Rise of the Lustful Evil Monarch (Re)

Barely minutes ago, she had been slapped across the face and verbally torn apart by this very man, who had been his usual self then.

But now… now he had transformed into someone entirely different, leaving her struggling to unravel the strange chill lodged in her chest.

Somewhere deep in their instincts, both of them felt something was wrong, terribly wrong, but they couldn't put their finger on what it was.

In their confusion, they didn't notice or remember the one thought that should have been obvious: during the fight, the blond vampire woman who had fought beside Ethan had seemed… familiar.

That suspicion, however, sank beneath the waves of thoughts storming in their minds after today's encounter.

Their skin prickled and their hair stood on end as another image returned to them, those gaunt cheeks, those bottomless black eyes, and the strange, ominous black wheel rotating like a black sun.

Yet, unknown to them, even with the walls separating them from the chamber, the prince's gaze seemed to follow their retreating forms.

Inside, his thoughts turned lazily, like a predator idly toying with its prey.

They are sharper than I gave them credit for.

To have noticed the subtle wrongness beneath the aura I projected and my overall personality… yes, I chose well in keeping them close.

They will make passable retainers one day.

But that guy… interesting. He will make a fine whetstone for me.

It has been far too many years since I have heard about such raw ferocity, let alone felt it clawing at my senses.

It almost makes my blood stir again, as if shaking off the dust of long, stagnant years.

Yes… It will be interesting to see what lies ahead.

As these thoughts circled in his mind like vultures over fresh prey, his gaze drifted once more toward the looming Blood Moon outside his window, and for the briefest moment, he felt it, an echo of that long-lost aura he had been hungering for, a taste of something fierce and wild.

"Not for long…" he murmured under his breath, a faint curve tugging at his lips.

"It's coming."

The dim lamplight flickered once, twice, and then snuffed out completely.

The room fell into a silence so thick it seemed to press against the skin, swallowed by a darkness deep enough to feel like a living thing.

Meanwhile, far away in the dense green embrace of the forest, Ethan and his companions were huddled around a modest campfire, their faces lit by restless flames and marred with irritation.

Ethan's gaze lingered on the spit-roasted deer and its fat sizzling as it dripped into the fire with sharp hisses.

After a long breath, he finally broke the silence as he turned to the vampire siblings.

"You two should go ahead. I will cross this stretch and finish that trail tomorrow."

Victor, who was seated cross-legged and turning the spit lazily, simply nodded in agreement.

His sister, Virelle, to his astonishment, however, ground her teeth hard enough for the sound to be audible.

"Why in the hell would those old bastards suddenly throw a test at the new recruits this year?" she muttered in her voice dripping with venom.

"We never faced anything like this when we entered the Sanctum."

Victor only shrugged as the firelight caught the playful glint in his scarlet eyes.

"Who knows? It could be that the higher-ups decided to change the rules.

Maybe they have got some grand reason behind it, or maybe they are just bored. Either way, we will find out soon enough, so for now, quit snarling and save your energy."

He chuckled, and sprinkled a generous pinch of colorful spices and coarse salt over the deer, and inhaled deeply as if savoring the aroma with exaggerated delight.

Virelle's expression twisted into a scowl at her brother's carefree attitude, as her patience started fraying like an old rope.

On the other hand, Ethan, as usual, remained silent, with his mind clearly elsewhere.

Earlier that day, just as they were about to enter the shadowed depths of the forest that guarded the black fortress of the Abyssal Sanctum, a shimmering blue barrier had flared into existence before Ethan and appeared as suddenly as if it had been born from the air itself.

He had tried to step through, but the barrier had flexed like a stretched membrane beneath his touch while bending and ballooning outward, yet no matter how much force he applied, it refused to yield.

He had tried attacking the barrier cautiously at first, but it had reacted instantly, as if aware of his intentions.

In the blink of an eye, a lattice of crystalline-blue glyphs shimmered into existence across its surface and formed intricate patterns of ancient Aegaryn script.

The letters had pulsed faintly as they carried an almost imperceptible hum before they had arranged themselves into words that revealed the trial's conditions.

It stated that no deaths would occur within its bounds, that combat between participants was allowed but lethal intent was forbidden, and that senior students from previous years could pass through unhindered.

As he absorbed this information, Ethan tore into a leg of venison with a decisive bite.

The savory juices coated his tongue, and the flavor was sharper and richer than he had expected.

One of his eyebrows arched in faint surprise, and his gaze shifted toward Velcy, who was devouring her portion with an unrestrained hunger, as though the meal might vanish at any second.

In contrast, the demon girl Lucy ate in small, deliberate, and delicate bites like an elegant young lady, her thin fingers never rushing, though her ocean blue eyes kept flicking toward him when she thought he wasn't looking.

Their gazes met unexpectedly when he turned towards her, and she froze for a heartbeat, but then quickly looked away, as a faint flush bloomed along her neck and cheeks.

Seeing this, Ethan's lips curved in a brief, amused smile while being unaware that Virelle's attention, by sheer chance, was elsewhere and had spared them a scene.