Silence permeated throughout the bedroom as Damien's sable-tinted gaze stared at the velvet eyes of Hecate. Questions riddled his mind, and they must be answered.

What happened to his partner? Why did she fall into a deep slumber with no signs of awakening?

Hecate narrowed her eyes, glancing at her pale hands. Recollecting her memories, she took a deep breath and muttered. "I didn't know where I was."

"The skies were as red as blood. I stood amidst a desolate desert of hollow sand. There was nothing but me. Or so I thought."

"Here I met the ancient progenitor who wore my face. Her eyes were golden, and she exuded a regal facade. She told me the truth. My power, my heritage, and what should be done."

"You believe her?" Damien raised his eyebrows as Hecate looked at him and tilted her head. "Would you like to hear what she said?"

He could only nod, intending to dissect every word that came from that ancient mouth. Reason argues that progenitors weren't to be trusted.

If they ever converse with you, it wasn't without reason.

"She told me about my power, Severance. It wasn't actually a power that emerged from me. It has existed for a long time throughout my bloodline."

"My family was a lot more special than I expected. I thought we were merely strange vampires who could survive without the nourishment of blood. I didn't expect the truth to be gaping."

"My bloodline came from a long line of hybrids. Our origin came from an ancient and long extinct species, the Demonia."

Hearing the name, Damien's eyes widened as he had heard the same from the history book he had acquired from the underground library.

"The Demonia? The species before the Vampires or the Lycanthropes?" he uttered in surprise while Hecate nodded in agreement. "Yes, the ones before the Clan and the Howling Village."

"Are you implying that you are a hybrid of both Vampire and Demonia?" Damien furrowed his eyebrows, staring at the crimson-haired girl.

Hecate closed her velvet eyes and nodded once again. "The ancient progenitor wasn't sealed within me. I was already born with it."

"My family has been the wardens of the ancient progenitor's prison. The progenitor is Severance, and the Severance is the progenitor."

Damien finally understood the complicated expression that had been imprinted on the face of his partner. Even he wouldn't know what he'd done under her circumstances.

"So what does this ancestor of yours need besides your body?" he inquired, since he was aware of what it had done to Hecate.

The fact that it once tried to take over her body made him lose any semblance of good faith towards the ancient being.

"I am a hybrid, Damien. That means that utilizing my vampire side will cap my power and growth. I can't even utilize my Blood Technique properly."

"I have to awaken and control my other side." Determined blaze in the velvet eyes of the crimson-haired girl.

Looking at her fiery resolve, Damien sighed to himself. He couldn't blame her for choosing this path. After all, he would have done the same.

Even if there were risks, as long as he could become stronger. It was better than stagnating in strength. Perhaps his partner feels the same pressure.

Damien patted her crimson hair, ruffling it with his palm while smiling at the crimson-haired girl. "No matter your path. I will always stand beside you, Hecate."

For some unknown reason, Hecate felt a knot in her heart unravelling after hearing those words. Her rosy lips curved into a relieved smile as she held his hand tightly before falling asleep.

He watched in silence, his sable-tinted gaze softening while clutching her hand tightly. Instead of worrying about this new path, there was one thing he could do.

That was to protect her from the ancient progenitor when the time comes.

The crimson-haired girl opened her eyelids, attracting Damien's attention. But when he looked at her, he noticed her velvet eyes replaced by golden embers.

His elation crashed into the abyss as he gripped her hand tightly while glaring at the golden-eyed Hecate, also known as the ancient progenitor.

"My, my... Damien, holding my hand so tightly." The indifferent golden eyes turned towards him; her voice felt maternal, but something seemed wrong about it.

"What did you do to her?" He scowled at the ancient progenitor, his obsidian-like eyes fierce and cold. An aloof smile formed on her face as she remarked.

"I did nothing. Hecate merely fell asleep."

"She was relieved to hear those words of yours. The young ones appear ignorant of how much it meant for her to be supported in the expedition into the unknown."

"It feels romantic."

"What do you want from her?" Damien interrogated, but the ancient progenitor merely chuckled at the sight and affirmed. "I don't need anything."

"I have lived long lives, Damien. From her ancestors to my eternity of reign, I have done what I wanted to do. The reason I wanted to take her body before was simple."

"I'd love to see everything collapsed into itself. I would have fractured the Federation and the Clan into pieces, since I had nothing to do."

"But the two of you have given me quite a show. An interesting one, especially for you. The so-called first intelligent Aberrant in the New World." She aloofly gazed upon him.

"I don't know about the title, first intelligent." Damien looked away, somewhat embarrassed by the name. He understood that he actually wasn't the first intelligent Aberrant.

There were others with greater intelligence than himself. The reason why the title stuck to the young man was the simple fact that he was the first reasonable one amongst all of them.

"How cute..." The ancient progenitor softly chuckled as she continued. "But they aren't wrong about that title."

"Even if the Aberrants were capable of speaking and holding knowledge, they aren't intelligent in a way that correlates to sapience."

"They are nothing more than monsters with some brains. You cannot talk to them as they behave through their instincts. And their instincts are strange to say the least."

"Some of their instincts are wisdom, intelligence, courage, and kindness. Some are wrath, lust, greed, and arrogance. In simpler terms, it all depends on how they are built."

"After all, Aberrants are beings of Aether."

"In any case, I am glad to meet you, Damien. You're cute. If you weren't the little one's catch, I would have caught you myself." A sly grin stretched across her face as she winked at him.

Damien felt chills resonating throughout his spine as he wondered what he had done to attract the attention of such an ancient being.

This progenitor was older than his whole bloodline. Probably older than the entirety of humanity itself. The hell was she trying to do?

He shook his head and threw such thoughts to the back of his mind. Hecate was asleep, softly breathing and relaxed. There wasn't anything better than this sight.

The front door of the bedroom opened as Beowulf stepped in, surprised to see both of them still in the room. "I thought that the two of you had already left."

"There were some issues that needed to be handled." Damien rubbed the back of his head and added. "Hey, do you have any books about an ancient species known as Demonia?"

"Demonia? Interested in the extinct species?" Beowulf asked, staring at the black-suited man with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah, I was wondering about what kind of species older than the Vampires and Lycanthropes were," he answered, prompting the old, middle-aged Lycan to nod in understanding.

"Alright, I'll bring some books you can read about them." Beowulf left the bedroom, planning to take some books from the underground library.

A couple of hours later, Damien and Hecate stepped out of the estate as the Lycanthropes waved them goodbye from behind.

He held his briefcase tightly while Hecate carried the duffel bag over her back. The two glanced at the Lycans waving at them and gestured back in return.

Being appreciated was always a good thing, regardless of the era.

Gryphos landed with a resounding thud as dust shrouded the field. It shrieked while shaking its feathered mane with pride.

Their time within the northern fringes of the New World has reached its end. It was a short yet long investigation of its mysteries.

The two of them have grown beyond what they previously expected. Whether it'd be strength or mindset. As the sea of knowledge became deeper, it made one wonder...

When will their curiosity plunge them to the abyss that was the sea of everything? That remains to be answered in the far future.

Damien and Hecate leaped onto the feathered mane of the Griffin, smiling at the waving Lycanthropes. With a tap, Gryphos soared into the skies as Majesty enveloped both of them.

With finer control, he was able to resist the raging winds that threatened to throw them off the Griffin's back. In simpler terms, the flight was no less different than a rollercoaster.

At least it wasn't skydiving without a parachute.

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