As I walked through the circle, I felt the power under my feet and realized what was happening. The untrained mages outside are not spellcasters, they are fuel.

Sitting in a comfortable chair and casually casting spells, Sami Ramis can change the world, while a hundred mortals unwittingly obey her commands. I don't know how she did it, but I know that the skills required to do so shouldn't exist at all. This symbol pulsates more than the Herald possesses. I felt as if I was standing on the surface of the sun, separated only by a hair-thin barrier and the kindness of my master from the impending doom. When she invited me to sit down, I obeyed.

The ancient queen leaned forward, revealing a hint of cleavage, and I'm sure those who admired this kind of thing are now insane. The pose is sensual but not vulgar, and the pose is so relaxed and elegant that it deserves to be painted. Even though I found myself in a terrible predicament, I tried to keep it in my heart.

To my surprise, she poured me a cup of tea from her pot. The liquid has an exotic red color and an earthy flavor with a hint of spice.

"Try it."

I hesitated for a moment, then realized that I shouldn't have turned down her hospitality. I have pretended to drink tea on many occasions. This is just another example.

I moistened my lips with this liquid and its fragrance covered my tongue. Unsurprisingly, earthy and spicy.

Its warmth covered my taste buds and I swallowed it. The aftertaste has a minty flavor, which is peculiar and refreshing.

Wait a minute.

I just drank tea as a vampire. Impossible!

Despite my attempts to keep my composure, my eyes widened and the host smiled softly. She drank too, and then stared at me with a hawkish gaze. I felt like a deer surrounded by wolves. Her tone became cold and threatening.

"Does my son know you're here before we move on?"

"No...... I mean, I don't think so. ”

"When was the last time you saw him?"

"In a dream or in reality?"

I could tell that my answer surprised her, but soon the interrogation continued.

"Interesting...... There are answers to both conditions. ”

"Experienced in person in 1803, in a dream in 1812."

"Ahh You are one of the discarded monsters. Lucky you. Well, you're not a threat, I know who brought us into conflict. ”

"Who?"

She held up a beautiful hand and pointed upward. I didn't even open my eyes to understand what she meant.

"I thought it was just watching?"

"Most of the time it is, but it also occasionally tugs at the bond of fate. Answer me one more question. What are you doing here?"

"We are very close to my city. I thought, maybe this spell is a threat, intending to destroy me as soon as I get close to my goal. ”

"Really?" What are you talking about?"

"I need to continue to control a city for 20 years before I can be officially recognized as the master of the city. This way I can exploit a loophole in the protocol to circumvent the execution order against me. ”

"Ah, I see."

The eyes of the judging queen faded away, and I was once again the honored guest of the world's most illustrious tea party. She took a small sip and continued:

"If you are not coming on behalf of your master, then we are not enemies. You find me in a very strange moment, little one. What's your name?"

"Ariane".

"Ariana, MHH. An old name. In any case, I found myself occupied by this dull task, and I was not in the mood to entertain until the end of the summer solstice. It's been a long time since I've spoken for the sake of talking. I guess you have a question, right?"

"Yes!" I blurted out, "A lot!"

Her expression became patient and understanding, like a teacher looking at an interested student.

"Ask."

"What are we?"

Sami Ramis was stunned for a moment, then laughed happily. The sound is like a bell in the wind, ethereal and pleasant.

"Ah, yes, I see why you're so resistant to me. Really, your mind is special, little one. Alright then, let me tell you a story. I'm sure it will satisfy your curiosity, and there's no better way to pass the time. Uh-huh. ”

The queen sat up straighter, and her dark eyes fascinated me. Gradually, the world around me vanished until I could feel the warm sand beneath my feet, the smell of scorching stones and spices, and the clamor of humanity at the beginning of time, before reason and enlightenment made humanity the center of the world.

"About three thousand years ago, there was a piece of land between two rivers, and the city-state there grew like a rose in the desert. They either prosper and become empires, or they are sacked and ruled, but in the end, they will all perish, leaving the stage to someone else. I was born in such a kingdom.

