Then—a break in the silence.
A gust of windbloodlavenderAria.
His heart pounded
The General tore the cloth free, his sharp eyes following the direction of the wind. His gaze locked onto the cliff’s edge, where the land suddenly dropped into nothingness. Below, a raging river roaredbeast
His chest tightened. Was she forced off the edge? Was she still alive?
Before he could act, his instincts screamed at him—danger.
The rain-soaked air carried a putrid stench, something far more sinister than wet earth or decayed leaves. It was a scent he knew all too well. His pupils narrowed to slits as he straightened, his muscles coiling with tension.
Then they emerged. From the shadows. From the mist. From all around.
The first pair of glowing yellow eyesbreathe with unnatural life
They crawled from the undergrowth, massive wolf-like beastsfangs gleaming
Demon Wolves.
The General’s expression darkened, lips curling into a snarl.
His knights shifted, their hands tightening around their weapons, waiting for the order. The General took a step forward, eyes gleaming with predatory rage. Then—he roaredwar cry of the damned.
The battlefield erupted.
The first demon lunged, its claws swiping like a blur. But before it could strike, the General was already gone. He had vanished into the ground—no, into the very shadows
beneath him.
In an instant, he reappeared, emerging from the darkness at an impossible speed, right behind his enemy.
SHHIIING!
With a single swipe of his clawed hand, four demon wolves fell headless in an instant, their bodies slumping into the mud before they even realized they were dead. Blood splatteredfury
[Shadow Movement]
More wolves lunged, their movements frenzied, but the General was faster. His body blurred as he weaved between them, his claws slicing through flesh like butter. The storm’s wind carried the scent of blood
But they kept coming.
A low growl rumbled in his chest. Fine. Let’s try something else.
Without hesitation, the General bit down on his index finger, his razor-sharp fangs piercing skin. A single drop of blood formed at the tip—but it did not fall.
Instead, it twisted.
It morphed—shaping itself into a thin, sharp needle between his fingers.
With a flick of his wrist, he sent three needles flying. They cut through the air like crimson streaks, embedding themselves directly into the throats of three incoming wolves.
The demons snarled in confusion, their thick skin proving useless against the enchanted blood.
And then—
SNAP.
The General raised his right arm and snapped his fingers.
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A deafening EXPLOSION
BOOM!
The needles detonated, each wolf’s head bursting apart in a mist of red smoke.
The eerie sound of sizzling flesh and bone
The General stood tall amidst the carnage, his expression unreadable, deadly. His crimson eyes glowedrain-drenched hair
His knights, inspired by their leader’s merciless efficiency, fought harder—their blades slicing through the horde with newfound vigor.
[Blood Manipulation]
Dark clouds devoured the moonlight, leaving only the flickering flashes of lightning
to illuminate the storm-ridden night. The rain fell in relentless sheets
The General stood amidst the corpses of the demon wolves, his chest rising and falling with controlled breaths. The crimson glow
He turned his head sharply, narrowing his gaze toward the dense treeline. There was a presence.
Something far heavier than the lesser demon wolves he had just slain. It was close—too close. The air itself seemed to vibrate under the weight of its existence, pressing against his skin like an unspoken warning.
Then—
One of his men interrupted his thoughts, standing at attention beside him.
The General lingered for a moment longer, staring into the darkness beyond the trees. Was it his imagination? No... It felt too real.
He exhaled sharply, shaking off the unease.
he ordered.
Without another word, they moved.
As they pushed deeper into the storm-wracked forest, the path became more treacherous. Rain dripped from the thick canopy above, the sound blending seamlessly with the distant roar of the river
Then—through the curtain of rain—they saw it.
A gathering of figures stood at the cliff’s edge, half-obscured by the thick underbrush. Humans.
One of the soldiers pointed toward the barely visible shapes.
The General raised a hand to silence him. His piercing gaze locked onto the group ahead.
But the moment they moved forward, his breath caught in his throat—his blood boiled.
Because now, through the clearing mist and swaying trees, he could see.
Lady Aria—on her knees.
Four men gripped her arms, restraining her, their cruel hands forcing her forward. The dirt beneath her was already stained with blood, her once-pristine gown torn and drenched in mud and rain.
And then—they moved to slam her face into the ground.
The General's fury erupted
With a single swipe of his clawed hand, a razor-sharp gust of blood-infused wind
tore through the air.
WHOOOSH!
The trees groaned under the sheer force of it, leaves and branches snapping in its wake. In the blink of an eye, the four men restraining Aria were cut in half
A deathly silence
The vampires behind him were seething, their eyes burning with pure rage. Each soldier's gaze glowed red in the stormy night, like a pack of predators ready to tear apart the ones who had dared harm one of their own.
The General flexed his fingers, his claws dripping with fresh blood. He took a slow step forward, the mud beneath him hissing as if it, too, feared his wrath. His voice came low, guttural, venom laced in every syllable.
LIGHTNING SPLIT THE SKY.
CKERS.”
The humans in the mob froze.
Fear rippled through them, their faces pale, their bodies trembling under the weight of his bloodlustfury.
But then—chaos.
As if some unseen force had snapped their fragile control, the mob screamed in rage
and charged. All of them.
The vampires stiffened in surprise. Even the General's expression flickered with momentary disbelief.
They were outmatched, outnumbered, outclassed, and yet—they fought as if possessed.
But suddenly, everything else—the storm, the charging mob, the bodies littering the ground—became insignificant.
Because he felt it again.
That same suffocating presence.
The General’s eyes widened. His breath hitched.
The demon was here.
But before he could even turn, before his instincts could scream a warning—
A shadow
broke away from the mob.
One man.
His ragged form blurred through the chaos, his grip tightening around the handle of a knife. His eyes, wild and feverish, burned with something unnatural.
He wasn’t hesitating.
He was going straight for Lady Aria.
His body dissolved into the shadows, slipping through the darkness at an impossible speed. Faster. Faster!
He had to stop him—he had to reach her!
But— He wasn’t fast enough.
He only managed halfway.
His chest clenched as he saw it—the flash of silverplunge of the bladeheart.
Her body jerked. For a fleeting second, her eyes met General’s eyes. Wide. Shocked.
A single, silent plea in their depths.
Then—the man pushed her down the cliff with himself.
No hesitation. No fear. He threw himself off the cliff with her. Straight into the roaring abyss below.
The General lunged, his arm outstretched, fingers desperate to grasp something—anything. But he caught nothing but empty air.
The raw agony
in his voice drowned out the storm.
His knees crashed onto the mud-soaked ground near the cliff’s edge. His claws dug into the dirt, his entire body trembling—not from weakness, but from the unbearable rage.
His mind refused to process it.
He had failed
to protect Lady Aria.
A sickening wave of guiltpounded like war drums
She was gone.
Swallowed by the river.
But he didn’t care. A second. A single second. If there was even the slimmest chance—if she was even still breathing— and had a chance to be saved. He would find her.
Without a moment’s hesitation—
He JUMPED.
Down into the raging depths below. Into the abyss