BXBX NOVEL Chapter 102: ch. 102
Kali, a woman whose hair seemed to crackle with static, scoffed. "There\'s nothing to talk about. Why waste our time?"
Ilyana, her form shimmering in shades of blue, crossed her holographic arms. "Exactly. We know most everything already. Vampires out of the alliance, that Neveah boy becoming a powerhouse, and the potential wrath of the Vampire Queen hanging over our heads like a bad omen."
Valeriana sighed. Ilyana\'s bluntness, while refreshing, could be grating at times. "True, but there\'s still the academy situation. What do we tell the instructors and students about the sudden disappearance of the vampire faculty?"
Bjorn, a burly man with a thick beard, scratched his holographic chin. "Just say they left. No need to complicate things."
Ilyana rolled her holographic eyes. "We\'re wasting valuable time here. Aethelred," she addressed the imposing figure of the Dragon King, who sat on his throne, his head resting on a holographic fist, "why did you call this meeting anyway?"
Aethelred, his voice deep and rumbling, finally spoke. "It\'s the demons. Their attacks are escalating. They\'re no longer sending small fry. Now, Viscounts lead entire armies of Barons."
Valeriana pursed her lips. "Then we deal with them as we always have," she declared. "But what about proactive measures? As for the people, those who are above six stars or past the age limit who didn\'t make the academy cut… what if we enrolled them in a new, specialized military academy?"
Ilyana groaned. "Another project? Do we have to?"
Static buzzed rhythmically as the holographic figures argued back and forth. "It doesn\'t have to be a separate program," Kali argued, her fiery hair crackling with every word. "We can integrate military training with the academy curriculum. And make new training barracks."
Bjorn, his burly form seemingly etched with worry lines, interjected. "Wait, a unified army? The academy was one thing, but an army is...!"
Aethelred, the imposing Dragon King, boomed from his holographic throne. "It won\'t be a formal army, Bjorn. Our commanders will oversee the operation. We\'ll select an abandoned region and send qualified instructors to train these older individuals. It won\'t be as grand as the academy, but it\'s a practical solution. Once the Academy students are strong enough, we can consider inter-program exchanges."
Valeriana, ever the voice of reason, expressed a different concern. "But what about past conflicts between our commanders and armies? They lost comrades, friends, families. Old wounds can reopen easily."
Kali scoffed. "Dwelling on the past serves no purpose. They either overcome these issues or let them jeopardize our future. There\'s no room for sentimentality."
Aethelred\'s voice turned grim. "The students\' progress in the academy is… respectable, but too slow."
Bjorn offered a counterpoint. "It hasn\'t even been eight weeks! Their growth is impressive considering the limited timeframe. Time is our biggest enemy."
A tense silence followed as Ilyana\'s question hung in the air. "And the vampires? Are we simply ignoring them?"
All eyes turned to Aethelred. A flicker of unease crossed his holographic features. "What do you mean?" he hedged.
Kali\'s eyes narrowed. "You know exactly what I mean. We all do."
The unsaid hung heavy - the need to apologize to the Vampire Queen. Pride, however, made the notion unbearable. They acknowledged their mistake, the potential for a war with the entire vampire race, yet their arrogance held them back. The Queen\'s power, witnessed to be at a terrifying twelve-star level, filled them with dread.
The idea of attacking her together, with their combined eleven-star strength, never crossed their minds. Unlike lower-star individuals, who could potentially overcome someone of a higher rank, those limitations vanished above eight stars. Each tier became a chasm of power, and the jump from eleven to twelve was considered insurmountable.
Except for perhaps a monster like Valeriana who could somehow fight across levels, none present believed they could fight someone of the Queen\'s caliber.
"The continent remains closed," Valeriana finally declared. "Nothing gets in."
A collective sigh of relief, tinged with apprehension, rippled through the race leaders internally and when they noticed that they sighed in relief it bothered them, A LOT!!
Bjorn, with a forced cough, shifted the conversation back to the proposed military academy, and they delved into the specifics, their initial discord gradually replaced by the urgency of building a defense against the escalating demon threat.
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The gentle rhythm of the Elnovan waves lapped at the pristine white sand, a symphony overshadowed by X\'s grim pronouncement. "The vampire continent is closed," he stated, his voice a stark contrast to the carefree melody of the beach.
