The Eclipsed Bloom
Chapter 92: Contact

Chapter 92: Chapter 92: Contact

Zara padded barefoot behind Patricia, still a bit dazed from waking up. The corridor was quiet with modern decorations, and bright—so unlike the stone halls of the vampire realm.

They stopped in front of a sleek, tempered glass door. Patricia turned and looked at her with a composed expression.

"Miss... where are your wives? Didn’t you wake them?"

Zara gave her a sheepish smile. "Ah... they’ll wake up later. I didn’t want to disturb their sleep."

Patricia nodded respectfully, not questioning further.

"As you wish, Miss. Let’s go inside."

Huh? Zara tilted her head slightly, following hesitantly.

’Why is she coming in with me...?’

The glass door opened with a quiet hiss, revealing a soft-lit dressing area. Towels, robes, and various oils were neatly arranged on warm wooden shelves. The scent of lavender hung lightly in the air.

"This is the changing area," Patricia explained, walking toward a shelf. "Please wrap yourself in one of these towels, then enter through that door." She pointed to a mist-covered inner entrance.

"I’ll head to the office now. Call for me if you need anything."

With that, she bowed slightly and exited.

Zara blinked.

’So she wasn’t coming in with me... okay, good.’

She undressed quickly, wrapping herself in one of the plush towels, and stepped through the inner door.

Warm mist greeted her like an embrace.

Zara’s eyes widened.

"...Whoa."

A massive, steamy spa stretched before her, easily twenty times larger than any bath she’d ever seen. Soft blue lights glowed beneath the surface of the water, and the gentle gurgling of jets echoed in the room.

She stepped to the edge of the pool in awe, her towel clinging to her.

’Is this a noble bath or a royal’s bath? How can this exist in a place where people don’t even use magic?’

A small smile curled on her lips as she dipped a toe into the water.

’Alright its time for bath’

when she enter the spa pool the door open with bang, zara nearly jump hearing bang turning around she blink seeing lilith and grace in bath towels,

As Zara soaked peacefully in the misty warmth of the spa, her muscles finally relaxing, the door suddenly creaked open.

Splash.

Two familiar figures stepped into the water.

Zara blinked. "W-Wives? What are you doing here?"

Lilith, already slipping into the pool with a serene sigh, glanced over with a mischievous smile. "What? We’re just bathing with our wife."

Zara opened her mouth to respond... but no words came out. Her mind short-circuited for a moment.

’They’re both naked. They’re both here. They’re—’

Before she could recover, Grace smirked and waded through the water. Without hesitation, she sat directly in Zara’s lap, her cool skin brushing against hers.

Zara instinctively wrapped her arms around her as if on autopilot, her eyes wide and her face turning a deep crimson.

One hour later...

Zara stumbled out of the spa doors, her face glowing redder than the rising sun. Lilith and Grace clung to her on either side, their expressions serene and satisfied.

Zara coughed slightly, trying to focus as they descended the stairs—barely managing to keep upright while holding two affectionate vampires.

Outside, Patricia stood dutifully by the parked car, expression as unreadable as ever.

Zara, regaining her composure, waved a hand. "Ah—Patricia! We won’t be taking the car today. We’ll... walk."

Patricia bowed politely. "As you wish, Miss."

lilith beside her whisper,

"wife dint you say that you wanted to see and travel in car"

zara blink and smile,

"well i wanted to see hoe this carriage name car work but now i wanted to spend my time with my wife’s"

lilith and grace smile lovingly hearing her,

The three of them stepped outside into the sunlight, the golden warmth washing over them. Zara blinked against the brightness, and a thought struck her.

’Wait a minute Vampires—sunlight—ash—fire—death?!’

Her eyes widened in alarm.

With a protective instinct, she quickly jumped ahead of Lilith and Grace, arms stretched wide to shield them from the light.

"Stay behind me! The sun—it’s dangerous for vampires,!"

Lilith tilted her head, clearly confused. "Zara... what are you doing?"

Zara turned her head slightly, still guarding them. "Huh? Don’t vampires hate sunlight? Isn’t it supposed to burn?"

Grace giggled softly and stepped beside her, placing a reassuring hand on Zara’s arm.

"That’s true... for low-level vampires and damphirs. But not us, silly."

Lilith chuckled and leaned on Zara’s shoulder.

"Mid- and high-tier vampires like us? Sunlight is just... mildly annoying. Like a mosquito bite."

Zara stared at them.

"...So I embarrassed myself just now, didn’t I?"

They both smiled and kissed her cheeks simultaneously.

"Absolutely not it was sweet," Grace whispered sweetly.

"But it was adorable," Lilith added with a grin showing her fangs.

Zara groaned softly and let them pull her along.

The day had been light and joyful. Grace skipped between shops like a curious child discovering a new world, buying trinkets, strange Earth sweets, and peculiar devices. Zara, with an amused smile, swiped the card Patricia had given her at every stop.

Lilith walked beside her, teasing her whenever Zara blushed from Grace’s antics.

But that lightness faded the moment they turned into a quieter street.

A sleek black car glided to a stop in front of them, cutting off their path. Zara’s eyes narrowed instinctively.

