" Unbelievable." Like every exaggerated thing he said, this wasn't one of those.
Jack had developed a habit to show pity, amazement and excitement with precise words and expressions but deep down they were easily faked, he had no way of expressing what he had never truly felt.
He had one goal, coming all the way here with just a blue realm cultivator as a guard- To excavate the knowledge of white ghost.
Even though he didn't learn anything about it, The chaos surrounding him provided enough evidence itself.
It implied that now, white forest wasn't so white anymore and could be conquered with enough force, Ofcourse that was still too far sighted dream because even though white ghost disappeared it's presense left something dangerous.
In the shade of nine tail fox, many devils and great devils came to be without interference of humans and asuras. They technically held right to rule after Alena's departure, ofcourse vampires also wanted a piece in this and this place was about to be a battlefield. In somewhat distant future.
Jack had confirmed his suspicions and was about to leave when he encountered eren, he enjoyed toying with eren before killing him.
But did he really kill eren.
Before his eyes, Unattached head regenerated with series of progression. First the spinal cord, then bones, nerves, blood vessels, organs, muscles and finally the outer skin. Within a moment of breath his body regenerated.
Eren stood up, feeling the soft cold wind on his naked body. His eyes widened when he saw decapitated body lying dead and that scared him, he touched and pinched to ascertain the physical capabilities and livelyhood and sure enough he was very much alive.
Just like him, Jack too was bewildered. But he was curious as well. His eyes ignited with mad gleam, his hand manifested a small Black apparatus with a trigger and without hesitation he shot his head to burst open.
Blood and gore splattered but even more surprisingly, it regenerated just as fast it was destroyed.
He thought to destroy his core but failed to locate the mana core, His eyes showed inexplicable intrigue. Eren was still in the process of understanding the situation, but one thing became apparent.
' I can feel everything even after my head severed or destroyed.' Realising such information left him speechless, he didn't even notice jack slowly observing him and his dead corpse.
" You don't have mana core." Jack sounded intrigued, Just the way his eyes shone with excitement.
Eren's trance came to abrupt stop with his weird statement. eren looked inside and sure enough, It wasn't there. Eren's heart nearly skipped a beat with horror, his body shivered in terror.
Yet somehow he knew it, or he felt his clear connection with mana. Upon further inspection He learned he did have mana core but not just on this plane, not in physical world.
Concept itself was absurd, much less living such absurdity. He couldn't understand where it was exactly but he just knew, it was there.
He couldn't fathom what was happening, Somehow he was immortal but for how long?, for how many lives?, was there even such option?, He didn't knew and judging by jack's honest smile and Tommy's surprised eyes, it became clear that those two didn't knew about this either.
Which was good thing, atleast to some extent. But there were downside.
" Young master, I humbly suggest we capture him. He is weak and undying.
We can disect his insides for study purposes.
And maybe we can extract his immortality, Only you are esteemed enough to have such powers young master." Jack smiled, shook his head in mirth as he peered into Eren's eyes.
"Disecting him open, It would achieve nothing.
I already know the reason for his immortality and I know, I can't take. Nobody can."
" You're most wisest young master."
" Stop it, Anymore and I'll have diabetes...haha.." Jack didn't took his eyes off eren for a second, that creeped eren even more because he was naked.
" You see tommy, Being Prince makes me privileged to know lot of confidential information but even if you're my only trusted servant I can't tell you that after Violet realm cultivator reaches the breakthrough. They assimilate their core into soul and becomes immortal." Jack was loud enough to thoroughly convey it to eren. It gave him some idea to his new found powers. along with understanding in young vampire boy's unpredictable personality.
But that brought even more questions,
" How am I am immortal?" Which eren asked, Uncaring to the fact that the same guy tried to kill him, twice.
" Well that's simple my friend, you're a child of an immortal but judging from your expression, You don't know first thing about this, do you?" Jack smiled, Eren obviously had no reason to answer but his face failed to hide it.
Even more, he just got even more disturbed with series of question that rose in his brain.
Was yuta immortal too?, Is he still alive?, what about his father or his mother?
More he thought, more perplexed he became. There were infinite possibilities and each filled him with joy, along with dread. Dread that what if he was wrong?
But he had no time to muse in such conditions.
" Just to be clear. I have no desire to be your enemy eren, on the contrary we can be great friends."
" Says the guy who killed me twice, You want to be friends now that situation has turned." Eren said with blunt hatred.
"hold your horses dear eren." On next second, Jack rested his hand on Eren's shoulder. Just now, He was standing far ahead and instant, he was beside him.
His speed and stealth gave eren the chill, He feared for life even though he knew he was immortal.
" An immortal can't be killed by mortals, Not because it's impossible but, just because it's hard." Eren's expression remained stuck, Something to which jack chuckled.
" Being cultivator is not just enhancing physical powers or increasing capacity and purity of mana.
It's Refining and strengthening the soul. Stronger you are, More vastly powerful it is and after becoming immortal soul is directly integrated with mana core.
That's why immortals have almost unending mana supply. In reality it's not infinite, just a too damn vast because it's attached to the it's source, soul.
If I mortal have have around river worth of mana then immortal have atleast few oceans. You get the gist." Eren didn't really appreciate the explanation, Right now his hand on the shoulder felt more heavy than anything. It was this dangerous aura that gave eren scare.
" You know what else is attached with soul." Jack's almost palpable bloodthirst spiked, His lips widened in creepy smile.
He gently tapped on Eren's nape, a string of mana that stung eren like a electricity and eren felt his back widening. Black wings rose along with the chill on his back, realising what his words meant.
What else is attached with soul?
