Chapter 139

"Randolf knows," I added, exhaling. "From the very beginning, he knew that it was really Oscar Celeste loved."

Erikson let out a heavy sigh, too.

"I’ve been friends with Randolf for a long time, and I’ve never seen him get serious about a woman. Always someone new, always someone to replace the last."

"I guess, for the first time, the bad guy didn’t win," I joked.

"Love always wins."

I looked up at the barrier. It was slowly fading into thin air.

"This night feels so long," Erikson murmured, also looking up. I even heard him yawn.

"The longest night of my life. So much has happened."

"Still, here we are. Standing strong..."

I felt him throw an arm around my shoulder and pat me.

"You’ve come too far, Astra. Who would’ve thought you were once a slave? With all the roles you’ve played in this world, you’ve outshone even the oldest vampires."

I laughed. "Is that a good thing?"

"Of course."

I know. But there’s still one thing confusing me.

"How are we really going to win, Erikson? How do we convince them to agree to what we want?"

"Conviction," he replied.

"When they see our conviction, they’ll accept what we’re fighting for. The Cloaks want to see how far we’re willing to go."

"That also means..."

"Yes. We need to win against one of The Five Cloaks."

"That's... tough, right?"

"Seemed impossible." He shook his head.

"But we have the greatest leader this vampire world has ever seen. We have no choice but to trust Brixton."

The barrier finally broke before our eyes. The glow of the place vanished into darkness once more. The flowers, grass, and trees wilted again.

"This is it. Welcome to the final wave," Erikson said with a laugh.

I squinted as I noticed someone in the distance watching us. He was wearing a black cloak that covered his entire body. I could barely make out his face beneath the hood’s shadow. In his right hand, he held a cane with a sharp tip.

Before I could even process who it was, Erikson pulled me back.

"Step back..." Lord Hezuera stepped in front of us, along with Lord Sentero, Barbarian, and Oscar. In an instant, all our allied leaders moved to the front.

"It's been a long time..."

Even his voice sent chills down my spine.

All the leaders gradually knelt before him out of respect.

Finally... one of The Five Cloaks had appeared.

"Fifth..." Lord Vienzara stepped forward.

They’ve returned. I quickly searched for Lady Vienzara. I saw her resting under a tree. She noticed me looking and nodded.

It was a relief to see she was safe. She really was something—Lady of Vienzara.

"I didn’t expect the Vienzaras would get involved in this."

I looked forward again. Only Lord Vienzara remained standing among the leaders.

"It’s an honor to see you again, Fifth," Lord Vienzara slightly bowed.

"Kind of unfortunate, since we know we’re here for different reasons."

The Fifth slightly raised his head. I caught a glimpse of his face. He had a scar over his left eye and nothing but disgust reflected in it.

"I was impressed," the Fifth said.

"I’ve been watching you. I can’t deny I was amazed by your dedication to your cause. However, you all know why I’m here."

"I don't think we can still resolve this through peaceful conversation," Brix stepped forward as well, giving a respectful bow.

"It’s a pleasure to meet one of The Cloaks."

"Brixton Wenz Cardinal," the Fifth said his name.

Even The Cloaks knew him.

"We don’t mean to tarnish the legacy you’ve built in our world," Brix said respectfully.

"We only want a few changes. That’s all, Fifth."

"You are the root of this revolution. You led them here. How can you be sure you’ll succeed? That you’ll win against us?"

"I just know I can..." Brix smiled.

"Forgive us, Fifth..." Lord Oscar stood.

"We won’t stop until we reach our goal. In any way possible... even if it means going against you."

A smirk crossed the man’s lips.

"It seems I really can’t convince you anymore. In that case, you must go through me. I will not allow your wishes to come true."

I noticed the tip of his cane glowing. I frowned when it suddenly disappeared from his hand. A moment later, Lord Sentero suddenly collapsed.

My eyes widened. The cane had pierced through his body and returned to the man’s hand. No one had even seen the attack. Not even Brix.

"Lord Sentero!" His allies quickly rushed to him. Lord Sentero managed to stand.

I was stunned. I had never seen such speed before.

"Retreat!" Lord Hezuera shouted to those of us behind them.

"It’s better if you all fall back for now. We, the leaders, will handle this."

"No!" Nigel protested. "I’ll fight with you, Father!"

Lord Hezuera gripped Nigel’s shoulder.

"Just do what I told you, Son. Lead our army to the safe area. Leave this to me... to us."

Nigel shook his head.

"Please—"

"This is a command," Lord Hezuera’s voice grew stern.

"I’m speaking as your leader. Lead the army back. I’m not asking. I’m giving you an order."

Nigel swallowed and nodded.

"I will."

Lord Hezuera smiled.

"I’m proud of you, Nigel."

Nigel turned to us.

"Everyone, follow me!"

My gaze shifted to Brix. Slowly, he turned to look at me. My knees weakened when I saw the fear on his face. Just for a second... but I saw it. He was afraid.

"Please go..." he mouthed.

Instead of obeying, I walked up to him. He met me halfway.

"H-he’s fast, Brix."

He chuckled.

"That’s nothing, Astra. He can do more than that."

"You said we’d win—"

"We will." He looked straight into my eyes.

"We will win, Astra."

"Promise me."

"We will win. You have my word, Astra."

"No!" I shook my head.

"Promise me you’ll live."

"Of course."

Tears welled in my eyes again.

"You need to live. My daughter... our daughter needs you."

He smiled.

"I think I need to tell you this." He held my cheek and leaned in.

"Listen, Astra. Remember my words, okay? I won’t die. Never. Because if I die, you’ll die too. So... no. I will live."

My tears fell.

He slowly let go of me. He smiled before turning away and walked toward the front line where his two siblings stood.

The Cardinal Siblings stood at the front, all the leaders behind them.

All of them... against one of The Five Cloaks. That said everything about how powerful that man was.

I felt a chill crawl up my legs. Only then did I realize it was mist. The fog was spreading like wildfire.

The entire area was blanketed in it.

Please be careful, Brix.

"Astra!" Celeste grabbed me.

"Let’s go..."

One last time, Brix turned to look at me.

He mouthed, "Trust in me. Be safe..."