Chloe's eyes widened in terror as the winged figure loomed before her. The creature's crimson gaze held paralyzing intensity—until its features resolved into haunting beauty. Porcelain skin glowed against twilight's gloom, framed by lunar-bright eyes that now sparkled with amusement. The woman's smile radiated natural allure, eclipsing Chloe's practiced charms with effortless grace.
Kael's instincts flared as moonlight caught the stranger's faintly pointed teeth. His suspicion crystallized when Daniel gasped, "Vampire!"
The word hung heavy with history. Vampires—extinct since humanity and elves purged them during the Necrotic Calamity three winters past. Yet here stood this creature, her gray bat-wings flexing as she appraised the group.
"Mortals squabbling over celestial ice?" Her laughter carried blades beneath honey. "Admirable recklessness."
A manicured finger flicked. Invisible force hammered Chloe's chest, hurling the mage backward in a spray of crimson. The Ice Core arced through air only to land gently in the vampire's palm, drawn by unseen threads.
The casual display froze the combatants. Power radiated from the vampire like winter's first frost—inexorable, ancient, lethal. Her presence redefined the battlefield, reducing their earlier struggles to children's play.
Kael's grip tightened on his staff. This changed everything. The true predator had arrived.
"Seventh rank? Impossible. A seventh-rank couldn't create such a disparity," Kael suppressed his astonishment, thoughts whirling. "Chloe's nearly sixth rank herself—she shouldn't collapse from a single strike unless… eighth? Ninth?" His gaze sharpened as he reassessed the mysterious vampire woman's power.
Regardless of speculation, the vampire's overwhelming display had paralyzed the group. To fell Chloe instantly—such terrifying strength rendered their combined efforts meaningless. The chasm between them yawned like an abyss.
"Pathetic humans. Not one of you can withstand even a casual strike from I, the illustrious Countess Scarlett." The self-proclaimed noble's melodic laughter rang hollow to the tense fighters, every syllable dripping with mockery.
*Countess.* Kael's mind latched onto the title. Ethan's journals had mentioned fragmented details—vampires ranked their power through aristocratic titles. A countess would equate to an Arcane Magister, straddling the eighth and ninth tiers of human mage classifications.
*A walking calamity.*
Though these youths represented their generation's elite, facing an Arcane-tier foe reduced them to prey. Had this very creature provoked the earlier beast tide? Likely. Lower-tier beasts would instinctively flee such an apex predator's aura.
Scarlett's crimson lips curved as she surveyed the group. "How fortunate—a banquet delivered to my doorstep. Such tender-skinned morsels… your blood must sing with vitality." Her fangs gleamed faintly as her playful tone darkened.
Vampires—eternal pariahs of Ethera—were whispered to feast on mortal essence. While most subsisted on beast blood, human practitioners remained irresistible delicacies. Yet few dared indulge openly, for the Alliance Accords demanded every kingdom hunt their kind to extinction.
A dismissive wave from Scarlett summoned a shimmering curtain that encased the clearing. Collective dread tightened throats—this domain-like barrier surpassed their capacity to breach. Even Daniel's retreating steps faltered against the humming prison.
The vampire noble savored their fear like aged wine, scarlet eyes lingering hungrily. The scent of potent magic-rich blood teased her senses, momentarily eclipsing even the allure of the glacial relic nearby.
"Let's begin with you, darling."
Scarlett's gaze settled first on Chloe, the nearest prey. The mage's earlier venom toward the ice-thief dissolved into primal terror—recognition of a blood countess overriding all defiance. Her choked scream echoed futilely as she scrambled backward, boots scuffing frozen earth.
Gray wings snapped open like stormclouds unfurling. Scarlett streaked toward Chloe in an eyeblink. The mage raised her staff in jerky panic, incanting a Chainfire Burst—fourth-tier flames roared forth in searing volleys.
The vampire met the assault with scornful indifference. Magma-hot projectiles shattered against her skin, their fury dispersing like sparks on anvils. Not even scorch marks marred the pale flesh shielded by her crimson aura.
"Impossible..." Chloe's whisper died as Scarlett materialized before her. Frost-nailed hands clamped the mage's wrists, crushing bone against staff. Struggling proved as effective as thrashing in quicksand—every twitch only tightened the vise.
"What a delicate morsel," Scarlett purred, yanking Chloe flush against her. The countess tilted her victim's throat upward, savoring the frantic pulse beneath translucent skin. "Pity beauty fades so swiftly when drained dry."
Fangs pierced flesh with surgical precision. Chloe convulsed once—a marionette with severed strings—as scarlet rivulets snaked down her collarbone. Lethargy seeped into her limbs, vision dimming to tunneled darkness where only twin rubies glowed—Scarlett's eyes drinking her essence. The staff clattered forgotten as the mage's hands spasmed, then fell still.