Invitation To The Banquet

The wooden doors creaked open, and a woman stepped inside. Her black hair was neatly tied back, and sharp brown eyes scanned the room until they settled on me.

She wore a black uniform, the kind that suggested allegiance to a particular faction. Her right hand rested casually on the hilt of a crimson rapier sheathed at her waist.

I closed the book in my hands as she approached and lowered herself onto one knee before speaking.

“I greet Your Majesty,” she said softly. “Our lord has invited you to the Banquet of Domain Lords.”

From beneath her jacket, she produced an envelope and extended it toward me with both hands.

I slid the book back onto the shelf before replying.

“I’m not a Domain Lord,” I said, reaching for another book.

A Domain Lord, a ruler who governed the people of their respective territory. There were four domains: North, South, East, and West. Three had lords. The West, however, had none.

“Do you not possess the name Bloodarch?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“Then…” she began, but I cut her off.

“I’m not the Domain Lord you’re looking for.”

“Your Majesty, I cannot leave unless I’ve delivered this invitation. As a pureblood and one of the first progenitor’s direct descendants, you are, without question, a Domain Lord.” She pushed the letter closer to me, her voice trembling slightly.

I flipped through the pages of the book I had just opened.

So, purebloods were given a domain upon birth. That explained why the West had no prior lord. Was this… another gift from the progenitor?

“Your Majesty…” she spoke again, only to be interrupted once more.

I turned my head toward her. Tension seemed to drain from her shoulders the moment I did. Odd.

Even stranger, she never once met my gaze.

“Raise your head,” I ordered.

She began to tremble. “Y-Your Majesty… forgive me, but I can’t obey that order—”

Before she could finish, I crouched down. Her body shook violently, breath hitching, heartbeat quickening. My sharp ears caught every sound, every tremor in her frame.

I gently took her chin and lifted her face. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

Terrified.

There were only two reasons for fear this deep.

One, she expected me to kill her.

Two, she feared the power of a pureblood.

Obedience. The ability to seize another’s mind. Its strength depended on the wielder’s proficiency… and the target’s willpower.

Was she afraid I’d use it on her? If so… why was her fear so overwhelming? Unless… she had something to hide.

To confirm, I did exactly what she feared. I invoked Obedience.

Her eyes glowed bright red, and all fear drained from her body, vanishing as if it had never existed.

“Why are you so afraid?” I asked.

Her response came instantly, her voice flat and hollow. “My lord told me not to look into your eyes.”

Her lord? One of the other Domain Lords.

“Why?”

“He feared you would use Obedience on me… and that I would reveal his plans.”

Plans? So I’m in someone’s way. The only reason I’d be considered a threat is because of my title.

“What’s your lord’s name?”

Her lips hesitated for a moment, an involuntary twitch, before she finally answered.

“Ultrair Bloodarch. Lord of the East Domain.”

Ultrair. The East. The opposite side of the West.

“Tell me about these plans,” I commanded.

She opened her mouth, then froze. Her jaw clenched tight, muscles straining as if fighting an unseen force. Obedience wavered, the glow in her eyes dimming. Whatever bound her was strong.

I released her and stood, returning to my previous position. She blinked rapidly as awareness returned, her face pale. Quickly, she lowered her head and presented the invitation again with trembling hands.

Before she could speak, I crouched and took the envelope from her grasp. She flinched.

“Tell your lord I’ll be seeing him at the banquet,” I said.

“Yes, Your Majesty. Then… please excuse me.” Her voice shook as she turned and almost fled the chamber, moving so fast it was as if a predator hunted her.

The doors slammed shut behind her.

I looked down at the envelope. Black, sealed with a seven-petaled rose.

I tore it open. Inside was a single white letter:

———

My fellow purebloods,

I invite you to a Blood Moon Banquet seven nights from now to address the growing issues among the domains and to welcome our newest sibling.

This meeting is crucial. I expect no absences this time, not even from you, Domain Lord Liviana.

Attend without fail.

May the progenitor’s blood flow eternal.

Signed: Ultrair Bloodarch.

———

Hostility bled from every line. Not once did he mention me by name, not once did he acknowledge me as a Domain Lord, unlike the Domain Lord Liviana.

I let the letter fall to the floor and picked up my book again. The last one I hadn’t read.

Seven days passed like that, reading, honing my magic, practicing my Unique Blood.

Until the day arrived.

***

The moon glowed crimson, just like the day I died.

A white suit had been delivered for the occasion, paired with a simple buttoned shirt. I wore it without thought.

I stepped to the doors and pushed them open. This would be my first time experiencing the world beyond these walls.

And yet… I felt nothing.

But that would change. Soon. If all goes well at the banquet and I return.

The cold night wind brushed against my face. Stars glittered faintly overhead as a carriage rolled up. The coachman dismounted, bowed, and opened the door. I entered, and the wheels began to turn.

The old mansion sat on a hill, its broken frame silhouetted against the sky. A dirt road wound down toward the city.

The carriage interior was luxurious, deep blue seats that could seat two each, polished windows without a speck of dust.

I gazed into one window. A boy stared back, a teenager with crimson hair and lifeless sky-blue eyes. I’d like to say the reflection was beautiful, but beauty was something I had never understood.

As I stared, the city came into view.

Stone houses, some crumbling, others barely holding on, lined the streets. Market stalls offered meager goods: fruits, tools, scraps. People lingered in alleys, their eyes empty and lifeless. Some smiled, but those smiles belonged to merchants and buyers. Lanterns hung from posts, casting a fragile glow.

The West Domain’s decay was no surprise. It had been without a lord for two centuries. The fact it still stood was proof of the people’s resilience.

Soon, we reached the domain’s edge. A towering mountain loomed, pierced by a lantern-lit tunnel. We passed through, and when we emerged…

The world had changed.

A sea of crimson roses stretched as far as the eye could see, blanketing the grass like blood. The sky was empty of stars, yet the moon burned brighter, staining everything in red light.

The cobblestone road wound through the field until it reached a mansion rising on polished stone, a structure of pure grandeur.

Outside, people mingled. Some admired the roses. Others chatted lightly. Nobles, unmistakably, from their clothes.

The carriage stopped. The coachman opened the door and offered his hand.

I took it and stepped out. Every eye turned toward me, admiration, envy, curiosity, disdain. A spectrum of emotions. But beneath them all… fear.

Fear of a pureblood. Fear of my unreadable face.

I walked toward the grand doors. Two men in black suits stood waiting. They opened the entrance and announced in a booming voice:

“Ildna Bloodarch, enters!”

I stepped inside as the doors closed behind me.