"Where have you been, Yur? I was expecting you to join us in that room," Rasmus looked at Yur who had just appeared as soon as Anastasha showed them the room for them to stay.

"I don’t want to be here..." Yur answered, and Yur looked terrified as Yur looked around, staring at the thick and vile energy in the castle. "This place is filled with vile energy, nothing like those demonic energies that I have felt so far. This energy is different, it absorbs and sucks the life of all living beings that get exposed by it," Yur pointed out and stayed close to Aris to ask for protection.

"You’re a Great Spirit, you’re not inferior to her, right?" Rullein asked as she climbed the bed, making herself comfortable on the silk sheets and soft bed. "You’re capable of protecting yourself against it. Even I’m in my weakened state can prevent the energy from affecting my body," she was lying flat on her belly while staring at Yur with a lazy gaze.

"Because you’re not a real spirit like me, you’re an Evil Spirit, an accumulation of residues of True Dragons. Just because you can doesn’t mean I can. It’s similar to how certain animals can’t handle noises that make them suffer while other animals don’t even hear the noises," Yur pointed out as Yur sat on Aris’ lap and couldn’t stop squirming from the energy that threatened Yur’s existence. "That spirit is dangerous, I have never seen a spirit that blatantly uses its power to consume on the living," Yur grabbed Aris’ arms and wrapped them around Yur’s small body.

When Aris noticed that Rasmus was no longer staring at Yur, she knew that he had some insight from Yur’s words. It was something that she had caught about his behavior of looking away once he connected the dots. Instead of asking like she always did, she tried to think like him, trying to connect the dots of what they had seen and heard so far.

"She didn’t seem dangerous, she wasn’t even showing any hostility toward us. She was calm, and it didn’t seem she released this energy on purpose, at least not with any intention," Aris looked at the tall ceiling as she muttered. "It’s more like the energy is leaking out instead of releasing it on purpose," she pointed out.

Aris noticed the way Rasmus glanced at her, and that was when she knew he was listening.

"She chose to hide in this castle like her pit. She knows her nature, and yet she chose to restrain herself," Aris looked at Rasmus, making eye contact. "The thing you called opium, is that a way to suppress her nature?" She asked since she didn’t know anything about drugs.

"Highly possible, with such amount, that should make her feel... less of herself," Rasmus answered as he poured himself a glass of whiskey. "If her power can consume others, won’t that also affect herself?" He glanced at Yur and took a sip of his whiskey.

"Yes, it does. But that doesn’t matter to her because the energy still feeds her. It’s basically another way to live forever, unlike other spirits that live forever by nature," Yur answered and nodded.

"Ouroboros..." Rasmus muttered to himself, his voice muffled by the glass of whiskey before he took another sip. "A self-sustaining entity. An inspiration that Anastasha took to create her own system," he put down the glass and stared at the spot on the wall.

"I feel like I was staring at myself when I looked at her," Serena said, her gaze blank as she stared down at the carpet. It reminded her of herself, before she possessed the body of a Saint. Being alone as Lilith, the first human woman that was judged for disobedience and a symbol of individualism. "It was the right thing to do for you to not ask about her even though she gave you the permission to do so," she looked at Rasmus.

"I never asked about someone’s past," Rasmus shook his head as he stood up. "I’ll check on the others, and all of you need to get ready for the gathering that Natia mentioned. We are going to meet more of half-breed like Anastasha, and I think it would be an interesting gathering knowing that we are going to enter Asghar family’s den," he looked at the three of them and left the room.

The next few days, Aris gave her Mana to both Rasmus and Rullein, and she had been doing it in the past months. She noticed that Rasmus’ power hadn’t stabilized even after giving him Mana that should be enough to power the same magic formation that made Gratlan float in the sky. She wondered if it had something to do with Rullein’s core within his body, the Overlord’s existence within his body, the Dragon’s breath that had become one with him, or even his own existence that had awakened his Aristoria’s bloodline.

"The vessel grows bigger, and I’m not sure if I can stabilize it. At least not here," Aris let go of Rasmus’ hand and looked at his body with her draconic eyes, seeing too many colors that existed in a single body. "But your condition is stable and you should be fine if you used your power," she pointed out.

Rasmus looked at the veins of his arm, feeling Aris’ Mana run through his veins up to his shoulder and went to his back until it entered his heart. He felt like he was living the same life back when he was still Kyros from Earth, old and sick, having to do check-up a few times a week to keep himself alive.

"Focus on Rullein’s recovery from now on. I should be fine if I’m not using my power," Rasmus nodded with understanding as he unrolled his sleeves. "Thank you, Aris," he looked at Aris and lowered his head slightly. Not even once had he forgotten to thank her for helping him ever since his collapse.

"You’re welcome," Aris nodded and watched Rasmus grab his suit. "Today is the day, right? The gathering," she raised her brows as she stood up from the edge of the bed.

"Yes, and she asked me to tell all of you to find her in the morning..." Rasmus glanced at the window, seeing the faint orange in the dark blue sky. "She should be awake by now," he looked at Aris, Rullein, and Serena. as he fixed his collar shirt.

Aris turned around to look at Rullein who was still asleep while Serena had been reading books of famous romance stories in East Neva. Serena closed the book and put it on the bedside table before she poked Rullein’s nose to wake her up. Rullein’s eyes fluttered open, not wanting to wake up yet, but when her eyes met with Rasmus, she immediately stopped herself from closing her eyes. She slowly sat up as Aris told her to get off the bed and meet with Anastasha since they were about to attend the gathering. The three of them left the room, leaving Rasmus alone with his thoughts and a notebook in his hand.

Rasmus’ eyes were focused on the notebook when he noticed the sun had blinded him for a long time. He stared directly into the sun, and he used his draconic eyes against it. He could see energies with his current state, and the sun had always been the only source of energy that looked like a translucent cloak that wrapped the sky with its light orange rays that waved through the sky.

"Rasmus," Anastasha’s voice could be heard from outside the door.

Rasmus glanced over his shoulder at the door as his eyes turned back to normal. When he opened the door, he could see Aris, Rullein, and Serena wearing a silk satin kaftan dress with gems that decorated the dress with patterns made of gold threads. They had the same make-up, black eyeliner that made their eyes look sharper. He looked down at their hands that were painted with henna up to their forearms. They also wore accessories that made them look nothing like the women he knew.

"Well? Any thoughts?" Anastasha crossed her arms with a smirk on her face.

"I have no words that can describe them," Rasmus answered.

"I can’t tell if you’re just being honest or uninterested," Anastasha chuckled softly as she looked down at her outfit. She wore something different, a white backless dress with a high slit on her left leg.

"That would be an insult to the effort if I’m uninterested," Rasmus answered and closed the door behind him.

"Always have an answer to everything, don’t you?" Anastasha moved aside as she pointed the folded fan at those three. "Well, you should be walking beside your... wives..." She winked at Rasmus and decided to walk ahead first. "No need to hurry, the last to arrive will be the one who take the spotlight," she chuckled as she unfolded her fan and covered the lower half of her face.