Chapter 259: A Drop of Blood
Ten steps, five steps... three steps left!
Adele had to bend down slightly to peek out of the cave. Her heart pounded with a nervous excitement, the only comfort the warmth of the small hand holding her finger. She held her strongest attack spell at the ready – the Magic Fishing Rod. Though a bit embarrassing, it was her most powerful offensive magic, a technique honed by First Snow during her centuries of... well, not studying magic. It was like a concentrated burst of energy, capable of piercing even a Gryphon’s tough hide.
Wofoo followed closely behind, ready to shift into her berserker form and shield Adele if necessary. It was a risky move; the berserker state dulled her pain receptors, making her a formidable fighter but also vulnerable to overexertion.
But their preparations proved unnecessary. The Gryphon, a hulking, ashen gray monstrosity, remained motionless, its only sign of life the eerie glow in its eyes.
Adele and Wofoo exchanged a nervous glance, then stepped out of the cave, the Gryphon’s imposing shadow falling over them. It was a creature of the gray fog, a mindless killing machine, its presence a constant threat. And yet, it stood there, frozen, as if awaiting orders. They both knew the reason: the little girl in red, Xiao Ai, who still held Adele’s hand.
Xiao Ai hadn’t learned to speak yet, only the word “Mama.” Adele wished she could explain how she controlled the Gryphon, but even without words, Xiao Ai’s power was evident, her connection to the Secret Realm undeniable. It was a power that benefited Adele, and she wouldn’t question it, not yet.
“Xiao Ai, my little superhero!” Adele scooped the child into her arms, nuzzling her cheek.
A giggle, pure and innocent, filled the air. It was perhaps the happiest day of Xiao Ai’s existence, a stark contrast to the fear and loneliness she had endured before Adele’s arrival. She had hidden from the “adults” who searched for her, their purpose unknown, their presence a threat.
Only once had she been... found. And then there were the intrusions of the young vampires, like today, their presence a disruption she dealt with swiftly, summoning the gray fog and its monstrous inhabitants to eliminate them.
Yes, even the gray fog itself was under her control.
She had intended to hide, to protect herself from these intruders, to drive them from her sanctuary. But among them, she had sensed Adele, a familiar presence, a connection that ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) resonated deep within her soul.
In that instant, Xiao Ai had found her purpose. She had been waiting for Adele. Adele’s arrival in this pure land, the shifting landscape, the blossoming flowers – it was all Xiao Ai’s doing. She was the master of this Secret Realm, a being of immense power, perhaps the very “spirit” or “elf” spoken of in vampire legends, the guardian of the Blood Secret Realm.