Aldrich emerged from the enveloping darkness and found himself back in the

Death Lord's realm. He was not standing, but laying down, staring up at the

yawning void of darkness within the Bell of Absolution.

It was a jarring sensation, being in one realm, then another with barely a hint

of transition. What was even more jarring was the immediate sense of

weakness he felt, like his body was still made of frail esh and had gone

through a week of starvation.

The culprit for all this, however, was right in front of him. No, to be more

precise, she was sprawled on top of him.

Valera was sprawled atop Aldrich, legs pinned against his waist in a vice grip as

she sunk her warm fangs deep into his neck. Her arms were hugged tightly

around Aldrich in an embrace that managed to be both caring and rm.

"I-I'm back," managed out Aldrich as he felt his health rapidly deteriorating.

"Stop doing weird things to him!" The Chrysalis pushed against Valera, though

with how strong Valera was, the push barely even registered to her.

"Mmm. My apologies, master," said Valera as she tore herself away from

Aldrich's neck with trembling eort. Her voice was a little listless, like she was

under the inuence, and she did not even register the Chrysalis's presence.

When her face was far enough away, he immediately felt his instincts send a

signal of alarm.

Her red eyes were wide and manic with a wide, fanged, bloodsmeared smile

oozing with overwhelming, crazed desire. She looked down at Aldrich's neck,

then at his lips, and licked her own like a hungry predator. "B-but your blood...

you know how sweet it is for me...how warm it makes me inside-,"

Valera started to slowly reach down again, back to Aldrich's neck. This time, he

stopped her with a light bonk to the top of her head with a chopping motion.

"Not now - there are children here," said Aldrich.

That tap to her head calmed her down a little.

"A-a child?" Valera's red gaze glanced over to the Chrysalis, nally registering

things properly. "Let me cool down, master," said Valera with heavy breaths.

She began to regulate them, probably through some meditative method she

learned from her warrior's training. And as she did so, the ush in her pale

cheeks started to die down.

Aldrich was about to let his hand go from her head, but she kept it there with

her own hand. "Keep your hand there. I like it. And it helps me focus."

Aldrich did as she asked, and in thirty seconds, she nodded and opened her

eyes. This time, her eyes did not shine with feral desire anymore. They were

calm. Dignied. Like they usually were.

She shyly looked away from Aldrich. "Apologies. That was unseemly behavior

from me."

"No, I understand. It's just a side eect of drinking my blood." Aldrich tried to

get up from under Valera but realized he could not budge her monstrous

strength. Without any enhancements from the Death Lord, he truly was a whole

tier below real physical powerhouses like Valera and Volantis.

"I believe your master wishes to actually move." The Death Lord came into

Aldrich's vision. "Goodness, as a lady, you must learn to control yourself. Or

else your dear master may nd himself enthralled in the presence of a real lady

such as my-"

Valera instantly got o of Aldrich in attack, swiping at the Death Lord's neck

with her bare black claws. She stopped right before the claws touched the Death

Lord's neck.

"Are you going to nish that sentence?" hissed Valera. She glared at the Death

Lord. "You may be worthy enough in strength to stand by my master, but until

he acknowledges you himself, I will never accept you."

The Death Lord smiled at Valera, not at all caring that sharp black claws were

just a centimeter away from reaching into her exposed neck. "Look, I got you

o of him so quickly. And do not be so feral, vampire. I will not stand in your

way. At best, I may stand with you if your master allows it. And if I nd myself

even interested enough to entertain the idea."

Valera frowned but withdrew her claws. She could not really do anything to the

Death Lord anyway. Her initial attack was probably an instinctive reaction

meant to tear apart anyone that tried to tear Aldrich away from her.

Aldrich looked at Valera, then at the Death Lord. He had no idea that the Death

Lord would ever be interested in him in that way. But it was surface level

interest, at best.

Good, honestly. Any more than that and he would have a headache. He had not

even begun to properly navigate his relationship with Valera, let alone anyone

else, if even that was something he wanted.

"Ladylike behavior? Bollocks." Rella growled from afar, watching with her

muscular arms crossed in front of her chest. "When strong women lie with

strong men, there is no room for 'ladies' and 'gentlemen'. Only raw passion."

