Chapter 261 The Stranger From Elsewhere I

- POV General -

Now that the introductions were made, Freya, those with her and the Priest were finally ready to talk, still ignoring who they were. Everything had happened very quickly and in a different situation the vampire would have undoubtedly lost his life after his proposal. However, the Empress needed him and had decided to forget about this scene, trusting in his rank and the respect he had for his people.

As for her family, they thought it had been a while since they had seen Freya really angry like when she enjoyed torture on the battlefield. This time it wasn't even a quarter of her power and they all couldn't help but tremble at the thought. What would happen if this she-wolf were to release all her power, she who kept evolving at a mind-boggling and inordinate speed.

After all, the reason they were all in this room right now was because Jade and the Empress wanted to find out if the story of one could help the other. And then, even if it didn't, the ruler of Elysium was looking to make connections with other races given her plan. The domination of the continent was not for tomorrow but if there was one thing that was sure, she always managed to be one step ahead.

This little visit to the Realm of the Vampires was not a waste of time anyway, the group had a month before they had to leave. They still had a lot to discover and it started at this precise moment in front of this vampire who was the only one who could talk about the quest of the Queens. Now that things had calmed down, Jade was ready to explain everything sure that she had his attention, which he confirmed.

"Magnus, as I told you..."

"Don't worry, I understand now why you came back your Majesty, I only needed a few seconds to feel it but I felt it. Yes, that power that vibrated my whole being in an instant..."

Turning to the unmoving she-wolf, Magnus felt goosebumps creep over him as he remembered perfectly what she had awakened in him. He had to hear her story, it was like a necessity, his curiosity bubbling up in a way it hadn't in hundreds of years. However, intuition was good, but the vampire didn't forget to remain suspicious all the same, saying words he felt compelled to say.

"Before that, how can I be sure I can trust you ?"

He had not addressed the Empress of Elysium or his Queen this time, but those who had been standing a little behind and silent since the beginning. He stared at Kalaa in particular, who was the only human to have entered this Kingdom since its creation, which was normally inconceivable. Yet it was not she who answered as another almost singing voice then resounded with firmness, sincerity and of course seriousness.

"My wife and I are accompanied by our direct family and our most loyal subordinates, if Freya has your trust then so do the others. We have come in person to represent Elysium and as my wife has proven to you, we do not seek conflict in any way...simply the truth."

Gaya, who had made a point of showing herself as Queen of the Empire and not under the title of Mother of Dragons, had spoken with all the poise she was known for. Her eyes had not wavered once and it was enough to plunge her gaze in his to understand that it was the truth. Sighing with relief at this determination, Magnus then nodded before raising his arm pointing to a door behind the statue.

"Very well...then follow me, we will be more comfortable talking in the other space"

The long black haired vampire then headed to the place he had designated followed by Jade and finally the group that came from the Dark Forest. The very large room was crossed then the door also giving a pleasantly decorated living room far from the gloomy and dark atmosphere which they had left. The colors were warm and it was so impossible to tell they were underground that Kira couldn't help but speak out loud.

"This is...different from what I had imagined..."

"Why is that ? Perhaps you were hoping to see a coffin, skulls and chalices filled with still warm human blood ?"

"Well..."

"Hahaha~ then Miss you would be surprised to know that vampires don't necessarily fit those kinds of clichés"

The room was decorated with refined plants, the floor was made of bamboo-like flooring and the lighting was made of shiny stones that sucked in the surrounding mana. The walls were still made of cold, wet stone but a small fountain of spring water flowed peacefully at the back. All this gave a very zen and calm atmosphere far from the tastes that Kira had imagined for this vampire that she saw as a creepy and weird guy.

"Please sit down~"

In the middle of the room, a large square coffee table surrounded by cushions to sit around reminded Freya immediately of Japan. A wave of nostalgia washed over her as she turned to Lia, beckoning her to stay with the children already intrigued by the room. Then, it was accompanied by her wife, her sisters and the twins June May that the she-wolf was finally going to sit in front of Magnus who was not long to enter the heart of the subject.

"What exactly do you want from me ?"

