Ras stood beside his slave, Violeta, watching Eron, who leaned casually against a tree, smiling with that usual arrogant expression.
—"Well…" said Eron, adjusting his gloves, "it's time to end this little game."
And without warning, he hurled a blade of fire directly at Ras.
Ras's instincts kicked in instantly. He tried to dodge, but the blade sliced into his right arm, leaving a deep gash. Flesh split open and blood spilled to the ground.
The pain was mild—a warm sensation, like a burn. Nothing his immortal body couldn't handle. But Ras had other plans.
—"AAAAAAAHHHH!" Ras screamed at the top of his lungs, falling to his knees, pretending to be in agony.
His face contorted in fake panic, clutching his wounded arm as if the pain was unbearable.
Violeta, just a few steps behind, let a faint, twisted smile cross her lips, though her gaze remained distant and empty. In her shattered mind, only one thought repeated: "If he dies… I'll be free."
Eron began laughing hysterically, his voice cruel and deranged.
—"That's it?! That's how you react to a wound?!" he howled between laughs. "What a pathetic hero! Screaming over a little cut!"
Ras kept up his act, pleading:
—"Why are you doing this?! What did I do to deserve this?!"
—"Because you're weak!" Eron replied, walking toward him. "Because you're trash! A hero without power is worthless. No one will miss you. No one will mourn you."
Ras kept screaming, but inside, his mind was as cold as steel. "Perfect. Keep talking, Eron. Tell me everything I need to know."
—"All this… just because of that?" he asked, groaning.
Eron laughed even harder.
—"Not just that! You tried to steal what belongs to me!"
—"What…?"
—"Elysia" Eron shouted. "The princess! My beloved! And you… you dared to call her beautiful! To look at her like she was yours!"
Ras, genuinely surprised this time, remembered. That first dinner in the castle. The words he'd used merely to analyze the younger princess's personality. He never imagined there was a jealous, obsessed and crazy men lurking behind the scenes.
—"You want to kill me… just for that?" he asked, feigning disbelief.
—"Not just for that!" Eron snapped, his smile now twisted with madness. "The royal family doesn't want you either. You're a nuisance. A useless pawn. Ariane asked me to eliminate you, and I will. Then I'll kill your slave too."
Violeta collapsed to her knees. The emotional impact made her briefly snap back to awareness.
"What did I do to end up here…? Why did it come to this?" she thought. "Maybe… I can finally die…"
Ras looked at Eron, tears streaming down his cheeks—fake, of course—and spoke in a broken voice:
—"Please… let her live. She has nothing to do with this…"
Eron chuckled wickedly.
—"I'd never spare a filthy demon! They don't deserve to exist!"
—"Why do you hate demons so much?"
At that moment, Ras began noticing something strange in his body. His arm was slowly regenerating, though he tried to suppress it and keep up the illusion.
Eron didn't notice. He prepared to launch another fire blade.
—"Perfect! Since you're about to die… let me share a secret." He hurled the spell.
This time, the flame struck Ras's foot, slicing it off completely. Ras screamed even louder, writhing like a madman.
Eron approached with twisted delight.
—"Want to know the truth? We're not at war with the demons! It's all a lie! There was never any real threat! We never needed heroes!"
Ras screamed and squirmed… but inside, he absorbed everything coldly.
"A fake war… a political scheme… just another lie. This world stinks just like mine."
Eron came closer, grabbed Ras by the neck, and lifted him off the ground.
—"Too bad they summoned you. I would've preferred a worthy enemy."
—"Tell me one last thing… what magic level are you?"
—"Level 3," Eron said proudly. "I control fire and water. A prodigy!"
And at that exact moment… Ras stopped pretending.
His lips curved into a slow, maniacal grin.
Eron frowned.
—"W-Why the hell are you smiling?"
—"Thank you…" Ras said, his eyes glowing. "Thank you for telling me so much. But now… it's over."
His body began to regenerate rapidly, and a dark aura burst forth from within him. His skin tightened, muscles sharpened, his eyes turned into glowing red embers, and his fangs extended.
His vampiric form awakened in full.
His nails turned into razor-sharp claws, his hair fluttered with the energy around him.
Eron stumbled back, horrified.
—"W-What are you?! A demon?! What the hell are you?!"
Ras took a step forward, towering and imposing.
—"Didn't you know?" he said in a deep, thunderous voice.
Eron cast spells desperately—fireballs, water spears, blazing swords… all disintegrated upon reaching Ras, who walked toward him unfazed.
—"Thanks… for your energy."
He lunged forward and sank his fangs into Eron's neck, drinking quickly and greedily. Eron screamed and struggled, but it was useless.
Ras pulled back and let him collapse to the ground, panting.
—"Such a shame. You thought you were strong."
Eron, stumbling, on the brink of unconsciousness, tried to lift his hand.
—"N-No… you won't get away with this… I'm gonna kill you"
Ras laugh and say. "You can't because…"
Ras stepped closer, crouched beside him, and whispered in his ear with a sinister grin:
—"I… am… immortal."
And without hesitation, he tore out Eron's heart with his claws as if it were wet paper.
Eron dropped to the ground, dead.
Ras turned, still in his vampiric form—dark, majestic, terrifying.