The back door of the car opened. A woman in a sharp black business suit stepped out, her cold, composed aura contrasting the warm sunlight. She adjusted her glasses and met Zara’s gaze with authority.

"We need to ask you three some questions," the woman said, voice smooth but firm. "Please, get in."

Zara didn’t move. Her tone was calm but laced with warning. "Why should I go anywhere with you? And who exactly are you?"

The woman smiled, but there was no warmth in it. "You can call me Ava. I’m a High Priest—same rank as High Priest Leslie."

Zara’s expression flickered.

’Leslie...? The realm representative at the Gods’ Council?’

Before she could speak again, Lilith stepped forward, arms crossed. "So what? We don’t know you, and we don’t owe you anything."

Ava’s eyes glinted as she replied, "Actually, I’m investigating the murder of one of my agents. And I have reason to believe three vampires were present at the scene."

Her golden eyes began to glow.

Lilith suddenly groaned as uncomfortable feeling set in and stumbled, clutching her chest.

Zara’s face changed immediately.

’She’s hurting Lilith.’

A red aura exploded around her like a tempest, her mithril blade drawn in a heartbeat. With a blink of movement, she appeared before Ava, blade pressed against the woman’s neck.

Ava didn’t flinch. She simply raised an eyebrow, noting the sheer speed.

’So she’s nearly at High Priest level... interesting.’

Instead of fear, she smirked.

"You don’t want to fight here, girl. If you hurt me, then i will retaliate that could expose vampires to the human world. The Church will ban your kind from Earth altogether."

Zara’s eyes burned with fury, blade trembling slightly from rage. "You hurt my wife and think I care about that?"

Ava blinked at her words... then smiled as if amused.

"Wife, huh? I didn’t hurt her. That was just a reaction to divine pressure. It’s temporary. High-ranking vampires eventually gain resistance to it."

Lilith breathing heavily, her body trembling—but she raised her hand weakly and said through grit teeth, "I’m... fine."

Zara didn’t lower her blade.

But Grace stepped forward her forehead was also cover in sweat, she gently touched her arm. "Zara... let’s hear her out. We can always kill her later if she lies."

Zara let out a long breath, glaring at Ava before stepping back slightly—but her aura remained.

"Talk," she said coldly. "If you dare to hurt my wife then—and I will make sure none of your agents that are hiding around here can save you."

Ava adjusted her glasses and smiled faintly.

’wow how did she find out, interesting’

"Good. Then let’s talk tell me what you know about my agent death."

Lilith took a deep breath, calming her nerves as the remnants of divine pressure faded.

"When we arrived in this realm... he was already dead."

Ava’s golden eyes narrowed, her tone sharp. "What do you mean by ’already dead’? Are you saying you didn’t kill him?"

Grace stepped forward, visibly irritated, her eyes glowing faintly. "We came here to travel, not get blamed for murders. Don’t try to twist things—we saw someone else there. A man... with purple hair."

Ava blinked.

’Purple hair...? Could it be dyed? No..., a normal human couldn’t kill him. That man might already be...’

Her thoughts darkened.

She adjusted her posture, voice suddenly cool and diplomatic.

"Very well. Enjoy your stay. Don’t stray too far... for your own safety."

Without another word, she turned and stepped back into the car.

As the vehicle pulled away, Zara turned to Lilith, her anger softening.

"Dear... who’s this purple-haired man Grace mentioned?"

Lilith glanced at her, then exhaled slowly.

"He appeared in the alley, after you went unconscious. His aura wasn’t that of normal human... and he wasn’t scared like he dint fear death, even after I attacked him. He ran when I injured him—but... something was strange."

Zara looked thoughtful. "A demon?"

Lilith shook her head.

"no he was a slave not a demon, but he was not fully in control of demon."

[Inside the Black Car – Moving Through City Streets]

Ava stared silently out the window as the car drove through the cityscape—humans laughing, shopping, unaware of the storm brewing around them.

She pulled out a sleek black phone and dialed.

"Leslie," she said calmly once the line connected. "It’s confirmed. We won’t be able to hide the existence of supernatural beings for much longer is this continued."

Leslie’s voice answered. "You said it was just a suspicion earlier. What changed?"

Ava’s voice dropped lower. "The demon’s threads. One has already made contact with a vessel in the city. The man... killed our agent. although we are cleansing this threads but still they manage to make one. The signs are clear.

Leslie responded voice now colder.

"You’re saying it’s happening again Ava? We purged most of those vessels and we do every day without break. We even killed those beyond redemption. How could one survive and not only survive but even become slave?"

Ava’s voice was steel.

"You know as well as I do Leslie- how difficult it is to find every vessel And if even one vessel is controlled fully by demon, then with his help they can make army of slaves . Last time, those threads enslaved humans in secret. When they controlled enough of them—including several world leaders—they started a war."

Leslie went silent.

Ava continued, "We barely prevented a global collapse. You remember the aftermath. If this thread spreads again, Earth won’t survive—not with the the gods unable to manifest here. and humans has made weapons’ that can be their own doom now,"

Leslie’s voice returned grimed. "What’s your plan?"

"I need you to send priests to find clue about his location. We’ll need to track down every active vessel before it spreads."

"got it ava I’m sending now"