Ansel caught snippets of quiet conversation and hushed whispers as they walked by.He thought to himself and wondered if the vampire elders were always at peace.For a world filled with vampire elders, one would expect the vampires to be closely related.After all, they were the highest in the hierarchy but surprisingly, Ansel could hear the anger in their disagreement.They hurled verbal abuse and yelled at one another, their anger evident as they walked by.Ansel wasn't able to hear the full extent of their conversation, but what he did catch revealed a division among the elders. Some voiced loyalty to the king, while others surprisingly backed a mysterious figure they referred to as the king's brother.Ansel's stomach growled loudly, reminding him that he hadn't eaten.He had refused to eat the meal provided for him because it wasn't to his taste. Moreover, it seemed illogical that they would serve him food typical of their world.What happened to hamburgers or spaghetti?Apparent

As he got to the door, he opened it with a soft click and the guards were eagerly waiting for him to say something.Ansel thought of something to say."She...he is currently sleeping peacefully. Please do not go into the room or else the drugs wouldn't take its effect on his body.The guards nodded their heads in unison, not suspecting that something was off.Ansel was deeply pleased. He added. "I will come back to check up on him later."They nodded again and it was time to leave.It was the first time Ansel was allowed out of the room and so he became confused.There was the option to go right and there was also the option to go left.He couldn't ask the guards as they would suspect.The system wasn't answering him either.At this point, he was on his own.He went ahead to the left but then a voice called out."Doctor Elara, you can't go in there. A patient is waiting for you in the medical room."Ansel nodded his head before going in the other direction.Luckily, a guard had pointe

★★★On the balcony.Just as Master Luca raised his hand to knock, a guard hurried over with a tense expression on his face. "Master Luca, the king requests your immediate presence in the meeting room."Luca hesitated, his mind racing with possibilities. What could Atris want now? After a brief moment, he nodded curtly. "Very well."The guard gestured for Luca to follow, and two additional guards fell in to step beside him, escorting him to the meeting room.As they entered, the room fell silent as Luca's presence commanded attention.The elders seated around the table sensed his formidable aura and turned to face him to confirm their suspicion.It was indeed Luca.Their eyes widened, and they bowed their heads in unison, afraid to look him straight in the eyes and offend the most powerful person they had ever met."Brother Luca," King Atris acknowledged in a respectful tone as he gazed up to see Luca standing in front of the guards. He gestured for Luca to take a seat.Luca's piercing

★★★Acting with the utmost caution, Ansel was able to leave the medical lab without arousing any suspicion from the guards or the two men that came in earlier.Luckily, they didn't really suspect a thing and he had also gotten to know their names.In the end, he ended up outside the castle grounds, the breeze blowing directly to his face.Earlier he had checked up on Doctor Elara and she was still very much in deep slumber.He went ahead to walk out of the gates, when the guards saw who looked to be doctor Elara, they let their guards down and allowed him to walk out of the gates.Ansel walked out of the gates and headed straight to the village gates.They had hidden their portals somewhere around and Ansel was going to find it by all means.He walked ahead, the sound of feet stomping on the ground disappearing as he walked a farther distance.As the wind whipped Elara's hair around Ansel's face, a sudden, fleeting thought crossed his mind, perhaps he could cut her hair, changing her

Doctor Elara had indeed passed the information to Luca and Ansel was allowed to leave the hell-hole they had locked him in.His heart softened a little and he decided not to take revenge on Doctor Elara for Linda's death.The king was the one who ordered her to do it after all.As Ansel got to the strange castle, the guards who had escorted him immediately turned to leave.Ansel took a moment to admire the castle, his eyes taking in the impressive structure for the first time. He paused to take in the sight before finally entering the dark castle.The dark surroundings and chilly air shared some similarities with the underground dungeon.A small light appeared in the distance and he followed it to see a large room that was brightly illuminated.Just as Ansel was taking in the various rooms surrounding him on both sides, he caught sight of Luca, standing directly in his path.Ansel’s heart rate surged as he was taken aback by Luca’s sudden, dramatic appearance. His breath hitched in