The sorceress continued her narrative, "Even when confronted with such deliberate provocation, the farmer exhibited no visible anger. 'Do you comprehend why I dwell in isolation within this remote settlement?' he inquired. 'I once held status as an Advanced Vampire, but that distinction has been stripped from me. I have fallen—descended to such depths that I must sustain my existence on the blood of mere animals.'"

  "...That declaration carries more terror than any expression of rage could."

  "Indeed," she concurred. "Dania anticipated her execution that very night, but instead he selected a more ostensibly merciful alternative: instructing her to gather her possessions and depart."

  "Then why play the part of a father for five long years?"

  "My own guess is that the vampire felt a genuine pang of pity for the lost, helpless little girl Dania was, and so he took her in. At least, that was likely true until he discovered her own dark secret. Dania, however, would hear none of it. She was convinced he had always intended to bleed her dry, and that he had kept her merely for his own amusement, like a pet, and so the years had somehow slipped by."

  "Such a possibility cannot be dismissed. I cannot begin to fathom how such entities conceptualize existence, or how fundamentally their thought processes diverge from human consciousness." Raveirmom Dear exhaled heavily. "Did Dania Lassō eventually expose his true nature to others?"

  "She did not," she replied. "I represented the first recipient of this knowledge, and you now constitute the second. For my intrusion, Dania administered a stinging slap that following morning—I had surreptitiously monitored her somniloquy. Nevertheless, she subsequently disclosed the complete narrative. Following her departure from the Skronzinger village, she wandered extensively before ultimately reaching Godma, where she encountered her eventual mentor, Nara Lassō. This encompasses her experience."

  "She adopted her mentor's surname?" Raveirmom interjected with unexpected sharpness.

  "What? Ah...you refer to 'Lassō.' Most sorcerers do not go about using their true names, for names… well, to put it simply, names have power. Many use only a given name, and keep their family name a secret. As you know, for example, most people know me only as Lostya, or by that gods-awful moniker, 'The Wind of Catoria'. But the name 'Lassō' is different. It is an honorific, one that can only be claimed by a mage who has mastered and can wield the Eternal Magic. Some mages will even cast aside their own birth names to earn the right to bear it."

  "So it functions as a symbol of prestige?" "It serves as confirmation of identity," she corrected with precision.

  "One aspect intrigues me," Raveirmom ventured. "You abstain from utilizing Eternal Magic?"

  The atmosphere crystallized into frigidity; Lostya Huggins regarded him with unmistakable contempt. "Your approach to conversation demonstrates remarkable directness," she observed acerbically. "I can wield Eternal Magic. I choose not to change my name. It is as simple as that."

  The duke elected to redirect their discourse without offering apology for his impertinence. "Let us return to our central inquiry, Lostya Huggins. Do you maintain that Blood Race entities orchestrated your pursuit through Wymar Forest?"

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  "The probability approaches certainty, Raveirmom Dear," she responded, deliberately employing his complete appellation. "Regarding these injuries—" she drew aside her garment, "observe this distinct talon laceration. This resulted from contact with that bat—a massive specimen equivalent in size to your raptor. I cannot conceive of any entity beyond Blood Race capable of either controlling or metamorphosing into such a creature."

  "Should confrontation with these entities prove inevitable, intelligence becomes paramount. Unfortunately, our knowledge remains woefully inadequate—your experience constitutes mere indirect contact. What I must determine is whether they, analogous to Wolfkin, maintain communal existence, or operate through solitary predation."

  The sorceress unconsciously touched her throat. "Definitive conclusions remain elusive, though I suspect parallels with Wolfkin social structures. He told her he was once a High Vampire, but had since fallen, and was now an outcast from his own kind. The very concept of exile necessitates previous integration within a cohesive society—this represents Dania's interpretation and my own. This precise element generated her profound trepidation. The agricultural vampire demonstrated complete indifference toward her threatened exposure; he had established with absolute clarity that betrayal would invoke retribution from his kindred. Regardless of his actual intentions, this implication rooted itself within her consciousness as both fear and profound resistance."

  "Celestial powers," Raveirmom Dear exhaled with resignation. "We face simultaneous confrontation with two non-human species about which we possess virtually no reliable intelligence." He rose from his seated position, eliciting Lostya's unvoiced relief at his departure from her bedside. "I must immediately commence strategic formulation—developing contingencies for conflict with both Wolfkin and Blood Race. Does any individual possess substantive knowledge of these entities while simultaneously demonstrating combat capability?"

  "Monster Slayers exclusively—the category of individual who accompanied me against the Crescent Wolfkin. Their professional existence centers on such confrontations; they must necessarily have accumulated significant information regarding both species."

  "How might we locate such individuals?"

  "That remains indeterminate," she admitted. "They maintain extraordinary secrecy and represent an exceptionally rare profession. However—" she introduced a deliberate pause, "accept my assurance that they demonstrate minimal utility in conventional warfare. When confronting the Wolfkin, even the Monster Slayer exhibited profound terror. Ten common spearmen would provide superior military value."

  The duke reclaimed his position on the bed's edge, prompting Lostya's internal malediction. "At last I identify the fundamental issue." The sorceress adjusted her attire, repositioned her pillow, and settled herself with attentive posture. "Your description indicates both Wolfkin and Vampires excel in concealment techniques, integrating seamlessly within human populations. This behavioral pattern strongly suggests deliberate evasion of discovery."

  She tilted her head inquisitively. "This assessment aligns with my initial analysis. However, I cannot reconcile this with the fact that both the Crescent Wolfkin I encountered and Dania's Advanced Vampire intentionally revealed their authentic nature."

  "I suspect each instance maintains its own rational explanation," he theorized. "Regarding the Wolfkin scenario: they orchestrated an elaborate deception involving a purported shapeshifter requiring curse elimination, while actually intending the Wolfkin to eliminate both of you. The Monster Slayer's presence constituted an unanticipated variable—his appearance represented a significant deviation from their stratagem. Had their targets consisted exclusively of two sorceresses dispatched to address a shapeshifter situation, suspicion would have inevitably followed. Their intention encompassed the complete elimination of all witnesses, but this objective failed—primarily due to the Monster Slayer's intervention."

  "Nevertheless, they successfully terminated Dania Lassō's existence," she noted with quiet intensity. "Upon discovering her remains, the entire settlement erupted in lupine vocalization. They deliberately revealed their true identity."

  "Their confidence in your imminent destruction allowed such revelation. However, they committed a second critical miscalculation—one of profound consequence. The Wolfkin failed to anticipate your capability to manifest a portal."