Chapter 21 — The Vampire’s Proposal

The steady clang of hammer on steel echoed through the forge, sparks dancing across the dim workshop. Ray was hunched over his anvil, shaping a glowing blade for a waiting adventurer, sweat running down his weathered brow.

Kai entered quietly, emerald eyes narrowing as he spotted Selene perched on a workbench, legs crossed like she owned the place.

“…What are you doing here?” Kai asked flatly.

Ray didn’t look up from his work.

“You let her in?”

Ray said nothing, his hammer striking hot steel in rhythm.

Selene tilted her head, crimson lips curling. “I was looking for you, little phantom.”

Kai exhaled through his nose, heading upstairs without another word. Selene trailed after him, waving casually to Ray on her way out of the forge.

Upstairs, Kai set his newly borrowed tome on the table and turned. “What do you want, Selene?”

Her eyes gleamed, voice soft but heavy with weight. “I need your help. Kill the current Vampire King… so that I can become queen.”

The room went silent.

Kai stared at her, face unreadable. “…What’s in it for me? I don’t work for free.”

Selene’s smile turned playful. “Me, of course.”

Kai’s expression hardened. “Not interested.”

She sighed dramatically, rolling her eyes. “Fine. Whatever’s in the royal treasury — it’s yours.”

That made him pause. He sat, flipping open his book, scanning a page while considering. “…When are we leaving?”

“Tomorrow,” Selene said, her tone laced with excitement.

“Why do you want him dead?” Kai asked without looking up.

Her eyes darkened. “Because his judgments are failures. He clings to old, stagnant ways. I want power — and I will take it. With you by my side, success is certain. You don’t follow rules. You carve your own path. That’s why I chose you.”

Kai shut the book and stood, gathering his things. “…Fine.”

Selene’s grin widened.

Downstairs, Ray’s hammer had long gone silent. He had heard everything.

Without a word, he carried a small chest to Kai’s room. Inside were newly forged weapons — razor-edged kunai and shuriken, their finish dark and deadly. Alongside them lay an outfit identical in design to Kai’s current one, but forged from the mythril Kai had gifted him. Stronger. Lighter. Silent.

Ray set the chest down. “You’ll need these.”

Kai tested the fabric between his fingers, its weight nearly imperceptible. He nodded once, wordlessly grateful.

Ray watched him quietly. “Be careful, boy. Vampires don’t fight fair.”

By dawn, Kai and Selene departed together, cloaked in the mist of morning. Their destination lay far beyond the reach of human kingdoms — the hidden vampire capital of Noctis Sanctum, a city carved into black stone, veiled by eternal night.

The seat of the Vampire King.