Born in Blood

Liam watched intently as several figures entered through the tunnel one after another.

By then, Alucard, Eyes of Knowledge, the Queen and the Dragonmancer, had all dispelled their Isolation Barriers.

The first person to walk in had bone-white hair, twisting into a single braid flowing across his back.

His gait was incredibly haughty. 

It was like the world revolved around this individual. 

As though he had a gravitational field of his own.

This was none other than the General.

He was wearing an ornate general's coat, through which his square shoulders were outlined.

Walking to his side was a sharp-eyed woman with long black hair.

She walked with a certain grace and poise. 

Her sharp nails were also painted black, and the mark of a black, eclipsed moon was stamped in the center of her forehead.

Some sort of tattoo.

Their eyes didn't even brush past the floor. 

They simply chose a private sitting area, and activated their Isolation Barrier. 

Naomi leaned in beside Liam and wrapped her arm against his neck.

A little too close for his taste, and he resisted the urge to unsheath his Black Blade.

But he didn't.

It wouldn't cut anything, anyway. 

"That's the General, eh? First time I've seen him," Spirit of Nature whispered, her breath smelling just a little bit like alcohol mixed with poison. 

"He looks like quite the aged monster." 

"Know the woman beside him?" Liam asked quietly, just enough for no one to hear him.

Spirit of Nature paused for a second. "That must be… ah, the Shadow Weaver."

Now that the two were 'friends' — if they could be called that — Spirit of Nature wouldn't mind sharing some of her knowledge.

"To my knowledge," Naomi said, "she's an inscription master. One of the strongest. Not a powerhouse, but the General's right hand."

Liam heaved a sigh of relief.

For a second there, he thought that the Shadow Weaver was also a powerhouse.

It was a testament to both the Imperial Legion and the Echorian's forces that each of them had two crystal ribbons.

Rin and the Queen.

Shadow Weaver and the General.

But obviously, the Shadow Weaver was way stronger than Rin.

But the Imperial Legion's overall forces were small compared to the monstrous Echorian Royals.

And then… there was Liam and his group of ragtag crazies.

And with the new addition, it was only gonna get madder.

"Did he ever try to conquer your lands?" Liam asked Naomi, who shook her head in response.

"Not really. Xoltrah is not particularly ancient. I'm barely… right, nevermind. Never ask a lady her age."

Naomi gave Liam a proud grin from the side. 

'But you were just about to tell me, you oaf.'

A few moments later, another figure walked in.

It was a handsome, middle-aged man with… incredibly white features.

…He was an albino!

His long, lush hair was milk-white, tied with a zanzi hair pin. 

His lips, too, albeit on a slightly darker shade, were white.

His skin, and even his ornate robe, lined with gold and fluid patterns, was all white.

Strangely, even his eyes were white! 

"Oooh," Naomi exclaimed with slightly wide eyes. "That's him."

"The Sage."

Truth be told, Liam expected an aged old man with a mustache long enough to touch the floor.

But that wasn't the case.

The Sage's white eyes swept the floor calmly. 

For just a second, his gaze connected with Liam and Spirit of Nature's.

Liam didn't feel any sort of malice or overbearing feeling from the man.

In fact, the person's demeanor looked quite gentle and calm, like a scholar or ascetic. 

Then, when he saw Eyes of Knowledge, his face wrinkled in pure disgust. 

Similarly, Eyes of Knowledge had a look of abhorrence on his face.

It was clear that the two hated each other very much.

One was an inscription master, and the other was an alchemist.

Both were perhaps the absolute best at their fields! 

Liam didn't know if they hated each other due to the differences between their specializations, or something deeper.

'Judging by how childish Eyes of Knowledge is, it's probably the former.'

The Sage completely ignored those present and walked over to the Queen's table.

They greeted each other respectfully, and the Sage sat down at her table a moment later.

Liam silently assessed all the groups present. The fact that they were sitting together gave a little insight to the relationship they had.

He lowered his head in thought.

'The person who supplied Alucard with those human corpses was most likely Eyes of Knowledge.'

'The Sage having contact with the Queen isn't something too strange.'

'He's probably the person who supplies them with pills and whatnot.'

'Kuan is sitting by himself for some strange reason.'

'And I'm stuck with… this person.' 

So, as of now, the groups had split off into several.

The General and the Shadow Weaver.

Hand of Light, who sat by himself.

Liam and Spirit of Nature.

Alucard and Eyes of Knowledge.

The Queen, Rin, the Dragonmancer and the Sage.

The air was incredibly tense.

Other than the piano playing in the background, there was no audible dialogue.

Then, something sinister broke the silence.

CLINK.

CLANG.

CLNQ.

The sound of chains clanging against one another grew louder. 

One more figure had appeared.

And it was perhaps the eeriest and strangest of them all.

The first word that appeared in Liam's head when looking at them was:

Chains.

It was a tall, skinny woman with sunken cheeks and dark eyes.

Long, black, spiked chains clanged and clinked as they dragged behind her. 

They were attached to her wrists, as though she was born with them.

She had short hair and scary-looking, black and red tattoos riddled across her exposed arms, neck and face. 

With her presence alone, the room grew a little heavier, causing Liam to question whether or not her powers were really sealed.

Strangely, she looked at Liam for a few seconds, her gaze flat, but undyingly powerful. 

…It made Liam feel incredibly guilty. 

A second later, she made her way to… Kuan's table?

"Ah, there she is," Naomi whispered with a wary tone, as though she knew her. "Never thought she would actually come." 

"Who is that?" Liam asked. 

Naomi leaned closer. 

"The Adjudicator."