"It was a time when magic was not hidden. This is yet another instrument of majesty that all rulers dream of, for only those who are favored by God can exercise such a blessing. When I was twelve, I demonstrated this magic and used it to kill my father.

"Instead of being put to death, I married King Ninos and became his third wife. He is eighteen years old and needs the support of gifted people to secure his rule and his family. Three years later, I gave birth to my son, Nelali. He was my only adult boy. Everyone else was assassinated.

"When he was 15 years old, he led our army against the barbarians from the west and won. His arrows were the first to shoot the enemy and the chariot, the first to enter their ranks. His skill and brutality became legendary, and when the Hittites killed my husband, I became queen with his support. By that time, I had eliminated the other spouses and their offspring, while repelling dozens of attempts on our lives. We poured molten gold into the mouths of the mercenaries hired to kill us, smeared honey on the genitals and anuses of the assassins, and buried them in the nests of red ants. I have placed a terrible curse on our enemies, causing their fingers to rot and maggots crawling out of their heads while they are still conscious. ”

Oh. Wow. I thought Brother Achilles and I had a big fight.

In the years that followed, Babylon became unparalleled. Tribes and cities would send us tithes, slaves and gold as tribute. They would let their princesses pass on their bloodlines to my sons, but it was not enough.

"I'm the greatest mage of all time, but I still know that I'm only in touch with a fraction of what I can do. I found the reflection of alien planes and strange people, and before these civilizations we were nothing more than children arguing in the dirt. I need a lot longer than the human body can provide. So, I looked around for something that could pierce the veil of reality, a reality that was more resistant to magic than most. It needs to be strong enough to fulfill my desires, and it needs to be honorable and patient enough not to destroy us. In the most unusual place, I found it. ”

"What? What did you find?"

She lifted her finger again. I was too shocked to accept this answer.

"Impossible!"

"Quite possibly. The Watchman is all of this and more. You can think of it as an all-powerful being and a toddler. The most accurate description I can give is that it is the silver bar of the Creator. One day it will die and a new universe will be born. ”

"No, that's ...... You can't know everything. It's impossible. ”

True fear weighed down on my chest and froze my mind. Can she understand what's incredible? That would make her feel like a god, and I refuse, I absolutely refuse to accept it. No one can understand this. This is not right! Sure......

"Believe me, I spent a long, long time researching my partner. Communication was difficult at first, but I didn't give up. When I tell you that I am the greatest mage of all time, I am not arrogant. I was, and I am. ”

I forced myself to calm down, surprised at how out of control. I thought of the power of the spell beneath us, and the hundreds of people out there, trying to achieve a goal they might not even understand themselves. She can manipulate all of them and fascinate me while doing this incredible job of sitting at the table and drinking tea. Yes, I believe her, it scares me.

After a pause, she began to tell her weird story again.

"I made a deal with it. I need eternal life, I need knowledge. I find it curious and a little boring. In return for my prize, he asked to let me in. I can't do that. He couldn't have come to this planet, just as an adult couldn't get into a thimble. So I gave him a gap through which he could see and even interact. The vessel that carries his essence. You. ”

"You're telling me...... We are the tools of the watchers to spy on the world?!"

"Not a spy. Spying means malicious. It learns, and perhaps entertains itself. I was given the power to turn my essence into immortality, and in return, I created an elixir imbued with its essence to share and spread to those who were interested in it. The unleashed extraterrestrial potential turned them into ancestors, the first, and the power of their bloodline reflected their true nature. All vampires have this alien imprint. That's why your existence is denied by the Sun Purifier, why you can't create life and need to steal it from others, why call on the Creator to deny your existence and reject you, why your soul needs to leave before you rise again. The watchman cannot create here, only change, and your nature is reflected in this. ”

"Wait, wait, wait. My soul is still there. I'm still ...... I! Everything has changed! Nope?"

Sami Ramis showed something that I could not accept: mercy.

