In a hidden chamber within the cathedral, a long, medium-sized table sat at the center of the room. Seven figures were seated around it, heavy tension visible on almost every face.
None of them uttered a word, waiting patiently for the man in the seat of honor to speak.
The six seated along the sides were the commanders of the Veilkeepers. The man presiding at the head was the organization's founder and absolute leader: Edmund Hawke.
"Now then, let's begin," Edmund spoke calmly, a subtle smile touching his lips.
The right side of his face was scarred by an old injury, and a dark eyepatch suggested the eye beneath was long gone. He wore a gentlemanly leather coat and top hat, giving him the appearance of a refined businessman.
To his right, Clara straightened her posture and began her report.
"As I mentioned in our previous meeting, our scouts spotted a massive fleet being prepared near the Gehenis shores. Furthermore, Gehenis has halted operations at all subterranean facilities and completely withdrawn their surface units. All of this points to a single conclusion: they are preparing to leave Merdia for good."
A visible ripple of anxiety passed over the commanders, though Edmund remained as unflustered as ever.
On Edmund's left, Julian chimed in. "I believe Clara's suspicions are entirely accurate. In fact, I'd go so far as to say they've successfully created the Second King."
"That would be the only reason for such sudden, drastic moves," Clara added. "With their ultimate goal accomplished, they have no reason to stay."
For a moment, a heavy silence blanketed the room. All eyes shifted toward Edmund, waiting for him to comment.
Julian knew exactly what everyone was thinking. The Veilkeepers possessed a unique tracking device that alerted them whenever a King awakened and pinpointed their exact location. It was how they had located Shin fifteen years ago. Edmund was the sole keeper of that device, so if a Second King had truly been birthed, Edmund should have been notified instantly.
Noticing their expectant stares, Edmund's smile took on an enigmatic edge. He raised his right hand, displaying a sleek golden ring on his ring finger. At its center sat a stone resembling a slit-pupiled cat's eye, dark and dormant. He tapped the jewel lightly with a fingernail.
"It's broken," he said deadpan.
Silence...
Then, in utter unison—
"HUHHHHH?!"
Every commander nearly leaped out of their chair in shock.
"Boss, please tell me you're joking," Clara said, her left eyebrow twitching with forced composure.
Edmund leaned back, adopting the theatrical tone of a detective spinning a story for his grandchildren.
"It happened last week while I was boarding the express train to Boshan. A thief tried to snatch the ring right off my finger. He bolted, so naturally, I gave chase. I caught up, grabbed him by the collar, and yanked him back. The ring slipped from his fingers, flew through the air, and landed on the platform. And then..."
He paused dramatically, letting the suspense build.
"A man in a banana costume stepped on it and crushed it to pieces. End of story."
"A... banana man?" everyone repeated in sync, completely unimpressed.
"Yup. Cosplaying as a banana."
Julian rubbed his temples. "Are you honestly expecting us to believe that?"
"Well, it's not like any of you have much of a choice." Edmund chuckled softly, effortlessly pivoting the topic. "That reminds me, did we manage to retrieve the First King's body from the cell?"
"Yes," Clara nodded, trying to regain her professional composure. "We retrieved the body of Shin Nomiya. Just as you suspected, there wasn't a single trace of the King's Embryo left in his corpse. Julian's suspicion is right: a Second King has definitely been awakened."
The atmosphere in the room turned ice-cold once more. The mere title—The King—was enough to weigh heavy on every commander's shoulders.
Edmund lowered his gaze slightly. "It seems Gehenis beat us in the race. Judging by their sudden retreat, they must have acquired the King only recently."
"We can't just let them leave, can we?" said a woman with lime-green hair and long, delicate elven ears. "We need the King's power. Without it, our foundation crumbles. And if the King sides completely with Gehenis... all hope is lost."
This was Iris Wrenly, an elf princess and a commander of the Veilkeepers. She crossed her arms, casually twirling a lock of hair around her index finger. Despite her composed posture, the solemnity in her gaze betrayed her concern.
Sitting beside Julian was Celia. She was lazily polishing her rifle with a white rag, her right boot propped arrogantly on top of the conference table. With a sharp smirk, she slammed the heavy firearm onto the wood.
"Well, what are we waiting for?! Let's crush them to a pulp! My sweet little babies are itching to smoke some gunpowder!"
She leveled the barrel directly at Julian's forehead, grinning wickedly. "Isn't that right, Julian? You're gonna load me up with a fresh batch of your special seeds, aren't you?"
Iris gasped, flustered as she shielded her mouth with a hand. "How utterly indecent...!" she muttered under her breath.
Julian broke out into a cold sweat, nodding feverishly just to keep the weapon out of his face.
