When we opened our eyes once the incandescent light of the magic circle had faded.

  We appeared right in front of a rge stone bridge. And what greeted us after crossing it was a very well id out city, its buildings baroque in style.

  In spite of how old it looks, they have other more sophisticated structures where a big clock tower and a cable car stand out.

  -Where are we? -. I ask almost unconsciously.

  Liselotte answers, adjusting her gsses:

  -In the capital of Ifgraine, Cindralith. To the west we have Veltranor, the fishing ne. From there we could sail to Lhora. And to the east, we have Draxhaven, which is where engineering and science are taught.

  -Uh, I didn't know that... we could say that this city is pointing towards a great technological development in the future. -. I say, wandering my gaze towards the different points Liselotte pointed out.

  This world is more developed than I thought. Though I've only known the dungeon until now...

  -From Draxhaven, taking the "Steel Road" we could reach Ahrsei, connecting to the "Mines of Tharokar". -. Liselotte adds.

  Mm, it's funny how the realms are connected from this point. I guess that's Ifgraine's advantage to grow as a power, to be used as an intermediary.

  So, geographically speaking:

  Ifgraine is in the centre, to the west is Ahrsei, which is where the dungeon is located, I suppose Ahrsei must have an extension to the south, as the dungeon is quite separate from the realm as such.

  On the other hand, Lhora, which is a realm in ice, should extend further to the northeast, so that its low temperatures are possible.

  I think I understood the geography of this world a little better, eh.

  -We're not here for tourism anyway. There is business to attend to. I can feel the magic frequency of Enigma.

  Liselotte speaks with determination. I can feel some anger in her tone of voice even.

  The three of us walk towards the bridge. Certainly the city looks quite calm, as if nothing is happening. I doubt very much that whatever is going on can be this discreet.

  With each step, I realise how excellently this very bridge is made. Everything feels in pce.

  Although they could improve it as I see nterns and reinforced steel structures everywhere. I guess no one has taken on the task of taking care of this.

  I'm actually a bit excited to finally be out of the dungeon, this is all very new to me. I know we're not here to see the beautiful scenery or technological advances, but I can't help but think that it all seems so brilliant to me.

  I am gd to know that humanity always seeks to improve even in this world.

  I would like to know what will become of this realm ten years into the future, or maybe twenty.

  But as Liselotte says, we have to focus.

  In a moment, the air was filled with a smell... complex...

  And the beautiful view of a developed city abandoned me completely with a single step over the bridge. Being repced by a scenery worthy of being akin to hell.

  -Eh? Liselotte? Morrigan?

  I lost sight of my two companions, as I was overwhelmed by a mixture of smoke, the smell of blood... and for some reason, lilies.

  - - -

  [Your vision and perception have been reduced by 25% by the "Smoke" atmosphere.]

  - - -

  The cloud of smoke becomes much more noticeable, as everything around me is enveloped in this rubbish atmosphere.

  And despite not being able to perceive my surroundings perfectly, I can make out one sound in particur. Swords cnging.

  There are people fighting even among the fire.

  The atmosphere is undoubtedly heavy, dense.

  It smells of burning flesh... I imagine from the victims of this tragedy that suddenly invaded this city.

  As I start to walk, the first thing my feet come across is a corpse. One that has a multitude of feathers stuck along its body.

  I apologise to the corpse in my heart of hearts and step over it, seeking to break through the cloud of smoke.

  There's only one pce Enigma can be in the midst of all this chaos.

  [Amelie Cross' Perspective]

  The next pce where my assistance was requested is directly in the capital of Ifgraine, Cindralith. I arrived shortly after the chaos in the city began.

  I evacuated as many citizens as I could, but quickly a cloud of smoke rose in all districts of the capital, as it was being burnt from the ground up.

  The fmes only affect you if you are dead, otherwise it only burns buildings with a very high rate of spread. The accumution of smoke prevented me from moving through the city in the direction of the castle.

  Where I am is Draxhaven, I got lost in the smoke after the st evacuation.

  I'm using wind magic to keep an empty space to breathe on my own, so I won't suffocate from ck of air.

  There are a multitude of vampires who have come to Ifgraine, spreading their cursed disease to all the citizens who could not escape their attacks.

  I've killed everyone I've come across up to this point.

  Nevertheless.

  -Wow!

  A small cry of surprise erupted from my back, as my blood moulded into a scythe pointing the bde in the same direction as the back of my neck.

  This presence is not that of a vampire... it's something different. But I cannot know exactly who or what it is.

  -As I should expect from a Cross, you detected my presence even as I concealed the sound of my footsteps. Gulliver could not be approached in stealth either, you are his descendant, I can tell.

  It is a female voice that speaks to me. It has a rather friendly tone for the situation we are in.

  I say to her:

  -Why were you following me? Do you have something to settle with me?

