Footsteps echoed faintly. A low hum filled the room as the projection stabilized.
The projection sharpened until a clear figure appeared.
A demoness.
Tall, elegant, with crimson eyes and long hair tied behind her head. Even without sensing her directly, I could feel she was strong.
The demon leader straightened slightly.
"Lana," he said.
Her eyes softened just a little. "Father."
Father?
My breath stilled for a moment.
So this was Lana Del Rey.
Primus’ wife.
Lara’s mother.
Alive.
And she was calling this demon father, meaning he wasn’t just a clan head... he was the patriarch of the Del Reys.
Shadows flickered around the edges of my perception. A few possibilities clicked into place immediately but I stayed silent and listened.
The demon patriarch didn’t waste time.
"Primus Bloodreaver is alive."
Lana blinked.
Then her expression twisted in disbelief.
"...What?"
"He’s alive," the demon repeated. "He came back today."
"That’s impossible," she said instantly. "Didn’t we kill him?"
My heart froze for half a second.
We?
So she knew. She wasn’t a victim. She wasn’t kidnapped. She was part of it.
Whatever Primus believed... the truth was much uglier.
The demon leader continued as if discussing the weather.
"Not only is he alive, but he returned with two humans... and your daughter."
Lana’s eyes widened.
"That’s not possible. The order was clear, kill them. How—are we certain it’s Primus?"
The demon patriarch nodded once, firmly.
A heavy silence filled the chamber.
Even hidden in the folds of space, that silence felt loud.
Lana lowered her head slowly, her expression unreadable. I watched her carefully, unable to pull my eyes away from the calm cruelty settling over her face.
My mind churned. I couldn’t understand it? Why would she do this? Why betray Primus? Why hurt her own daughter? Primus spoke of her with love. Lara held on to her name like it was a prayer.
And the truth was this... A woman planning his death. A mother who abandoned her child without looking back.
I felt something twist inside my chest, a mix of anger and disbelief.
What would Primus feel when he learned this? The man had endured years of being a slave, clinging to the hope she was in danger... not the danger itself.
And Lara...The girl trusted her mother completely.
What would this truth do to her?
I took a slow breath, my jaw tightening as I remained hidden.
I looked at Lana in the projection as she exhaled quietly.
"In that case... we need to hurry our plans."
Her father’s brows furrowed. "Why?"
"Primus is no threat to us," he said. "He is not strong enough to change anything."
Lana shook her head sharply.
"No. The problem is not his strength."
Her voice dropped lower, colder.
"The problem is the destiny he carries."
Destiny?
My eyes narrowed.
Even after everything, kidnapping, betrayal, her own husband believing she was in trouble, she wasn’t worried about emotions or the fallout.
But destiny?
The patriarch frowned. "Explain."
Lana took a slow breath.
"Even after using my talent on him... even after pushing him into a different path... even after cutting away most of his future..."
Her eyes glowed faintly, like embers.
"He still has enough destiny to reshape this entire planet."
Talent?
I stiffened.
So she used some kind of ability on Primus. Some kind of curse or manipulation meant to do something.
The patriarch stood silent for a moment, processing her words.
Finally, he nodded.
"That explains why he survived. That boy was always stubborn."
Lana didn’t smile. She didn’t soften. She looked like someone calculating thousands of scenarios in her head.
The demon patriarch shifted topics.
"Ancestor is ready. We need a distraction." His tone lowered. "Are you prepared on your side?"
Lana nodded instantly.
"Yes. A direct attack on the Bloodreaver capital."
So that was their plan.
Attack the Bloodreavers head-on.
"While they are busy defending against that," she continued, "send our ancestor straight to kill their ancestor."
She said it casually, as if giving instructions to clean a house.
The patriarch rubbed his chin. "Are you certain your attack will be enough to pressure the Bloodreavers? They still have strong forces."
Lana’s lips curled faintly.
"Yes. I planned this carefully. A Transcendent Phantom directly attacking isn’t something the Bloodreavers can handle right now."
A phantom?
So she had a Transcendent-level phantom on her side. My eyes narrowed. A traitor.
"And most of their soldiers and high-rankers are tied down fighting the abomination zones," Lana added. "Their ancestor might still put up a fight... but we will deal with him beforehand. So even that chance will disappear."
The patriarch nodded slowly.
Everything made sense to him.
Everything made sense to them.
But to me?
This was a declaration of war based on lies, ambition, and arrogance. They wanted to wipe out the Bloodreaver family completely. They planned it. Prepared for it. Invested strength and time into it.
And now, Primus returning unexpectedly had simply pushed them to accelerate the plan.
And she wasn’t afraid of Primus’ strength, she was afraid of his future.
His destiny.
I didn’t understand the full meaning behind her words yet but I didn’t need to.
Not yet.
Because the truth was simple: The war between the Del Rey and Bloodreaver clans wasn’t a misunderstanding. It wasn’t about honor. It wasn’t even about revenge.
It was planned. And Lana Del Rey was orchestrating every step.
The patriarch finally spoke again.
"Good. Then move according to plan. Send word to your side. We strike tomorrow."
Lana nodded.
"I will prepare. Once everything begins, no loose ends will remain."
The projection flickered.
Before the projection ended, Lana paused. Her expression tightened.
"And father..." she said quietly, "be cautious. Once we deal with the Bloodreavers, the Ronics will panic. And we still have the envoy to consider. One wrong move and everything collapses."
Her voice lowered, almost a hiss.
"I have given years of my life for this plan. Years. You understand that... don’t you?"
The demon across from her, although her father, swallowed hard and nodded.
"Yes. I understand."
Lana didn’t blink.
"Good. Then don’t make a mistake."
The projection flickered once, her face dimming into static then the crystal darkened completely as the image vanished.
Silence filled the room.
The demon stood frozen for a long moment, breathing slowly, almost shakily, as if trying to gather the scattered pieces of himself. Then, without another pause, he turned and walked out of the chamber.
I followed silently.
He moved quickly through the halls, heading straight toward the hidden chamber I had seen earlier, the place where the Del Rey ancestor rested.
A single knock.
"Come in," a deep, aged voice replied.
The demon entered, shoulders tense.
"Father," he began, "Primus Bloodreaver is alive. He has returned... with his daughter. I just spoke with Lana, she says tomorrow we attack. You need to act tomorrow."
The old ancestor slowly exhaled. He placed a marker inside his book, shut it gently, and stood from the swinging chair with deliberate calm.
He stepped closer, his gaze boring into the younger demon’s eyes.
Then, in a quiet, deadly voice, he asked:
"Tell me, Herald....are you a fucking useless piece of shit?"
The younger demon’s face drained of color instantly.
I raised an eyebrow. This was about to get interesting.