True to his own words, Henry took his leave at the first light of dawn with full haste. He had spent a good amount of time yesterday evening memorising the map Soren had given him. As there were no proper roads along his path, he was able to just beeline toward his destination.

Yula was staying behind for her own safety but she wasn’t, strictly speaking, completely safe. Henry’s abode might be drenched in his scent and mark, but that didn’t mean no creature or monster would be foolish enough to try their chances when he was absent. Yula was an extremely delectable dish in their eyes and quite a few had dared to gamble their life for a taste of her even when Henry was present.

With him now absent from his territory, it only stood to reason the monsters would be bolder with their efforts. This was why Henry had visited the lake near his abode to enlist Sarynn’s help in looking after his territory in his absence. To Henry’s surprise, Sarynn agreed without offering any conditions in return.

“I wished to be viewed favourably by you,” Sarynn had told him after he pressed her for an explanation.

As compensation, Henry gave Sarynn permanent permission to roam around his territory as long as she respects his privacy. The smile she had at that time was dazzling and it tugged a few of his heartstrings.

With Yula’s safety ensured as much as he could, he took off. He was a quarter way through his trip when Nadea’s presence appeared in his mind.

“Henry, wait,” Nadea called out.

Henry slowed down but he did not stop running. “What? Just spit it out.”

“Don’t go to the tomb. Rayne won’t be there.”

Henry came to a skidding stop. “What? Why?”

“I’ll explain on the way. For now, just head northeast. Ten o’clock.”

Henry did not argue, slightly shifted his direction, and took off sprinting again. “Remember something?”

“A lot. The grave of the ancestor she’s looking for won’t be in the tomb.”

“Why not?” Henry asked with a brow raised without slowing or stopping.

“Vishara, the strongest vampire to have ever existed. The Crimson Queen, she was called. Her prowess and ability rival a fully matured adult Dragon. She’s long dead but she wasn’t buried in the tomb. In fact, she wasn’t buried at all. There was no burial for her.”

“Did she wrong her people or something?”

“Just the opposite actually. She was betrayed by her subjects, friends, and family.”

“What for? If she’s strong enough to rival a Dragon, for what reason would they have to betray her and risk her wrath?”

“Her inability to compromise. She was an only child and her father was the then-lord of the vampires. When her father died, she succeeded in her father’s position. As the new lord, she was obligated to continue the bloodline. However, she would only surrender her virtue and chastity to someone stronger than her. She was the strongest and she was not willing to compromise. Her unwillingness caused a mutiny and the leaders of the mutiny were her family and close friends. She didn’t see it coming. She fell for their obvious trap because she never thought the ones she loved would betray her.”

“Oh, wow… That has gotta suck. I’m getting second-hand rage just from listening.”

“It gets worse. They tried to mind control and enthral her but they failed in both regards. They tried to forcefully impregnate her but no one dared to get too close to her even when she was physically bound. In the end, they tried to extract her power but they failed in that regard too. In the end, they killed her and burned her body. They dumped her ashes into a pit where they dumped the bodies of their enemies and their livestock.”

“We’re heading towards the pit right now.”

“Yes, we are.”

“What makes you so certain that Rayne will be there? If I were the betrayers, I wouldn’t bother keeping records of the one I betrayed.”

“Not all of the vampires supported the mutiny. I have no doubt the loyalists would have left subtle clues about Vishara’s existence. The loyalists would make sure this knowledge is not lost by teaching it to their descendants. I also have no doubt that Rayne had discovered Vishara’s existence for a long time given her rebellious disposition. Her exile gave her the opportunity and excuse to act.”

“What if you’re wrong?”

“Then I’ll take responsibility by teleporting you directly to the tomb.”

“You can do that?”

“Not without consequences and some severe backlash. But better safe than sorry.”

“Okay… but how will Rayne go about this? Is she truly trying to gain power or does she has something else planned?”

“It’s definitely possible that she has other plans but whichever is the truth, it will not be favourable to you regardless.”

“Touche. Say, what are the odds that Rayne is trying to resurrect Vishara?”

“Oh, very high.”

“Well, that’s not unnerving at all. Nope, not even a bit. But can something like that even be possible?”

“Someone as powerful as Vishara will never truly be dead. There was once a golem named Azaroth.”

“A golem?”

“The magical version of robots, you can say. Most of them are insentient but Azaroth is sentient and not at all what his creator intended. It can never die. You can destroy its body but it would just find another one. It can never be killed, not by mortals at least.”

“He’s some kind of a villain?”

Nadea chuckled. “Depends on which side you empathise with. He was created as an assistant for the scholars of a long-lost empire known as Tyera. They were very advanced in technology powered by magic. Magitech for short. The scholars didn’t know about its sentience. They treated it like they would with any other golems. They abused it. They would unleash their pent-up anger on it whenever they reach a bottleneck in their research.”

“Ah, that kind of story.”

“Indeed, it is, but only the first half.”

“Oh?”

“You see, Azaroth didn’t mind the abuse as it could see itself doing the same thing to insentient entities if it was in their shoes. And so, it endured the scholars’ repeated abuse and constant belittlement of golems. Until one day, Azaroth solved an equation that no other scholars could and the scholars saw it. A few were excited to finally have a breakthrough in their research but the majority weren’t.”

“The scholars were in chagrin over the fact that a golem beat them at their own game?”