  I was getting ready to fight at any moment. I can't tell if he's a human or a vampire just by his tone of voice, so it's ideal to be ready for anything that might happen.

  The person behind me made a "Hmm", thinking about what to say to me next.

  -Using your own blood as a means to kill vampires is something I would never have expected from a Cross. Do you mix your haemorrhagic magic with vampire killing magic or something?

  -Why the question?

  In a single second, the threat I posed to this person was completely reversed against me, as a fan of bck feathers wrapped around my neck.

  -Because I want to find out if you are capable of killing me, miss.

  Murderous intentions were immediately triggered.

  If she wanted to kill me so badly, how could she be able to hide it until I realised she was right behind me?

  She opted for a slow advance, let other vampires approach me to size me up. And realising that I could be easy prey, she moved in to finish me off with a single blow.

  This thought process is not that of an inferior vampire, not even close....

  I didn't hesitate to swing the scythe hard, feeling in my grip as this woman's neck was cut from left to right. I heard a brief wet sound, and the feather fan lowered from its position.

  This got serious in a very few moments. I turned to see the result of my single attack but... there was nothing there. Not a single spot of blood.

  Drops began to fall on my head. I looked up reflexively, only to be greeted by a scene of horror itself.

  A pale woman's joints were twisted, just above my head. Her body twisted at impossible angles, wobbling the pair of eyes bulging grotesquely from their sockets.

  Its head has been severed, yet there is a centipede tail emerging from its throat that struggles to attach the head once more. What falls on me is the contents of this woman's head, spilling out in small slimy chunks of blood and flesh.

  What the hell is that thing?

  As I struggled to understand what was happening, the voice was heard again. This time not from behind me, but from in front of me.

  I looked down, only to find something different. And it's another woman, smacking her head back.

  -It's a shame, girl. As you saw, you didn't kill me with your filthy blood. -. It's the same voice as a few moments ago.

  That means I didn't miss my attack... but...

  -You did drain my blood... -. I muttered, with some fear, starting to back away a little.

  The woman remained calm. From her empty eyes you can feel the evil in her soul. She smiles very slightly at me and pronounces herself:

  -Before I end you like the woman above you, I will give you a chance to surrender and take me to the "Heroine". If you succeed, I promise I will not empty your body for the ants to devour.

  I am afraid.

  All my life I had been told that there was no way a vampire would be able to resist my blood...

  Oh.

  -Was it you who led the attack on the border with the dungeon?

  I heard something about bck feathers stabbing all the survivors, but Reneé and Rominu were killed in a different way.

  Like they wanted to humiliate them. Saying that our family is not worth more than a piece of shit.

  I'm sure she's responsible for killing everyone who was defending the border.

  She, finishing settling her head, simply answers me calmly:

  -I did it. Those brats in your family thought their blood was going to defend them. I don't regret snacking on the kid.

  ...

  I don't regret taking the boy as an appetizer. There's not much I can do. A sudden advance will only get me killed. No matter how small my margin for error, this could kill me in an instant.

  -I'll tell you what, kid.

  -?

  -Become a vampire and be my servant. I'm sure you're well aware that I'm immune to anything with your blood in it.

  ...

  -That sounds like an irrational thing to say. You can't turn someone from the Cross family into a vampire.

  -Oh? -Are you sure about that? There was a rumour going around the dungeon a while back... which is exactly what I'm proposing, a member of your family turned into a vampire.

  -There are no vampires in the dungeon. And if there were, my sister, Olivia, had to exterminate him at the time.

  What this woman is saying is total nonsense. The Cross blood rejects in its entirety any kind of vampire cell that enters the system. At worst it would only leak out as a small fever.

  But... One of us being turned into a vampire? That's ridiculous.

  -If it is as you say, why is it that the seed of "The Camity" is still among us? Your sister failed and even allied herself with a vampire. Maxwell's Dungeon is characterised by its hellish floors, each one worse than the st. Don't you think it would be a sea of experience for a pure vampire?

  -...

  -Anyway, that's not the point, kiddo. What do you say? Just take me to your sister and end of story, you can be a free vampire after that.

  Hah... I really don't stand a chance. I'll die if I refuse anyway, though... really, I just need to take her to Liv.

  Reluctantly, I pulled back the colr of my shirt a little. So she'd be able to see where she's going to bite me.

  I hope she does it right in the carotid so it's quick.

  I'm still unsure about this. But there's no alternative. Olivia will know what to do once this is all over.

  The woman in bck advanced to where I was standing in an instant, a huge smile on her face.

  -Ohh, that's a beautiful white neck you've got there. Before I bite you, I want you to know, my name is Belphegor, and I am the [Seventh Vampire Lord].

  She put one hand on the back of my neck, and the other on my shoulder, so she could pce her head in the perfect position to sink her fangs into me.