"Do you believe you're still the same?" Oh, poor fellow. Her memories and soul are yours now, but her soul went where the soul was, replaced by the soul of a vampire. ”

"I ...... What? No, you're wrong. I am who I am! I'm still me! Ariana Beatrice Lucille Renault! It's a lie, a sarcasm. Daddy, he ...... I can't take it. ”

"Yes, you're still you, but that mortal girl is dead. I'm sorry. ”

I don't have a soul? I don't have a soul at all? Am I not her? And then, when I woke up in my cell under the fortress, was that my first moment? Then, the human Ariana died under the careful care of her master, and she lay in bed for the last three days, covered in blood. Torture. Defiled. Just because you're talking to a guy at a party?

I looked at the Queen, expecting her to show a hint of contempt or amusement of cruelty, but no. When she saw my suspicions, she added in a soft voice:

"I'm telling the truth, and I swear by my honor."

That's.

I thought I was going to continue to be myself, a daughter, a sister, a friend. I think that no matter what life throws me, I can stick to it, and that's a respect for myself. And now find out that it was all in vain? I pretended to be the body of a woman who was violated after stealing it? All in vain?

It's all a lie?

Is this what the world is all about? Cruelty and malice without end? Endless destruction without meaning? Suddenly, everything I had witnessed came flooding back to me, unhindered by my usual cold nature. I remember the children who died in frustration because cholera ravaged their fragile bodies, those who were murdered and scalped for appearing in the wrong places, and those who were summarily executed because of the wrong skin color. When I first arrived in Marquette, some prostitutes were stabbed in the chest and left to drown in their own blood, and some of the wounded in the intestines slowly died, their blood poisoned by their own excrement just for a handful of coins. Is there any reason for this? What purpose do those girls who have just reached puberty show up at the Dream Bar with the impregnation of their relatives, and those poor bastards who are crippled will be left to die by the mines? All of this, I ignored, because they are all mortals, and suffering and death are what mortals do. Now, all of a sudden, it's back. All senseless pain and senseless suffering. All horrors can only be blamed on fate. Is there any point in Ariane's existence, being so brutally stifled? She's not the only one. And what about Penelope, who retired seven years ago? She lost her husband and children in a flood and then hanged herself. The only child of the Stevenson family died of a strange and painful illness? Does it make any sense? Is it?

There is no God. If anything, it is also immeasurably ruthless.

I hate it.

I hate everything. I hate being deceived by fate. I hate not having an immortal soul. I hate the lies I told to my dad and myself. Do I have the right to call him father? I was just a parasite who stole his daughter's body after the owner's. Damn it.

"Ariana, look at my hands, I'll make this all gone."

"How fucking dare you."

Nasty. Did I ask you anything?

"Little one, it's not weakness to ask for help in difficult moments."

"Would you erase your thoughts because they were inconvenient?"

"I have."

Hearing this, I looked up in surprise. Her face is frank and open, and while I suspect it's contrived, I still appreciate her efforts. She continued when she saw that I was paying attention.

"There is knowledge that destroys the mind. But enough I've said about it, I'm assuming you have a bit of an identity crisis, right?"

"And the crisis of faith, yes."

"If you reject my magic, will you still accept my advice?"

"No, thank you."

A flash of anger disappeared in an instant. Are you angry? Are you sure? Who cares? It's not me, it's not the original Ariana, because she's dead.

What a fucking joke.

My dad, no, it's Ariana's dad, I lied to him. I'm such a monster with his child's face. Just a thief born out of God's perverse curiosity. Watchman, do you like to watch your pet drink and kill? You pervert.

Damn it.

Okay, that's enough, I need to calm down. Now is not the time to panic. I pinched the bridge of my nose and couldn't resist looking at the vampire star. Usually, it fills my heart with peace, like coming home. Now, I just want that transcendent bastard to get the comet on his cosmic ass. Because I was still facing the second most dangerous entity I had encountered, I closed my eyes and did the next best thing.

