1348  Secrets and Sacrifices

The mana wave swept across the entire world, spreading throughout the cosmos. Every living being sensed a shift but couldn"t trace its source.

Two hours earlier, Kar sat inside a dungeon in Hikma. Across from him sat a dark-skinned woman with wavy, curly hair. The lines beneath her eyes spoke of seeing too much. Sunlight filled the small room, casting shadows on the walls. Spade stood silently in the corner, arms behind his back.

"I apologize for interrupting your schedule, Lady Valeria," Kar said with a smile. "You must be so busy wasting away here in the capital"s cells after being abandoned."

"The beds are too soft for my old back," Valeria replied with a thin smile. "What brings you here, Sin of Gluttony?"

"I"m honored you recognize me," Kar grinned, tapping the table.

"News travels fast. I heard about your palace in Shon," Valeria"s face fell. "I"m sorry about what happened to your vampires."

Kar"s smile faded. He glanced at Spade, who also seemed confused. Valeria noticed and chuckled. She raised a finger, summoning a small hurricane.

"If you"re this surprised that I know, then you really don"t understand me. I"ve crossed the deepest seas and uncovered countless mysteries without getting caught. I know because the wind tells me."

"Does it also tell you that you"re moments away from death?" Kar asked, smiling darkly as veins bulged on his forehead. "If you know what happened, you know why we"re here."

"You needed the vampires for your schemes in Kera. I don"t know what you"re planning, but I know you"re on a tight deadline."

"Is that so?"

"Why else would you open a portal halfway across the world to visit an old woman like me?" Valeria folded her arms, leaning back. "How can I help?"

Kar looked furious, blood pulsing under his skin. Spade, sensing Kar"s loss of control, stepped in before he could kill her.

"We"re here for the artifact, Lady Valeria. You"re the only one who"s ever found it, and we need you to reveal its location. You"ll be well rewarded for your cooperation."

"And if that"s the carrot, what"s the stick?" Valeria tapped the table, intrigued. "I expected Deluge, not you."

"The stick is your death if you don"t cooperate," Kar said, smiling as he spread his hand on the table, letting his anger show. "After months of torture, of course."

"That might work on others, but you underestimate humans, Kar," Valeria chuckled. "If you think I"d talk because of a threat, that"s the biggest insult I"ve ever received."

Blood oozed from Kar as he lost control, swinging a scythe of blood toward Valeria. Before it could strike, a portal appeared beneath her chair, teleporting her across the room.

"Please, Lord Kar," Spade pleaded, shielding Valeria. "I understand your anger, but she"s too valuable. Fear won"t make her talk."

"I"ll find it myself," Kar grinned, glaring at Valeria. "This weak human thinks she can mock me without consequences."

"There are worse fates than death," Spade said, turning to Valeria. "You have things you want to protect, don"t you?"

"I"m too old for that."

"Even your old crew?" Spade raised an eyebrow. "Even your daughter?"

Valeria turned to him in silence. Lightning crackled from her body, shooting toward Spade. A blood barrier saved him just in time.

"It seems we"ve struck a nerve," Kar smiled, standing. "I never thought you had a daughter. Who is she? I"ll bring her here and tear her apart limb by limb until you tell me where the artifact is."

"No need for that, Master Kar," Spade said, arms behind his back as he stared at Valeria. "Her daughter doesn"t even know they"re related. Valeria has kept that a secret for some reason."

"How do you know?" Valeria frowned. "Wait… I remember you…"

"Yes, Lady Valeria. I"m the boy from all those years ago, the one who witnessed your sacrifice. I know who your daughter is and what you did to her. Please cooperate."

"I"m sorry for what I did to your family, but this artifact will cause far more harm," Valeria"s voice trembled as she looked at Spade. "Please don"t make me tell you."

"I"m not doing this out of hatred, Lady Valeria," Spade shook his head. "You ruled the seas, and we challenged you. Our defeat was inevitable."

"Then why?"

Spade remained silent. Valeria lowered her gaze, pain in her eyes, but then hardened her expression. "I still refuse."

"How do you think your daughter will feel when she learns her mother cursed her with a lifetime of l.u.s.t just to escape death?" Spade pressed, staring her down. "She"d be shattered to find out that the person she wants to save is the one who sacrificed her."

Valeria gripped the chair, biting her lip, then glared at Spade. "She has nothing to do with this."

"I know," Spade replied. "And no one ever will tell her... if you tell us where the amplifier is."

Valeria sat there in silence for a long time. Kar seemed impatient, but Spade gestured for him to wait. In the end, the old woman crumbled into herself and smiled.

"If it means she wouldn"t know, then I have no issue being the villain," she said while raising her eyes toward the two. "I cannot tell you where it is, but I can take you there. I am the only one who can take you there. But I have a condition."

Valeria did not address spade this time, but the Lord of Vampires standing behind him. Kar seemed offended that she would even demand a thing, but knew that the amplifier was too important. It was their sole chance of entering Devaheim.

"What is it?"

"I want him dead," Valeria said while pointing at Spade. "As long as he lives, I cannot trust he wouldn"t appear once more threatening me. If you can promise me that, you can have the amplifier. I want to create a spiritual contract with you to kill him."

"There is no need for Master Kar to intervene," Spade interjected with a rare smile. "If you give us the amplifier, I would happily trade my life for it."