Arkanus wandered through the palace corridors, entering one room after another.
There was something he desperately wanted to know.
Who was he, really? And what connection did he have to the nobles?
He stopped when he caught sight of a portrait hanging on the wall—the portrait of the late Queen of the Vampires.
"Jade Serolf..." he whispered.
The queen was breathtakingly beautiful.
Without realizing it, Arkanus placed a hand over his chest.
Why did he feel this way?
There was something about seeing her face that stirred something deep within him—something he couldn't explain.
He quickly turned away and continued down the corridor, hoping that somewhere inside the palace, he would find the answers to the questions that had been haunting him.
.
.
.
The illusion created by Xylon finally disappeared.
Everything returned to reality.
"Tsk. I'm right! It was all just an illusion!" Sheen said.
"Sheen, do you still remember nothing?" Xylon asked.
Sheen frowned. "I'm sorry, but I don't understand what you're talking about. Why don't we just end this? Prepare yourselves to die."
He let out a sharp whistle.
Suddenly, undead creatures and Queron soldiers emerged from every direction.
"W-What the hell? Undeads again?" Blake exclaimed.
"Fuck! I'm seriously developing a phobia of these things!" Yvess cursed.
He still remembered how they had killed him before. He was only alive now because, somehow, he had been given a second chance.
"Prepare for attack!" Xylon commanded.
The vampires charged.
Yvess immediately created a barrier around himself and Lilith, shielding his younger sister from the approaching undead.
Blake quickly pulled out his flute and began to play.
One by one, they unleashed their powers, fighting against the relentless horde of undeads and Queron soldiers.
Meanwhile, Xylon stood face-to-face with Sheen.
"Sheen, you're being controlled by the Mirce Lorde. We'll help you break free from his power," Xylon said.
"Tsk. Could you stop calling me by my name as if we're close?" Sheen snapped. "And why the hell should I believe you?"
Xylon's expression remained calm.
Then, once again, he created an illusion.
The surroundings suddenly changed.
A thick fog covered everything, swallowing the battlefield in an eerie silence. Behind Xylon, several gargoyles slowly emerged from the mist.
"You think those things can scare me?" Sheen scoffed. "They're just illusions."
"But you can't escape the illusion I've created," Xylon slowly faded away.
Sheen's eyes darted from one direction to another.
"Sheen..."
"Sheen..."
A voice repeatedly called his name from within the fog.
"Tsk. Show yourself, King of the Vampires!" Sheen shouted. "Don't be a coward!"
Suddenly, a massive mirror appeared before him.
Sheen stared into it.
His own reflection stared back.
It was grinning.
"Hello..." the reflection said.
"Y-You..." Sheen's eyes widened. "Who are you?!"
The reflection began to laugh.
"Ahahahaha... I am you."
Enraged, Sheen immediately smashed the mirror.
But even after the glass shattered, the laughter continued to echo through the fog.
Then something dropped onto the ground.
A small worm.
Sheen froze.
His eyes widened as he realized where it had come from.
His face.
More worms began crawling out from beneath his rotting flesh.
Slowly, he looked down at a fragment of the broken mirror.
"N-No..."
His reflection stared back at him.
His face was decaying.
His skin was peeling away, revealing rotting flesh beneath it.
"No! This is just an illusion!"
A deafening laugh echoed through the fog.
Sheen clamped both hands over his ears.
"STOP!"
The laughter only grew louder.
"Hahaha!"
"THIS ISN'T REAL!!!" Sheen screamed.
.
.
From Stephen's back, an endless chain suddenly burst forth.
Stephen was an alchemist, and a vampire who could control anything made of metal.
Hidden within his back was his magical weapon—the Cadena Kuro or also known the Chain of Death.
The endless chain tore through the battlefield, striking down the final Queron soldier.
The creature collapsed to the ground.
"Where's Xylon?" Xenon asked.
"He's fighting Sheen," Zake answered.
The others immediately hurried off to find him.
.
.
Xenon and the others finally encountered Xylon.
He was carrying Sheen in his arms.
"What happened?" Heberlin asked, his eyes widening at the sight.
"He lost consciousness," Xylon replied.
Xylon then turned his gaze toward Lucas. "Can you restore his memories?"
Lucas examined Sheen for a moment before answering.
"Yes. But first, we need to free him from the Mirce Lorde's control."
Xylon's expression became serious.
"Then we'll do whatever it takes."
.
.
.....
At last, Ira regained consciousness.
Lycan immediately rushed to his side, worry evident in his eyes.
"Ira, what's happening to you? You've been worrying me," he said.
Ira slowly looked around at the others who had gathered around him.
"Ira, are you hiding something from us?" Akuma asked.
Ira lowered his head.
"I'm sorry..." he whispered, tears suddenly streaming down his face.
"Ira, what's really happening?" Lycan asked, his voice filled with concern.
"Tell us... Who are you, really?" Xerxes demanded.
Everyone turned toward him.
"Brother, what do you mean?" Viel asked, confused.
"A demon can sense the presence of another demon," Xerxes explained.
"I'm not a demon," Ira replied.
He faced them, tears still filling his eyes.
"Then tell us why you've been acting so strangely," Xerxes pressed.
"It's because... because..."
"Because of what, Ira?" Akuma asked.
But instead of answering, Ira suddenly reached out and grabbed Akuma's hand.
"P-Please... please help me!" he begged desperately. "Get him out of my body!"
Akuma's eyes widened. "W-What do you mean?"
"The Mirce Lorde..." Ira gasped. "He's going to take over my body! Please, help me!"
Everyone stared at him in shock.
Then, without warning, Ira's body began to blur.
"I-Ira... what's happening to you?" Lycan cried.
Ira looked down at his own body in terror.
"N-No... The Mirce Lorde!" he screamed. "Please, help me! Don't let him take me! Don't give me to him!"
His voice echoed through the room.
And then—
Ira completely vanished.
Everyone stood frozen in stunned silence.
"H-He can't be..." Lycan whispered.
"He disappeared," Sagi said, staring at the spot where Ira had been standing only moments ago.
"He mentioned the Mirce Lorde," Mist said grimly. "That means the Mirce Lorde has something to do with his disappearance."
Lycan suddenly stood up and headed toward the door.
"Where are you going?" Viel called after him.
"I'm going to save him," the moment he said those words, Lycan transformed into a massive wolf.
He bolted out of the room without another word, completely ignoring Akuma and the others calling after him.
"We can't let him go alone!" Akuma said.
The others exchanged glances before rushing after him.
.
.
"Where are they?" Cedrick asked in confusion.
They had just returned from searching for food when they realized the others were gone.
"They left," Aria replied seriously, her eyes fixed on the empty bed. "They followed Lycan."
"What do you mean?" Titus asked.
"Ira suddenly disappeared, and the Mirce Lorde has something to do with it," Aria explained. "They're heading to the Throne Palace."
"What? But it's dangerous there!" Cedrick exclaimed.
"We don't have time to waste," Aria said firmly. "We have to follow them."
But the moment they stepped outside the abandoned house, they stopped.
Someone was already waiting for them.
Owen and Tresvain stood before the entrance, surrounded by a group of Querons soldiers.
"Tsk. They've tracked us down," Titus muttered.
Tresvain stepped forward with a sinister smile. "Well, well... How are you, Aria?"
Aria's expression immediately hardened.
"Tresvain..."