  It didn't take long for her to bite me, it hurt a little. The sensation of my blood being drained is strange above all else.

  My bloodstream is being filled with this woman's blood, blood that is a toxin that makes vampirification possible.

  She is not suffering. It is a fact that the family blood has no effect on her no matter how much she drinks.

  Finally, a much rger predator has appeared-

  However. The pressure of the bite stopped halfway.

  I, who had closed my eyes to endure the pain of my tissues about to change abruptly, by the time I opened them again, my aggressor's head was no longer in pce.

  It was simply gone.

  The body was still standing, in the same posture, as if nailed to the ground.

  There was not even a sound, no blood dripping from the open wound where I am able to see her throat.

  -Good night, Miss Cross. It's been ages since I st looked at that unmistakable white hair and stench of death that yours bring.

  While I was in shock, another voice spoke to me in a nonchant manner. It was the voice of a young girl, like me, probably.

  She walked past me, wrapping her arms around the bck feathered woman's body to pull her off me. She has light brown hair, with oval gsses in front of an emerald gaze that evokes confidence.

  !

  In all my life as a student of magic, I have learned something fundamental to survival, humans and beasts emit different frequencies of magical energy.

  Frequency is simply the speed at which magical energy travels through the body every so often. There are long, short and intermittent frequencies.

  But in all these years, I have never seen a case like this. She looks like a human girl, but her magic frequency is completely that of a monster.

  My blood doesn't react to her, so I can tell she has no vampiric traits or anything like that. She is not a vampire who came to steal someone else's food.

  However, this girl's frequency does not exist... the magic is in her whole body at the same time... she is a complete prodigy for the use of sorcery.

  She looks at me again, and only mentions:

  -This is not her real body... it's a pity, I thought I had killed her with a single attack...

  -Ah...

  Something finally came out of my throat, and it was only a short sigh. Nothing more.

  I hadn't finished assimiting what had happened by the point I fell to my shaking knees. Almost on the verge of bursting into tears from the fear that ran through my body.

  That thing... Belphegor, it seriously came close to taking my humanity away from me completely....

  As shocked as I was, the one who managed to save me just held out his hand for me to stand up.

  But I, unsure, asked:

  -Who... are you...?

  It was the way I was able to articute that question, almost as if I was going to faint on the spot.

  She adjusted her gsses with her other hand, and just said:

  -This is the first time in a long time that I have introduced myself to a human... I am currently the strongest sorceress of them all, Liselotte Sitri, and I am a Lich.

  Sitri... Liselotte...

  Ah...!

  -The only apprentice of the Wizard King... no one knows your face, how do I know you're not lying?

  -My "Magic" is called "Lich;Archetype" and it allows the total erasure of an existence and all its memories... -. She pauses.

  Liselotte accesses her "Inventory" and from within emerges a golden staff... it was a spear, with details that made it resemble the scales of dragons.

  A spear so bright that it illuminates even through all this smoke...

  -This is the Gungnir spear, belonging to Othinus, the Magic God who succumbed to turning against me. He inherited it from me, otherwise there is no way I could have carried it without harm.

  The greatest of the Magical Gods died... and this spear is proof enough for me not to doubt Liselotte's words any longer.

  I took Liselotte's hand, and immediately felt her magical energy enter my body.

  -Did you use magic on me? -. I ask curiously.

  -Just a purification spell. So your blood will be clean.

  She pulls me to herself, which I use to pull myself to my feet. Once on my feet, I can only bow my head to her.

  -It is an honour to meet you, Lady Sitri, you are the pinnacle all wizards would like to reach. And thank you for saving me.

  -Easy. Hold your head up, you don't need to be so respectful to me.

  She is humble... as projected in Gulliver's book.

  -What brings you here, Lady Sitri?

  -Ah... well... this is all my fault, I didn't eliminate the threat before it spread to all of you. Because of me, you're paying the price.

  -I see... so, what's the pn?

  Without much thought, she utters eloquently:

  -Come with me, we need to find Elise. A moment ago I was with her and another ally of ours.

  -Elise...?

  -A pure vampire. The only one of her kind.

  -...

  -Oh, don't worry about her! Elise is probably the first vampire to hate human blood above all else. If I remember correctly, her trauma started from meeting the current head of your family, erm... Olivia Cross.

  ...

  So it was true. My sister was bitten by a vampire and turned into one...

  She hides it too well even though she's a bloodsucking beast. Heh...

  -All right, I'll go with you.

  -Magnificent, by the way, what's your name? -Amelie.

  -Amelie. Amelie Cross, second heiress to the current generation of the Cross Family.

  -Nice to meet you, Amelie.

  And so, in silence, we started walking towards the interiors of Cindralith... in search of my older sister, with whom I must settle a score...

  AnnouncementSoon the next chapter!