Supreme Hunter of Beautiful Souls

The green line did not disappear completely.

It remained stretched across the sea as the group passed through Amelia’s portal, but its intensity diminished with each passing second. Sylphie kept part of her energy attached to the trail until everyone had returned to the Kingdom of Witches. Only when the passage closed behind Violet and the agents carrying the Cradle’s first creation did she release the connection.

Kael felt the moment he left Orla.

It was not pain or a change in his channels. The sensation was closer to losing someone who had been watching him from afar. A constant attention abandoned the back of his neck for a few seconds and returned soon after, searching for him through the connections that crossed the realm.

"The Cradle can still sense you," Sylphie said, touching the center of his chest. "More weakly, but it can."

"Then we need to start now."

Amelia was already walking toward the containment room.

"Eleonor is preparing the spatial layers. Yggdrasil will isolate your natural connections, and Umbra will temporarily consume your shadow. That removes three references."

"How many are there?" Kael asked.

"Too many."

The answer came from Mariel. The Cartographer had been brought to the central hall, still restrained and accompanied by two agents. Her single eye followed Kael attentively, but there was no satisfaction on her face. The emergence of the first creation seemed to have shaken her as well.

"Your name is tied to territories, people, artifacts, blood, and events," she continued. "You left marks everywhere you went. You destroyed ancient structures, crossed barriers, opened passages, and altered memories. Making Kael Scarlet disappear is not the same as hiding a man."

Kael stopped in front of her.

"But it is possible."

"For a few minutes, perhaps. The problem is bringing you back."

Umbra emerged behind Mariel and rested her chin on top of the woman’s head.

"I can keep it."

Mariel closed her eyes in irritation.

"A shadow cannot keep an entire name."

"My shadow keeps many things."

"Bodies are not names."

Umbra smiled, and a small mouth opened in the darkness beneath the chair.

"Some of them still scream their names."

Mariel fell silent.

Kael looked at Amelia.

"What’s the risk?"

"If we sever every reference at once, the world may accept your absence as permanent. When we undo the ritual, your body will be here, but the connections may not return. People will remember that someone existed without being able to associate that existence with you."

"That doesn’t sound so bad."

Sylphie grabbed his shirt.

"Maybe not to you. I don’t want to look at your face and have to ask who you are."

Kael watched her hand for a moment. The irritation vanished from his expression, replaced by something more serious.

"Then we need a reference outside the connections the Cradle knows."

Amelia nodded.

"Someone carrying something of yours who did not directly participate in the latest operations. Someone removed from Yggdrasil’s roots, Umbra’s shadows, and the Dead Paths. That person will preserve your identity while everything else is severed."

Irelia, who was waiting near the door, frowned.

"His blood is scattered across half the continent."

"We don’t need spilled blood," Amelia explained. "We need blood accepted by another body and transformed into a part of it."

Kael understood before the others.

"Elizabeth."

Amelia confirmed it.

"You fed the princess your blood. Normally, a vampire would have consumed all of it by now, but your energy remained connected to her channels during the examinations. A portion of it should still exist."

Sylphie did not look pleased.

"Does it have to be her?"

"You can choose to let Kael disappear without an anchor."

"That wasn’t what I asked."

Kael placed a hand on Sylphie’s shoulder.

"It’s only a ritual."

"All your problems begin with that sentence."

Amelia activated the communication crystal before the argument could grow. A response from the Vampire Kingdom arrived only a few minutes later. Liza did not ask for details through the crystal. As soon as she learned that the matter involved Kael, Elizabeth, and the blood shared between them, she demanded a direct passage to the Kingdom of Witches.

When the portal opened, Liza stepped through first.

The Vampire Queen wore black from head to toe, but red lines ran through the fitted fabric like inscriptions written in blood. The bodice shaped her waist and joined a long skirt that opened near the floor, while wide lace sleeves partially concealed her gloves. Her silver hair fell over her shoulders and down her back, contrasting with the crown of black thorns suspended around her head. Her golden eyes assessed the room, the agents, and the unconscious creature before settling on Kael.

