"I... I’m Bask. The S-rank Basilisk you... taught manners," the young man stammered at last, his tone trembling with both fear and awe toward Aaron. His predatory eyes lowered slightly, as though instinctively submitting before him.
Aaron studied him carefully. "What happened to your large body?"
"I woke up ... in this form," Bask replied, voice still unsteady.
"Can you revert to your original form?" Aaron asked, his tone sharp yet calm.
"Yes... I can," Bask nodded, his long black hair falling over his shoulders as his body trembled. In the next instant, his form rippled and twisted. The frail human frame stretched, bones cracking, scales spreading until the massive body of the Basilisk filled the reinforced cage once more. The creature’s presence was suffocating, its sheer size dwarfing the chamber.
"I see." Aaron’s eyes glimmered faintly as he gave a small nod. With a thought, he dispelled the cage. He could feel it clearly—the bond between him and the beast. The turning was successful.
Waving his hand, Aaron willed a set of clothes into existence, clothing Bask’s human form once the creature shifted back. Together, they ascended toward the surface, where the city buzzed with activity.
Construction had already begun on a massive scale. Vampires—newcomers freshly relocated into the sanctuary—were busy shaping homes into existence. Aaron granted each family land according to their ranks and achievements, allowing them to manifest dwellings with their will while maintaining order through assigned quotas. The once-empty grounds were steadily transforming into a vast city of hybrids and vampires under his command.
Soon after, Aaron convened a meeting of the upper hierarchy of his growing clan. The council chamber filled with the figures he trusted most—Isobel, Hailey, Derrick, and Blade—along with several of his Doppelgangers. Aaron briefly considered inviting Alice and Michael, but quickly decided against it. Until he fully understood their stance after their turning, they would remain outside such discussions.
"Isobel’s city has been cleared," Aaron began, his voice steady as he surveyed them. "What’s our next move?"
"The cities farther from the central government should be our first priority," Isobel answered swiftly, her expression calm but her eyes sharp. "If we strike closer too soon, we risk wasting energy clashing with unnecessary opposition."
"I disagree slightly," Derrick interjected, leaning forward. "We should prioritize dungeon cores. The more we collect, the more the sanctuary grows. Once an area’s dungeons are cleared, spreading influence over the rest becomes much easier."
Blade spoke next, his tone calm but his words carrying weight. "We’ll need more than growth—we’ll need overwhelming strength. Expanding the sanctuary is crucial, but so is bolstering our numbers. The more vampires we turn, the faster we can open rifts and compel resistance into submission. Time is not our ally. We must accelerate."
Aaron narrowed his eyes. "So... what exactly do you suggest?"
Blade clasped his hands together and spoke slowly, each word deliberate. "We need a place where no one will care about our actions. Somewhere the disappearance of people will mean nothing until it is far too late. A land so lawless that survival is dictated by the law of the jungle alone."
Isobel’s eyes lit up, a grin tugging at her lips. "You don’t mean... Continent Ren?"
"I do." Blade’s calm reply drew the full attention of the room. "It is the largest continent on Blue Star, accounting for half the world’s landmass. Untamed, unchecked, drowning in dungeons and chaos. It has no laws, no central order. If we dominate Ren, we can harvest its countless dungeons and grow our numbers unchecked. By the time the rest of the world notices, we will already possess an army strong enough to overwhelm the other four continents—even if they unite against us."
Aaron’s lips curved slightly. "That will work. I’m impressed, Blade."
Hailey raised a hand, her gaze skeptical. "But what of the people already there? Ren’s natives are infamous for their violence and savagery. What assurance do we have that turning them into vampires won’t make them even more unstable? More destructive?"
Aaron leaned back in his chair, his voice calm but resolute. "Sireline. My blood. Every vampire born of me will obey. Should any resist, they will be broken and turned into examples. None will fall out of line."
Isobel crossed her arms thoughtfully. "Then the only problem left is how to get there without alerting the world."
Aaron’s answer came without hesitation. "Void. Along with his Lightning Roc. Once he arrives in Ren, he can open a stable rift to the sanctuary from within. From there, our purge begins."
"Then it’s settled," Isobel muttered, satisfaction clear in her tone.
"Until Void reaches Ren, we continue as before," Aaron concluded, rising from his seat. "Close dungeons, grow quietly. Do not touch the cities for now—drawing attention before we’re ready will ruin everything. As for me, I have another task. The Abyssal Dungeon. I intend to shut it permanently. While I’m gone, Isobel, you are in charge."
The meeting adjourned, and Aaron’s figure dissolved into shadows, leaving his orders behind. At the same time, Void slipped silently out of the sanctuary, choosing a remote and unmonitored region as his exit point. With the Lightning Roc soaring above him, he began the long journey toward Continent Ren.
A day later, within the sanctuary—
"Ouch... what the hell happened to me?" Michael groaned as he sat up slowly, his head throbbing. He rubbed at his temples before blinking his eyes open, only to find Aaron and Alice seated across from him, calmly waiting for him to regain consciousness.
He froze. Then frowned. "Aaron... that bastard actually killed me, didn’t he? Am I... in hell?" His voice cracked between irritation and confusion.
Alice stifled a small laugh while Aaron only raised an eyebrow.
Michael turned his glare on Aaron. "Don’t tell me you killed yourself too, just so the three of us could hang out in hell without interruptions?" His expression was dead serious, though it made him look more like an idiot than anything else.
"You’re not dead," Aaron said flatly. Then added with a faint smile, "Well... technically you are. But your real bodies are still in Blue Star."
Michael blinked. "I see... then—!" His body blurred with motion, a ball of crackling lightning forming in his hand. Rage twisted in his chest as he prepared to repay Aaron in kind.
But before he could strike, his body froze in place. His arm, his legs, even the spark of lightning itself halted mid-motion, suspended by invisible chains of authority.
"Relax, will you?" Aaron sighed, leaning back in his chair. "At least let me explain before you electrocute me."
Michael gritted his teeth. "What’s going on? Why can’t I move?"
"First, you’re not in Blue Star anymore," Aaron said calmly. "You’re in the sanctuary. The true sanctuary. Second... killing you was part of the process. The process of granting you strength."
Michael’s eyes narrowed, the fury giving way to reluctant curiosity. "Strength? What strength?"
Aaron smirked faintly. "This will serve as an example." In one swift motion, he swung Excalibur. Michael’s arm dropped to the ground, severed cleanly at the elbow.
"What the hell was that—?!" Michael roared, but the words stuck in his throat. Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs NoveIＦire.net
Before his eyes, flesh and bone knit back together. In mere seconds, a new arm sprouted where the old one had been severed. He flexed his fingers in shock.
"What... did you do to me?" Michael asked, his voice trembling for the first time.
"Not just that." Alice spoke up gently, her face calm but her eyes glowing with happiness. She held Aaron’s hand with both of hers. "The blessing. I can finally control it without fear. The cursed voice that always whispered in my head is gone. All that remains is the power, pure and unshackled. I’m finally free, Michael."
Michael’s jaw tightened. He glanced from Alice’s relieved smile to Aaron’s steady gaze, then exhaled heavily. He released the lightning still buzzing at his fingertips and sat back down on the bed.
"Alright, Aaron," he muttered at last. "Spill it. Tell me everything."