In an instant, my spiritual fortress appeared in front of me, and I left the center of the bedroom and walked through the hall inside. As I walked to the entrance, the winding corridors and illusory rooms faded into the background. I will never get lost here, this home is mine. I know the location of every souvenir, every statue, and every tree. When I reached the grand entrance, two doors slammed open, reflecting my mood and the garden greeted me in all its glory. The purple tendrils look softer today, almost stationary.

I couldn't resist.

I revere the Goddess of Darkness whom I have always considered an ally. It looked down, and once again saw the familiar cracked pupils and red sclera. Its unconditional acceptance filled my heart with peace. and grief.

I'm dead. She died. Now I'm here.

I'll take care of it. I just need a little time.

I was ready to bask in an otherworldly glow, but something grabbed me. Several tendrils keep pointing in one direction.

I followed, my eyes falling on a wall in the distance. Something happened there. I approached and looked at the boundaries of my heart. As usual, a forest of thorny roots and branches will prevent anyone from entering, or at least should prevent anyone from entering. Something that didn't belong here, silently passed through the otherwise impregnable wall. I focused and saw something strange.

This place is mine, that thing is not.

I became more and more aware of that part of my mind, and I looked at it, measured it. I could sense something was wrong, but I couldn't point it out properly.

I sharpened my will and examined the walls one by one. This is who I am, this is who I am, this is who I am......

The anomaly moves backwards, attempting to escape. It's not me. Those are not mine! Someone wants to...

I opened my eyes and saw Semiramis' hand move back an inch. Our eyes met.

A drop of sweat fell on her solemn temple.

weaknesses.

The donkey-haired vixen who had been cursed three times had tried something, probably some kind of psychic spell. The way she made me think it was my part of it was the same way I used magic protection to confuse people.

Homicide.

In that long second, the tension reached the point of exploding. She was weak. I know for sure. She's been working magic all day, probably not stopping, and not sleeping, which is an incredible power. She had previously tried to break through my psychological defenses with brutal attacks, and later used a more indirect method because it was too costly to control me. She has reached the point of exhaustion. I think.

I can take her there.

Or, she could break the spell and use that power against me to make me disappear in an instant. Can I kill her before she casts a spell? I'm not sure at all.

What's more, she restrained Master, which was exactly what I wanted. I knew he would dictate to me if I saw him again, but I felt more and more like myself, and now that he was busy on the other side of the world, I was happy. I don't need him. I don't need anyone.

But I need her alive.

Yes. I can't handle my pain right now. I have to get out of here alive, because even if I succeed, her death won't do me any good. I checked my mind for foreign influence, but found nothing. It seems that this is indeed my own conclusion.

What to do now?

Survival comes first, and then I'll find a way to accept everything. How do I do that?

Trade?

Let's test the water.

"By the way, I would like to thank you for your hospitality, Queen Semiramis. You honor me. ”

She smiled gracefully and effortlessly, striking another charming pose. I know these are lies and masks, but I can't help but envy her appearance. I used to be one of the prettiest ladies around, or at least the human Ariana used to be, but I now realize that I was an ugly duckling compared to her. King Ninos didn't stand a chance, and neither did Himina.

She continued the conversation, as if trying to bend me to her will was only a passing fantasy.

It is my pleasure. It's been a long time since I've had one, I should say, a real guest. I'm afraid my quest is solitary, and it is indeed a pleasant pastime. The spell will be completed on the summer solstice, tomorrow at midnight. You should stay and see. ”

Oh, she wants to play. Good. We are like two wild cats fighting for the remains of a mouse. None of us want to get hurt about it. We can't afford it.

She can't risk letting me go unless she's done, that's pretty clear. I'm fine, but I have to make sure I'm safe here. There is also the issue that three nights is the limit of my lack of bloodshed.

"I'd love to, but I don't want to force you for so long."

I'm pretty sure that eternal life means she's a magical person. I can also trust her hospitality if she wants to.

"Of course, you're welcome to spend the night here."

"What about the date?"