Elizabeth came through next. The princess wore an old-fashioned black dress, secured by a corset and decorated with red bows over her chest and neck. Her pale hair was arranged perfectly around the small royal ornament tilted atop her head, but her red eyes showed far too much concern for such a controlled appearance.

Liza approached Kael.

"I was told you intend to erase your own existence."

"Temporarily."

"It is impressive how that word never makes your plans any less absurd."

Elizabeth looked at the bandage over his shoulder.

"You’re hurt again."

"It’s the same wound."

"That doesn’t make the explanation any better."

Amelia called them both to the central table and summarized what had happened in Orla. Liza listened without interrupting, although her expression grew colder when she learned that the Cradle had produced bodies using stolen memories, incompatible abilities, and an incomplete version of the Celestial Step.

When Amelia explained the need for an anchor, Elizabeth did not hesitate.

"I’ll do it."

Liza looked at her daughter.

"First, we need to know what the ritual requires."

"If it requires my blood, it doesn’t matter."

"It matters to me."

Amelia opened a diagram of the human body across the table.

"The connection must be exposed and isolated from all others. We will mark the channels through which Kael’s blood still circulates inside her body. Then Elizabeth and Kael will be placed in a chamber with no contact with the outside. During the ritual, only she will remember him."

Sylphie crossed her arms.

"Why do they both need to be inside?"

"Because the name must remain close to the anchor. If the distance increases, the connection will weaken."

"How close?"

Amelia pointed to the diagram.

"Physical contact."

Sylphie stared at her.

"Of course."

Kael massaged his forehead.

"How long?"

"Ten minutes, if everything works. Twenty if Eleonor has difficulty locating the Cradle. Any longer increases the risk of Elizabeth beginning to lose parts of the identity she is preserving."

Elizabeth studied the depiction of her own body on the table.

"Where will the marks be drawn?"

"Neck, chest, abdomen, hips, and upper legs. We need to leave as many of the channels accessible as possible."

An uncomfortable silence spread through the hall. Liza looked at Amelia, then at Elizabeth. Sylphie remained motionless, but the roots near the walls began to shift slowly.

Elizabeth took a deep breath.

"I understand."

Amelia summoned two assistants to prepare the princess. Liza accompanied her daughter to a side room while Kael was taken to the center of the chamber of absence. Eleonor had formed four layers of space around the room. Yggdrasil spread thin roots over the walls, not to sustain life but to prevent any natural current from entering. Umbra covered the entire ceiling like a dark, silent mass.

Mariel was placed behind a transparent barrier.

"Once you begin, the Eye of Direction will search for another reference," she explained. "Do not allow it to find the first creation."

Violet looked at the body trapped inside a containment capsule.

"We’ve already removed blood, shadow, mana, and visual contact."

"It still possesses the movement."

Kael studied the unconscious creature.

"Then destroy its legs if it wakes up."

Violet nodded without hesitation.

The side door opened a few minutes later.

Elizabeth returned wearing only a red lace ensemble prepared to allow access to the bloodlines. The bra had thin straps across her chest and small bows on her shoulders, while the lower piece was attached by clasps to red stockings that reached her thighs. A lace garter belt encircled her hips, leaving her abdomen completely exposed for the inscriptions.

Her extremely pale skin made the red appear even more intense.

Elizabeth stopped when she noticed everyone staring.

"Amelia said the fabric couldn’t cover the channels."

"I said light clothing would be better," Amelia corrected.

"This is what the assistants gave me."

Liza looked at the two witches responsible, who immediately pretended to be very busy organizing the instruments.

Sylphie turned her eyes to Kael.

"Don’t say anything."

"I didn’t."

"Don’t even think anything."

"That seems harder to control."