"Tell us the history of this place, the history of your people and how it was built on the quest that is passed down from Queen to Queen through time."

The she-wolf too had gotten into the thick of things knowing full well how tricky what she was asking was, especially as an outsider from another country. It had all started from a simple feeling aroused by her fight with Jade during the war and then intensified by their private discussion that came after. The Empress may have been going by instinct, but her request was no less serious.

"I guess we'll have plenty of time to talk about you after..."

"Think of it as a diplomatic meeting between two peoples that can bring as much to either of us no matter how the questions are answered"

"F-Fine"

Freya was right, they were moving forward a bit blindly but whatever the conclusion of this meeting, it could still be beneficial. From that simple phrase, without even mentioning war or domination Magnus understood what those words meant: an alliance. Why ? He didn't know yet, but now that they had come so far he couldn't remain silent, so straightening up and nodding his head, he was ready to speak.

"I couldn't tell you exactly when our clan was born but as far back as I can remember, the Vampires of Vancesia have always lived in hiding. Our race is seen as one of the most dangerous by mankind, like the dragons or those who can change their shape. Since the dawn of time we have been hunted down and killed, but this became worse after the period that humans call the Age of Extinction"

At his words, Kalaa, who still hadn't overcome the guilt, looked down, knowing full well who was responsible for those dark times. No one had blamed her for this, the Empress knew how humans reproduced the same pattern no matter the world. Yet the ancient Goddess of Time had sped things up and as she listened carefully, painful memories surfaced.

"The Age of Extinction gave rise to a whole host of massacres and genocides in the name of security, driving vampires and other races further into hiding. This was thousands of years ago, but our ancestors have redoubled their efforts to go deeper and deeper underground. As time went on, the small village became a city that grew a little more with each arrival thanks to a massive exodus."

What the Priest was describing was what was happening right now in Elysium, an exodus brought on by the Empire's victory in the war against Zal's army. In the end, nothing had changed, the humans dominated and the other hunted races continued to run for their lives and their future. Once again this world seemed cursed, stuck in a downward spiral where the roles could not be reversed.

Whatever the era, nothing at all changed, fear, selfishness, and humanity's desire for power had converged on a single goal: to get rid of the others. What Kalaa had provoked had certainly been a trigger and fuel for this hatred but the result would have been the same. That reality was frightening and as Magnus took a deep breath, he turned his head to the thing right behind him.

"And then...it was after many hundreds of years that she once arrived"

"Who ?"

"The one my people called 'The Stranger from elsewhere'..."

Just behind him was a statue like the one in the large room next door, a little smaller but this time different, standing on a stone pedestal. The same girl with short hair, bare feet and dressed in a dress stood with an angelic smile on her face. Yet, on this statue she had two feathered wings spread out on her back giving her the true appearance of an angel descended from the heavens.

"A young girl, who didn't look over 15, came out of nowhere, not belonging to the vampire race or any race we know of. In fact, to tell you the truth, she had magical and physical characteristics from several races. This stranger had black bird wings but also vampire canines or maybe it was something else, either way we never knew..."

The Priest spoke slowly, everyone was hanging on his lips, listening to the story with great attention and an almost childlike curiosity. Even Shiro and Angel had stopped playing with the water in the fountain to lie on the ground and listen to what the vampire had to say. Freya even caught herself becoming impatient, asking a question out loud that she had actually thought a little too loudly.

"What did she want ?"

"She said her name was V, looking for someone who could manipulate blood, the person to whom she had devoted her entire life, her existence and her soul. That's why she had decided to come here, where the largest gathering of blood manipulators on the continent was...our city. Intrigued by V, our King at the time let her in and from then on everything changed because it was this decision that marked a turning point for our race"

"..."

"It turned out that Lady V may have looked like a child, but she was very powerful, perhaps even more powerful than the King himself. She had many secrets and it is true that we know little, but her actions spoke for herself. Lady V mastered everything, the art of combat, magic, chemistry, magic circles, botany, agriculture and above all politics. In no time the life of the city changed radically, becoming much more prosperous, powerful, and developing in every way"

Shiro who always listened with passion, had suddenly the ears that began to wriggle, she who since her nightmare had become morose. Hearing that a young girl could be so powerful lifted her spirits and helped her fight the demons of that night when she had been helpless. So it was with a smile gradually forming on her face, that the little Princess looked forward to the rest of the story.

