Five minutes before Jin's ascension into a Progenitor…

The Elven Forest was burning. The Bloodborne House's grand scheme, the plan to resurrect the First Vampire, has entered its final phase. At this point, the operatives allied with the Bloodborne House didn't have any particular motive. Their sole goal was to draw the Elves' attention away from the World Tree and buy time for the High Elder to complete his ritual.

The Bloodborne House's assault had significantly slowed, and their positions had become more defensive. After wreaking havoc at the Elven Sanctuary, the elites from the Bloodborne House maintained a perimeter around the World Tree, preventing any Elf or Vampire from disrupting the High Elder.

This was the perfect opportunity for the Elves to regroup and stem the bleeding they'd incurred. Though, that didn't mean they would postpone their counter-attack. Quite the contrary, actually.

Fueled by rage and the desire for vengeance, every single Elf had turned their attention to the dastardly bastards that dared to invade their holy land and even threaten the World Tree. And was one Elf who was far more incensed than any other…

"Miriel… Are you sure you don't want to rest?"

Eminence Veralyn of the Shadowgarden House looked back at the fatigued Elf standing by her side. Her clothes had been torn, and her pristine golden hair had been turned entirely unkempt. The High Priestess' gorgeous appearance had turned sour, as her eyes were completely bloodshot, and her body seemed like it had been through an intense whirlwind.

Usually, Eminence Veralyn would laugh at her long-time friend's appearance and even joke around to get one up on her. However, the Shadowgarden Matriarch didn't have the mood to do such a thing, given the Elven High Priestess' current volatile mood.

"Rest? Those fools had just defaced my Elven Forest, and you ask me to rest? They've even blocked the path to the World Tree, the one thing I swore to protect!!! There's no way I can relax now!"

"Still… You're in no state to fight right now. Our Shadowgarden House can shoulder some of the burdens for now."

"Burden? If you had told us about the Bloodborne House's plans earlier, we wouldn't be in this state!" The High Priestess couldn't help but snap. However, almost immediately after saying those words, the otherworldly woman regained some composure and continued: "No, blaming you is useless. It's our inaptitude that has caused this mess. A thousand years of peace and us Elves have forgotten how to defend ourselves; how laughable."

The High Priestess sighed as she shook her head silently. Pulling up her staff, she summoned a torrent of Nature Magic that healed her wounds and mended her appearance. To soothe her mind, the affable Elf quickly changed the subject.

"Veralyn, where's Rosalyn?"

"She's with her friends," the Shadowgarden leader replied. "It seems they're angry at her for putting them into a coma. So they're currently in the midst of fighting."

"Fighting against each other? At this time?" Hearing something incredulous, the High Priestess raised her brow in shock.

"Well, it's better than having them face the enemy, right? Rosalyn is our trump card. The only one who can communicate with the World Tree. It would be best to keep her away from enemy eyes."

"I doubt that they can do anything to her, though…"

The High Priestess was well-aware of Rosalyn's capabilities. If they were within the Elven Forest, Rosalyn was effectively invincible. Every single plant in this dense rainforest was under her control, from the massive trees to every blade of grass. In fact, the High Priestess was even wondering why Rosalyn didn't protect the World Tree as she should have.

However, even the Elven High Priestess didn't have the guts to reprimand the only link they had with the World Tree. Which was why she could only grumble to her close friend in secret.

"Speaking of enemies, it seems like we have company."

Alas, as much as Eminence Veralyn wished for her friend to rest and recharge, the enemy didn't have the same intention. As they conversed, three distinct figures rushed over from the Bloodborne House's encirclement and stopped above their very eyes.

Three beautiful women, each more striking than the next, floated effortlessly in the sky as they glanced down at the Elf and Vampire.

The first one to step forward was a red-haired, brash-looking woman. Wearing a tight sports bra with even tighter ripped jeans, the woman seemed to be at the peak of physical health. Her belly was toned with steel abs, and her entire jawline barely had any fat. No, just by looking at her and the massive spear that hung behind her shoulders, one could tell that the woman was quickly at the rank of an Amazonian fighter.

The second woman was dressed much more conservatively. Rather, she seemed to be dolled up, as if she was getting ready for a fancy date at a rooftop bar. Pulling her blue hair to the side, the woman seemed disinterested in the battle as her eyes were constantly looking back at the World Tree as if she were a faithful dog waiting for its owner to return.

And finally…

"Consorts of Dracula… I didn't expect you guys to still be alive." The High Priestess spat. "Especially you… Second Consort. I'd thought that I would never see you step foot in the Elven Forest ever again."

"Oh, little Miriel, you're being cold to your aunt…" The yellow-haired woman let out a motherly smile as she tapped the side of her cheek with her hand. "Have you forgotten all of the good memories we shared when you were a child? I remember the good old days when you cried in my arms when my sister wasn't around. I'm sure you could be more accommodating to the woman who nursed you to sleep."

"Second Consort, mind yourself…" The High Priestess scowled as she sent a death glare flying at the yellow-haired lady.

"The moment you abandoned your Elven heritage, you lost all rights to familial ties. You're nothing more than an intruder and a menace to the Elven race."

