The Castle of Foreverness stood tall again.
After the war, the halls were damaged, towers cracked, walls broken—but vampires do not stay down for long. Workers moved through the courtyards carrying stone blocks. Some repaired pillars. Others restored the gates. The sound of rebuilding replaced the sound of battle.
For the first time in days, there was no screaming.
Only hammers.
Only quiet determination.
Inside the castle yard, young vampires trained again. Swords clashed in practice, not in war. Guards stood alert, but their eyes were calmer now.
Peace felt strange.
But it was real.
Oban walked through the courtyard silently.
No one cheered when he passed. No one bowed too deeply. They respected him—but they also understood him. He didn't fight for praise.
He fought to end things.
Now that the war was over, he returned to something simple.
Training.
Behind the castle, in an open stone field, Oban stood alone. His vampiric blade rested in his hand. His movements were sharp and controlled. Slash. Step. Turn. Strike.
Again.
Again.
Again.
His speed increased with each round.
He wasn't smiling. He wasn't angry.
He was focused.
"I'm still not strong enough," he muttered quietly to himself.
Rakan had pushed him to the limit. Even though he won, he knew the truth—if he made one mistake that day, everything could have ended differently.
So he trained.
He practiced blood control with small movements. He created thin threads and pulled them back instantly. He shaped blades from blood and dissolved them again. He practiced freezing and heating his blood energy in seconds.
Control.
Speed.
Endurance.
He wanted them all sharper than before.
Inside the medical wing of the castle, Allisa lay resting.
The battle had affected her deeply. Though she survived, her body needed time to recover. Healers moved carefully around her bed, checking her condition.
She looked peaceful, but pale.
Klein stood nearby with folded arms.
"She'll recover," he said quietly.
Aijack leaned against the wall. "Yeah. She's tougher than she looks."
They both went silent for a moment.
Then Klein spoke again. "Hard to believe it's over."
Aijack exhaled. "It doesn't feel real. One moment we're fighting for survival. Next moment, it's quiet."
"Oban ended it," Klein said.
Aijack nodded slowly. "Yeah… he did."
They both understood something deeper though. Ending a war doesn't mean ending future danger.
It just means a new chapter begins.
Back in the training field, Oban wiped sweat from his forehead.
His system suddenly flickered.
A blue window appeared in front of him.
[New Quest Available]Objective: Eliminate 15 Night BeastsLocation: Northern ForestReward: Skill Enhancement + Experience Points
Oban stared at it for a second.
Then he smiled slightly.
"Back to normal, huh?"
Night Beasts were common creatures that appeared in dark forests. They hunted at night and attacked travelers. Nothing like Rakan. Nothing like war.
Just monsters.
He looked at the sky.
The sun was beginning to fall.
"Guess I'll wait for night."
As darkness covered the land, the forest outside the castle grew quiet.
The wind moved gently through trees. The moon rose slowly.
Oban stepped beyond the castle gates alone.
No big army.
No war.
Just him and his blade.
The forest welcomed him with shadows. His senses expanded automatically. He could feel movement between trees. Small growls. Light footsteps.
A Night Beast leapt from the side.
Oban turned smoothly and cut it down in one clean motion.
One.
Another tried to circle behind him.
He stepped back and used blood threads to pull it forward before finishing it quickly.
Three.
Five.
Seven.
They came in groups. Fast, sharp, aggressive—but compared to what he had faced before, they were simple.
Oban moved calmly.
No anger.
No pressure.
Just steady combat.
Ten.
Twelve.
Fifteen.
The final Night Beast tried to escape deeper into the forest. Oban dashed forward and ended it swiftly.
The system appeared again.
[Quest Completed]Reward Granted]
Oban exhaled slowly.
Everything felt normal again.
For now.
He looked up at the moon through the trees.
"Peace never lasts long," he whispered.
Then he turned and walked back toward the castle.
But far away…
Very far away…
In a place where light did not exist—
Darkness filled everything.
The ground was black stone. The air felt heavy and cold. Strange creatures moved in the shadows.
Night Beasts.
But not the normal kind.
These were larger. Smarter. Their eyes glowed with deeper energy. Their claws carried dark markings. They moved in organized patterns, not wild chaos.
They were evolving.
At the center of this dark place stood a massive throne carved from twisted stone.
Someone sat upon it.
His face was hidden in shadow. Only his eyes could be seen—bright and cold.
A Night Beast approached and knelt.
"My lord," it said in a low voice.
The figure on the throne leaned forward slightly.
"I can feel it," he said calmly. "The blood of emperors has awakened."
The Night Beasts around him lowered their heads.
The throne figure's voice grew deeper.
"Bring me the blood of emperors."
The command echoed through the darkness.
The advanced Night Beasts bowed in obedience.
And somewhere in the distance, unseen portals began to shimmer open.