The system chimed in his head, its interface flickering before him, but Seamus ignored it completely. His focus was locked on the woman beneath him.

The illusion of "Viviane" began to dissolve. Her red hair darkened, turning black and perfectly straight with neat bangs framing her face.

Her eyes gleamed crimson, glinting mischievously, with three delicate dots below each one like a painted mark. Her pointed nose and small mouth were flawless, sculpted as though she were a porcelain doll.

"As expected, my daughter's illusion couldn't hold long for someone with strong Sagacitas like you," she said.

He knew that voice. He had heard it once before, echoing through Isolde's dream. Roanna.

She leaned close to his ear, his grip on her neck seeming to mean nothing.

"Tell me, what did Isolde do to you? It must've been something truly scarring, right??"

The world around them shifted. The warmth of the vast clearing vanished as darkness poured in. They were in the old operating room, its walls stained with memories.

Blood splattered across the metal table and slicked the floor beneath it. In front of him stood a beautiful woman with empty golden eyes.

Her wild red hair fell over her face, hiding her features as though she was too deep in pain to look at him.

A blade was embedded in her chest, and she coughed up blood. Her eyes, dimming with each breath, slowly turned toward him.

"Seamus…"

It was Viviane. Sadness clawed at his heart, raw and deep. He clenched his hand tighter around the black-haired woman's throat as she only laughed, the sound sharp and cruel.

"Did she kill your lover?" she mocked.

Her long fingers pressed against his hand until blood began to bead on his skin. "I can't believe she killed her own daughter just to make your sagacitas high."

"You see how deranged she was, right? Aren't you glad I brought her to you?"

Her smirk deepened, venom glinting behind her eyes.

But Seamus didn't care. A cage was still a cage, no matter what it was made of. He would never be free under the vampires' covenant.

Even if he escaped them, he would never escape the curse called Crimson Nectar. Every path he chose only led to misery in another shape.

That was his fate.

"Shut up. You're no better than her or anyone else." His eyes narrowed as his grip tightened.

"I would never believe someone who experiments on children."

"Hah! So you're the righteous one. How boring."

A sharp snap echoed through the room, and the scene dissolved again. This time they stood in a vast chamber.

The style was unmistakably Velstrath's manor. Victorian grandeur with heavy drapes, ornate walls, and intricate furniture. Only the layout and pieces were different, but the resemblance was undeniable.

"So even vampires share the same taste," he said with a mocking smile.

Roanna answered by shoving him backward and climbing onto him. Her hands slid over his chest in slow, deliberate circles, her fingers tracing around his nipples as though she had all the time in the world.

"Are you trying to mock me?" she asked softly, tilting her head.

"That would be a hard thing to do, you know. I'm benevolent."

Seamus's laugh echoed across the room. "You really remind me of someone."

She didn't flinch at his words. They passed through her like wind, and that indifference made his irritation rise even higher.

"You seem to enjoy pleasure a little too much," she said suddenly, her tone turning coy.

"My daughter told me everything. Why not pick up where you left off?"

"And you can drink my blood while I'm high on pleasure?" he replied flatly.

She grinned, her eyes flashing. "Oh, so you know. Have you already become a vampire slave of Velstrath? I can't believe she did that after abolishing the law herself. What a hypocrite."

Seamus's eyes narrowed. "I don't have time for your bullshit. Where is my friend?"

"Oh, they're all fine. My daughter is just playing with them a little. Do you want to visit? I won't hinder—"

"Fuck you," he snarled, shoving her off as he rose from the bed.

He yanked on his shirt and trousers in a rush, not even bothering to button them, and stormed to the door.

He flung it open and sprinted into the hallways, his voice breaking through the air as he shouted their names.

"DIANE! MARIA! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

Seamus could feel anxiety creeping up his spine. For a vampire as sadistic as that damned crow, "playing" could only mean torture. He knew Diane was there somewhere, but she had already been overwhelmed by her.

BOOM!

An explosion ripped through the silence, shaking the manor. The blast came from the backyard, and Seamus's face went pale.

