The courtyard, which had only just cald from chaos, now filled with another kind of noise.
Confusion.
A middle aged vampire with torn sleeves stood up slowly from his kneeling position, still pale from earlier madness. He looked at Cain with furrowed brows and asked, "If what you say is true, why do you need us? Why not report directly to the elders? They command the family. They would act faster."
Another noble added, "Yes. You have already proven your strength. If you tell the elders that a seer warned you, they will at least investigate."
Murmurs of agreent rippled through the gathered Moonshade mbers.
Cain did not show irritation. He had expected this.
"I need support," he said calmly. "And there is no ti."
He stepped forward slightly, his voice gaining weight.
"The faster we gather strength, the better our chances. If we wait for formal etings, discussions, doubt, and pride to slow us down, then we lose precious hours."
He looked around at their faces, making sure each pair of eyes t his.
"This will not be a slow storm. It will be sudden. Brutal. Overwhelming."
His tone lowered.
"In one day... no, perhaps only a few hours... this plane may be flooded with creatures from other planes."
The words fell heavy into the night air.
Several vampires stiffened.
"Flooded?" soone whispered.
"You an invasion on a large scale?" another asked.
"Yes," Cain answered without hesitation. "A nightmare that will not knock politely at our gates."
Faith stood a short distance away, watching him closely.
What is he saying?
Her heart beat unevenly as she studied his face.
The man who once laughed with her in the garden now stood before dozens of nobles, speaking of plane wide destruction with a straight back and steady gaze.
His expression was not playful. Not teasing. Not calculating in a childish way.
It was serious.
Very serious.
For the first ti since recognizing him, she felt a chill run through her spine.
He would not lie about sothing like this.
The Moonshade vampires looked at each other, unease growing among them.
"What should we do?" a younger soldier asked.
"Yes," another echoed, "tell us what to prepare."
Before Cain could answer, a massive blood aura burst from above like a crashing wave.
The air thickened instantly.
The ground trembled faintly under invisible pressure.
Several vampires dropped to one knee instinctively, their instincts recognizing overwhelming authority.
A dark shape descended from the sky, wings folding with smooth precision as it approached the courtyard. The figure landed with controlled grace, boots touching stone without a sound despite the imnse power radiating from him.
He wore a complete formal suit, deep black with silver embroidery along the edges. His long hair flowed down his back like a curtain of night, bound loosely at the end. His face was sharp, handso in a cold and refined way.
The Moonshade vampires imdiately recognized him.
"Elder Fang!"
"It is Elder Fang!"
Faith stepped forward quickly and bowed slightly. "Elder Fang."
Elder Fang nodded at her, his expression softening briefly. "Lady Faith."
His tone toward her was respectful, almost gentle, acknowledging her status and talent within the family.
Then his gaze moved.
It fell upon Cain.
And it did not leave.
Without speaking, Elder Fang began to walk.
He circled Cain slowly.
Once.
Twice.
Three tis.
Each step was graceful, asured, and filled with unspoken pressure. His blood mana did not lash out wildly, yet it pressed down like a mountain, testing, probing.
Cain stood still, neither bowing nor showing defiance.
Elder Fang’s eyes examined him from head to toe. The way he held his shoulders. The rhythm of his breathing. The calm in his pupils.
The circling continued for an uncomfortably long ti.
The courtyard grew quiet again, all eyes following the elder’s slow movent.
Finally, Elder Fang stopped directly in front of Cain.
"Cage Moonshade, right?" he asked smoothly.
Cain nodded once. "Yes, Elder."
Elder Fang tilted his head slightly. "You claim you t a seer."
Cain nodded again.
"Yes."
For a heartbeat, nothing happened.
Then Elder Fang laughed.
He laughed loudly, openly, the sound echoing off the courtyard walls.
It was not warm laughter.
It was sharp.
Almost mocking.
The Moonshade vampires exchanged uneasy glances.
"What is going on?"
"Why is Elder Fang laughing?"
A few whispered quietly.
"Is it not known that Elder Fang has been searching for a sage for decades?"
"Yes. He was tasked with finding one to divine the fate of the Moonshade family."
"I heard he traveled to distant planes."
"But he never succeeded."
The whispers grew slightly bolder as the elder continued laughing.
Elder Fang wiped at the corner of his eye as if amused beyond asure. "A seer," he repeated, his voice still carrying traces of laughter. "A wandering mber ets a seer and receives a prophecy about plane wide destruction."
He looked at Cain again, eyes narrowing.
"Do you know how many years I have searched for sage vampires?"
He did not wait for an answer.
"I traveled beyond this plane. I stepped into shattered worlds where even the air burns the lungs. I visited ruins guarded by monsters whose blood could lt stone. I followed faint traces of ancient bloodlines through deserts and frozen wastelands."
His voice grew heavier.
"Sage vampires are not wandering fortune tellers sitting in roadside huts. They are elusive beings who hide from the world. They are protected by powerful experts in Core Blood Formation."
The na of that realm caused a ripple among the younger vampires.
"Core Blood Formation... that is beyond Blood Foundation..."
"Yes. It is said that those in that realm can refine blood into a core that rivals ancient beasts."
Elder Fang continued, his tone firm.
"The sages are guarded by beings as strong as our ancestors. I have seen such guardians with my own eyes. Creatures whose presence alone makes Blood Foundation cultivators tremble."
His gaze hardened.
"I sought their audience for years. I offered treasures. I endured humiliation. I was turned away more tis than I can count."
He stepped closer to Cain.
"And you stand here, claiming you t one casually during your wandering?"
His blood mana began to rise.
The air grew heavier again.
The courtyard stones cracked slightly under invisible force.
Faith felt her throat tighten.
Elder Fang’s long hair lifted slightly as his aura flared brighter.
"You claim a sage not only t you," he continued, his voice no longer amused, "but divined your fate? Warned you of a coming war?"
His eyes burned now.
"And you expect this family to believe you?"
The pressure intensified.
Several weaker vampires backed away, unable to
endure the weight of his power.
Cain t his gaze steadily.
"Yes," he said simply.
That single word seed to snap sothing in the elder.
Elder Fang’s blood mana erupted violently, surging outward like a tidal wave.
Crimson energy spiraled around him, forming faint images of ancient beasts roaring in the air behind him.
His voice thundered across the courtyard.
"And you claim you t one?!"
The ground trembled.
"And that such a being chose to divine you?!"
His eyes narrowed to slits, fury now plain.
"Who do you think you are?!"
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