The rays of the sinking sun touched his face, and his eyes gazed at it as he reflected on the miracle that the Star System of The Origin was. The Central State on the Middle Realm and The Arkadiom with its surrounding Stars on the Lower Realm were the only two places where the sun itself provided the light. The vastness of the Realms was limitless, and all the other places, except for these two, depended on the light by the other Stars. The Day and Night cycle on the Stars was decided that way. However, here it was decided by the Sun and the Moons that revolved around the Central State.
The sun of the Middle Realm was nearly 99 times bigger than that of the Lower Realm. It was a massive Star on which no one resided. It lacked in the essentials of life, and the sole purpose of its existence was to provide light and warmth and to be the center of the Realm.
The Central State was not a single Star. It was a Continent, amalgamation of dozens of Stars. However, there were only 5 Major Stars. They were bigger than any other Star in the two Realms, both in size and population. Arianna’s Star was addressed as the Blood-Moon Star. It was the name she had given it after conquering it. It was previously known as the Central-Red Star. The other four were the Northern-Blue Star, Southern-Green Star, Eastern-Gold Star, and Western-White Star.
Aizen’s eyes shifted to the three moons that had now started to shine. The first and the smallest one shined in soft yellow light, the second and the bigger one shined in orange light, and the last one was nearly red in the light. It was the biggest of the three, and tomorrow, it would turn to the color of Blood.
The blood color was a phenomenon that occurred not due to the light of the Sun, but due to the Heavenly Seal that separated the Middle realm from the Upper Realm. The seal would shine at every event of the Blood Moon, and as a result, the Red Moon of the Central State would appear blood-colored on Arianna’s territory, engulfing everything is a blood hue. The other two Moons would lose their radiance, and on that night only one moon would be visible in the Sky. The Blood-Moon rose every 9th year, and Arianna would hold the event of the Blood-Moon on that night. It was a custom she introduced three centuries ago when she conquered this territory. It was the night of her victory, and from then on, she would throw a grand party on this night.
People from all over the Realms would come, and only the most notable ones would get the chance to take part in the main events. The first event of the night would be the Tournament for the young generation of the Nobles. It would start just at the twilight. Anyone under 100 years of age would take part in it, and they would compete against each other in various aspects, such as knowledge, elemental control, mental strength, and fighting capabilities. The tournament would conclude within the time limit of 3 hours, and if the time limit was reached and the winner had not emerged, the Noble audience would vote for the winner.
After the Tournament came the most prominent of the events, The Blood Moon Auction, held in the auction house of The Misty Chambers. It was considered as one of the most prestigious of the Auctions in the Realms. One would find everything here. If one had enough money or something valuable enough, he could buy anything such as precious Treasures, Ores, Weapons, Armors, Slaves, Books, Information, Territories, and even entire Clans who lost their freedom. No Blood Moon Auction had ever proven to be a dull affair. It had always managed to surpass the expectations of people. And people had no doubts that tomorrow would be no different.
The last event of the night was the Dinner and the Ballroom. People would eat together there, disregarding their animosities and hatred, people would be matched to sit together on the same table. It was an event where most of the disputes were reconciled just by eating together on the same table. However, the disputes that failed to reach a reconciliation would turn bitter, grave, and beyond repair. It was a strange phenomenon. As the dinner would go by, guests would move to the Ballroom and dance with their loved ones until the Blood-Moon pales and the rays of the sun peer through the dark sky.
“How long are you going to observe me for?” He said as he took back his eyes from the Moons and gazed at the empty space to his right.
There was no reply for a while, but as he refused to take his eyes off that space, the fellow finally decided to reveal itself.
“A nightmare lynx…” Aizen’s brows furrowed as he observed the beast sitting there. It was a beautiful creature, and dangerous at the same time. “Why do you look so tensed?” He chuckled as he found the beast apprehensively looking at him.
“How did you figure out I was here?” The beast said in its feminine voice.
“I will answer you if you give me your name.” He smiled and said.
“Neva… No, my name is Nyxi.” The beast shuddered in fear as it corrected itself.
Aizen was curious why the beast was behaving that way. Nightmare Lynx were known as prideful creatures who didn’t fear even the ones stronger than them. And they had the ability to back their pride.
“You are Keira’s beast?” He asked and then shook his head as he smiled to himself. “That girl has even made a Nightmare Lynx that is nearly as strong as her fear her.”
Nyxi felt agitated at his remark and its mouth opened as if it wanted to retort, but then it closed, and it lowered its head dispiritedly.
“I can’t even hide anymore. I don’t deserve to be called a Nightmare Lynx.” It cursed itself in a whisper.
He felt bad for the poor beast. The trauma it had developed, made it lose faith in its abilities and strength. It was not a good sign.