Just as Aldrich was wondering and pitying about the men that had been crushed

under Rella, the Chrysalis spoke up. "I don't get all this. What's everyone

talking about?"

"Nothing," said Aldrich quickly as he got on his feet. The Chrysalis hugged his

leg and peered up at all the strange women around her.

"This is the Chrysalis," said Aldrich.

"That crystal creature turned into this...child?" Valera cocked her head at the

Chrysalis.

"The creature created a soul and lled it in with the Death Walker as a base,"

said the Death Lord. "It is almost identical to what happens when a mother

bears a child. A child-like form is thus quite tting."

"I see." Valera put a thinking hand to her chin. "So my master has given birth,"

she said, completely serious.

"I would very much prefer if you all did not put it like that," said Aldrich with a

sigh.

"In any case, any child of my master's is a child of mine to protect!" Valera

declared as she knelt down and tried extending an inviting hand to the

Chrysalis. "Come, let me hold you, child."

The Chrysalis hid behind Aldrich's legs, avoiding Valera.

"Crazy woman," said the Chrysalis.

Valera looked like she had suered emotional damage. She looked up at Aldrich

with pleading eyes, wordlessly asking him what she should do.

"...Just give her some time," said Aldrich. He had to admit he was not an expert

either.

"Hah! You have no idea how to deal with a child, I see," said the Death Lord.

"As expected a vampire whelp. Watch me."

The Death Lord looked down at the Chrysalis with a cold, calculating gaze like

she was assessing how ripe a fruit was. "My my, you have quite the potential.

How about it, then, do you wish to inherit some of my grand magics? Magics

that have turned entire kingdoms of people into naught but bloodied icicles,

their screams of terror eternally captured in their frozen tombs?

Does that not sound wondrously fun?"

The Chrysalis widened her eyes at the Death Lord and the horrifying images she

drew up with her words. She kept hiding behind Aldrich. "Scary woman...,"

"And who was supposed to be the expert here?" said Valera as she eyed the

Death Lord with a triumphant smile, as if she had done any better.

"This...this usually works." The Death Lord faintly blushed as she put a hand to

her chin, completely lost on why her 'approach' did not work.

Aldrich stared blankly at Valera and the Death Lord. He had always had a soft

spot for children and their innocence, but he knew he was bad with them

because of his lack of expressiveness.

But these two had way, way too much expressiveness, and none of it good. They

were even worse than he was when it came to parenting.

"Children are simple creatures," began Rella as she started to come closer with

thudding steps. "They grow best under danger, just as I did. I suggest-,"

Aldrich, Valera, and the Death Lord all simultaneously stared at Rella with

disapproving looks. Even though all of them were bad at handling children,

they still knew Rella would be worse than bad - a veritable disaster.

She probably thought about tossing the kid into a dungeon or something.

"...I will stop now," said Rella.

"Good." Aldrich sighed. As he did so, he felt a sharp pain at his chest, where his

heart was. It was that same feeling of a blade twisting in his heart. The feeling

he had pressed on through when he had come face to face with his deepest fear.

He grimaced as he clutched his heart.

"Are you okay?" the Chrysalis was rst to respond to Aldrich, tugging

worriedly at his pant leg.

"Master-," began Valera in a worry of her own.

"Do not work yourselves up over this." The Death Lord, in contrast to everyone

else, smiled proudly. "Instead, rejoice! This is a cause for celebration - the

Death Walker has truly unlocked his Boundary.

That feeling, Death Walker, that is your Trigger to unseal your Boundary. Keep

that feeling in your mind. Engrave it in your being. Never forget it.

When you wish to unseal your Boundary, imagine that feeling again. That pain.

It will be the key to unlock your inner realm and expand it upon your current

plane of existence."

Aldrich took in a deep breath as he felt the pain of his heart getting pierced. He

committed it deeply to his memory as the Death Lord said, though that was not

hard considering how strongly he had felt it just minutes before.

"Alright, then I'll test it out now-," began Aldrich as he held out a hand,

keeping that feeling of his heart tearing in his mind. Waves of darkness began

to icker around his body.