Chapter 88: Seraphyne settling in
Seraphyne giggled as she heard what was said, entering inside the villa and looking around, her crimson gaze sweeping over the carved panels, the polished marble floor, and the carefully arranged vases of white mana-lilies Gwen had insisted on keeping fresh.
Albedo had barely closed the door before Seraphyne drifted a few steps further inside, turning toward the two girls.
"You heard correctly, mon maître speaks true," Seraphyne said, her voice like warm velvet with a glint of steel beneath, "I am Seraphyne Bloodvale, I will be your guardian for the foreseeable future."
Gwen’s brows knit slightly. "Guardian?" She glanced toward Albedo as if to confirm.
Albedo simply nodded, "Yes. You’ll be safer with her here."
That should have settled things, but Seraphyne tilted her head, as though reading more than Gwen’s words, perhaps her heartbeat, or the slight tightening of her fingers on her own arm.
"I am also," Seraphyne added smoothly, "a Vampire. In case the eyes did not give me away."
Diona blinked at that, clutching her book a little tighter. Gwen’s emerald eyes flicked over Seraphyne again, wariness deepening, "You’re... serious."
"Deadly so," Seraphyne replied, the faintest smirk touching her lips. "But worry not, petites, I am not in the habit of feeding on those under my protection. That would be... gauche."
Diona hesitated, then spoke in a small voice, "I’ve never met a Vampire before."
"Then I shall be your first," Seraphyne said lightly, as though bestowing a rare gift. She stepped closer, slow enough to keep from startling them, and let her gaze linger on each girl in turn, measuring them, but not in a way that felt hostile.
For a long beat, no one moved. Then Seraphyne’s hand slipped into the folds of her gown, and she drew out a small lacquered box, black with silver edges.
Albedo didn’t even feel any spatial magic activate, yet he knew she did it without him being able to sense it due to her immense strength.
Seraphyne opened the box with a soft click. Inside, two delicate bracelets rested on crimson velvet. Each was woven from a fine silver chain, but set with tiny blood-red beads that seemed to glow faintly under the lamplight.
"I find introductions are best accompanied by gifts," Seraphyne murmured. Her fingers lifted one bracelet and held it out toward Gwen.
Gwen stared, suspicion flickering, until she caught the fine craftsmanship of the bracelets and smiled, "It’s... pretty," she admitted despite herself.
"It is more than pretty," Seraphyne said, her tone lowering to something conspiratorial. "Those beads are moonglass, bathed in my own blood. A charm against ill will, and an oath that none shall harm you while I am near."
The words, strange as they were, carried a certain emotional weight, and Gwen decided to reach out slowly, letting Seraphyne clasp the cool chain around her wrist.
The moment it clicked shut, Gwen’s posture eased. She glanced at it again, and this time there was no hiding the faint spark of interest in her eyes.
"And this one," Seraphyne said, lifting the second bracelet, "is for the petite lumière."
Diona stepped forward hesitantly, allowing Seraphyne to slip the chain around her wrist. It looked almost too large for her delicate arm, but the Vampire adjusted it with a small twist of the clasp.
"There. Now you match," Seraphyne said softly.
Diona gave a shy smile, eyes lingering on the glowing beads as she raised her hand above her head and looked at it closely, admiring the bracelet’s beauty, "Thank you."
"You are welcome, petite."
The tension in the room seemed to go away as soon as Seraphyne said that. Gwen’s shoulder loosened greatly, and Diona’s mostly guarded stance greatly relaxed as well.
"So," Gwen said after a moment, tilting her head toward the rest of the villa, "if you’re going to be staying here... you should probably see the place."
Seraphyne arched a brow, amused, "You would give me a tour of my new territory?"
Gwen snorted lightly, "It’s not your territory. Yet." But her smirk was a little less defensive now.
Diona, still clutching her book but smiling faintly, followed as Gwen led the way into the main hall.
Seraphyne drifted after them, taking in the villa’s design as if memorizing every corner. While Gwen led Seraphyne throughout the villa on a tour, Albedo had already headed up to his room.
Once he locked the door, he quickly checked the System.
[ DING! Host has broken the Seal of Seraphyne and gained her as a Servant! Host is Rewarded with Ancient Golem’s Heart! ]
[ Ancient Golem’s Heart - The Ancient Golem’s Heart is a relic of lost civilizations that allows for the creation of a being indistinguishable from a living human. Unlike crude golems, this construct does not bear the marks of an artifact; its flesh is warm and its expressions are lifelike. This entity is bound entirely to its creator’s will. Golem will be at Amethyst rank, and be a master at Healing, illusion, Nature & Arcane Magic! Strength can be improved with a energy source. ]
Albedo immediately pulled the Ancient Golem’s Heart out of the System inventory and looked at it.
The heart was a pulsating, crystalline orb veined with glowing filaments of arcane energy. It was the absolute pinnacle of Golemcraft.