"Celia, stop bullying Julian," Clara scolded, glaring at her. "This is a strategic council, not a playground. Watch your phrasing."
On Iris's right sat a hulking man built like a fortress, clad in heavy plate armor. He easily towered twice the size of Iris.
"Attempting to snatch the King away from Gehenis is an open declaration of full-scale war," Commander Alfred, the legendary 'Diamond Shield', said in a deep, booming voice. "We shouldn't act rashly. If we plunge into war now, the Founding Vampires might all take the field this time. Is the potential reward worth total annihilation?"
A small smile curled up the edge of Edmund's lips. "The concern of total annihilation is valid, Alfred. However, if we fail to secure the King, the consequences will be far worse than anything you can imagine. The entire world will suffer. I refuse to let the Queen's long-cherished wish be shattered so easily."
Silence settled over the table. Noticing the lingering worry on Clara's face, Edmund adopted a lighter, more conversational tone.
"Don't look so grim. I'm not ordering you all to march blindly to your deaths. Our forces are far stronger than they used to be. If we execute the plan smoothly, we may not even need to engage in an all-out battle."
He was trying to ease the oppressive weight in the room, but everyone present knew the stark reality. A direct clash with Gehenis meant high casualties. That outcome was practically guaranteed. Yet after coming this far, standing by while the vampires claimed ultimate victory was out of the question.
Iris let out a small, resigned sigh. "I suppose this is it. The moment we Veilkeepers have been preparing for."
"The hour is upon us," Clara added softly. "The outcome of this single battle will decide the fate of humanity."
Celia, however, showed no sign of gloom. She snorted and grinned broadly. "Well, it's been nice knowing you all! Just don't come back as ghosts to haunt my room at night. Oh, and try to die in the ocean—I definitely can't afford burial services for all of you! Bwahahaha!"
Her chaotic laughter echoed through the room, casually assuming she'd be the sole survivor.
Clara cracked a small smile. "Right, right. Let's make a bet then. Whoever dies first gets 'Salmon' written on their gravestone as their surname."
"Deal!" Celia shouted, excitedly swinging her arm out and punching Julian straight in the jaw for no reason at all.
Julian tumbled out of his chair onto the floor with a groan.
How barbaric... Iris thought, rubbing her temples.
Edmund clapped his hands together twice, drawing everyone's focus back to the head of the table.
"Now then... let me walk you through the operation."
…
In the central Assembly Hall of the Veilkeepers, a handsome young man in gleaming iron armor stood near the middle of the room. His long blade rested silently in its scabbard, drawing admiring glances from the surrounding recruits.
"Well, if it isn't Leon of the Skullcrushers. Seeing you in person is becoming quite a rarity these days," said a heavily muscled, middle-aged man approaching him.
Leon offered a polite, gentlemanly hand. "Is that so, Captain John? My team has been assigned back-to-back missions lately. The vampires were restless this past month."
John glanced around the crowded hall, noticing several key figures gathering. "My, my... looks like the entire Skullcrusher squad is present. Today's announcement must be something major."
"It certainly is," Leon replied, his bright expression dimming slightly. "And I have a feeling it won't be pleasant news."
Suddenly, Leon's eyes lit up as he spotted two familiar figures entering the hall.
"Ricky! Sophie! Over here!" He waved vigorously, grinning like an overeager child.
Ricky noticed Leon's call and walked over, with Sophie timidly keeping pace beside him.
"Leon? You're here too?" Ricky greeted them, then glanced at the muscular veteran. "And Captain John?"
The captains of the two strongest squads in the Veilkeepers here in person? Ricky thought to himself. These two usually skip formal strategy briefings...
Leon commanded squad #1, the 'Skullcrushers', while John led squad #2, 'Mudsaw'.
As soon as Ricky reached them, Leon dropped all formal pretense, chatting with reckless enthusiasm. "Did you hear, Ricky? On my last mission, I went toe-to-toe with 'Madam Selene', the Ghost Princess! She was absurdly strong. I almost lost my head twenty times!"
He sounded like a kid bragging about a playground duel.
Ricky gave an awkward smile. "Leon... isn't that classified information? You're really not supposed to share details about special assignments."
Though accustomed to Leon's personality, Ricky still found it surreal seeing the celebrated 'Hero of the Veilkeepers' act so childishly.
"Leon, are you hanging around this loser again? How many times do I have to tell you to keep your distance?"
A girl with a sharp black bob, round dark sunglasses, and immaculate black robes approached from behind Leon. It was Aliya, the Skullcrushers' dark mage. Her voice was flat and stoic, devoid of emotion despite the harsh insult.
Leon gave an apologetic laugh. "Come on, Aliya, I haven't seen him in ages. You don't need to be so harsh. Sorry about her, Ricky."
