Nightfall within the walls was vastly different from the wall beyond the gates.
The undead legions did not rise from the earth and begin their perpetual battle. Their shrieks and howls did not echo through the night.
Instead, the night within the walls was quiet, almost tranquil. The crimson moon hung brightly in the night sky, surrounded by a blanket of thick clouds.
The forest, which prised the majority of the surroundings, was calm. Occasionally, the sound of crickets and the flapping of birds would disturb the silence.
But this sort of disturbance was more than wele pared to what the party had to endure over the past week. Due to the relentless motion of undead monsters during nights, the adventurers hardly slept. But now, they finally could.
At least, that's what most of them thought…
Adam, who kept the first watch, sat cross-legged by the cave entrance, gazing out at the world beyond with a light frown on his face.
It was quiet outside. Almost too quiet.
And that was what unnerved him.
He shifted his gaze to Valerian, who slept fortably on his lap, purring gently.
Am I just getting paranoid for no reason? Adam couldn't help but wonder.
He then turned to glance at his party members. They had all fallen asleep. Exhaustion had truly caught up to them, and the moment the runic formations were activated, they had drifted off. Even Darren, who trusted Adam the least, had succumbed to sleep.
I'm probably just overthinking it, Adam mused.
He turned back around, shaking his head.
And then he froze.
A shadow loomed over him.
Adam's heart got caught in his throat. In the split-second window when he had turned to check up on his teammates, someone had silently and abruptly appeared right outside the cave's entrance.
What was even more horrifying was that he hadn't even sensed their arrival!
Slowly, cautiously, Adam raised his head, his gaze finally settling on the figure standing just beyond the defensive formation.
It was a woman. A tall woman. A beautiful woman.
She wore a flowing black gown that perfectly accentuated her graceful figure, a figure men would gladly go to war over. Her skin was pale and flawless, her features sharp yet exquisitely beautiful. Snow-white hair cascaded past her shoulders in gentle waves.
And her eyes…
They were the color of the moon.
The moment Adam's gaze locked onto her eyes, his heartbeat sped up, and he instantly grew alert.
Vampire!
However, he made no abrupt movements.
Firstly, if the vampire had appeared so suddenly without him knowing, there was a high possibility that she was more powerful than him. She might even be a Mana Seed Magus!
Secondly, and most importantly, for some reason, Adam felt that the vampire displayed no hostility. But he didn't know if that was because she truly meant no harm to him, or simply regarded him as food, unworthy of even the slightest hostility.
Either way, he couldn't show any sudden movements lest he endanger his and his teammates' lives.
The vampire's eyes sparkled with interest as they scanned the raven-haired youth. She could tell that the young human was apprehensive, and yet, he held his ground and didn't show it on his face.
Her eyes were involuntarily drawn to the patch of bone-white hair.
"How curious," she murmured, her voice as bright and melodious as a skylark's song.
Her ethereal voice was enough to make Adam's heart race. Had it not been for his willpower, he was certain he would have been smitten with this monster wrapped in beautiful flesh and gladly weled her inside the cave.
Adam gulped subconsciously.
"What do you want?" He asked in a hushed voice.
Still in a seated position, he feared what any sudden movements from him would result in. Though that didn't mean he was not prepared for battle should all hell break loose. However, he wasn't very optimistic about saving the others.
I'll take Valerian with me, he thought grimly.
And… and Genevieve.
"What is your name, human?"
The vampire asked with a gentle smile, her voice soothing Adam's nerves.
Adam found himself calmed down ever so slightly. But that made him all the more tense.
Damn these vampires and their charm! He cursed inwardly.
What is she? An Enchantress?
"Adam," he said.
The vampire smiled.
"What a pretty name," she said softly.
The ghostly crimson light of the moons shimmered across her snow-white hair, lending her an almost ethereal beauty.
"I'm Sandra."
"…What do you want?" Adam asked cautiously.
Inwardly, he couldn't help but panic. He had raised his voice ever so slightly, hoping that his teammates would wake up. But strangely enough, they were all deep asleep. Even Valerian, who lay closest to him and should have been woken awake by the conversation, lay curled lazily on his lap.
A thought blew through Adam's terrified mind.
"Did you… cast a spell?" he asked, his pupils slowly dilating.
The corner of Sandra's lips curled upward.
"I didn't want others to disturb us, Adam."
When she spoke his name, Adam felt his heart race again. But he quickly steadied his mind.
"What do you want from me?" he asked in a grim voice.
"Your mind is unusually resistant," said the vampire.
Adam remained silent, though his nerves were stretched tightly. He scanned the surroundings to see if there were others. But there was no one, except for the vampire named Sandra. No birds, no animals, nothing.
He didn't speak. He simply stared into her blood-red eyes.
"Dorian told me about you."
Adam's eyes slowly widened.
It really was him! The seventh person who entered the secret plane with us!
He couldn't help but subconsciously gulp again.
"Are you here to exact vengeance on his behalf then?"
A soft chuckle escaped the vampire's lips. The sound was so beautiful, so mesmerizing, that for a brief moment, Adam found his heart racing. Again.
Damn you, vixen!
He screamed inwardly and steadied his heart.
Then he asked again, "What do you want?"
"To see if you could do it."
"Do it?" Adam frowned.
"Yes," Sandra said, smiling. "I believe you can."
Adam grew even more puzzled. "Do what?"
The vampire offered no explanation.
In the next heartbeat, her form dissolved into black mist, leaving only her parting words.
"The King's eyes and ears are everywhere within his kingdom."
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