Viona slowly stepped into the castle building. Her eyes wandered throughout the room, both watching and satisfying the curiosity of the questions in her head. About who the figure greeting them at the entrance was, about how this meeting was going to go, and more.

Mauver was able to read it all. He tightened his grip on Viona.

"You don't have to worry; I'm here," he said, comforting Viona. The girl just smiled, hesitant.

Although Mauver was a blue-blood knight until now, Viona had never witnessed the man's ability in terms of fighting. It was natural for her to doubt. However, now that she was a pure-blood, she should trust Mauver as her demander.

Mauver led Viona into the hall, where hundreds of vampires and pure-bloods gathered. Some were mingling; some were alone. Even some pure-bloods did not join anyone; their faces looked anxious and uneasy. Did they think the same thing he was worried about right now?

Viona wondered what made them look uneasy. However, she tried to hide it from Mauver, who did not let go of the girl's attention. He now guided Viona to sit in the front row. A few seats had been prepared, apparently only for blue-bloods with noble lineage. And, Mauver was one of them.

He invited Viona to sit beside him, but they didn't speak to each other. Only occasionally looking at each other because Mauver didn't need to talk to Viona to know the contents of the girl's heart and mind.

"Relax, Viona. This is just a meeting to confirm pure blood legally. Many new pure-bloods are just like you, and they will receive signs from Lord Merzakh," Mauver said, explaining something he didn't understand.

Viona just nodded obediently as Mauver said this and that. Because this was the first time she had seen so many nations that were different from hers. A faction that somehow still deserved to be called a predator.

However, for Viona, Mauver was different from most of the vampires that her father often told as bedtime stories-who were always said to want a lot of pure blood to satisfy their desire for blood; Mauver was only focused on Viona.

Was it possible he was just overconfident? Mauver was still very young, 25 years old for human age. In their class, it's probably around... 250 years old? Or maybe more, still able to transform into anything.

One thing was for sure, they wouldn't age and shouldn't die. Just perish, like Aranza, Mauver's father. It was also due to his oath. If he had a son who could carry on his duties, he would perish when his son turned 25.

Sure enough, Mauver's father was not long gone. However, for the vampire class, perishing does not mean completely disappearing. He will still be watching from a distance.

Lost in her reverie, it wasn't long before Viona was startled by the appearance of someone. Tall stature with a posture that can be said to be abnormal. His face was already a little wrinkled, indicating that he had been among his group for a long time.

The man sat down, then simultaneously, all the blue-bloods stood up and bowed to the man. In Viona's eyes, the figure looked familiar. Only she didn't know where she had seen the man before.

***

"LIVE, LORD MERZAKH!"

"LONG LIVE, LORD MERZAKH!"

"LONG LIVE, LORD MERZAKH!"

The blue-bloods and pure-bloods all shouted the exact phrase, except for Viona. She was still staring at the man called Lord Merzakh by all the vampires, trying to gather pieces of memories about him.

Mauver, who realized what was going through Viona's mind, gently nudged the girl.

"Don't stare at him like that; he might get into your mind and possess you."

Mauver's words made her shudder in horror. Was it true what the man said? So should she always look down every time she meets the big man?

Lord Merzakh raised a hand, asking the others to calm down. The atmosphere was suddenly silent.

"Thank you all for your presence. Today, as you all know, we will inaugurate hundreds of new pure-bloods and give them signs as proof that they are legitimate pure-bloods after going through unification," Lord Merzakh said in a heavy bass voice.

There were murmurs from the pure-bloods who then stepped forward one by one. Mauver gave Viona the code to come forward. The girl nodded obediently, then rose and stepped forward, waiting for Lord Merzakh to stamp the sign on the surface of her skin.

Not long into the wait, it was Viona's turn to approach Lord Merzakh for what she had been waiting for. The girl wore a smile on her pretty face, happy that soon she would genuinely be a pure-blood and not be bothered by anything anymore-because Mauver would protect her.

The girl held out her arm. Just one stamp with a hot iron and the mark would forever be on her body, making her a pure-blood forever.

However, the smile on Viona's face suddenly faded as Lord Merzakh then put the seal back into place. He got up and moved forward to get a closer look at Viona.

He touched her chin and examined something on the side of her neck. He then frowned. Lord Merzakh, whose body proportions far exceeded Viona's, stood up and called out to Mauver. The man got up and approached the man considered an elder by the blue-bloods.

"Have you made the union?" asked Lord Merzakh seriously. Mauver nodded, then remembered how he had been tortured afterward.

"What's the matter?" asked Viona, turning to the two men. Lord Merzakh shook his head. Not in answer to Viona's question but as an expression of astonishment.

"He's not a pure-blood yet!" said Lord Merzakh, causing the other pure-bloods to gasp in surprise. "He is not a pure-blood."

Mauver was stunned to hear what Lord Merzakh had said, as was Viona, who didn't understand what the old man meant.

"B-but, Lord, we've already made the union. Even-"

"What did you feel afterward?" interrupted Lord Merzakh at Mauver's words. "Did you feel anything different after sucking it in?"

"Y-yes ...."

"What do you feel?" The man came closer to Mauver, looking into his eyes as if trying to pry out the honesty that Mauver wanted to keep.

"I felt the heat and an uncomfortable feeling I've never felt before when drinking ordinary blood."

"Because she's pure-blood. Not pure blood as we understand it, but true pure blood. Blue blood cannot possess her. This kind of human is destroying the order of our world. HE MUST BE EXTERMINATED!" screeched Lord Merzakh suddenly, making Mauver immediately pull Viona up and hide the girl in his arms.

Loud, guttural laughter echoed throughout the room.

Meanwhile, Lord Merzakh suddenly transformed into a sinister form. Fiery red irises and enormous wings spread out behind his back. Also, sharp and shiny claws and fangs.

The other pure-bloods ran in disarray to save their own lives while the blue-bloods were transformed into almost the same form as Lord Merzakh, only more minor.

Only the blue-bloods could see that form, while the pure-bloods were running not because they feared the dark-bloods' state but because of the suddenly tense atmosphere.

Viona hid behind Mauver's back, watching what was happening with apprehension. She gripped Mauver's coat tightly while the man took out a small object he always carried everywhere and turned it into a shining sword. The other blue-bloods did the same.

Various questions arose in the minds of the two. Had Lord Merzakh been dark blood all along, or was he in disguise today? Everything seemed confusing. However, now they were facing a huge problem, which they could either deal with or not.