"I am sorry, Mr Demiliore. But I have already made up my mind about my future Master." The auburn-haired girl could not bear with the silence and eventually spoke. 

Keith lightly smiled at her words, sitting cross-legged on the study-chair with his elbow on the arm rest, and his hand supporting his head. 

He did not say anything and still kept looking into her amber eyes that were narrowing at him with every passing moment. 

"I shall take my leave now." Ingrid said and bowed to him before turning around to walk out of the room. 

"What's the haste, Miss Carmilla?" He lightly whispered, and with the distance between them, no normal being could have made out what he just said. 

However, Ingrid stood frozen in her place with her body trembling in shock and fear. 

"Oh, My Apologies. I forgot that you go by the name 'Carmel' now." He chuckled and stood up from his chair, stretching his limbs lazily. 

"Who are you?" She did not turn around, but coldly asked. 

"Someone who knows about you more than you know about yourself." He mysteriously said. "Turn around, and yes, don't hide your eyes from me." 

Ingrid did as asked, and he could not help but smile brightly when he stared into her blood-red eyes, which were of an amber shade just a few moments ago.

"Beautiful!" He commented and clapped his hand in appreciation. "A beauty worthy of a Pureblood Vampire Princess." 

Fear sparked in Ingrid's heart, and she was now debating if she should run away, or if she should try to kill this man in front of her. However, her instincts screamed at her that she must not even consider the second option. 

Keith knew that he had her attention now, and he carefreely walked over to the side table, and poured himself a glass of spring water with some ice. 

"I want you." He said after he took a sip and turned to look her into her eyes. 

"Why?" She narrowed her eyes and asked. 

"Because you are very precious, dear Miss Carmilla." He replied with a bright smile. 

"I am sorry, but I can not accept your offer." Ingrid shook her head without even thinking about it, and her beautiful red eyes returned to their amber shade. 

"And you would accept Erra's offer?" He chuckled when he saw her eyes widen in shock. 

"H-how..." She stammered, but he interjected her before she could ask her question.

"Do you even know what Nergal is?" He curiously asked. 

"How do you know so much?!" She yelled at him. 

"My, my... Look at you, Princess." He amusedly smiled, but then his smile ceased, and Ingrid felt a chill run up her spine. "Nergal is the Babylonian God of Mischief, War, Destruction, and Famine. He thrives on hate and conflict, and he loves breaking everything that's beautiful." He said to her. "But you already know that, don't you?" 

Ingrid did not know what to say, and just stood frozen in her place as her heart thumped hard against her chest. 

"Let me tell what he will do to you after he wins you at the Auction." He coldly smiled. "He will deflower you tonight, and he will keep unleashing his lust upon you for a week before he would have had enough. And then he will make you bathe in blood of humans. He will tempt you with power, make you kill, and kill more people until you start enjoying it. He will turn you into a ruthless killing machine, his prized Shadow Guard, and when you are strong enough, he will use you to further his ambitions. He will use you to create an Army of Sired Vampires for him. You will be nothing more to him then a pawn, Miss Carmilla. And your loss would bring him no pain." 

"But I need him..." Her eyes turned misty and she lowered her head. 

"Do you?" He chuckled. "Do you really think he will be able to kill Hades for you?" 

"You..." She looked at him in disbelief. 

"He can't." He bluntly said. "He's strong, much stronger than the new Hades right now, but he would still fail against him." 

"Why?" 

"Among Gods, there's a strict hierarchy. And Nergal can at best be strong as Hades, but he has very low chances of winning against the Olympian God of Underworld. There are very few Gods that you know about who stand a chance of winning against Hades, and can even kill him." He informed her. "Unfortunately for you, only a few of their Inheritors remain in this world, and those who remain, won't help you." 

He did not tell her that the primary reason why Nergal would lose to Hades was because the current Hades was a Child of Destiny. His luck was simply outrageous, and Nergal would only prove to be stepping stone in his path to hegemony.

"But I must kill him! I need to avenge my father and my little sister." She shed tears as she recalled how the Old Hades had pardoned the killer of her Father and her little sister. "Even if there's some hope, I must grasp it."

Her father was Old Hades' right hand man, and he did not even avenge him. Rather, he made her father's Killer take her father's position in his court, and he even bestowed him his powers before passing away. How could she just let go of this hatred? She had to avenge her blood.

Keith smiled in his heart. She thought that her little sister was dead. But little did she know that she was very much alive, in care of the new Hades, and was destined to become a heroine of that Child of Destiny in the future. 

The very little sister Ingrid was willing to sacrifice herself for would one day kill her with her own hands, knowing well that she was killing her own blood. 

"So, do you still want to fall into the hands of Erra?" He smiled and asked. 

"Can you help me kill Hades?" She did not answer him, but asked with some hope in her voice. "If you can, I am willing to become your slave." 

"Heh..." He smirked at her and then summoned his God Ring.

The moment it appeard on his finger, a powerful constriction fell upon Ingrid, locking her in her place, and then to her horror, Darkness started dancing around him. 

A deer made our of pure darkness ran for its life as a wolf chased after it, intent on killing it. 

She was young, very young at the time when she had first met the Old Hades. And she had watched him play with the power of Darkness. However, it did not even come close to how effortlessly Keith played with it. 

"Who are you?" She apprehensively asked, trying to recall all the Gods who possessed the Power of Darkness. 

"I am someone you probably don't know about." He mischievously smiled at her and stopped channeling his power of darkness, freeing her of the constrictions that bound her. "But I am the God that Hades has little to no chance of winning against."

Ingrid knew that he could not be Sin, the Babylonian God of Moon, Darkness, and Wisdom. Sin had already left this world long ago, leaving the City of Sin in the hands of his Heralds. 

She knew that he was not Hodur, the Norse God of Darkness. She had heard of him being a very old man, on the verge of his death. And Keith was young, only a few years older than her.

He could not be any lessor God given his control over darkness, and just when her list was running out, a dangerous thought appeared in her mind. 

"Scotus!" She yelled out his name. 

"Bravo!" He laughed and happily clapped his hand. "That is indeed one of my names, but I would appreciate it if you would call me Erebus. No, just call me Keith, please." He seriously said. 

Hearing his admission, her mind went blank and she dumbfoundedly looked at the personification of God who was a myth even amongst the Gods.

But as soon as some clarity returned to her mind, she dropped down on one knee. 

"Forgive me for my impoliteness, Lord Erebus!" She apprehensively said. 

Keith smiled when he heard the address, and if he was being honest, he quite liked it.

"Just call me Keith. I don't want people to know that I am Erebus." He told her. "And don't ever kneel down when people are around us in the future." 

"I understand, My Lord!" She obediently nodded her head, and her body trembled slightly. 

His words meant that he had accepted her, and she finally had someone who could help her get her revenge. 

"I..." 

"I will help you. But not now, and not anytime soon." He straightforwardly said, making her frown at his words. "You will have to wait for nearly 9 years." 

The moment she heard that it was just 9 years of wait, she inwardly sighed in relief. 

For a Pureblood Vampire like her, who could live for thousands of years, nine years meant nothing. 

"I understand, Master." She obediently nodded her head.

"Also, I don't want you as my Shadow." He suddenly said, taking her off-guard. "You will serve as a Shadow to my little sister. Her name is Kiara." 

"This..." 

"She will be getting married to me in the future, so you will belong to me too." He smiled and said. 

"I understand, Master." 

"You may go back now. I will bid for you at the Auction. Also, tell Mr Wednesday that I want Marianne too." He ordered her. 

"I will deliver your message, Master!" She stood up on her feet and bowed before walking out of the room.