Vaelthorne Duchy–
While Gabriel dined, the heavy doors slammed open with a loud bang. No announcement. No courtesy. Just two shadows striding in like they owned the place.
Lilith and Luoman Vaelthorne de Agaraste.
Gabriel didn't even look up from his wine glass. "I thought you two were supposed to be recovering."
Luoman flopped into a chair, grinning. "Please. A few mana potions and I'm good as new."
Lilith shrugged, sliding into the seat across him. "We escaped, but… mom tightened the guard."
Gabriel arched a brow. "And here I was wondering how you two got past my aunt—a full-blooded Vaelthorne."
Luoman smirked. "We're Agaraste too, remember? Dad left the back gate open."
Lilith grinned wide. "Love that man. He knows what his spawns crave—chaos."
Luoman leaned forward, eyes gleaming. "Alright, General. What's the next plan?"
Gabriel twirled his glass lazily. "Cassian locked down the East Gate. Real tight."
Luoman: "And?"
Gabriel's smile sharpened. "And… to reward him for all his effort—we'll leave… Tonight ."
Lilith slapped the table. "He's going to lose his mind."
Luoman snorted. "Think we'll make it back in time for the festival?"
Gabriel's grin was nothing but trouble. "Of course we will."
That night, the mansion was alive with secret preparations. And by morning—a sealed imperial letter arrived from the palace.
In the heart of the Vaelthorne Duchy, a storm was brewing.
But not the kind that came from the skies.
The kind that wore torn black coats, had silver-blonde hair, and wielded power like a sword.
"His Grace has vanished?!"
The butler's voice cracked like glass as he read the imperial seal again.
> "Do not, under any circumstances, let Lord Gabriel Vaelthorne leave the duchy. — Cassian Vaelcrest, Emperor of Zarethian."
The servants of House Vaelthorne were freaking out.
Because not only had Gabriel disappeared from the estate—
He'd dragged the S-class twins Lilith and Luomon with him.
In the Marquess House of Agaraste—
A similar panic was setting in.
"The twins ran off again?! With Gabriel?! Did they not read the emperor's seal?!"
Madam Agaraste was clutching rosaries.The steward was halfway through a heart attack. Lord Agaraste just laughed while madam glared at him knowing fully well it was this man's doing that twins could escape.
But the trio?
They were long gone.
---
Meanwhile… Atop the Eastern Wall
The guards stationed at the East Gate were good. Elite. Personally handpicked by the Emperor.
But even they weren't prepared for what happened that night.
A silver blur blasted through the sky.
Two more shadows followed, riding arcs of wind and frost.
Gabriel, Lilith, and Luomon vaulted over the wall—one of the tallest constructions in the Empire, nearly touching the moonlight—and landed like gods descending from the heavens.
Lilith: "You're insane, Gab."
Gabriel: "You're the one who followed."
Luomon: "We're officially fugitives now. Can't wait."
Gabriel: "Then move faster."
At the Edge of the Forest
The mist returned to greet them—thick, heavy, and ominously quiet.
Gabriel stared ahead.
Gabriel: "It's been a week since that… red silhouette."
Lilith, brushing a glowing sigil on her wrist: "You mean the monster queen who cut our hunters like grass?"
Luomon, cracking his knuckles: "We're going back to the crimson wisteria cavern, right?"
Gabriel nodded.
Gabriel: "Yeah. To the source."
---
But the Forest Was No Longer the Same
The cave entrance… once sealed and shrouded in mystery…
Now pulsed with dark energy. The dungeon had upgraded.
> [ Dungeon Class: SS ]
[ Warning: Only Hunters S-Rank or Above May Enter. ]
[ Risk: Certain Death ]
Gabriel smirked.
Gabriel: "Perfect."
---
Two and a Half Weeks Later...
They hadn't just entered the dungeon.
They fought through hell.
Undead knights. Mutant chimeras. Monsters that spoke in tongues of the dead.
The dungeon grew darker and colder the deeper they went.
But none of that stopped them.
They slayed. They endured. They bled, healed, and moved again.
Until finally—after two weeks of slaughter and sacrifice...
They found it. Gabriel's chain flickered, sensing familiar mana sealed here for hundred of years.
