"Hey Amethyst… you smell like a dragon clung on to you." Lina tilted her head curiously, her catlike ears twitching as she sniffed the air. Her green eyes narrowed slightly as if she had caught onto something.
"Uh? No, no! I was just practicing my combat techniques." Amethyst scratched his cheek nervously, avoiding her gaze. His face turned slightly pale, as though hiding something he didn't want Lina to know.
Lina stepped closer, her small frame surprisingly intimidating for a seven-year-old. "Mmhm… you're acting suspicious."
Amethyst chuckled nervously. "Y-you're just imagining things, Lina. Nothing's going on."
Before she could press him further, their conversation faded as the scene shifted across the vast seas to the depths of the Red Continent.
---
Inside a grand obsidian palace, draped in crimson curtains and glowing with faint runes, sat the ruler of the Red Continent—Vampire Queen Liliane Vespera. Her beauty was both regal and haunting, long silver hair flowing like moonlight, crimson eyes glowing in the shadows.
Across from her stood her nephew, Lucien Vespera, a beautiful girl of 15 with sharp features but a soft expression that betrayed her youth.
"Lucien," the Queen spoke with a voice smooth as velvet yet sharp as a blade, "may I ask—this human you are engaged with… do you truly love him?"
Lucien lowered his gaze, then looked back up with rare determination. "Yes, your highness. I do truly love him."
A faint smile curved on the Queen's lips, revealing the tips of her fangs. "And what is it you love about this boy? Speak honestly, Lucien."
Lucien's cheeks colored slightly. "I like… that he's cute and innocent. He's honest—so honest that lying is difficult for him. He's kind, truly kind, and he always meets me, no matter how busy or tired. He's my only real friend in that Academy… and the one I love. Everyone else only tries to be near me because I'm your nephew, because of your name. But him… he sees me as just Lucien."
Liliane tilted her head, her crimson eyes softening. "So it is love, then. True love."
"Yes." Lucien's voice was firm, despite his youth.
The Queen rose from her throne, her long gown flowing like shadows. "You are young. Only fifteen. And yet your heart burns brightly. You must truly love him, Lucien. I would like to meet this boy of yours before the two of you are bound by marriage."
Lucien flinched slightly. "Aunt… I'm only fifteen. It will take three years before we can marry."
Liliane's chuckle echoed like a haunting lullaby. "Three years passes quickly, dear child. When that day comes, I shall judge with my own eyes. But tell me… what kind of future do you imagine with him?"
Lucien hesitated, then smiled softly. "I want us to live quietly. Away from courts and crowns. Maybe in a remote place, just us. I want… a family. Five children, perhaps. A place where we can live in peace, without politics or expectations. Just… happiness."
The Queen's expression flickered—something between sadness and nostalgia. "… You sound like your mother once did." She turned away, gazing at the endless night outside her palace. "Very well, Lucien. Cherish this love, and protect it. For even eternity cannot shield us from betrayal and loss."
---
Darkness filled the sky in another land, but it was not threatening. It simply existed, heavy and calm. Yet within moments, it shattered—a planet crumbling to dust under the sheer force of a gaze. Golden eyes gleamed in the void. The silhouette of a Black Lion roared, and the world itself trembled.
A voice chuckled in the shadows. "Wow, Aizen. You haven't been practicing long, but you already know how to manipulate your Black Mana. That's impressive."
Aizen stood in the center of a training ground carved out of stone and lightning, his golden eyes glowing with raw determination. Sweat rolled down his cheek, but his body stood tall.
"It's great for you to use it," the voice continued, echoing from a beastlike figure of shadow, "but don't overuse it… because it will eat you alive."
The figure suddenly laughed, shaking its mane. "Just kidding! Now, focus. There's something far more important you must master."
Aizen clenched his fists. "Tell me."
"The most important technique of the Black Lion… the Beast Fang." The figure's eyes glowed brighter. "This technique can pierce even the Great Destroyer Goddess herself. With it, you will not only stand against her—you may even defeat her."
Aizen's breath caught. His heart raced. "Beast Fang… Show me."
The shadowy figure grinned, its fangs gleaming like crescent moons. "Good. Because you're already stronger than me, Aizen. And with this technique, you'll step beyond what even I could dream of."
Aizen tightened his stance, lightning flickering around him. "Then let's begin. I want to master it—no matter the cost."
And thus, the training to awaken the true power of the Beast Fang began.
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✨ End of Chapter 65