Violeta, who had witnessed everything… just fainted
The sound of footsteps echoed through the trees just as Violeta collapsed, her body overcome by fear and exhaustion. Ras, still in his vampiric form, turned his face toward the forest, frowning.
—"What…?"
From among the trees emerged a colossal figure—a massive centaur, with brown skin, a muscular torso covered in scars, an axe the size of a door in one hand, and a massive bone-reinforced shield in the other.
—"And now you show up?" Ras muttered, half amused, half annoyed.
He observed for a moment, then looked at Eron's lifeless body still lying on the ground. He smiled.
—"Perfect… the ideal excuse."
He lifted Violeta in his arms—her body light, still unconscious—and ran at great speed, weaving through the trees, staying out of sight.
He stopped briefly behind a rocky formation in the distance. From there, he watched the centaur sniff the air… until it found Eron's corpse.
With terrifying calm, the centaur leaned down, opened its maw filled with deformed fangs, and began devouring him.
Ras leaned against the rock, smirking.
" Thanks for the help, unknown beast."
Without wasting time, he headed back to the castle, avoiding busy areas, hiding his slave's body beneath his cloak. Finally, just as he was about to enter the castle's private corridors, a maid appeared by surprise.
—"Sir Hero!" she said, startled. "Who is she? Is she alright? Do you need anything?"
Ras kept his composure.
—"She's my new slave. She's exhausted. I need food, water, and clean clothes for her. Something discreet—like a maid's outfit. And…" he leaned closer, lowering his tone, "don't tell anyone you saw her, alright?"
The maid nodded, intimidated by his gaze.
—"Yes, sir. I'll take care of it immediately."
Once in his room, Ras gently laid Violeta on his bed. She was still fast asleep, her body trembling slightly, visibly disturbed.
Ras dropped into the nearby chair.
—"What a long day… and it's not even over yet."
He moved to the window, parted the curtain, and looked down at the training yard. There were Susan and Lili, training under Captain Gaius's strict supervision.
—"How am I going to explain I have a slave without raising suspicion…?"
There was a knock at the door. Ras opened it—it was the maid, carrying a tray of food and water, along with a simple, clean maid's dress.
—"Here you go, sir. Do you need anything else?"
—"No, thank you. Much appreciated."
He closed the door, poured a glass of water, and approached Violeta.
—"Alright… time to wake up."
He gently shook her, but she didn't react. With little patience left, he splashed the water on her face.
—"Ah!"
Violeta jolted awake, coughing and gasping. She saw him—and remembering everything that had happened, immediately dropped to her knees and pressed her head to the floor.
—"Master! What do you want me to do? Please don't kill me!"
Her voice trembled, her eyes filled with raw fear.
Ras knelt in front of her, wearing his usual calm smile.
—"Relax. Stand up. I'm not going to hurt you."
She looked at him, still trembling, then quietly sat down.
—"As you saw earlier…" Ras said, looking at her, "I can transform to a Beats and allows me to absorb magic through blood. I already have part of your magic. But now I want to learn how to use it. I want you to teach me."
—"Y-yes, Master… as you wish."
—"Before that…" Ras interrupted, "Tell me something. Is there anything—or anyone—like me in this world? A race called vampire?"
Violeta quickly shook her head.
—"Never… I've never seen anything like you. There's no record among the demon races of a creature like you. That's why I'm so afraid. You're not normal… you don't seem like you belong to this world."
Ras nodded, satisfied.
—"Perfect… then I'll remain a mystery to everyone."
—"Would you like me to explain how to use my magic…?"
—"Yes. Everything."
Violeta took a deep breath.
—"I use dimensional magic. I can store any object, without limit, in an alternate space. Like a pocket dimension. I can access it thinking and with a gesture."
She moved her arm up and down at a great speed, as if she were slicing through something and she opened a rift.
—"What else?"
—"My specialty is the Eternal Flame… a dark fire that never extinguishes, unless the target is stronger than the caster. Only a few demons possess it. It slowly consumes both body and soul, and grows stronger the more fear the victim feels."
—"Interesting… how do you cast it?"
Violeta, slightly calmer now, explained step by step.
—"You must channel your dark energy from the center of your chest—not from the arms, like common spells. Dark fire comes from the soul, not the body. Then, you invoke the flame circle with this gesture…" she lifted her right hand and traced a spiral movement with her fingers. "Then you visualize it, then you shoot and that's it"
—"Do I really need to do a gesture?"
—"If you become an expert, no. But if you're a beginner, and you don't use the gesture… well … the flame will die."
Ras smirked.
—"so… I have to become an expert HAHAHA! ."
—"Also… I can use demon pheromones to seduce creatures, monsters, or humans. It's an innate ability of succubi. A subtle spell, but dangerous."
—"I see" Raz said with a smilling yet uncomfortable and funny expression. "you can teach me that later too."
—"Y-yes, Master."
—"Good," he said, standing up. "Now… let's practice."
He focused, channeling his dark energy from his chest as Violeta had taught him, and he made the gesture.
A small black flame ignited in his palm—vibrant, alive, mysterious. After a few seconds, it slowly grew… and remained lit, refusing to die.
—"Heh… I did it!"
He turned to Violeta with a satisfied grin.
—"With this, I can show the king that I'm 'useful'… and keep him from worrying about me for a while."
He leaned back in his chair, watching the flame dance in his hand.
"Now I'm starting to understand how this game is"