“Quite right, they were. Instead of just turning Azaroth into scraps, they kept it around to torture him. Since they now knew it was sentient, they upped their game in their abuse. They even gave the golem the ability to feel pain. They use the research the golem helped in the breakthrough to worsen the torture.”

“Oh, wow… That’s fucking low.”

“The lowest,” Nadea scoffed. “Every time the golem adapted to their abuse, they turned it up a notch or they find a new way to torture it. One day, one of the scholars slipped up and gave the golem a chance to break free and it did. The golem proceeded to unleash his fury upon the scholars. The imperial legion intervened but the golem’s strength and power grew much too quickly. Its liberation allowed it to turn the theories and knowledge it had accumulated into reality. In just a single night, it razed the entire capital of the empire to the ground and the rest of Tyera collapsed without a functioning central government.”

“What happened to Azaroth after that?”

Nadea laughed. “Azaroth became conceited after that. It brought destruction to everything in its wake. It thought nothing in the world could challenge it and it eventually realised it itself was just a frog in the well. It crossed paths with Vishara.”

Henry raised an eyebrow. “What did she do with Azaroth?”

“She transferred its essence, its soul, into a sculpture. She then sealed Azaroth in a cage enchanted with stasis magic and hid the cage in someplace only she knew.”

“You know it too.”

“Of course, I do. I’m a god, remember?”

“Certainly.”

The terrains gradually shifted into an array of unknown and novelty. He didn’t know how far he had run but the change in the terrains told him he had made quite some progress in his haste. He didn’t need to look at the map as Nadea’s guidance was more than enough. It was more accurate and efficient than consulting the crudely drawn map. It was a map of the eastern region but not many details were on the map. There was a red circle on the map, indicating his former destination, which was now redundant to him.

The terrains weren’t completely alien as it was all still rocks, trees, and flowers but they were all of a different kind. To be precise, they were familiar yet foreign. He saw a grove of bamboo in the distance and he also caught a glimpse of a sea of trees with red and yellow leaves on the horizon. The rock and boulder formations were not moulded by the elements but by the hands and tools of people.

“This place is beautiful. It feels tranquil and peaceful,” Henry remarked as he looked around. The forest wasn’t constantly emanating an ominous and menacing air like the forest he was born into. “Why can’t you have me born here?”

“Don’t let this place fool you. It’s actually quite dangerous. For you, that is,” Nadea said.

“For me?”

“This place is a gathering of hostile apparitions. It’s peaceful and tranquil during the day but when night comes, you won’t last a minute as a larval being. Unlike the monsters you’re used to, these apparitions don’t fear you. Your alpha-like scent won’t deter them.”

“Jeez, thanks for such a late heads-up.”

“Well, they won’t be an issue to you now. And they are the least of your problems. If a Kivu sees you, you will be getting a taste of how hellish PR can be.”

“PR?”

“Public relations.”

“...Fuck this. Let’s hope they are understanding.”

“Their Princess is quite fond of you. Perhaps they will be quite willing to listen.”

“She’s just a Princess. How much power does she actually hold among her people?”

“From what I know, the Princess’ mother, the Queen, spoils her.”

“No surprise there considering her character.”

Suddenly, a flock of birds took off into the sky on the horizon as a large shadow approached the spot where the birds flew away from.

“Huh… that can’t be good,” Henry muttered. “Is that a Wyvern?”

“There are no flying monsters of that size other than Wyverns and you.”

“It’s definitely Rayne. She comes from a clan which enslaves monsters and turns them into their pets, mounts, or Familiars after all. That would have definitely caught the Kivus’ attention.”

“Then you better hurry.”

“I definitely should,” Henry said as he lowered his stance and prepared to take flight.

But before he could, a shadow leapt into his path. Henry was forced to stop in his haste. The shadow turned out to be none other than a Kivu and a familiar face at that.

“Goodness, they’re fast.”

“Lord Henry.” Vira immediately dropped to her knees and bowed. “What brings you here, if I may be so bold to ask?”

“You saw the Wyvern too, didn’t you?”

“I have. It’s a queer happenstance. Scouts have already been dispatched to investigate the matter.”

“No need for that. Just sent an army over.”

Vira’s eyes widened in shock but she did not doubt Henry’s words. “I will. You appear to be in a hurry towards that place. I shall not stall you further but I hope you will give us an explanation once the matter is resolved.”

Henry smiled. “I will,” he said and resumed his haste.

“Dear, me. I don’t think she’s emanating the scent of a mate.”

“What the hell are you talking about now?”

“You fancy her.”

“How did you arrive at that notion?”

“Well, you smiled at her.”

“I did and so what of it? I can only smile at people I fancy as a mate?”

“Well, You have not smiled at anyone but Yula.”

“I smiled because she’s courteous despite my unexplained intrusion into their territory and she’s surprisingly tactful. She was quick to understand the situation or else she would have kept impeding and questioning me.”

“She caught your fancy?”

Henry sighed. “Do you take me for such an easy man?”

“Well, you’re no longer a man but yes, that was my impression of you.”

“I won’t deny that she’s beautiful but I don’t feel it. I don’t think I will be aroused even if I see her in the nude.”

Nadea tittered. “That’s the innate loyalty and fidelity a Dragon has towards their mates.”

“This is extreme and terrifying.”

“You’ll get used to it.”