Chapter 217: The World of Cylas (2)
While the world of Cylas seemed breathtakingly beautiful, a structure stood at its very center that felt completely out of place.
A dark castle of black stone jutted upward like a wound in the holy landscape.
Its towers were sharp and severe, its walls absorbing the twin sunlight rather than reflecting it.
No banners fluttered from its high battlements, and not a single glimmer slipped from its narrow windows.
It stood there in stark, intentional contrast to the bright world around it—like a lone island of shadow adrift in a vast sea of pale gold and white.
Inside one of the upper chambers of that castle, Liliana sat alone behind a long table of polished black wood.
She wore the full disguise of the Red Lady.
Her long blood-red coat, the wide-brimmed hat of living congealed blood, pale shimmering skin, and crimson eyes that held a quiet, satisfied light.
In one hand she held a delicate wine glass filled with thick, dark blood.
She raised it slowly, took a measured sip, and let the warmth settle on her tongue before a small, private smile curved her lips.
Three weeks had passed since her evolution had her coming into this world.
During her time here, she hadn’t done much of anything aside from setting the foundation of the first other world Dark Hold.
With her prior preparation, she knew enough about the world’s status that she didn’t have to start gathering information immediately.
In the short time spent here, she had successfully built an information broker... and now, it was finally time for her to begin her expansion.
Ever since the Dark Castle was completed, she hadn’t bothered to spread the word or even rise from her seat.
There was no need—she understood that the castle’s strange and unsettling nature would inevitably attract curious onlookers.
And with the certainty that the Aegis Law Pantheon refrained from directly interfering in worldly matters, she felt no reason for concern.
----
After a few hours, the heavy doors to her chambers opened with a low, deliberate sound.
Liliana didn’t glance up right away.
’About time,’ she thought, the quiet amusement curling through her mind.
’Curiosity always brings someone eventually.’
She lingered over another slow sip from her glass, the faint curve of a smile still playing on her lips, and only after a moment did she let her eyes drift toward the entrance.
Two figures stood just inside the doorway.
The first was a young human woman, perhaps in her mid-twenties, with sharp green eyes and short auburn hair cut close to her jaw.
She wore practical leathers reinforced with light plates of pale metal, and her posture was tight with restrained tension.
Beside her stood a Light Fae man, taller and slenderer, his skin carrying a soft inner glow and his long silver-blonde hair tied loosely at the nape of his neck.
Delicate luminous markings traced the outer edges of his cheekbones.
Both of them already looked as though they had been moving through the castle for some time—eyes still flicking across the dark stone walls, the black furnishings, the complete absence of the light that defined the rest of Cylas.
Their expressions held the same mixture of curiosity and wariness.
"A place like this... shouldn’t exist," the woman murmured, almost to herself. "The Angels can’t stand anything touched by darkness... how is a structure like this still standing?"
The Light Fae’s gaze drifted slowly across the chamber, his voice dropping to a softer tone.
"I’m not sure... but it’s surprising, to say the least."
Liliana’s smile deepened just enough to be sensed rather than plainly seen.
She set her wine glass down with a gentle clink against the black wood, then finally spoke, her words smooth and unhurried.
"Welcome," she said with a warm curve of her lips. "I’m sure you’ve traveled far... Sit, if you’d like."
With an elegant sweep of her pale hand, she motioned toward the chairs opposite her table.
As their eyes locked fully on her, both visitors froze.
The human woman’s breath hitched, and the Light Fae’s radiant markings dimmed to a muted glow.
"What... impossible," the woman whispered.
Her gaze locked onto Liliana’s crimson eyes and the unmistakable stillness of a vampire’s presence.
"Someone from the underside... How are you even alive on Cylas?"
Liliana arched one brow, the motion slow and deliberate.
’Hmmm, did the pantheon of Aegis Law... erase the underside or something?’
The thought passed through her mind without changing her expression.
She had expected wariness, even hostility, but the pure surprise in the woman’s voice suggested something more thorough than simple conquest.
Before she could answer, the Light Fae man spoke, his voice carrying both curiosity and caution.
His luminous markings remained dimmed, and one hand rested near the hilt of a slender blade at his side.
"What exactly is this place?" he asked, his eyes roaming the shadowy chamber as if the walls themselves might reveal the answer.
"A construct of pure darkness, right in the heart of Cylas... it shouldn’t even exist."
Liliana’s quiet, low chuckle barely rippled through the still air. She lifted her glass again, rolling it once between her fingers so the dark liquid caught a faint glimmer of light.
"Think of it as an information hub," she said with smooth precision, each word measured.
"I give something of value, and in return, I expect—or require—something of my choosing in exchange."
Her hand moved lazily, yet with precision, toward the chairs across from her.
"Perhaps... it’s time you satisfied that curiosity of yours."
The human woman and the Light Fae exchanged a glance.
In that silent look passed a shared calculation.
The vampire across from them showed no sign of pain, no weakening under the Creed of the Aegis Law Pantheon that ruled Cylas.
Whatever protection or loophole allowed her to exist here was real... and it was something they were interested in.
After a moment, the woman gave a small nod.
They stepped forward and lowered themselves into the offered seats, still tense, still watching her with open wariness, but not with any intentions to flee.