Again, I caught a small look of exasperation. Is she really going to let me roast in the sun? Unbelievable.

"Yes, yes," she added with a contemptuous wave of her hand, "you will be protected until the spell is lifted, and then you will be on your way." I promise you. ”

It was better than I expected. I need one more thing to confirm.

"Thank you so much, I know you value privacy, and I'm honored to be with you tonight."

"Definitely. Needless to say, you know it's a little secret between us. I hope you understand. ”

"You seem to have read my mind. Of course, I swear I won't mention this meeting to anyone but you. ”

The vow was like someone grabbed my heart from within. With that, our deal is done. She's going to protect me from getting into my brain until the spell is broken, and then we'll go our separate ways, and I'll not talk about it again.

Semiramis carefully poured us a full glass of wine. This strange soup is still piping hot, and it tastes as good as ever. Now that we're stuck here, I've decided to ask her more.

"You asked Master. My understanding is, don't you want him to know you're here?"

"Not really. There was a conflict between him and me. I wanted to gain divinity through magic, and he had a more direct path. ”

"What about you?"

She nodded, a gesture strangely appealing.

"You're right. My essence became an immortal man, whose blood was the blood of a conqueror. If he swallows me, I believe he will live on forever. Of course I'm against it. ”

"That's what he's going to do to his mother?"

Her laughter was a little bitter this time.

"Two thousand years have passed, especially after what we have done to each other, and Nelarari no longer cares about this attachment. You know, as soon as he showed interest in tracking me, I had to destroy his means of tracking me. I destroyed his kingdom. ”

"What?!"

"I can't leave him the tools to hunt me down effectively."

That was not what I meant. Can she destroy a kingdom? Watchmen!

"Why didn't you stop him?" Surely someone with magic like you can do it, right?"

The queen raised her eyebrows in surprise, and for a moment she looked very arrogant. I almost thought she would order the hidden royal guards to throw me at the crocodile. Just like everything else, she's incredible in doing it. I'm a little jealous. Still, she replied.

"Don't beat around the bush when you speak. Very good, I'll tell you what you want. I didn't kill him because he was what was left of my son. I can't hurt him under any circumstances. I also helped him in the beginning and did what I could. I taught him everything I knew in the age of magic, which he had previously neglected because he liked to govern. It doesn't matter anymore. Can't oppose him anymore. ”

"What do you mean?" Is it because he devours the enemy too much?"

"He will be strong, but not invincible. No, the crux of the matter is that there are two things that he can't be touched. The first one was my mistake. In the year 1142 of your calendar, Nelari tracked the dragon on the desert shores of Eritrea. There he fought against the city, defeated it, destroyed it. ”

"What!?"

"In retrospect, I should have foreseen that, but I underestimated him. There is only one of our worlds, although it is clearly weakened by the scarce magic of our planet. Dragons are different from other planar creatures. They are flesh made of magic. By draining one, he gained enough magical power to defeat my power with brute force. I can't face him anymore. ”

"I ...... Wow. ”

Dragons? Magic Duel? I just want to live until there is proof that I am the master of the city, and now I am thrown into a fairy tale?

The queen ignored my pain and continued.

"The second is his right arm. Ah, Ariana, unless he goes underground and gives birth to a new offspring, there are now three more of his offspring walking on earth. ”

Of course, I misheard.

"Three?"

"Yes. Svyatoslav of Russia, you, and the last one. He was the only child he raised. ”

"I didn't see him in the fortress."

"You won't, he rarely gets involved in diplomacy. Son, let me tell you about Malakin. ”

She leaned forward again, revealing her golden skin, enough to distract me. Her voice became a storyteller. I could feel the sand and the sun before, but now there was only darkness, gore, and the sonorous sound of battle, and her tone was as ominous as her words.