A root struck the back of his knee. Kael nearly lost his balance but managed to remain standing. Elizabeth covered her mouth, hiding a small smile, while Liza exhaled and decided not to interfere.

The markings were drawn with a mixture of Elizabeth’s blood, a drop taken from Kael, and liquid silver. Amelia began at the princess’s neck and continued across her shoulders, tracing around her chest without touching the fabric. Thin lines descended her abdomen, split across her hips, and reached her thighs, where containment symbols were placed near the clasps of her stockings.

The blood reacted immediately.

Small scarlet threads appeared beneath Elizabeth’s skin and began to pulse in time with Kael’s heart. The princess breathed more deeply as the connection strengthened. Her red eyes brightened, and for an instant she could sense not only his presence but the exact position of every channel in his body.

"I can feel you," she murmured.

Kael looked at her.

"Is that bad?"

"No." Elizabeth moved her hand toward his chest, hesitated, and then touched the green band. "It’s warm."

Sylphie stood beside Amelia.

"Start before I decide the Cradle can keep following him."

Kael and Elizabeth entered the chamber. There was no furniture, no windows, and no light source of its own. Only a circle on the floor indicated where they were to remain. Amelia instructed Elizabeth to sit in the center, then positioned Kael behind her, keeping one arm around her waist and his other hand over the mark near her heart.

The princess rested her back against his chest.

"Enough physical contact?" Kael asked.

Amelia examined the lines.

"For now. If the connection weakens, pull her closer."

Sylphie closed her eyes.

"I’m beginning to hate this operation."

Kael looked at her before the door closed.

"I’ll be back in ten minutes."

"You had better come back knowing who I am."

"You’re difficult to forget."

Some of the irritation disappeared from her face.

Eleonor activated the first layer.

The space around the chamber folded and removed its coordinates from the palace. Yggdrasil withdrew the natural energy, leaving the room without any sign of life. Umbra descended from the ceiling and passed through the barrier like smoke, wrapping around Kael’s feet before tearing his shadow from the floor.

The sensation was immediate.

Elizabeth felt his weight diminish behind her, even though his arm remained around her waist. Kael’s breath still reached her neck, but the sound seemed to come from very far away.

Outside, Sylphie blinked.

She looked at the chamber.

"Who’s in there?"

Amelia opened her mouth, but no answer came. She knew she had prepared the ritual for someone important. She recognized the sword left on the table and the bloodstained bandages. Yet whenever she tried to form a face or a name, her thoughts found an empty space.

Irelia clutched her own head.

"Something is wrong."

Liza looked at her daughter through the barrier.

"Why is Elizabeth embracing that man?"

"What man?" Violet asked.

Eleonor did not allow the confusion to interrupt the work.

"Track the Cradle."

Mariel was the only one who did not try to remember Kael. Her eye fixed on the Eye of Direction. The pointer spun violently inside the box, searching for a connection that no longer existed.

Inside the chamber, Elizabeth tightened her fingers around the arm encircling her waist.

"Kael."

He felt relief when he heard her say his name.

"You still remember."

"Yes."

"Then it’s working."

Elizabeth turned her face just enough to see him.

"Did everyone else forget?"

"Probably."

"Even Sylphie?"

"Temporarily."

A small, guilty satisfaction crossed the princess’s face.

"Don’t look so happy."

"I’m not happy."

"Your heart sped up."

Elizabeth blushed.

"I can feel yours now. That’s unfair."

Kael pressed his hand against the mark near her heart when the lines began to weaken. The princess’s body trembled slightly, but she did not try to pull away.

Outside, the Eye of Direction stopped.

Mariel moved closer to the barrier.

"It lost the reference."

Eleonor opened a map across the table. The green line left by Sylphie appeared faintly over the ocean, advanced through a region with no marked territory, and then became completely still.

"I found it."

Amelia recovered enough focus to record the coordinates.

"What’s there?"

"Nothing," Eleonor replied. "At least, nothing that remains in the same place for long."

Mariel recognized the path’s structure.

