Chapter 142: Lines That Shouldn't Be Crossed
The morning after Vasaria's feeding, the group prepared for their next move.
The ruins of the outpost were eerily silent now, devoid of the demonic presence that had once made the air thick with malice. But even with the enemy gone, tension still hung heavy between them—though not because of the battlefield.
The real war?
It was happening in their conversations.
Raithon stood a few feet away, arms crossed, golden eyes sharp as he glared at Vasaria like she was some filth he had stepped on.
"Disgusting," he muttered.
Vasaria, lounging on a half-collapsed wall, smirked. "Oh? Do go on, Vaelora. What's disgusting this time?"
Raithon scoffed. "As if you don't know."
"Is it my lovely personality? My charming smile?" Vasaria bared her fangs dramatically. "Or is it the fact that I had Kael's blood on my lips?"
Raithon's face twisted in revulsion.
"Have you no shame?" he spat. "Drinking from a human like some lecherous parasite?"
Kael sighed. "It's not like I had a choice."
Raithon shot him a look. "That doesn't make it any less repulsive."
Vasaria pouted mockingly. "Aww, is the High Elven prince getting jealous?"
Raithon's brows twitched.
"As if I would ever be jealous of a filthy night-crawler."
Saria let out a low whistle. "Damn. That's the insult you're going with?"
Thalric sighed. "Raithon, that's enough."
Raithon ignored him, eyes burning with scorn. "You bloodsuckers are all the same. Pretending to be civilized while feeding off others like leeches."
Vasaria chuckled. "And you High Elves are so predictable. All grace and arrogance, acting as if you're above the rest of us." She rested her chin on her palm. "Tell me, does it get exhausting carrying that bigotry around all day?"
Raithon sneered. "It is not bigotry to recognize the truth. Your kind are monsters. Just like the Dark Elves."
The air grew colder.
Saria, who had been watching the exchange with mild amusement, suddenly stilled.
Her fingers tightened around her daggers.
"Ah," she murmured. "So that's how you really feel."
Raithon didn't even hesitate.
"It's how all of my people feel," he said coldly.
Saria's eyes darkened.
"And here I was, thinking you just hated vampires."
Raithon smirked. "I do. I simply hate your kind more."
Thalric tensed. "That's enough, Raithon."
Saria scoffed, looking to her brother. "Why are you stopping him? Let him speak. Let him tell us all about how we Dark Elves are nothing more than unwanted mistakes."
Kael, watching the brewing storm, finally stepped in.
"Enough. All of you."
His voice wasn't loud, but it cut through their arguments like a blade.
Raithon turned to him, frowning. "Kael, you're not seriously defending them?"
Kael crossed his arms. "I'm saying this conversation is pointless." His crimson eyes locked onto Raithon's. "We're all here to kill demons. Not fight each other."
Raithon clicked his tongue. "Don't act like this isn't relevant. If you think Dark Elves and Vampires aren't just as dangerous as demons, you're blind."
Vasaria yawned. "Yes, yes, we're all so evil. Now, can we move on?"
Saria gritted her teeth. She wasn't done with this argument, but Kael had spoken.
For now—she let it drop.
But she wouldn't forget.
As the group marched forward, Kael tried to ignore the lingering tension.
Tried to ignore the way Raithon kept his distance from Vasaria and Saria.
Tried to ignore the way Ilyra was unusually quiet.
But what he couldn't ignore?
The feeling Vasaria's feeding had left behind.
His body still remembered the sensation.
Not just the bite—but the warmth. The strange pulse of pleasure that had come with it.
It had been subtle. But undeniable.
And now?
He wanted to feel it again.
Kael's jaw tightened.
What the hell was this?
Was it a side effect of her magic? Or something worse?
Did she know?
He glanced toward her, watching as she walked ahead, looking completely unbothered.
No.
She couldn't know.
Because if Vasaria Noctis realized what she had done to him—
She'd never let him live it down.
Ilyra's Unspoken Thoughts
Walking beside Kael, Ilyra stole a glance at him.
She had noticed.
Not just Vasaria's relentless teasing.
Not just the way Kael didn't refuse her feeding.
But the way his expression had shifted afterward.
The way his body had reacted.
Something about it bothered her.
And she hated that.
Because she shouldn't care.
And yet—
She did.
Saria, walking beside her, grinned knowingly.
"You look irritated."
Ilyra's brows twitched. "I am not."
"You totally are."
Ilyra huffed. "It's just annoying."
Saria chuckled. "Mhm. Sure."
Ilyra ignored her.
But deep down—she knew the truth.
And she hated it.