“King Beasts do not behave like that, Nyxi.” He walked over to it and patted its head.
It was a beautiful creature, and he couldn’t help but admire its beauty.
“The reason why I found you was that I was using my Space Magic. I had my surroundings under the radar, and the place where you stood was occupied, and so I knew that someone was there.” He explained to it as if he was consoling a child. And the beast needed that.
“Oh…” Nyxi felt better after hearing the reason. It was not its fault that it was found.
It enjoyed the pets he planted on its head, and soon Nyxi’s mood was much better.
Aizen smiled as he felt the melancholy lessen.
“Now tell me, why were you observing me?” He asked.
As if Nyxi had finally recalled something, it stumbled back and gained a safe distance away from the man. It was beyond its reasoning for why it allowed a stranger to pet it. It could have lost its life right there without even realizing it.
“That’s rude…” Aizen squinted his eyes. He was not pleased with its behavior.
“I…” Nyxi tried to explain but it didn’t know what to say.
“Forget it. Just answer my question.” He sighed.
“I saw how you made my Master fall unconscious. I… was just curious about you.” It answered honestly and turned around to leave. “I will return to my Master’s side now.”
“You liked it, didn’t you? Seeing your Master suffer…” Aizen chuckled.
Nyxi shuddered in fear as it heard his words. It had seen that its Master was close to Aizen, and now it feared that he would tell her about it. Just imagining its fate that Keira would make him suffer, it wanted to wail in agony. The fact that this man had that terrifying sword made it even more nervous. It hoped that its Master wouldn’t make Aizen use his sword to punish it.
“Go now. I won’t tell her about it.” He shook his head and turned to look back at the darkening sky.
Minutes after Nyxi had left, a smile crept on his lips as he felt the person hiding in his left finally reveal herself.
“Good evening, Siff,” He greeted her delightedly, but didn’t turn to look at her.
The lady stayed silent as she observed the man standing there and gazing at the Sky. There was just something about him that dragged her here. She had been observing him since he had left the lounge of the Guest Area. She was alarmed as well, just like Victorian, when she had felt that coldness of death spread from there.
“You knew it was me, Lord Morningstar?”
An expressionless voice entered his ears. There were no emotions, and the voice was rough, but there was no doubt that it was feminine.
“No one else would dare to spy on me like that. Arianna wouldn’t like it. But you, as the Silent General of the Blood Hand, have certain privileges. You would only need to give an excuse that you were here to guard me. And if it’s you, Arianna wouldn’t even mind it.”
There was silence after his words. He didn’t say anything more and kept staring at the sky. She didn’t leave and stayed there, observing him, trying to figure him out.
“What are you searching in the sky, Lord Morningstar?” She asked as her curiosity got better of her.
“I am not searching for anything. I am looking at something,” He said. “The Heavenly Seal.”
Siff’s eyes widened in surprise. She turned to look at the direction he was gazing at, but she couldn’t see it. The seal was hidden from the eyes of people and only appeared on the night of the Blood Moon.
“You can see it?” She asked doubtfully.
“Yes,” He nodded his head and finally turned around to look at her.
The Six-pointed Star in his eyes reformed back to a normal pupil, and a gentle smile appeared on his face. The girl was half a head shorter than him. Her figure was hidden inside her cloak, and her face was masked. He could only see her medium-length blue hair that was tied in a tail, and her grey eyes that were looking at him with curiosity from behind her mask.
“You are beautiful.” He said to her.
Siff’s body tensed up at his remark. His words had not pleased her. And it was because she knew that they were a lie. She was someone far away from something considered as beautiful.
“I will take my leave now, Lord Morningstar.” She said and didn’t wait for him to say anything more. She silently disappeared from her place.
It was only after she left that his eyes turned grave. He could feel a familiarity with the thing that was inside of Siff. It was in his Bloodline Memories, and it was something he dreaded.
He silently walked down the tower of the Blood-Moon Hall. It took him several minutes before reaching the ground, and his heart was still heavy on that girl’s misfortune.
“Don’t feel bad for her,” A voice said to him. “She hates it the most when people pity her.”
Aizen looked in front of him, and he found Jalasiha smiling at him, standing there under the pillar with her back resting against it.
“How do you know what I am thinking?” He asked curiously.
He was staring right in her eyes as he approached her, and pressed his hands on the pillar, on her sides, blocking away her escape. The distance that separated their lips was of merely an inch, and he could already feel the warmth of her breaths.
Jalaisha giggled at his actions and seductively bit her lower lip.
“I know where the trusted of my Master always are. They wear a mark on them that allows us all to track each other.” She explained to him.
“Interesting…” He smiled at her answer before leaning in closer and taking a sip of her lips that she happily offered.
