Born in Blood

In response to Eyes of Knowledge's ridiculous request, Naomi simply laughed in his face. 

That request was plain stupid, and it benefited Reiner more than it did Naomi.

Sure, an inscription method made by possibly the best expert in the world was something priceless.

And quite frankly, the offer was too alluring to give up without a second or third thought.

But all powerhouses had exceptional treasures and wonders in their belongings.

One had to remember the kind of person Eyes of Knowledge was.

It was in his name!

Who knew what he could do with studying ancient artifacts?

Replicate them?

Remake them?

Duplicate them?

No one could tell.

There was just something dangerous about that deal that everyone instinctively felt.

Maybe it was the 'private' aspect of it.

But there was a good reason Eyes of Knowledge probably made that a condition.

He wouldn't want any interruptions to his studies and annoying monitorization of his work.

In that sense, he was similar to Liam.

Spirit of Nature chuckled under her breath and shook her head lightly. 

"I'm afraid that's not possible."

Eyes of Knowledge shrugged nonchalantly, losing interest in the topic.

"Shame."

A brief silence descended on the table as neither side chose to break the ice. 

A maid came through and placed four individual drinks for everyone present.

Alucard gave Liam an inquisitive look. 

"Had a good night?"

Liam sighed. "So-so. Nothing too dramatic. I've lost more than I gained, I think."

Alucard, Naomi and Reiner laughed as they each took sips of their drinks.

Noticing their cheerful demeanors, if any of it was genuine or not, Liam had a thought.

Looking around the floor, it was a bit surreal knowing that, sooner or later, the people gathered here would eventually kill one or the other. 

There was no avoiding it. The world was always in a state of conflict. Peace was preparation for war, as Queen Thyress put it.

The question was, who would kill who? 

Was Liam's killer in this room?

Or his victim?

It was a little scary to think about.

"You gave the Sage a sour look," Spirit of Nature suddenly asked Reiner. "But I've never heard of Aiho and Neren being enemies."

Remembering the Sage, Reiner's face turned ugly.

He shook his head.

"To think we were friends once," Eyes of Knowledge said with a cold tone. 

"We promised each other to pursue our arts to death, becoming the best at what we did. Until that stupid idiot fell in…"

Reiner made an disgusted face and gagged.

"Love… yuck. Even saying it makes me hurl."

Liam could relate. 

Spirit of Nature suppressed the urge to laugh. Alucard and Liam remained silent.

Reiner said nothing after that, glancing venomously at the Sage's direction. 

To Liam's eye, these two were probably best friends who grew estranged over time.

Stuff like that usually happened.

Most of the time, there was no way two friends from childhood could remain the same when growing up.

Usually, when one of them found someone they liked, they would converse with each other less and less, before eventually leaving them entirely.

Most of the time, that sparked animosity or hatred.

'That's probably what happened.'

After that, there was a brief silence. 

The minutes passed, and Liam's group spoke about nothing important in particular. 

It was just a few playful back and forths that Liam didn't partake in, choosing to remain silent.

The other groups were idle as well. 

Everyone stuck to themselves.

The Queen, Rin, the Dragonmancer and the Sage didn't approach the General or the Shadow Weaver.

And Liam, Eyes of Knowledge, Alucard, Spirit of Nature didn't approach Kuan and the Adjudicator.

It was just a strange limbo.

At one point, Liam flicked out his stopwatch and examined the time, nodding to himself.

"Sorry to interrupt, but does anyone know when this ends?" Liam asked. "I think it's time for me to head back home if there's nothing else."

'I've benefited enough from this place,' Liam thought. 'I need to head out and kill things.' 

"I agree," Spirit of Nature said, yawning like a lion. "I've had my share of fun. The others don't seem interested in chatting."

Alucard didn't say anything, but one could tell that he wasn't too excited to be here either.

Just then, crystal rays of light shimmered within the center of the floor, growing into a human silhouette.

The Mayor had appeared.

His smiling eyes shot left and right, assessing his guest's mood.

"Forgive me for being late," the Mayor said apologetically. 

"I had… several issues to take care of. A certain… Pungent Stink had to be expelled. What was I thinking?"

He shook his head.

"I would be a fool if I didn't make this trip worthwhile for you all. I propose a game!"

With the enthusiasm the Mayor spoke with, one would expect an outcry of cheers and roars.

But there was just silence.

This was not the common crowd.

It was filled with killers and crazies.

No one shared his excitement.

The Mayor didn't seem fazed, though, and he continued with the same giddy voice.

"But before I get to what this game is, I'd like to display the reward it comes with."

WHOOM!

The Mayor made a circular gesture, causing a crystal portal to form in front of him.

A moment later, he stuck his arm into the portal.

And slowly, he pulled it out, along with a small, perfectly spherical object that crackled like lightning and shimmered like crimson blood.

Liam's interest was piqued.

Reiner's eyes widened as much as they possibly could, faced with a foreign object.

Spirit of Nature raised her brow in confusion, not knowing what it was.

Alucard's slitted eyes narrowed in an attempt to understand what that was.

The General looked calmly amused.

The Queen tilted her head. 

Kuan looked surprised, but didn't know what was happening.

The Adjudicator's face didn't change.

Shadow Weaver's lips curved into a smile.

The Sage squinted his eyes to see what it was.

Rin's irises constricted vertically.

And the Dragonmancer's face remained neutral, his eyes still hidden by a blindfold.

The Mayor grinned broadly seeing so many reactions to the object.

"I call this… Star Dust."