"A sunken sanctuary. It crosses the Dead Paths during low tide and returns to the world near dawn."

Violet placed her hand on her sword.

"Then we attack now."

"No," Eleonor said. "First we return whoever is inside that chamber."

Sylphie looked at the closed door. She still could not remember the name, but something inside her ached whenever she watched Elizabeth’s silhouette leaning against the man.

"Quickly."

Eleonor undid the first layer. Yggdrasil returned natural energy to the room while Umbra released the shadow she had swallowed. The darkness spread beneath Kael’s feet and reconnected to his body.

The memories returned all at once.

Sylphie nearly tore the door off before Amelia removed the seals. As soon as the passage opened, she entered, grabbed Kael by the shirt, and pulled him away from Elizabeth.

"Ten minutes."

Kael regained his balance.

"I told you."

"I really forgot you."

"I missed you too."

Sylphie remained silent for a moment, then hugged him tightly enough to press against his injured shoulder. Kael did not complain. Elizabeth remained seated inside the circle, still breathing deeply as the markings faded from her skin.

Liza entered and covered her daughter with a black cloak.

"Are you all right?"

"I am." Elizabeth held the fabric around her shoulders and looked at Kael. "I can still feel a little of it."

Amelia examined the residual lines.

"The connection has returned to its previous state. It will gradually disappear."

Elizabeth did not look particularly pleased about that part.

Eleonor placed the map in front of Kael.

"The Cradle stopped here."

Kael studied the marked point.

"How long until it returns to the world?"

"Thirty-four minutes."

"Prepare two portals. One above the sanctuary and another beneath the predicted exit. If it attempts to move again, we’ll trap the chamber between the two spaces."

Mariel watched how quickly everyone returned to obeying him.

"You just returned to existence, and you already want to throw yourself into the Dead Paths."

Kael picked up the sword left on the table.

"I’m not going to throw myself in."

Sylphie remained clinging to his arm.

"I’m going with you."

"That was what I was going to say."

Liza helped Elizabeth to her feet.

"And us?"

Kael looked at the two vampires.

"The first creation possesses vampiric regeneration and a blood connection to the Cradle. I want you beside Violet. If it wakes up, find out who provided the bloodline."

Liza nodded. Elizabeth still looked slightly dizzy, but her eyes settled on the creature inside the capsule.

The test body opened its eyes at that exact moment.

The chains pulled taut. Violet drew her sword while Liza released a crushing pressure over the capsule. The creature did not try to move. It only slowly turned its face toward Kael.

"You disappeared."

"You noticed?"

"So did he."

Kael approached the glass.

"Who?"

The creature’s white eyes began to darken. A red stain appeared at the center of each one, forming unstable pupils.

"The name."

Inside the map, the point marked by Eleonor pulsed.

Once.

Twice.

Then it began to divide.

Kael looked at Mariel.

"What does that mean?"

The color drained from the Cartographer’s face.

"The Cradle didn’t stop because it ran out of paths."

"Then why?"

"Because it reached its destination."

Far away, inside a sanctuary that existed between the bottom of the ocean and the Dead Paths, the circular chamber opened for the first time.

The dark liquid slowly drained from the central tank. A body remained standing within it, covered by long silver hair. The golden and scarlet lines copied from Kael ran along its arms, but they were not attempting to form the Celestial Step.

They were writing something else.

An identity.

The woman opened her eyes.

One was red.

The other was gold.

Outside the tank, several hooded figures knelt. None dared raise their head as the glass dissolved and the new creation placed its first foot on the floor.

"Your Majesty," one of them murmured. "The Cradle is complete."

The woman studied her own hands, feeling thousands of memories trying to occupy the same space within her mind. Some knew Kael as an enemy. Others as a savior, king, monster, ally, or beloved man.

None of them were enough to define him.

She smiled.

"No."

The stolen mana surged through her body and made the entire sanctuary tremble.

"The Cradle has only just begun."

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