He was immune to the charms of Lust. He could not be controlled by other people unless he allowed it. He found himself attracted to this Succubus even if he tried to resist it. The reason was that he wanted her. He wanted to touch her, hold her, and love her. And he knew that she was never wearing her charm. It was strange for a succubus to not wear her charm. It was their second nature, but Jalaisha never wore it. And even without that, her beauty was deadly enough to make his heart beat faster.
The touch of her soft and warm lips tested his patience. She was smiling as they kissed, and his hands were now no longer on the pillar. He kneaded her ample breasts that were too big to fit in his hands. He felt his fingers sink in them even with her clothes on, and his imagination ran wild with expectations and desire.
Her breaths were getting shorter and faster, as she gasped in his mouth. Her body trembled with an ache that was getting unbearably strong. Her Law of Lust called out to her, and in her agitation, she bit his lower lip with the canine that had turned sharper.
The pain stung him, but as she sucked on the blood that dripped out of his lip, it receded. He could feel how unbearable it was for her. She was trying her best to control herself, but she couldn’t stop tasting his blood. It was her only way to not lose to her Lust right there.
He wrapped his arms around her and pressed her in the pillar where a portal opened. The moment they arrived in her room, she unfastened her cloak and then jumped on him to lock him in her hold. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and her legs were locked on his waist. She devoured the drops of blood that dripped from his lip. And instead of calming down, she got more excited.
Aizen didn’t stop her. He sat down on the bed and stroked her back lovingly. It was painful for him to control himself and not push himself on her, but he had to wait. It was not the moment where he would make her his.
Minutes passed before the wound healed, and Jalaisha finally managed to get a grip on herself. She buried her face in his neck and planted a kiss on it.
“What now? You want to suck my blood from there?” He rolled his eyes and chuckled.
“Don’t tempt me…” She warned him. “Your blood is tastier than anything I have had before.”
“I thought that the Devil girls only sucked on the blood of their husbands.” He couldn’t hide the unease in his heart at her words.
Jalaisha giggled at his response. She loved it. She then lightly smacked her fist on his chest before answering him.
“I didn’t mean it in that sense. I meant that I have never tasted anything so delicious in my life before. And no… You are the only person I have tasted the blood of.”
“Good… But I am not sure if I am pleased with being your source of a favorite food.”
“Well… You should have thought of it before marrying me. Now it’s too late.” She playfully nibbled on his neck where his jugular vein was, and as she felt him tense up, she burst out in laughter. “You are scared of me, but I can tell you that Arianna will do the same. And she’s a little too greedy.” She pouted on his neck. “And… Riley agreed to Arianna’s offer… So… You are going be sucked dry by the three of us. Be careful…” She teased him.
Aizen sighed at her words. He was in trouble, but he didn’t mind it. He knew that they would never harm him, but he still felt a little uneasy.
“There’s another one who loves my blood just as much as you…” He said.
“Who?” Jalaisha looked up at him with curiosity.
“Vienna…” He answered.
His princess had suddenly proposed it to him one night and then had proceeded with her plan without waiting for his reply. And since then… She searched for chances to taste his blood some more.
“Well… that’s one way to gain strength.” She nodded in approval.
“She doesn’t do it to gain strength… She does it for she says the same thing as you. She says it’s too delicious.”
“I can’t blame her… It is.” She thought of something. “And I have read about it and even Arianna has told me about it. She knows about the blood better than the holders of the Law of Life. And she just told me the other day that I should taste yours as soon as possible. The reason why Devils taste the blood of their spouse is that it makes them fall in love more.”
“Is that why you did it?” He squinted his eyes.
“No…” She shook her head and then her cheeks bloomed in a blush. “I just couldn’t control myself.”
“Just messing with you…” He nudged her nose and planted a kiss on her forehead.
“I know…” She sweetly smiled and then separated from his embrace. “Come… I will take you where Arianna is, and her mother has just arrived to meet her. My parents are there as well.”
“Alright…” He got up and sent a signal to Liafina to come to him. “Let’s go.”
Jalaisha took out a white ball from her Blood-Ring and then observed the smoke inside of it.
“What are you looking at?” He curiously asked her as he couldn’t see what she was seeing.
“It’s the thing that helps us track each other. All the four Generals have arrived in the Hall, and everyone is now waiting for you.”
“So we are not just going there to meet your parents, are we?” He asked her.
“Arianna wants you to be part of the Management of tomorrow’s event. Of course, you do not have to do it if you are not interested.” She looked at him and smiled. “But Arianna said that you would very much be interested in it.
Her words made him curious, and he nodded to her to lead the way.
“Let’s see what she has in store for me.”
♛ Author’s Note:
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