Arin was staring at Vaelric with furrowed brows. 'The look in that guy's eyes... I don't like it.'
Thalos glanced at Arin before looking at Seraphine again. "Tell us what happened."
Seraphine lowered her head, murmuring, "It's all my fault..."
Mirael patted Seraphine's back. "Don't worry, just tell us."
Seraphine nodded as Arin and Liora sat down on the two remaining vacant chairs.
"I deceived one of Lord Serak's students into sending me and some Fledglings to the Human Realm," she began. "We ended up in a forest where I met Lord Arin."
Thalos, Mirael, and even the Progenitors listened attentively as Seraphine continued.
"His Blood Energy was somehow hidden, so I didn't know that he was a Vampire or even a Progenitor," Seraphine said. "And I attacked him recklessly without warning."
Thalos let out a sigh. 'No wonder she said it was her fault.'
"I was just defending myself," Arin said. "If I had known she was the daughter of the King of Vampires, I would have held back and spoken to her."
'Hmm, she said exactly what I told her to say,' Arin thought.
He didn't want them to know that he wasn't already a Vampire before meeting Seraphine, so he fabricated this story and told her to say it.
'Well, now that I think about it, the moment I saw Master in that forest, my first thought was to attack,' Seraphine thought.
Mirael held Seraphine's face, caressing it gently. "Thankfully, your Blood Core made it possible for you to still be present."
Seraphine nodded, a small smile forming on her face.
Thalos sat back on his throne, followed by Mirael. "Your sisters are waiting for you."
"Understood," Seraphine said.
"And please, don't blame Lord Serak's student. I deceived him," she added before walking toward the exit and leaving the room.
The moment Seraphine left, Thalos's eyes found Arin. "But did you really have to make her pledge full submission to you?"
"I had no other choice," Arin replied instantly.
'My student was deceived, huh?' Serak thought with a slight smirk.
Thalos closed his eyes before opening them again. "I have a lot of questions, Progenitor Arin—like what you did with her Blood Core that allows her to have a physical form and how you're able to make her appear."
"Though," Thalos continued, "there's a serious issue at hand, and we'll have to discuss that first."
Mirael stood as her black hair fluttered slightly. "I would love to spend some more time with Seraphine."
Thalos nodded, giving his approval. With that, she walked out, leaving only Thalos and the Progenitors in the room.
With his eyes closed, Darius stroked his beard. "Arin, I'll give you a brief summary of the current issue and why you were brought here."
Arin nodded as Darius continued.
"I can say our first mistake was sending a Regular Vampire to scout the area where the Princess's Blood Energy was last detected," Darius said. "Since it was nighttime in the Human Realm and it was merely a scouting mission, we assumed a Regular Vampire would suffice without issue."
"But instead," Thalos interjected, "he went against orders and decided to enter the Academy there just to kill a few humans."
'The novel fully mentioned this, so I already knew about it,' Arin thought.
That was why he made sure Arthur was outside that night—his death would bring chaos, one that would even affect Alex.
'And my plan was successful, because indeed, chaos has begun,' Arin thought.
Serak chuckled. "I'll keep saying this—he was driven by his natural hatred for humans."
"But that doesn't change the fact that he went against orders," Vaelric said.
"And moreover," Liora added, "his disobedience caused trouble—trouble that wasn't intended."
Arin decided to act as if he was unaware of the situation and asked, "What exactly is this trouble?"
Silence filled the room for a few seconds before Darius spoke.
"He ended up killing only one student in that Academy, but..." He paused before continuing. "That student was a Phoenix."
Arin raised a brow, faking confusion. "Huh?"
"The Phoenixes are a different Race, just like the Humans and Vampires, from another Realm," Thalos explained. "When we discovered them—and they discovered us—both Races agreed not to attack each other or meddle in each other's affairs."
"But now," Thalos continued, "a Vampire killing a Phoenix has severed the thread of peace that was holding us together."
"Oh, I think you misunderstood me," Arin said, making everyone in the room furrow their brows.
'Now is my time to strike,' Arin thought as a smirk appeared on his face.
"My confusion earlier was because I didn't know there was a Phoenix in the Academy," Arin said.
Liora narrowed her eyes. "So you're saying you already knew about th—"
"Yes," Arin interrupted, answering the question before she could finish. "I already knew about the Phoenixes."
"And trust me," he added, his grin turning chilling, "I know so many things about them... more than you can ever imagine."
Thalos stared at Arin, his gaze unwavering. 'This boy... there's something strange about him.'
Vaelric smirked as he turned to Arin. "And how can we even be sure of that? You might be bluffing, for all we know."
Sylas couldn't stop staring at Arin. 'He looks about the same age as me. This is his first time here, yet, in the presence of the King and the Progenitors, he isn't even fazed? How is he doing it?'
Arin smirked, meeting Vaelric's gaze. "Doubting me, huh? I already expected that."
"From what you just said, it's clear you're trying to make me reveal everything I know about the Phoenixes just to prove I'm telling the truth," Arin added, raising a brow. "But that little trick won't work on me."
Arin leaned forward slightly, his grin deepening as he stared into Vaelric's eyes. "You'll have to try harder than that..."
Vaelric's eyes widened in anger as they glowed red. His expression clearly showed he was seething with rage.
Arin smiled and leaned back into his chair. 'Ah, I'm a genius...'