Damon's eyes narrowed. "One of the Twelve?"

Alzara nodded. "The Twelve Blades of Silence. Each one is a perfected monster raised from birth by the Umbra Path. They're not mere killers. They're walking calamities. Once marked, no one survives their pursuit."

The sand at her feet began to swirl with growing agitation, responding to the churn in her aura. "They're used only for high-profile threats. People, the Umbra elders want removed from the very memory of the world.

Another woman stepped next to Alzara and explained. "Our princess has been marked by those deviants. They have been hunting her nonstop, not giving her a single moment of peace."

"Can't you give them money or something? Aren't they assassins for hire at the end of the day?" Damon asked.

Alzara let out a bitter laugh. "If only it were that simple. The Umbra Hand has two sides. The visible one, the one that takes contracts, negotiates prices, and plays the mercenary game."

She paused and continued. "And then there's the true heart of it, the cult of shadows. They don't take assignments easily and not from just anyone. If they take an assignment, it means they are aiming for something much larger."

Damon raised an eyebrow. "And what did you do to earn such a lovely gift?"

Alzara crossed her arms and tilted her chin up defiantly. "I turned down the proposal of an idiot. That bastard is the reason for all of my misery."

Damon blinked. "Wait. You're telling me one of the Twelve was sent after you… because you rejected a proposal? That's insane. Couldn't he just marry someone else? There are a lot of beautiful women in this world."

Alzara's lips curled into a scowl. "I am a princess, you bastard. Do you think just any girl can become me? I have the bloodline of-" Alzara suddenly stopped. In her haste, she almost blabbered something that she should never have.

Damon grinned inwardly. This was exactly what he had been fishing for, and he almost got it. Well, there was still time to find out the secrets of this enchantress. There was no need to fret over it.

"Princess, most of the royal spawns have one bloodline or the other. That doesn't make you anyone special. Let's talk about something more interesting. Like, why the hell did you bring me into this whole mess?"

Alzara was ready to burst into flames of rage, but when Damon asked the question, she suddenly became quiet.

Damon did not let this advantage slip by. "If I remember correctly, only those crummy assassins were after me. The twelve and whatnot probably don't even know about my existence. I was merely passing by this area, princess. And now, because of you, some dangerous guy will be after my ass. Don't you think that's a bit unfair?"

Alzara lowered her gaze for the first time, her arrogant posture dimming ever so slightly. "You're right," she said finally. "I dragged you into this, but sooner or later, you would have become a target. You have killed a lot of their men. Do you think they will simply let you off?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. But thanks to you. I am on the priority list now. What, princess? Are you going to keep denying the obvious? Are you going to talk your way out of compensating me for all of this nonsense? I knew an enchantress like you was shady from the start. You tricked a poor, innocent guy like me into doing your bidding, and now my poor life is in danger."

Alzara looked like she was about to explode. She snapped, and hands of sand appeared around Damon's throat, strangling him. "Bloodsucker, watch your words. How dare you speak disrespectfully to me? I am the princess of the Great Western Empire! If I snap my fingers, you will disappear!"

The men around her, as well, turned hostile, and every single one of them, including the woman from earlier, pointed their weapons at Damon.

However, Damon didn't even flinch. His crimson eyes gleamed with dark amusement, lips curling into a slow smirk despite the sand tightening around his throat. "Go on then," he rasped, voice low but completely unafraid. "Snap your fingers. Let's see what happens."

Alzara's eyes widened ever so slightly as she sensed something. But she was too late to react. Damon's figure erupted into a mess of shadows as he reappeared right behind her, his claw pressing dangerously on her slender neck.

"While you are at it, why don't you snap your fingers again and make that assassin guy disappear? Wouldn't that solve all our problems?"

Alzara let out a gasp. She did not understand how the man in front of her could move like this. She could already tell that the bloodsucker was a newly minted C rank. He shouldn't be capable of demonstrating a power like this, and yet here he was. Holding her hostage!

The sand guardians around her tensed, mana surging, but Alzara raised a trembling hand. "Don't move," she hissed, voice tight. "He's fast. Too fast. He'll kill me before you blink."

"Exactly. I can kill you and pretty much walk away from her scot-free. I will just offer you up to Umbra's hand in exchange for all the trouble I have caused." Damon then pushed her away without explanation. "But I have no interest in doing things like that."

"Now…" Damon spoke calmly. "Shall we continue our little chat like civil people? I'd like to know what's in that place you mentioned before the Twelve Blades or whoever show up and turn us both into a decorative smear on the bark."

Alzara slowly turned around, touching her neck with a scowl that didn't quite hide the way her heart still raced. "You're insane."

Damon smiled without humor. "No, princess. I'm focused. If I'm going to be your accidental scapegoat, I deserve answers."

This time, she didn't deny it. "Fine," Alzara muttered. "You want to know what's in the center of the forest? The remains of the great fairy king. He was the first and only one to step into the ascended realm, A rank."

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