He didn't hesitate. He threw open the nearest window and leapt out, landing hard before sprinting around the manor's front yard toward the back. He couldn't afford to get lost now.

The sight that met him made his blood boil. Diane lay on the ground, bleeding heavily. Deep gashes covered her body, and her regeneration struggled to keep up, the crow's attacks were too powerful, its strength surpassing hers.

Black blood streamed from her wounds like a fountain as she forced herself to rise, gripping her scythe with trembling hands.

Seamus started toward her, but a sudden blast of wind stopped him cold. The air slashed across his arms, cutting his skin open.

"My sister is in the middle of her playtime," a calm voice said. "Don't disturb her unless you want to die."

The man's voice drew Seamus's attention to the right. Lucien sat on a garden bench, reading a book as if none of this chaos concerned him.

Seamus smirked. "What? Want me to defeat you again?"

Lucien chuckled without looking up. "Oh, try me. You won't be able to win this time."

Seamus frowned until he noticed the bracelet on his wrist. It was silver, the same kind Viviane once used to suppress his power.

"You know this is useless, right?" he said, lifting his arm as the metal glinted under the stormy sky.

"Oh, that?" Lucien finally looked at him, smiling faintly.

"That isn't the same cheap one Hesse used. This one's been improved. Want to test it out?"

Before Seamus could react, Lucien vanished. In the next instant, a fist slammed into Seamus's gut, sending him flying into the bushes.

He groaned and pushed himself up, pain throbbing through his body. He couldn't even see Lucien's movements anymore, just his mocking laughter echoing through the wind.

The storm had left the ground soaked, and the swirling air lifted droplets of water that drenched Seamus as he staggered upright.

"Why don't you try using your blood style? Just to be sure?"

But Seamus ignored him. His attention snapped to Diane, who was locked in combat with Elle. Bone met bone as scythe clashed against sword.

The girl was smaller, but she fought with ruthless cunning, using her free hand to summon flames from the ground.

Diane barely dodged, but the fire caught her left leg, searing her skin. The burn slowed her down, and Seamus gritted his teeth.

"Diane!" Maria shouted from the other side of the garden.

Her sharp eyes followed the flicker of illusion and pinpointed the real enemy.

"Over there! By the statue!"

She pointed to a marble fountain shaped like a royal man in armor. Without a second thought, Diane and Seamus sprinted toward it. He knew she meant Elle's real body, only she could find it.

But Seamus immediately noticed something wrong, his steps were slower, heavier. He tried to activate Aether Walk, but the system refused to respond.

'So Lucien was right,' he thought grimly.

'This bracelet isn't just restraining my power, it's absorbing it.'

Maria struggled to keep up behind them, and in that split second, they made a fatal mistake.

A scream tore through the night.

They turned around just in time to see Maria lifted off the ground, Elle's hand wrapped tightly around her throat. Her glasses fell and shattered against the stone path as she clawed at the vampire's grip.

"How stupid," Elle sneered. "You should've protected your friend first."

"Don't stop, Diane," Seamus whispered, his tone sharp but low.

"She's just trying to distract us. Keep looking for her real body."

Diane nodded and stepped back slowly.

Elle's lips curled into a grin. "You can't fool me. Try to cheat, and I'll crush her neck. Don't you love her, Seamus? Don't you want to save her?"

Sweat trickled down his temple. He had no plan, no trick left to use, but he needed to buy time for all three of them.

"Oh? What's wrong, Elle?" he said, forcing a smirk.

"Are you scared of me now? Let her go and fight me yourself!"

"Scared?" she laughed.

"Why would I be scared of you? I could crush the three of you at once! Go on, look behind you, do you really think finding me will save you?"

Seamus spun around and froze. Diane stumbled out of the bushes, falling hard to the ground. The real Elle stood above her, raising her sword high before driving it down.

Diane rolled at the last second, the blade slamming into the earth with a thunderous crack.

"See?" Elle shouted, her voice dripping with madness.

"We're strong because I'm the perfect experiment! The perfect creation!"

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