"Malakin is the embodiment of hatred. Among those who knew him, it was said that he was born from a corpse, and that he was raised by a Scythian witch who mixed human blood and snake poison into her milk. He is said to have killed his first victim when he was seven years old. It is said that in his first battle, he slaughtered both sides until only he was left. This may all be true. Nelari found him in a bloodshed, which was his habit, to massacre the Turks for the Holy Alliance. Moved by this, he captured Malakin and quickly turned him against him. ”

She stopped telling the story and took a sip of tea. She looked at me cautiously again, and she spoke more intimately, as if she was afraid that we would be heard.

"You know your master's ways. All monsters that were successfully interrogated were treated equally. I see doubt in your eyes. Yes, even for men. He also belittles and undermines them. He beat everyone. Except for Malakin. His anger protects his mind as much as it torments him endlessly, so he doesn't let up even in the face of death. Your master threatens a tribe with this story, and when his request is denied, he unleashes the bloodthirsty form of his new servant on a small island in the Aegean Sea, wiping out the entire population of the island. When the usual squad of knights came to kill the monsters that had gone astray, Malakin managed to escape from their ship and kill one.

"I need you to understand that this is a unique achievement. This has never happened in history and has not happened since. This incident was even kept secret to avoid losing face and confidence in the knightly order. Witnessing the extraordinary abilities of his tools, Nelari took him under his wing, taught him more, and then, through unknown means, gained his loyalty. He wraps his monster's heart and collar in armor made of supernatural metal that can maintain shape in the heart of the volcano, sometimes as a messenger, sometimes as an overseer, but more often, as an executor. Malakin has always been his mouth, his shadow and his fist. Wherever he went, there weren't many survivors left.

"Maybe you still don't understand why he became such an obstacle. As for that person, he was not characterized by martial arts or intelligence, although he possessed all of them. Malakin is characterized by his pure and stubborn hatred. He was skinned alive, mutilated and castrated. He was whipped to the point that there was only a piece of raw meat left, he was pierced by a jagged arrow, he was boiled, he was burned. Still, he will pursue his enemies more ferociously. He cannot be intimidated, dominated, or reasoned. His anger is pure and endless, and no amount of hurt or torture can stop him, no matter when he embarks on the path of destruction. He never relented, never gave up, until he got the retribution he deserved. Psychic magic had no control over him, for peering into his mind was madness in itself. He broke through the cage and endured their punishment with impunity. As a courtier, he did not drink alcohol for a week and went after the enemy. The monster's attention span is unusually sharp, and its fuel is an aversion to all creation, including himself. No one could inflict fatal damage on him, and many had tried. He always stood up and never gave up.

"This is something that anyone who wants to stop the Devourer ancestors must face, and so far, no one has found a way to overcome this possibility. Have you ever seen your master fight?"

"Only once".

"You know, when he's really challenged, he's the most dangerous, because that's when he's going to use all his power. When he pulls out his soul weapon, you'll know, a sword he calls the Mind Seeker. ”

I wish I could make fun of the cheesy name, but the memory of the master's hand passing through the chest of a lord is still vivid in my memory. I was also surprised because I didn't remember ever seeing him wield a knife.

"All I saw was his hands and some spells."

"Then you didn't see him fighting, you just saw him playing."

The world is really big, says the watchman. My own struggles and achievements seemed so insignificant by comparison that I felt like a kid boasting that he had sold a barrel of apples to a British spice merchant. I glanced at my eyes in the sky.

Why do you want me to watch this?

My perspective changed again, the straight line was strangely bent, and the distance became meaningless. The Watcher's pupils are now close. It whispered and let out a deafening roar, a very special feeling.

When I was a kid, I used to play alone because there were no people of a similar age. It wasn't too difficult, for I had a whole court of bears and puppets, which my father lovingly provided. One day, while playing with the tea set I made out of broken clay pots, it suddenly dawned on me that I needed some real water to drink. I picked up a jar and wanted to fill it with water. I walked back to our house from the garden, through the hall, to the back. I noticed that the door to my room was open and peeked inside.

Dad was playing cards with three people in town. On the table between them, there was a small pile of money. I counted several dollars. That's more than the perks and gifts I've received in my life so far.