John let out a hearty laugh. "Ha! Still as pleasant as ever, Aliya. Good. At least I won't have to feel bad when you kick the bucket in the coming battle."
Aliya didn't hesitate. "And you're as much of an airhead as ever, John. At least you won't have to worry about drowning at sea."
The Sea?
Ricky rubbed the back of his neck. Aliya had always been strangely protective of Leon, keeping everyone else at arm's length. At first, Ricky wondered if it was romantic, but over time he realized it was something far more intense and complex.
Sophie cowered slightly behind Ricky, tugging at his sleeve. "They're scary..." she whispered.
Ricky leaned down with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Sophie. Their barks are worse than their bites."
Before anyone could reply, a figure stepped onto the landing at the top of the grand staircase.
It was Clara.
Her presence alone instantly silenced the hall. The chatter and rumors died down in a heartbeat as hundreds of eyes turned upward.
In front of her stood a small, silver podium equipped with an amplified broadcast mic.
"To all Veilkeepers gathered here today, you have my gratitude," Clara's voice echoed powerfully across the hall. "For years, you have spilled blood and tears in our stand against Gehenis. Because of your sacrifice, our organization stands strong today. We have lost countless comrades along the way, yet we kept moving forward, smashing every obstacle in our path. The current desperate state of Gehenis is proof of your strength."
She paused, letting her gaze sweep across the sea of soldiers.
"When we look back, we see horror. But when we look forward, we see hope. All of us were once ordinary people living peaceful lives until Gehenis captured us, dragging us into their nightmare of horrific experiments. They labeled us 'defects' and intended to discard us when we broke. They never anticipated that we 'defects' would rise up, wielding the very powers they granted us to tear them down!"
A murmur of agreement rippled through the crowd, growing in intensity.
"We share one ultimate objective: the total extermination of the vampires. And the time to fulfill that goal has finally arrived!" Clara declared. "Gehenis is preparing to set sail, attempting to cross to the other side of the Veil. To many, their departure might sound like relief. A chance to finally be free of their terror. But that is an illusion!"
Her voice dropped an octave, laced with gravity.
"Gehenis has constructed a weapon more dangerous than anything this world has ever seen. A threat to the very survival of humanity. That weapon is currently incomplete. To finish it, they must reach the other side of the Veil. They expect us to stand idly by and watch them escape. We will not."
She slammed a fist onto the podium.
"One month from now, Gehenis sets sail and so do we! Every commander, every squad, every single Veilkeeper is ordered to the frontlines! We will throw everything we have at them and end this war once and for all!"
Clara raised her right hand high. "Say it with me: DEATH TO GEHENIS!"
The hall exploded.
"DEATH TO GEHENIS!"
"VICTORY IS OURS! BURN THEM TO ASHES!"
Roars and chants shook the cathedral walls. Soldiers raised their weapons, consumed by fervor.
Among the crowd, three figures remained silent: Ricky, Sophie, and Leon.
Sophie crouched low, terrified by the deafening noise. Ricky stood motionless, his eyes locked on Clara as his mind raced.
So... an all-out war is really happening...
Ricky shifted his glance toward Leon. The childish demeanor from moments ago was completely gone. Leon stood in total silence, a terrifying intensity in his eyes. Slowly, he drew his longsword, pointing the blade toward the vaulted ceiling.
"Death to Gehenis..." Leon muttered, his voice cold, laced with an insatiable hunger for blood.
Where did that hatred come from...? Ricky wondered, a chill running down his spine. What could make someone as kind and cheerful as Leon look so eager for slaughter?
Beside him, Sophie whispered beneath the roar of the crowd, "I thought Boss Ed would give the speech today... I wonder where he is?"
The casual remark struck Ricky like a bolt of lightning.
Wait... Ed? Boss Ed...?
A memory suddenly surfaced, a vision from inside the containment cell when he first inherited the King's power.
He remembered seeing a chief researcher standing before a frozen dragon. That same doctor was later infected by the King's Embryo, mutating into the vampire lord known today as Valmir von Blackthorn.
And that doctor's name... was Elias Hawke.
Ricky remembered the doctor's final moments before injecting himself. He had turned to a small child standing near the lab door, bidding him farewell. The child had cried out one word: "Dad!"
The doctor had forced his son out of the facility just before the containment breach, saving the boy's life while the rest of the research team turned into monsters.
Ricky visualized Edmund Hawke's scarred face, then placed it alongside the face of the young boy from his memory. The jawline, the structure, the eyes, they were identical.
The pieces slammed together in Ricky's mind with terrifying clarity.
The founder and supreme leader of the Veilkeepers, Edmund Hawke... was the biological son of the founder and ruler of Gehenis, Valmir von Blackthorn.
They weren't just fighting an enemy nation. They were caught in the middle of a war between a father and his son.