"How regrettable," the Second Consort shook her head. "The Bloodborne House has never treated the Elves poorly. I don't understand what breeds this hostility?"

"... You don't understand?"

The history between Elves and Vampires dates back thousands of years ago. When Dracula Bloodborne, the First Vampire, decided to deny his Elven ways and create his own race, it brought nothing but trouble for the peace-loving Elves.

Never mind the endless wars that Dracula had brought onto their shores, but just the fact that he attempted to bring the Elven race under his rule was enough for the High Elves of the Forest to hate his Bloodline for the remainder of time.

Not to mention, his descendants had invaded the Elven Forest and blocked the pathways towards the World Tree. Even the tightest of familial bonds couldn't soothe the High Priestess' rage.

"Haha, we don't seek bloodshed, little Miriel." The Second Consort naturally knew of all these facts, but she chose to ignore them. Like a mother trying to coax a child, the yellow-haired woman suggested:

"Why don't you focus on treating your wounds and cleaning up the damage? Once our business with the Elven Forest is done, I promise we'll leave peacefully. You have my word as the Bloodborne House's second-in-command."

Seeing as her status as the High Priestess' Aunt didn't work, the Second Consort attempted a different approach. While the Elves still heavily outnumbered the Bloodborne House, their casualties weren't low. Furthermore, there were countless buildings destroyed, with even more currently burning. If the Elves didn't want to risk complete destruction of the Elven Sanctuary, a ceasefire was the wise move to make.

However…

"You think you can fool me? Your desire to resurrect the Progenitor using the World Tree is as clear as day! You think that us Elves will sit back as you defile the World Tree?!"

"Defile? How crude; we're only borrowing its power."

"To bring forth the greatest monstrosity the world has ever seen!!!"

In a fit of anger, the High Priestess said the one thing that no Bloodborne ever wanted to hear. The faces of all the consorts changed instantly, with colour being drained from their complexion. Even the bored Eight Consort, who had been wholly uninterested in the battle, sent a sharp gaze flying in the High Priestess' direction.

"Sister, you're wasting your breath." The impulsive, war-loving, Fifth Consort swung her spear around and pointed it straight at the Elven woman. "Their insolence knows no bounds. We should just kill them right now."

"I concur…" The Eight Consort spread her palm open, summoning out a translucent bubble. "Husband must be hungry when he awakens. Let's prepare some sacrifices, shall we?"

The Second Consort looked back at her bloodthirsty sisters with helpless eyes. Once they'd reached this state, there was no turning back.

"Why can't you understand that I wished to minimise the bloodshed of the Elves?"

"Showing compassion at this late stage? When you were the one who nearly crippled the Elves and killed my mother, your own sister, during the war your husband led? Don't try to trick me with your hypocrisy, Second Consort."

The Second Consort looked down at the matured Elven Priestess as a familiar image emerged from her brain. The image of her sister smiling so beautifully and purely, an image that had haunted her nightmares for millennia since.

'It's precisely because of that…'

Knowing that even if she tried to explain herself, neither side would back down. Alas, as the Second Consort and the second-in-command of the Bloodborne House, she could only choose one option.

"It's regrettable then… I liked you, little Miriel…"

Pointing her finger down at the High Priestess, the Second Consort readied herself for a battle to the death. However, before any magic could be fired…

BOOOMMMM!!!

A red pillar of blood rose toward the heavens, splitting the clouds and drawing everyone's attention. The three consorts, the Elves, the Shadowgardens… All of them stared at the pillar of blood with widened eyes, each with their own reasons.

As for the Bloodbornes…

"HUSBAND!!!!"

The Eight Consort lost all semblance of control and rushed straight toward the World Tree.

"It's finally done!!!"

The Fifth Consort beamed from ear to ear as she quickly followed. As much as she was a battle junkie, the Fifth Consort didn't wish to waste any more time, now that her husband had returned from the dead.

"... I'd thought that the Shadowgarden House had sabotaged the ritual. Why has it succeeded, Veralyn?"

"..."

The High Priestess and the Shadowgarden Matriarch were deathly silent, their eyes reflecting the unease that was going through their hearts. They didn't know if the ritual had succeeded or not, but if the Progenitor had really returned…

The Vampire race would have dark days ahead.

Fortunately, before darkness could envelop the entire Elven Forest, a shining ray of Emerald Light overpowered the bloody pillar. Signs of Life and Nature magic could be seen as the gloom and dread that hung over their bodies quickly evaporated away.

At this point, even the optimistic Second Consort felt a shiver down her spine.

"That's not Dracula… That's…"

The new power that emerged… It didn't have the signature bloody power that Dracula was known for, and yet… It possessed the exact same oppressiveness. It was the same feeling she had when Elf Dracula first changed his race into something more. Something far more powerful than any life form on the planet.

It felt as if…

A new Progenitor was born.

The Second Consort flew straight towards the World Tree, ignoring the ghastly stares of the Elves around her. If a new Progenitor was born, that meant that her only link to Dracula was in danger. The only person who was more important to her than Dracula himself.

"Julien!!!"