" That's right, For a half breed like you. Any genetical characteristics." Jack knew Somehow, that eren was not in fact a true dragon, but mere halfling.
" Your existence is a miracle in modern world yet you disgust me the most.
Why do you carry this vile dragonic traits, despite being a vampire. " Jack's eyes showed exactly what his words contained, abhorrance.
" Ghahhhh....." Jack ripped out his wings, powerfully and very much painfully. But he didn't stop at just one, the other pair as well.
Eren dropped on his knees, His eyes teared with unbearable pain. He was long accustomed to pain, but never adapted it. Human or asuran body never worked like that to begin with.
Nobody just became numb to pain because of over exposure. Eren felt sweat as well as blood roll down his back, only to restore his back like there was no gruesome scar there before. But what didn't restore was the black Membranous wings.
Eren knew why, Why the regeneration didn't work?, Why pain was souch greater? And why suddenly his body felt sore?
His soul was ripped or rather a portion of it.
" Yes exactly, For half breed every genetical trait is closely attached to soul but never blended in soul like complete breeds.
You can just snuff it out just like how I did. Wonderful isn't it." Jack enjoyed this torture And by his tone this wasn't over yet.
Eren also understood, he gritted his teeth for what came next. Jack chuckled and tapped again. This time Eren's onyx black armour manifested without his helmet.
" My offer still stands, Follow me and I won't make this painful." jack walked before him with a smile.
Eren looked up,
" You vampire always loves to play with the victims, don't you?
That's why I hate you all."
" Hey hey, don't play the victim card with me. I gave you option and I'm giving you one now. Choose or suffer.
You are an immortal, By letting you live after doing this much, I'll be digging my own grave yet here I am.
Besides we have no qualms, It's just this appearance of yours that makes me sick. Remove that and we'll be great friends." jack rebuked, was he really justifying his actions? And did he really thought it was reasonable?
" Eren I am a prince of ravenvale kingdom and when I extend my hand to you, It means something.
I can help you." Jack extended his hands, Eren looked with surprise, which didn't remain for long.
Eren laughed, slapped his hand away and spoke,
" Do your worst." For a moment jack just stared blank before turning to tommy with seething anger in his eyes.
" Tommy, Rip his armour scale by scale. Make it as painful as possible and make sure to leave one scale each time, so that his armour can regenerate every time before you start again.
And also be sure he doesn't loose consciousness and feel every part of it." Blood washed off Eren's face with horror, he watched as jack just casually turned around left and Tommy came, with obvious devilish grin and started following as commanded.
What followed after was nothing but terrifying, Bloody and savage, eren held no control over emotions and engulfed in agony.
Which lasted for a while, He didn't knew how long but it felt eternity before his mind finally couldn't take it and collapsed in darkness.
*****
Natalie felt comfortable in cold and squishy hug, which she found absolutely soothing yet annoyingly horrifying.
She opened her dragonic eyes, everything looked blur but soon her vision became clear and now everything looked blue and wavy. Dragon convulsed with panick as she realised she was underwater, yet she wasn't drowning. She felt amazed knowing that not only she could fly insanely high but swim deep down as well, her enormous dark amythest figure slithered swiftly even in turbulent current.
She couldn't talk or laugh, but that wasn't her concern now. As fast as memories recoiled, She felt paralysed with guilt. She didn't wanted to but even she knew, this was the best outcome so far.
She became increasingly more disturbed, When sudden realisation struck that ava and eva weren't here.
She flapped her wings powerfully and lifted herself up in panick, and soon a giant dark figure burst out of water surface.
She flew flew left and right, searching for those beasts. Her mind quickly made scenarios which she wasn't really wanted to see.
'What if i was unconscious for while and they were killed? Or They drowned?, Were they teleported somewhere else? Or did they teleport in the first place?' She had lots of question with no answers and loads of panick.
She flew another direction, and another and another but there was nothing, except for the ocean that stretched as far as one could see.
Her mind and body drowned in depth with guilt and exhaustion as she allowed, but even underwater she could breath, In guilt.
She felt heartbroken, even depressed but not for long. She felt ocean move around, or rather the beings that lived in. Unlike any human or asuran population, this wasn't commutative species and she needed to move as fast as possible, as stealthily as possible to avoid the danger, to reach her destination.
The destination that wasn't visible, and with no discrimination on every side she needed to choose a general direction to move forward.
Obviously she chose south, with hope that she would reach central continent and hope that she won't find ava and eva's dead corpses on her way.
She swam in her dragon form. It was easy, fast and also provided some amount ressurance of safety.
*****
" How's the batch?" A blonde young man asked, he was tall and bulky with face that expressed only fierceness, yet despite his tone was sweet.
" Just so so...., Recently task has become more difficult with our ever increasing fame."
The guy who answered was older, He didn't look that old with black hair, youthful smile and bright smile.
" You mean notoriety. we knew didn't we? And even then we chose money. So deal with it and keep up the good work." blonde guy didn't appreciate his sarcasm, he was respectful but straighforward and only wanted this work to be done.
" Okay joff-"
Bzzz
His words were cut off with sudden appearance of gate, A spacial gate opened with zapping sound over their head and from within fell two furry beasts.
The unstable gate vanished, leaving space as defined as before.
The blonde guy smiled to other,
" God is real." The other guy laughed hard, Not because he didn't believe the blonde one but because how the situation turned.
He didn't care whether there was god or not, he enjoyed the unfortunate or rather fortunate coincidence.
" Joffrey, Weren't you lacking exact two test subjects?"
" Yes nolan, Exactly two."
They smiled ear to ear, watching two furry beasts growl at them. Their greed became apparent.