serpent's tail, her forked tongue flicking near his ear. The second curled by his feet, her skin leathery and her body thin like a giant bat, with wings folded against her back and claws resting on the ground. The third straddled his right side, pale and horned, her body scarred from countless battles.
All three were naked, wearing nothing but the confidence of their monstrous beauty and the pride of their place beside him.
The one with the bat-like form looked up, licking her lips before she spoke, "Lord Vladis Mortis, we've dispatched several patrols through the western tunnels. Many have died, but one squad returned with a scent trail—he is still alive, moving north."
The throne creaked as Vladis leaned forward, eyes narrowing.
"The rat survived the jungle? Amusing…" His voice was cold, like frozen metal scraping stone. "And what do you suggest we do now?"
The snake-tailed woman hissed softly, her tail coiling tighter. "Shall we hunt him down, my Lord? I can tear out his heart while it still beats."
But the third servant, resting at his feet, glanced up and spoke, "Or bring him back breathing. You said it yourself… his blood is special."
Vladis Mortis rose from the throne slowly, his movements elegant but full of tension—like a blade about to strike.
"No," he said finally, voice low and measured. "We follow the plan. If we move too early, we'll risk him vanishing again. His mind is sharp. His will is unbroken."
He walked across the chamber, shadows trailing his steps like loyal hounds.
"Let him think he's safe. Let him keep building his pathetic shelters. Let him train, fight, bleed. The longer he survives… the more precious he becomes."
The snake woman purred, "And when he's ripe, we take him?"
He smiled faintly, a chilling expression. "No. When he is ripe, he will come to us willingly—dragging himself through hell if he must."
He turned back to them, the flames dimming as his aura thickened. "Mark my words. That human will not die by some lowly beast or by starvation. His fate belongs to me. His blood, his flesh, his memories—they are the final pieces I need."
The bat woman bowed her head low. "As you command… Crown Prince of Night."
Vladis Mortis returned to his throne, darkness settling once again.
Far away, beneath the stars of the Abyss, Rey scavenged for moss to boil into drinkable liquid—unaware that his greatest predator had begun watching.
The game had changed.
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