I stared at the pot in my hand and realized what adult gaming was, and for the first time in my life, I felt like I wasn't good enough.

That's what the watchman showed me.

The world is a huge and dangerous place, an eternal playground where power is fought for resources, lives and the souls of its inhabitants, and the more people know about it, the deeper they go, the deadlier the game becomes. This is the abyss. The ultimate game. Master and his mother are locked in a millennium-long race for divinity that we can all lose. If Master succeeds, he will devour her, and then, if she no longer prevents him from taking power, he may rule the world. Who will stop him? Who knows if anyone is going to stop it? Even the Knights of Gabriel, so effective against us, may not be able to kill him forever. Even if they managed to do it, the destruction would probably be unheard of. If she wins, who knows what she'll do with her magic? Will she change the fabric of reality until we match the land of Sinid in mobility, and then declare herself its ruler? That's what really stakes, and that's what I've seen.

I don't know why.

I'm nothing more than a flea compared to those old monsters. These twenty years of consolidation of power and training are just a drop in the ocean that separates us. Why are you showing me this, Watchman? Would you also show the game of kings to a beggar? Don't you know that a protruding nail will be driven?

I can't get involved. Even if the world burned because of everyone's indifference, I wouldn't be the one to save it.

I'm so weak.

Sami Ramis didn't mind the silence, so I raised my eyes and glanced at the strange man again.

Is this what you want? Give me a perspective?

It didn't answer, I just got the satisfaction he shared because I gave him the keys. I want to remember that the watchmen are not smart enough by our standards. There may be no reason at all. There may have been a reason, but he may not have understood the situation at the time. A toddler can gather all his pet ants in one place without realizing that they are in a life-and-death struggle.

I'm going to get out of here unscathed, at least legally alive. The threat of the end of the world will have to wait. I'm sorry!

"You thought so well and it was a surprise to me. Of course, I know that Svyatoslav is sane. If it weren't for that, he wouldn't have achieved so much, and he wouldn't have earned the respect of those haughty Vitazi vampires. However, I always thought he was an exception. Have you seen my son lately. Really?"

It seems that Semiramis is contradictory. On the one hand, she assures me that the human Ariana is dead, and on the other hand, she calls Nelari her son. I feel the same way she does. I still can't accept that I'm not her, at least not completely.

I don't want to think about this right now. I decided to continue talking to her.

"Yes, I have."

"Can you tell me about it?" It's been a long time since I've seen him in person. ”

For a moment, I felt anger boiling inside me. What does she want me to say? Won't he tie up his victims so that they always feel like they can struggle and escape? Before I could say anything, the cold nature of my mind was revealed again, as anger was replaced by calculation. The fact that no soul can torment me for so long is a testament to my pain.

"I may, while I do, can you allow me to do something?"

"What's the matter?" She replied cautiously.

"I want to draw you."

This time, her surprise appeared. I don't know if it was because of exhaustion or if she felt safe after the deal was done, but her expression felt more natural. She smiled and pointed to a corner of the room where there was a small stall with groceries. I didn't say there was nothing just now. I just stood up, picked up the tools provided, and began to study her different perspectives and expressions. When I did this, I recounted him I saw in the vampire fortress, and then in a dream. She didn't comment, just asked a few questions and then started mentioning anecdotes about her teenage years.

Semiramis is a fluid narrator and her story is extraordinary. Her story is about revenge and a planned plan. After a while, when I painted her smiling, defiant, threatening, or indifferent, they all blurred together. I expanded to paint her whole body, then the details, until the task completely appealed to me. In this simple job, I finally found a peace that I couldn't get before.

Soon, dawn came, and the queen took me to the guest room, which I was pretty sure didn't exist when I arrived. When she turned back to her spell, I had a great realization that comforted my heart. Sami Ramis is perhaps more skilled, smarter, and more powerful than I am. Her beauty may be legendary, her grace is unmatched, but no matter what, ever, my ass looks better than hers.