"At the same time, as she had gained the trust, respect and admiration of an entire people, her quest was serious especially as it concerned us. This person that Lady V was looking for was a being capable of manipulating blood, a person with power beyond the bloodline of the Royal one. For us such a being did not exist but our trust in her was unfathomable to the point that for us she was our Goddess."

At that moment, in the eyes of the Priest could be read sadness and nostalgia, he who knew the story by heart and especially its end. No one dared to speak because everyone felt that he was about to announce the end, what had happened ? What was that statue on the other side, standing on a golden pedestal ? So many questions but still silence reigned as he finally continued almost as a whisper.

"Unfortunately one day, Lady V was found in her quarters frozen like a stone statue next to this little unknown dragon. I wasn't born then and I think you know how long a vampire can live...so her disappearance was over a thousand years ago..."

The more he spoke, the more the others finally understood what he was getting at, understanding how painful the loss of a loved one could be. This V was a stranger from elsewhere but she had managed to make herself accepted and despite herself seen as a Goddess by this people. Freya understood this better than anyone else and knew that the fate of the Vampire Realm had also taken a turn at this particular moment in its history.

"During this year, everyone has been looking for a way to free her, not only to thank her for all she has done but also because she was our savior. But nothing could free her from the curse, so the person that Lady V was looking for became obvious. If there was one person who could save her, it was this being and no one else..."

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FULL STATUS

Names : Freya / Lucifer Nightshade

Age : 0 year old / Mentally : 25 years old

Sex : Female

Course: Ice Demon Wolf of Chaos - Adult

Race : Imperial Demon

Titles :

- Demon Goddess of Primordial Blood and Death (former - until all powers are recovered) - 30%.

- Wrathful Lucifer (7th Sin) - Master of the uniques Sins Demons (to unlock it, please gather the other 6 - 3/6 - (locked)

- Dragon tamer

- Ruthless slayer

Level : 45/70

Exp needed for next level: 0 / 46 000

HP : 170 000 / 170 000 MP : 85 000 / 85 000. BLOOD : 100 / 100

Strength: 660

Defense : 660

Agility : 666

Endurance: 663

Speed : 662

Intelligence: 660

Charisma: 500 (imperial she-wolf)

Attribute points to allocate : 0

Married to : Gaya Nightshade

Daughter : Shiro Nightshade

Twins (son & daughter) : Tyle & Altaïs Nightshade

Little sister : Kira Nightshade (Greedy Fox)

Big sister : Kalaa Nightshade

Empire (menu)

Subordinates: 5865 (keep growing)

Humans killed: 153

Souls: 0/3

Elements: Ice / Chaos (Freya) - Blood / Death (Lucifer)

Skills (all):

Attacks :

- Demon Claws (Lvl 5)

- Bite of hell (Lvl 6)

- Infernal ice spikes (Lvl 6)

- Fighting techniques (Lvl max)

- Mastery of the katana (lvl max)

- Demonic Empress aura (lvl 7)

Défense :

- Ice demon wall (Lvl 6)

- Demonic Cloak (lvl 5)

- Pain Resistance (lvl 6)

Attack/Defense :

- Domain of the Ice Empress "Frozen Wrath" (lvl 4)

- Death Gaze (lvl 1)

Others :

- Humanoid form

- Demonic form (linked to the title so incomplete) - 20%.

- Ice creation (Lvl 6)

- Detection and control of mana (lvl 6)

- Storage of chaos (Lvl 4)

- Devouring Chaos (Lvl 5)

- Master of Souls (lvl 3)

- Lucifer's Threads of Blood (lvl 3)

- Healing Blood (lvl 3)

- Analysis

- Telepathy

Passives :

- Commander (lvl max)

- Natural Aura of the Ice Empress ]