The Devil's Son and His Fated Bride
Chapter 203: A vampire wields a sword!

Chapter 203: A vampire wields a sword!

"We call it the Widow’s Wail," Sigaros declared slowly, his voice thick with a solemn weight. He didn’t predict that Kaisun would sacrifice himself to get rid of Luther. He didn’t have to think why he did this. That demon truly loved his bride.

"What is it?" Arkilla asked, eyes narrowing with concern.

"It’s a sacred Fae ritual," the magician explained, his tone low and haunted. "She was going to offer her life to the Gods to bring her husband back. It’s an ancient ceremony, one I studied two years ago. She would have burned herself... without even realizing it. That much sorrow, that kind of grief, it’s fatal to someone with Fae blood. Not every Fae myth is unreal. Lovers die for saving each other."

The King turned toward Ren, stunned. His gaze locked on the unconscious girl in his arms, his eyes wide with disbelief. Did she truly love Kai this deeply?

How stupid of him to believe Kai! That bastard knew that he couldn’t come out of the ring firsthand.

Without another word, he lifted her gently and began carrying her back to the castle.

"Bring the sorcerer," he ordered. "He must help stabilize her."

His eyes darted across the battlefield, searching for Agara, but the sorcerer had vanished the moment the Saint’s portal closed. He’d been wounded by the vampire lord, yet even then, he’d kept fighting through the chaos of the raid, holding back the mutated horrors. Now, he was gone, likely too gravely injured to be saved in this realm.

~*~

Elaika darted into the forest, her eyes locked on a fleeing vampire trying to escape the chaos. Without hesitation, she shifted mid-run and leaped, slamming the creature to the ground with a snarl.

"You’re not a Lord, but you’ve kept enough sense to flee. Vampires kill and are mad for blood. How are you not? You wield a sword!" she hissed.

The vampire let out a wheezing laugh. Blackened veins bulge beneath his pale skin like twisted roots.

Elaika bared her fangs.

"I’m out of patience. Speak, or I’ll tear your throat out."

The vampire’s red eyes flickered, dulling slightly as he answered with an eerie calm,

"I consumed enough feeders to keep my mind. So what? I’ve given you your answer."

Disgusted, Elaika shifted back to her human form. The vampire’s gaze raked over her naked body with vile hunger, and she responded with a sharp, brutal punch that knocked him unconscious.

Without flinching, she stripped the vampire of his clothes and dressed herself, then grabbed his limp body and dragged him behind her through the underbrush.

When she returned to the courtyard, her head tilted in confusion. Something was off. The shifters around her stood with grim faces, their eyes shadowed with grief.

What the fuck is wrong with them? she thought. They look like someone just died.

She stopped in front of Captain Dron, the Serpent shifter, and dropped the vampire at his feet without a word.

The male shifter radiated fury, his presence seething like an inferno. The sheer intensity of it made Elaika’s throat tighten; she nearly choked on her own breath, but she forced herself to stand firm.

"How the hell could you escape the dungeons? Did you kill the guards?"

"No killing, Zaira came to the cell," she began, her voice sharp with urgency. "She used magic, she’s working with a witch named Phoria. She wanted to use me... to kill Gloria. That magician, Sigaros, appeared to me and warned me in time. I need to see His Highness. This vampire..." she kicked the unconscious body at her feet, "it’s not like the others. It’s mutated. Look at him, he’s nearly indistinguishable from a human... and he can shift."

Captain Dron’s expression darkened.

"The gods’ circle took His Highness as well," he said grimly. "Our Luna discovered it. She was about to sacrifice her life in exchange for his... but that magician saved her."

Elaika stepped back, her stomach sinking.

"What do you mean? Is he... is he dead?" she asked, her voice cracking.

Captain Dron lowered his head.

"He is a half-demon. The realm he was sent to is where the gods punish demons. We don’t know if he’ll ever return."

Elaika felt the strength drain from her legs. Her knees buckled, and she gripped the edge of a broken pillar to keep from collapsing. She had fought her way out of that cursed cell, determined to prove herself, to stand on the front lines, to fight for him. And then... he was gone.

Gone before she could even beg for forgiveness.

Captain Dron gestured toward the royal guards of Alvonia, who had just finished gathering the bodies of their fallen comrades.

"This vampire should be locked up. Bind him with silver rope," he ordered sharply.

Then he turned to Elaika, his eyes narrowing.

"Get up. Did you see any other vampires fleeing? We must hunt them before they kill people."

Elaika snapped out of her daze, her voice faint and strained.

"I killed them all. Kept only this one alive, he was heading toward the lakeside."

Her throat tightened as she spoke, the weight of what had happened to the Alpha King pressing down on her like a stone. Without him, the war would grow darker, and bloodier. And even if they somehow survived this battle, the hunger of other kingdoms would soon follow. Peace was a dream slipping through their fingers.

Who would protect them now? That fragile Luna Queen?

No. No way.

"I’ll head north to the frontlines," Elaika noted suddenly, turning on her heel.

"How am I supposed to trust you?" Captain Dron shouted behind her.

She stopped but didn’t look back.

"Then kill me now," she expressed it flatly. "I have no other purpose left but to hunt down every last one of those vampires."

She stood still, waiting, daring him to cut her down. But when he made no move, she turned again and strode into the dark woods without another word. The Ice Land would decide her fate.

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