The Sealed Cave. The Lake.
Still. Sacred. Familiar.
Gabriel stepped forward first, brushing dust off his black coat.
Gabriel: "We're here."
Lilith, exhausted: "We better not get cursed for real this time."
Luomon: "Wouldn't be the first time."
The deeper they walked into the crimson-wisteria cavern, the heavier the air became.
Gabriel, Lilith, and Luomon stepped onto the small, isolated island of land surrounded by still, moonlit lakewater.
A lone vine-bridge, swaying gently, led them forward.
At its end—
A swing. No—a bed. Suspended mid-air with lush green vines, woven delicately with colorful Patels in full bloom.
Soft. Opulent. Untouched.
Lilith dropped onto the swing, arms stretched wide.
Lilith: "It's soft…"
Luomon sat beside her, poking the bedding.
Luomon: "It's so fluffy... I might just live here."
Gabriel, however, didn't sit.
He stood silently, eyes sweeping the cavern. This was too beautiful to be natural—every vine, every bloom, felt like it breathed. His crimson eyes narrowed.
That's when it hit.
The cave trembled.
A pulse of ancient Mana surged—
The water exploded upward.
A serpent.
Massive. Black-purple. Glowing eyes.
It shot toward Gabriel like a bolt of vengeance.
Gabriel moved swiftly, stepping aside. The attack sliced through where he stood just a second ago.
But he didn't retaliate.
He raised a hand. Lilith and Luomon flanked the serpent instantly, weapons drawn.
Sigurd, now in his human form—tall, sharp-eyed, strands of black hair streaked with violet—stood firm, baring fangs.
Sigurd: "How dare you trespass here again?! My Lord spared your lives… and you dare return—to her chambers!?"
Lilith blinked. "Wait… this is her chamber?"
She bounced on the floral swing again.
Sigurd hissed.
Luomon leaned back, arms folded.
Luomon: "Comfy place for a monster queen."
Gabriel, never lowering his guard, finally spoke—voice cool, commanding.
Gabriel: "Where's Yerith? What happened to her?"
Sigurd: "She is no more."
He stepped forward, proudly.
Sigurd: "This forest belongs to someone else now. To Cordelia."
The name struck something inside Gabriel.
He whispered it aloud, tasting it like a forbidden fruit.
Gabriel: "...Cordelia."
Sigurd's eyes blazed.
Sigurd: "You don't have the privilege to call her by name!"
Luomon smirked, throwing gas on the fire.
Luomon: "Oh? And who does?"
That's when the cave shifted again.
The vines reacted.
And she appeared.
A silhouette bathed in red.
Crimson hair flowing like silk. Her eyes—a gold that burned, ancient and final.
She landed gracefully in front of them. The petals responded instantly, swirling around her in a slow spiral.
Cordelia: "None."
Her voice rang through the cave like a bell. Calm. Cold. Absolute.
Gabriel's shoulders tensed. His fingers twitched with anticipation.
Cordelia: "Why are you back?" Her gaze slid over the three of them. "Again?"
Luomon: "Uh oh. Mom's mad."
Gabriel stayed still.
Cordelia: "Let's talk."
The three S-class hunters slowly lowered their weapons. The Aura settled.
And yet, tension crackled like lightning between Gabriel and Cordelia.
Gabriel: "Good."
He stepped forward—just a little too close.
Gabriel: "Because I really wanted to talk."
Their eyes locked.
Red and Gold.
Fire and Flame.
A storm building in silence.
Sigurd bared his fangs, hissing again, but Gabriel didn't even look at him.
He only stared at Cordelia.
And Cordelia?
She didn't flinch.
Not even once.
Gabriel: (steps forward, electricity dancing at his fingertips)
"Nice cave. Bit too soft for a monster like you, though."
Cordelia: (tilts her head, golden eyes narrowing)
"And yet, you're the one trembling under its scent."
Sigurd: (hissing, fangs bared)
"Step back, —"
Cordelia: (calmly raising one hand)
"Let him speak. It's rare for prey to walk into my den twice."
Gabriel: (smirks, eyes gleaming crimson)
"Maybe I came to burn the beast."
A pause.
Cordelia: (softly, dangerously)
"Try. And you'll learn what it means to be devoured."