T, nestled under a large beach umbrella, groaned. "Ugh, X," he drawled, his voice muffled by the shade of a wide-brimmed hat. "Work? Seriously? We talked about this – no business on vacation time."
T\'s attire spoke of leisure: a pair of faded blue board shorts and a linen shirt unbuttoned to reveal a tanned chest. But the shadow cast by the hood hid his face, a stark contrast to X\'s sun-kissed features.
"There\'s more," X continued, a hint of unease in his voice. "The Vampire Queen is awake. And she has a son."
Silence descended, broken only by the whispering waves. T remained still for a moment, then threw his head back and let out a booming laugh. The sound echoed across the beach, a stark contrast to the tranquil setting.
"That\'s unexpected!" T exclaimed, wiping a tear from his eye. "She was supposed to awaken years later, according to… well, you know who." His voice trailed off, a veiled reference hanging in the air.
"A son, huh?" he mused, his laughter subsiding into a thoughtful chuckle. "Interesting. Didn\'t know she had one of those. Looks like she found a worthy man!" She said the last sentence with bitter dissatisfaction.
X, ever the stoic one, watched T with a hint of apprehension. "Don\'t worry about it," he advised. "I\'m sure… HE has a plan. Now, just relax and wait for orders." His voice held a hint of authority, a reminder of their roles and the unknown game they were playing.
T sighed, the weight of responsibility settling on his shoulders despite his attempts at leisure. He brushed the sand off his shorts and stood, a glint of amusement flickering in his shadowed eyes. "Alright, alright," he conceded, turning away from the calming waves.
"But let\'s hope HE doesn\'t have us chasing shadows again." The two figures, one shrouded in mystery, the other a harbinger of impending chaos, disappeared from the picture-perfect beach, leaving behind only the rhythmic crash of the waves and the unanswered questions that hung in the salty air.
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Lara burst into the opulent study, the heavy oak doors slamming shut behind her. Her face, usually serene, was etched with a worry that creased her youthful brow. Finding her mother, Clara, bent over an ancient scroll, Lara blurted out, "Mother, you have to see this!"
Clara, an ageless beauty with eyes that held the wisdom of centuries, looked up from her work. Concern flickered across her face at her daughter\'s agitation. "What is it, Lara? What troubles you?"
Lara rushed forward, a small, enchanted tablet clutched in her hand. Its surface shimmered with a holographic image. "During the trials, Mother," Lara began, her voice tight, "an attacked me. I also found my picture with two twin daggers beneath"
With a tap on the tablet, the image zoomed in, revealing two intricately carved daggers, their blades a menacing black gleaming in the holographic light.
Clara leaned closer, her eyes narrowing. "Show me the twin daggers," she commanded.
Lara swiped on the tablet, and Clara gasped. With a touch of disbelief, she murmured, "They are identical."
Lara nodded, her expression grim. "Exactly. And that\'s not all. I also have the man encased in the crystal cocoon – Elrohir?"
Clara\'s jaw tightened slightly. With a wave of her hand, she dissipated the cocoon, revealing Elrohir, a gaunt man with wild hair and confusion etched on his face. Why is he before the queen?
"Tell me about the daggers," Clara\'s voice was firm, devoid of her usual warmth.
Under Clara\'s gaze, a powerful ability that could probe minds and extract truths, Elrohir crumbled. He confessed, his voice trembling, that he had been contacted by a powerful figure who threatened his sick daughter\'s life if he didn\'t kill Lara.
What interesting to know is that he had never known Lara\'s true identity as the princess. She was never shown in public and unless you were nobility or a student at the academy you wouldn\'t know her.
"Your daughter is safe now, Elrohir. We\'re going to get her."
Relief washed over Elrohir\'s face, replaced by a flicker of confusion and suspicion. "But... how?"
Clara, her gaze steely and unwavering, revealed a sliver of her true power. "We have ways."
Lara watched in awe as her mother, with a few deft commands, dispatched a team of elite guards, tasked with not just rescuing Elrohir\'s daughter, but also discreetly gathering intel on the man who had threatened them. In that moment, she saw not just her mother, but a formidable protector, a woman who wielded power as effortlessly as she nurtured.
" So what do you want from me?" Asked Elrohir
" Perceptive... Admirable. Just wait you\'ll be useful later." Said Clara.