Shrouded Seascape

Lilith embraced Lily for a long time. By the time she let go, she had suffered burns that almost rendered her unrecognizable.

The instant she let go of Lily, her injuries healed rapidly; what was fatal to ordinary vampires didn't leave even a scar on her.

The two continued their walk amidst the bizarre structures and landforms of Dark Crystal Island. Lily took her time observing the unique terrain and architecture around her.

It had been a long time since Lilith felt this familiar pain, and it reminded her of what she had experienced in the distant past. Her mouth fluttered open as she shared those stories with Lily.

"The Foundation treated us as outcasts in the chaotic modern era. They suppressed us incessantly and made sure that even living was a struggle for us. Of course, vampires weren't the only ones being treated that way.

"Everyone led difficult lives at the time."

Lily had no idea why she had to listen to the ramblings of the thousand-year-old granny beside her, but the manners that her mother had taught her made her ask softly, "Is the Foundation on the surface world really that powerful?

"Did you not fight back at all?"

The Mother grabbed Lily's hand with her right hand which had nails painted in red polish. Disregarding the pain, she interlocked her fingers with Lily's and led the latter down the street.

"We fought back, but it was futile, child. I even heard that many years ago, there was this living relic called 315. They threw the Foundation into utter chaos to the point that the Foundation was almost forced into dissolution."

The Mother's expression gradually dimmed as she said, "But so what? In the end, the Foundation executed 315, and the execution was broadcast live.

"It was only when I arrived in the Subterranean Sea that I realized that we were destined to lose this war. The Foundation isn't the biggest issue—it's the billions of humans behind them. If you imagine humanity as a collective, then the Foundation is the manifestation of that collective's will."

"The entire human society is the source of the Foundation's immense power. The Foundation will always exist so long as there are human beings. Even if the Foundation is destroyed, it will certainly be reborn, just with a different name.

"As long as humans remain the overlords of the surface world, we will never be able to turn the tables against them."

Lily looked down at the hand intertwined with hers and saw that it had been reduced to nothing but bones. She reached out to pat Lilith's shoulder lightly, seemingly in an effort to console the latter.

A sizzling noise echoed as Lilith's shoulder split open upon contact, forming a bloody wound in the shape of a handprint.

Just then, Lilith's steps became light and quick. She tapped the ground with her toes and began dancing gracefully amidst the accompaniment of the sizzling noises emanating from her flesh.

"There's no sun to restrain us here, and humans aren't the overlords as well. I'm living a great life here. Although unimaginable happens more often than not here, I still like it here."

As Lily stared at Lilith, who was from the surface world, she was reminded of her captain—Charles. Despite being in the same situation, the two had contrasting opinions about their predicament.

"When you've just arrived here from the surface world, have you ever thought about going back? Your family is still up there, after all," Lily asked.

"Go back? Why would I go back? Child, we vampires have our own unique means of reproduction. Although they all call me Mother, I'm sure you know that we increase our numbers through vampiric conversion.

"In other words, our familial bonds are far weaker than you can imagine. And when it comes to forced conversions, parricide is an extremely common result. In addition, we were being hunted down by the Foundation, so there was simply no way for us to live peacefully at the time.

"Back then, because of the sun, we didn't dare come out during the day. We could only emerge at night, living worse than rats. Moreover…" Lilith trailed off.

Lily's curiosity was piqued. "Moreover what?"

"Forget it; let's not talk about it anymore. It's all in the distant past. I'm not even sure if my guess is right, but who could say for sure? Anyway, walking like this is too slow, so let's fly instead.

"Anyway, are you hungry? How about dining at my place?" Lilith asked. Then, she wrapped an arm around Lily's slender waist and flew forward. Soon, a pitch-black castle that was bigger at the top and smaller at the bottom appeared before them.

The tightly shut gates opened slowly amidst a creaking sound, and a blood-red carpet rolled out before Lily as if it were the castle's red tongue.

"Welcome to my abode, child. I know the interior is a bit simple, but please make yourself at home," Lilith remarked. The castle appeared gloomy from the outside, but the interior actually looked pretty cozy and bright. The chandeliers suspended in midair illuminated the entire castle.

The grand hall was made of white marble and had red curtains, shimmering inlaid floors, and elegant cabinets between the red columns. The majority of the cabinets contained either gold, silver, and glassware.

Lily looked up and saw a mural drawn using a bizarre technique and colors. The mural depicted the Mother and her children devouring the corpse of a colossal and grotesque blood-red sea monster.

Lily's delicate brows as she stopped right before entering the hall. For some reason, she felt that the castle was dangerous.

However, it seemed that Lilith was aware of Lily's concerns. She hurled a corded telephone that appeared to be made entirely of gold toward Lily.

"The Governor of Hope Island is looking for you," Lily said.

Lily appeared a bit doubtful as she accepted it. However, the speech mannerisms and the familiar voice on the other end of the line told Lily that she was indeed speaking to Bandages. More specifically, this plane's Bandages.

"Mmhm, I left. Yes, I'm on Dark Crystal Island right now. I'm not doing anything. I'm just here to rest, but the island's owner insists on having me as a guest.

"Mmhm... If possible, I may go back to live there. Alright, I'll report to Hope Island Customs if I end up going back there. By the way, First Mate, do you know where this side's Mr. Charles went? Oh, okay. Goodbye."

Once the call was over, Lilith accepted the telephone and hurled it into the air. A few bats darted out from the red curtains and flew away with the telephone in tow.

"Surely you can rest assured now? I'm not one of those monsters that attack indiscriminately out at sea. Hurting you will do us no good as well," Lilith said, pulling Lily to sit at the dining table.

"Would you like a Bloody Mary?"

The dark red liquid in a crystal wine bottle was poured into a goblet.

Lily shook her head. "Thank you, but I don't drink."

"Actually, this isn't alcohol, but fine, you can enjoy the appetizer first," Lilith said. She picked up the goblet and took a light sip of the dark red liquid within.

A plate with a beautiful array of food in tiny portions was placed before Lily. An enticing gold caviar surrounded the dish. Lily felt a bit hungry at the tempting sight, but she knew better than to stuff her stomach with suspicious food.

Lilith wasn't angry, even though Lily refrained from touching her food. She lightly swirled the goblet in her hand and chatted with Lily about a variety of topics in an effort to make the latter feel less nervous around her.

They talked about the plot of a famous stage play as well as some rumors circulating about Charles. After the appetizer was the soup, and it was followed by the main course. However, Lily didn't touch any of the food, allowing the fragrant and delicious-looking food to slip away from her.

When Lilith felt that it was about time, she said, "Tell me your story, child. I love hearing the stories of other people, and I feel that you have a fantastic story to tell."

Lilith appeared to be leisurely talking and dining with Lily, but the truth was that every action she had done so far was all for the sake of obtaining more information from Lily.