The moment I saw her, my eyes widened in momentary shock, but I quickly regained my composure when I realized what this was. I felt a bit relieved as I stepped into the room and slipped off my shoes.

Aphrodite sat on my bed with her legs crossed. She was dressed modestly in a white dress reached down to her ankles. Her pink heart-shaped eyes watched my every movement like a snake.

She didn't utter a word, only a soft girlish chuckle escaped her lips as she continued to eye me. I paid her no mind and went about my business as if she wasn't even there. This seemed to amuse her even more.

"So you're finally back," she finally said as I walked past her. "Were you enjoying the festivities?"

I ignored her question and proceeded to change out of my clothes before climbing into bed.

"Aren't you going to take a shower? I would join you," she teased, maybe trying to elicit some kind of reaction out of me.

I lazily picked up a pillow and tossed it at her. Just as expected, the pillow passed right through her, meaning she wasn't really here. She was using a projection just like Ember used to do.

"What do you want, and how did you find me?" I asked.

"I decided to keep an eye on you right before we split up. As for how, I can't tell you that, but rest assured, I won't tell anyone where you are."

I didn't say anything, only partially covered myself under my bedsheets. Seeing my action, she raised an eyebrow.

"You don't seem worried. You were sure that I wouldn't tell anyone, why is that?"

I wouldn't say I was sure. It was more of a hunch. That night when I killed Allucard, I was prepared to kill her too, but the moment I met her, I changed my mind. It was a simple intuition.

This woman, Aphrodite, was ambitious. Far too ambitious for her own good, if you ask me.

Something about her felt unsettling. Smart people are fun to go up against, but when they hold all the cards, it can be terrifying.

"I'll ask you again. What are you doing here?"

"I only want to talk," she insisted. "You don't have to worry about anything. Let's talk about your next move. What do you plan to do? Are you going to go after the Veylmont clan?"

"Why are you asking? Do you wish for me to die in a blaze of glory fighting against him and subsequently taking him down with me? You get to eliminate two threats with one stone."

Her smile grew bolder.

"You think you're a threat?" She chuckled, shaking her head. "You know, I actually like dogs. They're cute, they're loyal, and they do whatever they're told just for a simple treat."

"Wolves are different. They don't have the same temperament as dogs. Trying to tame one will more than likely get your throat ripped out."

She shifted on the bed before crawling towards me.

"I like you. You're smarter than most. Your only issue is that you don't seem to know when you're out of your league."

That I did. I knew it all too well.

"Anyway, I'm here to tell you that the Veylmont clan has the witches working overtime to try and find you. Of course, I'm doing everything I can to try and stop them, but there is only so much I can do. I'm only here to tell you that whatever you're planning, you better hurry up and get it over with."

She tried to keep a calm voice, but she couldn't keep her irritation from seeping through.

I got the basic gist of what was happening. The vampires wanted my head, so they turned to the witches. But Aphrodite was hoping I would deal with the Veylmont clan before anything happens to me, so she was holding out.

She must've come here because the Veylmont clan was getting restless. They were probably pressuring her to give them more information.

"I catch your meaning," I said. "Don't worry, I'm planning to make my move real soon. Just continue to keep the vampires off my back."

Just then, her eyes turned sharp.

"You're in no position to order me around. But I'll humor you for now but I'm warning you, don't try anything stupid like coming after one of us witches. Remember, the only reason I'm letting you be is so you can take care of the Veylmont clan."

With those words and a subtle threat lingering in the air, Aphrodite disappeared into thin air as if she was never here. Her body turned into small particles of light that slowly faded away.

Aphrodite must've used Ember's ring to contact me.

Now that I was finally alone, I used the chance to think about how I would handle things.

Everything was technically already set. I just needed to fulfill my part of the mission.

The problem was that I couldn't get the laboratory out of my head. I should've been focused on how to infiltrate the factory, but something about the energy emanating from that laboratory stuck with me.

Smack!

I slapped myself on the forehead and shook my head to dispel the thoughts going through my mind.

Right now, it was best to focus on the mana crystals. Multitasking was a sure-fire way to ruin a plan.

As I thought about several ways I could infiltrate the laboratory, my mind slowly started to drift away into sleep.

The next morning, I gathered all I would need for this mission. I decided to bring along Khalissi, since she could easily store the mana crystals; Kaguya, since she was an assassin, she was practically a master at being stealthy.

She could kill at a drop of a hat without drawing anyone's attention. This made her perfect for this kind of mission.

And finally, the last person I had decided to bring along with us was Ivy.

I gathered them all in my room and revealed my plan in detail to them.

Khalissi chuckled in amusement as I finished telling them everything in detail.

"That's not a bad plan," Kaguya complimented, to which Ivy nodded and quickly agreed.

"Let's just hope it works."

With everything explained, we didn't waste a second and proceeded with our plan.

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