Chapter 58: Her Voice
Iradace, her identity exposed, remained silent. She had expected this. A being like Vivian, who had lived since ancient times, would have undoubtedly encountered her kind before.
But… to call them “kin” was a stretch.
Chimeras were not a natural race, but an experiment, a grotesque fusion of various bloodlines, an abomination.
They were a creature of fantasy, their very existence a delicate balance of conflicting powers. They could wield the abilities of various bloodlines, their appearance a strange mixture of different races.
Each Chimera was unique, a one-of-a-kind creation.
But the name “Chimera,” meaning “an impossible dream,” was also a curse. The conditions for their creation were incredibly strict.
Besides those who had fled the Place of Divine Advent, only to meet their doom, Iradace was the last of her kind in the Abyss.
She had wanted the Ice Demon heritage because she could truly integrate it into her own being.
But she had also relied on the “Ghost” because of her own unstable nature.
And she had remained at the Destruction Class level for the same reason. To grow stronger was to risk a complete, catastrophic imbalance.
To be a Chimera was to possess incredible power, but it was also a curse.
When she had first seen Bai transform, she had thought she had found another of her kind. That was why she had followed her.
But… Bai’s power was far beyond hers. And her transformations were so… complete.
So, she had known. Bai was not a Chimera.
But… she had a feeling that Bai’s ability to switch between bloodlines was the ideal future for her kind, a future free from the constant conflict of their own being.
“Although Chimeras are rare, and I haven’t seen one in thousands of years, if you wish to covet my clan’s bloodline…” Vivian said, her voice soft, but Iradace heard the chilling threat beneath it.
Even her softest words were laced with a deadly menace.
“Of course, of course, I wouldn’t dare…” Iradace said, almost swearing an oath.
She needed a powerful, stable bloodline, but she wasn’t suicidal…
Many powerful races had fallen in the Abyss, not just the Ice Demons. If she couldn’t have the Ice Demon’s heritage, she would find another.
She didn’t need to provoke the Vampires, who were still a formidable power… she was well aware of that. So, the bloodlines she had absorbed were mostly from extinct or weakened demon races.
“Hmm, and since you are on good terms with the Princess, I’ll give you another piece of advice,” Vivian’s voice turned serious. “Do not try to pry into the Princess’s affairs. She is completely different from you.”
“More accurately… I suspect the creation of the Chimeras is related to her origins.”
Bai’s ability to switch bloodlines was no secret. Vivian had been watching her, and she knew.
At first, she had also thought Bai was a Chimera. But then she had realized a Chimera was just a crude imitation of her power.
Bai’s transformations were not just physical, but spiritual. Her very soul changed.
The ability to change one’s soul… it was incredible.
That was why everyone who met her immediately identified her as a member of that race. She was completely different from a Chimera.
“And now, Little… Princess?” Iradace asked curiously. It seemed her identity had been confirmed. There shouldn’t be any more trouble, right?
“She’s resting in the palace. When she wishes to leave, she will inform you,” Vivian said, standing up. “You will wait here. My clan’s territory… if we find any outsiders wandering around, we will kill them.”
Iradace quickly suppressed the thought of exploring. “I had heard the Vampires were xenophobic, but I didn’t expect… this…”
Every other faction had a few outsiders in their territory. Even mortal enemies had some level of… interaction.
But the Vampires were different. To enter their territory without permission was an act of war.
“But why did we end up in Vampire territory? I was so careful to avoid it…” Iradace wondered, a nagging feeling in the back of her mind.
…
“Is this… Queen Shaya’s guidance?”
Bai walked through the palace, the decorations growing simpler the deeper she went.
At the very end of the palace complex was Shaya’s private chambers.
Although she rarely visited, the rooms were immaculately clean, tended to by a dedicated staff of maids.
After her duel with Vivian, Vivian had acknowledged her as a princess, and had granted her access to the palace.
And when Bai had expressed a desire to see Shaya’s chambers, Vivian hadn’t objected, had even given her directions.
As she approached her destination, she felt a strange stirring in her bloodline, a feeling that had been growing stronger since she had entered the Abyss.
And it had been this feeling that had led her astray, had led her into Vampire territory.
“Queen Shaya… Big Sister, are you trying to see me?”
She sighed. Her memories of Shaya were a confused jumble.
One moment, she was a proud, arrogant young woman, her dark red hair a striking flame.
The next, a lost, bewildered girl, wandering barefoot through a desolate landscape, her body wreathed in silver fire.
And finally, a small, sobbing child, so different from the Shaya she knew, yet so real.
As she stepped into Shaya’s room, the memories vanished.
But tears were streaming down her face.
“…Forget… me…”
A voice whispered in her ear.
But it was her own voice.
