Conrad was pacing back and forth in his room, his anger and frustration brewing within him. He grew more anxious with each passing second of waiting for the news from his troops.He sighed, sitting down at his desk and pulling out his notes he had been writing for years about Devon. He had been keeping detailed records on the boy ever since he had found out about his unique characteristics. Devon was born on a Kliwon midnight, a special time held in high regard in demonic almanac, thus blessing his body to house multiple demons within him.“Restless, aren’t you?” whispered a rough voice in the back of Conrad’s mind.“Don’t talk to me unless you come with a solution, Buto,” replied Conrad, addressing that voice like an old friend.“Hey, I’m just being empathetic,” eluded Buto with a sneer. “You know I always have your back. Remember when I showed you the way to immortality that you’ve been obsessing over?”Buto’s words threw Conrad to a blast from the past. He remembered how he was mul

Gesta had never felt so frustrated in his life. Ever since the incident with Devon and the Wenovitch mansion, his father had been constantly disappointed with him. He had always felt overshadowed by Devon, and now it seemed like his father shared that sentiment. He felt like he was never good enough for his father, and that he would never be able to live up to his expectations.And it wasn’t just his father. His mother had also started pushing him harder than ever. She was constantly reminding him of his studies and his physical training, pushing him to the limit in an attempt to make him better. Gesta knew she meant well, but it only added to his stress.One night, Gesta decided he needed to escape from reality. He had heard about a brothel on the outskirts of the town, and he decided to go there to forget his problems, if only for a little while. It took him quite a maneuver to sneak outside undetected. Luckily the security that night, like the other nights after the incident, was n

The following morning, Wilhelmina woke up to find that she was already alone on the bed. Her memory of last night was fuzzy, but her entire body remembered the experience. Slowly she descended from her bed to wash herself.“Hmph, that old fart didn’t even say goodbye after he had his way with me,” grunted Wilhelmina as she was drying her own body. After dressing up, she went out to head for the dining hall.“Good morning, my lady!”A pleasant greeting welcomed her as soon as she set her foot inside. It was Hoxha, already returned to his default persona of a wise old man of the mansion.“Good morning, Hoxha. I hope you had a good night’s sleep,” teased Wilhelmina, taking a seat in one of the chairs. A maid promptly came to her service, pouring her a glass of water.“Most certainly, Madam. Thanks to you,” retorted the geezer. “By that, I’m talking about your insight, leading our supporting branch families to come aiding us in this age of turmoil.”The lady tried to contain her smile to

Inside Gesta’s mind, he is surrounded in a pitch-black dimension without any end in sight. Despite how horrifying the eternal black should be, somehow Gesta feels like he belongs there and thus he is able to keep his composure.“Hello there, young one. It’s been quite a while since myself have been summoned forth by mortals.”Suddenly a voice echoes from somewhere deep in the dark. Gesta looked around and his gaze stops at the figure that stands out from the darkness. Gesta’s eyes widened as he saw the figure in front of him, since he would never expect to see the figure is no one but himself, albeit the reflection is showing expression that is different from what is Gesta’s feeling right now.Despite there is no source of light in sight, the figure can be clearly seen. The difference between Gesta and his reflection is that the reflection shows a confident smile that spreads from ear to ear, where Gesta himself just looked confused and has his mouth agape.“Myself assume that thou ar

The horse-drawn carriage boarded by Verix and Hoxha had arrived just before a luxurious residence owned by Duke Wenovitch, one of the wealthiest households in Gazella. As the two men jumped from their vehicle, Verix stood and gasped in awe. He admired the grandiose and mighty architecture of the mansion.“Whoa,” he exclaimed as his eyes examined every detail of the glorious house before him, “I have no clue how rich my distant cousin is. She lives a good life, better than I can.”Hoxha patted his fellow’s shoulder. “Now don’t waste more time and let’s get this straight.”The two walked along, greeted by a tall and slightly intimidating iron gate. Hoxha led the way since he was familiar with the area, while Verix tailed behind him. They met a stern yet polite guard who greeted Hoxha, ”good day. May I help you?”Hoxha removed his hat and bowed slightly to show some politeness, followed by Verix. “Is Duke Wenovitch at home? I need to meet him.”“I’m afraid not,” the guard replied, “he we