The moment I saw what was in the box, the air around me started to heat up.

This is her.

This is Isabella.

I knew it immediately.

Seeing my reaction, Ember stepped closer to take a look at what was inside the box, and immediately as she saw it, her face froze stiff.

"Wait… is that what I think it is? Is that someone's…"

Ember covered her mouth as if she was about to throw up.

"These are someone's lungs," I said, finishing her sentence.

These were Isabella's lungs, and attached to the organs was a message. One that read, 'I took her breath away.'

"Is this a joke!"

"This is Allucard's doing," Ember interjected after she swallowed what was about to come out of her mouth. "Only he would have such sick humor."

"Who is this Allucard?"

"He's the eldest son of the Veylmont clan. He's just trying to rile you up. Don't let him get inside your head. That girl… Isabella, she's alive, right? You can sense it since you're her alpha."

"Yes, even though it's faint, I can still sense her."

"That's good," Ember assured me. "Plus, she's a vampire; losing a lung or two isn't that much of a big deal."

"You're mistaken; it is a big deal. This Allucard… hurt one of mine. I'll return his suffering tenfold. You don't have to worry about me losing myself to rage. I'm perfectly calm for what's to come."

Saying that, I turned my attention back to the ghouls.

"You may go. Thank you for bringing this to me."

They didn't utter a word, only bowed their heads and left. The moment they left, I turned my attention to the witch. She met my eyes as if she somehow knew I wanted to speak to her about something. She smiled and took a seat on my bed, crossing her legs.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Tell me all you know about this Allucard. I want to learn as much as possible about him."

"He's what you think about when you hear of a noble vampire. He's handsome, arrogant, and cruel all in the same breath. He's the one set to succeed the clan's current head, but he's not there yet in terms of power. If I have to make a guess, I'd say he's slightly stronger than you."

I raised an eyebrow at this.

"How would you know my power level to make such an assumption?"

"I got a glimpse here and there. Especially when you were fighting Kaguya. From there, I can make a guess using my magic to analyze you, and based on everything I've seen, this is where I'll rank you."

"I see, so he isn't someone I shouldn't take lightly."

The witch chuckled.

"Didn't I tell you how unlikely it is that you'll win going up against the Veylmont? You shouldn't feel surprised that this is the result. You won't win?"

"And yet I'll have to if I am to have a future."

Ember shook her head. This was one of the rare moments when she didn't have a smile on her face.

"You're way over your head. At the end of the day, you're just a boy, barely a man. What you've accomplished so far is impressive. I see a lot of potential in you. If you were born under the right circumstances, you could've been great. But as it stands, you're better off leaving Purgatory. That girl is practically dead already."

So that was her analysis of me. Some of it was right. The people I've faced before never tried anything like this. Before, I had faced off against a pack or a single enemy, but now, it was me against an entire city.

I was shaken after what I saw in the box. On the outside, I may have looked calm, but on the inside, I was seconds away from breaking down the door and rushing to save Isabella.

The only thing stopping me was the fact that I knew it would only lead to her death, or mine and subsequently everyone I knew. I took a deep breath to calm myself once again before speaking to Ember.

"I know how risky it is facing off against the Veylmont clan. When it comes to power, I'm far outmatched by the monsters that reside here. I knew it the moment I stepped into this city. But even then, my ambitions are too great for me to stumble here."

"Your ambitions?" Ember's posture perked up. "I thought the only reason you were doing this was because you were worried the Veylmont clan might come after you. Don't tell me you're secretly enjoying the thrill of facing the impossible."

Ember smiled and looked at me with curiosity shining in her eyes.

"Let's just say that conquering one group made it enticing to conquer another."

"Ha! I bet that's how the demon king feels. But I wonder if you actually have the guts to see this through after you get a taste of the monster lurking in this city of ours."

"I'm confident I can," I said before standing up and heading towards the door.

"Hmm? You've got somewhere to be?"

"Now I do. From now on, my full attention will be focused on saving Isabella. Everything else can wait for now."

"What about Allucard? I told you how powerful he is; how will you defeat him?"

"That's what I'm going to figure out."

I exited my room, leaving Ember inside my room alone as I walked through the inn. The basement of the inn was used as a storage unit, but that was also where I kept Isabella's mother. As I descended the stairs and opened the door to the storage room, I caught Asia.

She was just about to use her venom on Isabella's mother, who was tied to a chair.

"Master Liam," her eyes widened in surprise when she saw me. "I was just about to—"

"No need to give her any venom today, Asia. I need her conscious."

The shy lamia slithered away from Kaguya, looking a bit embarrassed. I approached her and rested my hand on her head.

"I'll reward you later on for the hard work you've done so far."

The moment she heard of a reward, her eyes lost all its shyness and instead turned predatory as she bobbed her head up and down. unable to mask her excitement. After that, she happily left the room to give me space.

I immediately turned my attention to Kaguya, who slowly raised her head and opened her almost lifeless eyes to look at me.

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