RAGNA POV...
Within this strange, oppressive, and unnervingly beautiful world, I felt it deep in my bones before I even truly understood it—this was the land where the Ancient Vampires resided, a domain that did not rely exist but lood, watching silently like a predator that had already decided my fate.
When my hazy gaze wandered farther, past the imdiate dread clawing at my chest, I noticed towering structures rising in the distance—dark towers, several stories high, carved from what looked like black stone marble. They reflected the silver glow of the moons above with a cold, rciless elegance, as though even light itself had been forced to kneel and serve them.
The roofs of those towers were painted a pale, lifeless black, each crowned with a tall, slender spire that pierced upward like a needle aid at the heavens. At the very tip of every spire rested a perfectly trimd Mana crystal, glowing faintly, pulsing as if alive. It felt unreal—like a world ripped straight from so forbidden myth.
And yet, despite its enchanting façade, there was no warmth here, no comfort—only domination.
There were eleven such castles, all constructed in layered circular formations, as though designed to funnel power toward a single point. And among them, one stood above all others so arrogantly that it was impossible to ignore.
A dark red castle.
It was colossal—larger, taller, and more imposing than the rest combined. Its spire reached into the clouds as if trying to claim the sky itself, radiating an aura that made my instincts scream in terror. I didn't need anyone to tell —it was the core of this nightmarish world.
Surrounding the castles were towering walls, but the mont I truly looked at them, I realized they weren't ant for protection at all. They barely covered the summits of the castles, existing more as a symbol than a defense—decorations ant to mock any fool arrogant enough to think invasion was possible.
Even the eight astonishing moons hanging above couldn't conceal the massive magical formation hovering over the city. A dark do stretched from the walls and arched over the castles, faintly visible like a shadow cast upon reality itself. The spires and their Mana crystals weren't just ornants—they were conduits, relay points, components of an imnsely complex formation that felt ancient, intelligent, and terrifyingly deliberate.
I watched all of this in a half-dazed stupor, my mind struggling to keep up, my consciousness drifting sowhere between awe and dread. Then—
A voice.
"Hello, boy."
It echoed beside , far too close.
My heart skipped violently as I turned my head—or tried to—and realized the young man had already shifted his attention to . His neck was tilted slightly, his crimson eyes locked onto my figure with an intensity that made my scalp prickle. As he spoke again, he walked toward slowly, deliberately, each step pressing down on my consciousness like an invisible weight.
Every single word felt like an assault.
[ 1 resistance has been added]
I realized it then, with bitter clarity—no matter how much my resistance increased, it was aningless. Laughably aningless.
At that mont, I wasn't even capable of processing what he was saying. The words reached my ears, but they refused to make sense. My focus was shattered, fragnted, pulled apart by sothing far greater than fear. His silhouette blurred, warped at the edges, as if reality itself was refusing to keep him in focus.
My eyelids felt impossibly heavy.
The system notifications that usually flickered before my eyes slowed… then stopped altogether.
That was the last thing I saw before my body gave in.
Darkness swallowed whole.
—
"Looks like a rat managed to resist for quite a while… without alerting you, and even bypassing your detection."
The youth's voice dripped with sarcasm as his crimson eyes flicked briefly toward the black whip knight, ridicule clear in his gaze, before he dismissed him entirely and turned his attention back toward the Ancient Vampire city.
—
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
The sound of water striking the ground echoed endlessly, each drop hitting with a soft but haunting splash, sending ripples across a shallow puddle beneath . I was lying on the ground—no, pinned to it. Thick, rusty chains wrapped tightly around my arms and legs, pulling my body cruelly against the wall behind .
So chains allowed only a few miserable inches of movent. Others offered none at all.
Every single person around —if I could even call them people—was bound the sa way.
Thick bronze helts covered most of their heads completely, sealing their faces away from the world. A few exceptions existed, but even they weren't spared; their limbs were still shackled, drained, and immobilized.
One of those chained figures… was .
My chest pressed against the freezing stone floor as my body trembled uncontrollably. Cold water droplets splashed against my skin, each one sending a numbing shock through my nerves. The floor beneath was rcilessly cold, amplifying the agony until it felt like my body was slowly being leeched of warmth, of strength, of life.
I had no idea how long I lay there.
Then—clink.
The faint rustling of chains echoed from sowhere in the massive chamber. It sounded like a child waking up, confused, only to realize the brutal restraints binding his limbs.
That single sound triggered chaos.
tallic rattles erupted across the room, echoing violently as one body after another stirred awake. Groans followed. Muffled cries. Panic spreading like wildfire.
That's when we all realized it.
The chains weren't just restraints.
They were draining us.
Sapping strength relentlessly until even the idea of movent beca a cruel joke.
'Where am I…?'
The thought surfaced weakly in my mind, fragnted and disoriented. The darkness of the room and the suffocating bronze helt made everything feel unreal, dreamlike—yet the pain was far too vivid.
My eyes finally opened.
What greeted wasn't clarity—but another notification.
[Host body is being affected by unidentified Mana chains]
[All attribute stats will be reduced to the lowest possible points]
My eyes trembled violently.
Pain exploded inside my skull.
The helt pressed against my head like a vice, and every tallic rustle around sent sharp vibrations through it. It felt as though needles were stabbing directly into my consciousness, again and again, relentless and precise.
My vision was almost nonexistent.
The helt blinded completely, while my body remained crushed against the icy floor. I could feel the rough, corroded tal biting into my wrists—but my legs… my legs felt distant, numb, except for the freezing water splashing rhythmically against them.
'Where… is this place…?'
My thoughts ca apart in pieces, scattered like fragnts of a shattered mirror.
Darkness swallowed most of my sight. All I could make out were muffled groans, chains scraping stone, and the sound of water mocking us with every drop.
I tried to focus.
Tried to use my ntal Fortitude Analysis.
The mont my ntal energy touched the helt—
It shattered.
Completely dispersed, as if crushed against an invisible wall.
Panic surged through .
I didn't know where they had taken us. I didn't know what kind of place this was. Worse—I had no idea how Matthew, Elijah, or the others were doing.
I tried to speak.
My throat burned.
Dry. Raw. As though it had been scraped clean with sandpaper. Even if I managed to force out a sound, I doubted anyone would hear it.
Still—
"Ahhhh!"
The scream tore out of , hoarse and broken, echoing uselessly into the darkness.
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