Albedo looked at the orb in his hand, thinking about how he’d use it.
***
Meanwhile, in the Demon Kingdom!
The Royal Palace training grounds in Nocturna were not meant for casual sparring, instead being a sprawling courtyard of black volcanic stone that shimmered with heat waves.
Around the perimeter, obsidian pillars crowned with glowing runes marked the boundaries, their enchantments holding in the sound of battle and suppressing collateral damage.
It was here, beneath the watch of her people’s capital and the looming spires of the palace, that Celeste Nocturna trained.
~WHOOSH!~
Celeste moved quickly, her silver hair whipping constantly as her dark purple skin gleamed with sweat. She was now wielding a heavy dark halberd that spun in her grip, the blade cleaving through conjured targets with bone-shattering force.
The training dummies she was battling against were being reduced to twisted heaps of crushed metal far quicker than any royal smith could replace them.
Celeste stomped her feat and ignited flames all around the courtyard, burning many of the remaining dummies as she continued onwards.
Meanwhile, on a shaded platform, Lilian was lounging against the railing, watching lazily.
The black-haired vampire idly twirled a parasol in her hand, crimson eyes following every motion of her friend’s training. She looked entirely unbothered by the intense heat radiating from the volcanic courtyard.
"You’re going to exhaust the entire armory at this rate," Lilian drawled, though her lips curled into a faint smirk.
Celeste didn’t answer. She was too busy driving her halberd’s blade through three dummies in a single sweeping arc. The steel bodies screeched as they split apart, scattering in smoking pieces across the stone.
From the grand balcony overlooking the grounds, two figures watched with far more vested interest.
The first was an imposing man, broad-shouldered, his presence pressing like a physical weight on the world itself.
Black armor plated in crimson filigree clung to him like a second skin, and a long cape of scaled dragon-hide hung down his back. The Demon King, Kael Nocturna,
narrowed his amber-gold eyes at the sight below.Beside him stood a woman whose beauty was the kind that could silence a battlefield, skin like pale violet marble, black angelic wings folded neatly behind her, her lips a coral hue that contrasted sharply with her silver-lined black gown.
This was the Demon Queen, Ysvara Nocturna, rested one hand on the balcony rail, watching her daughter’s relentless assault with quiet calculation.
"She’s pushing herself harder than usual," Ysvara murmured, her voice a velvet whisper in the hot wind, "I wonder what happened, not like anyone at that Academy can match her,"
Kael listened to his wife, his gaze sliding toward the shaded platform where Lilian still stood, parasol tilted just so to shade her from the glare.
"BloodHaven girl," he called down, his deep voice carrying effortlessly over the roar of training.
Lilian didn’t startle. She simply tilted her head up toward the balcony, crimson eyes meeting the Demon King’s without the slightest hint of fear, "Yes, Your Majesty?"
"What has her so agitated?" Kael asked, his tone neutral but edged with curiosity.
Lilian let her parasol tilt, allowing a sliver of sunlight to kiss her cheek as she considered her answer. Then she shrugged with deliberate laziness. "She wants to dominate the Exchange Program."
Ysvara’s brows lifted slightly, though a small smile curved her lips, "Really? Such a paltry thing has her so worked up? Not like there’s any humans who can match her,"
"I wouldn’t go that far," Lilian said with a smile, which raised an eyebrow from Kael
"What do you mean by that?" Ysvara asked, noticing her husband’s curiosity.
"During our last trip we actually met a Human who’ll be attending the exchange, and he defeated Celeste, so she wants to get back at him," Lilian explained.
"Oh really? I never would’ve expected that, at least she’s working hard now, she’s been slacking due to her strength recently," Ysvara said.
The Demon King’s lips twitched into something almost resembling amusement, "Hmph. That is the Nocturna way."
Selhara’s gaze softened as she watched her daughter reset her stance, already summoning another line of conjured opponents, "Still... she will need more than brute strength to achieve that."
Below, Celeste shifted seamlessly from halberd strikes into bursts of raw mana manipulation, her tail flicking behind her for balance.
Kael’s eyes followed his daughter’s movements for a long moment, the faintest pride glinting in their depths, "Good. Let the Humans see what a true Demon Princess is capable of. Raphaeline will learn the difference between her students and someone like Celeste,"
Ysvara simply watched with a smile on her lips as she heard Raphaeline’s name, "She’ll need more sparring partners," she murmured.
Lilian’s voice was like the purr of a cat basking in the sun, "I can arrange that."
In the center of the arena, Celeste brought her halberd up in a guard stance, chest rising and falling with steady breaths despite the destruction she had wrought.
Around her lay the remains of twenty shattered dummies, their metal limbs twisted and smoking.
And when she lifted her gaze toward the balcony, amber-gold eyes meeting her parents’ from across the heat-shimmering courtyard, there was no need for words.
The fire in her stare said it all, she would dominate the Exchange Program, and anyone who stood in her way would be reduced to rubble like the dummies at her feet.