An hour later, a group of people left the castle and sped northward.
Kiz and Elia sat inside the fastest carriage, while the guards followed closely behind, riding Nightmare Beasts.
Inside the carriage, both were silent.
It was quite a while before Elia finally spoke. “Lillian… what kind of person is she, really?”
“Like a child who never grows up. The first time I met her was when I went to discuss some official business with Lisa… She was just over a hundred years old at the time, and she came bouncing over to ask if I could play with her…”
“Hmm. And if Lillian really was kidnapped by the Holy Grail Order, what do you think they want?” Elia asked this question again.
“Who knows… But whatever they want, I’ll make them pay for it.” Kiz said softly, her voice laced with killing intent.
The carriage raced through the night… and when the dawn light illuminated the distant mountains, the outline of the City of Shadows finally came into view.
The City of Shadows was nestled in a valley surrounded by mountains. The entire city was built from black stone, and the city walls were carved with ancient defensive runes.
Moreover, even in the early morning, a faint layer of shadow enveloped the city sky. It was said to be the unique Shadow Power of the Lasombra Clan.
The carriage stopped before the city gate.
The guards recognized the flag representing the Camarilla Imperial Family and immediately let them pass.
Immediately, the carriage headed towards the castle at the city’s center.
Residents on both sides of the street stopped to watch and whispered among themselves.
The Blood Princess herself was visiting… something big must have happened.
Upon reaching the castle, they saw Lisa Lasombra standing at the entrance waiting for them.
She still appeared as gentle as before, her purple eyes calm as water, a faint smile gracing her lips…
But Elia noticed her aura had gained a trace of coldness and killing intent.
“Kiz, Elia, you’ve had a long journey,” she said softly as she approached.
“Is there any news about Lillian?” Kiz got straight to the point.
Hearing this, Lisa’s smile faded slightly. “Let’s go inside first to talk.”
The three of them proceeded to a private reception room.
Only after the door was closed did a crack finally appear in Lisa’s expression.
“Still no trace. We’ve searched an area of several thousand kilometers around, but there isn’t even a hint of her.”
Kiz frowned. “Then, could she have hidden somewhere? With Lillian’s mischievous nature, maybe…”
“No, she wouldn’t disappear for no reason for this long. And besides…”
Then, Lisa took out a letter.
“This was found in my study yesterday morning.”
Kiz took the letter and read its contents aloud. “If you want her alive, don’t meddle… and the signature is… the Holy Grail Order.”
Elia’s eyes turned cold. “It really is them.”
Looking at the letter, a flash of crimson light flickered in Lisa’s purple eyes.
It was fleeting, but Elia clearly caught it… that was definitely killing intent… a torrent of killing intent hidden beneath her gentle exterior.
“So why would they kidnap Lillian? Although Lillian is the third young lady of the Lasombra Clan, she has never been involved in politics and has no grudge against them.”
Lisa was silent for a few seconds about this. “Whatever the reason… I will definitely make them regret what they’ve done.”
“So, we must find the Holy Grail Order’s stronghold. Otherwise, we have no way to start,” Kiz said.
“Hmm… Strongholds… It’s said the Holy Grail Order once had several secret bases within the Blood Clan’s territory, but they’ve all been abandoned for years.”
After saying this, Lisa stood up and walked to the bookshelf by the wall. She pulled out an ancient text and continued, “This is a historical record collected by the Lasombra Clan, documenting many ancient secrets…”
Then she opened the book and quickly skimmed through it.
Kiz and Elia also leaned in to look. They saw the pages contained some complex diagrams, with explanations annotated in ancient vampire script.
“The Holy Grail Order… their most active period within the Blood Clan’s territory was about eight hundred years ago,” Lisa said while reading.
“At that time, they had brief cooperation with the Blood Clan, but later they fell out… and the few bases they left behind were basically all destroyed.”
“Is it possible they rebuilt one of the bases?” Elia asked.
“It’s possible, but that would require a long time and be easily discovered.”
Lisa continued turning the pages…
Suddenly, she stopped. “Wait! This is…”
Seeing this, Kiz quickly leaned in to look.
On that page was a drawing of a double door. The left side was carved with a sun, the right side with a moon, and in the middle was a crack that looked like it had been split by something.
“This is the Twin Gates…” Lisa murmured.
“The Twin Gates… I remember hearing about them somewhere…” Kiz lowered her head in thought. “Ah, right! Isn’t it in the Vampire Forbidden Land?”
“Yes. The Vampire Forbidden Land is one of the Blood Clan’s oldest holy sites, where the relics of the Progenitor Cain are buried… And the Twin Gates are the final barrier to enter the forbidden land. Legend says only the true Vampire King can open them. But the Twin Gates were destroyed thousands of years ago… It’s said they were split by a certain rebellious Vampire Prince. Since then, that holy land became a forbidden land, and no one has entered it again.” Lisa solemnly spoke this long passage.
Elia stared at the drawing of the gate and suddenly said, “The Boundary of Light and Shadow.”
Hearing this, Lisa was taken aback. “What?”
“The documents we found earlier in the temple ruins mentioned this ‘Boundary of Light and Shadow’… I never understood what it meant… but now…” Elia pointed to the sun and moon on the door.
“Look, the left is light, the right is shadow. So, aren’t these Twin Gates exactly that boundary between light and shadow?”
“You’re saying the Origin Point is the Vampire Forbidden Land?” Kiz’s eyes lit up.
“That possibility is very high. And perhaps the Holy Grail Order is using this destroyed Twin Gates as a sort of beacon to gather their people.”
“The forbidden land… So what are those guys doing in the forbidden land?” Lisa asked.
“Who knows… But since Lillian was captured, it’s likely they took her there. So we must go to the forbidden land.” Elia patted the table and said firmly.
The Vampire Forbidden Land was located in the deepest part of the Blood Clan’s territory, amidst mountains shrouded in mist.
It was perpetually enveloped in Taboo Magic.
Ordinary vampires couldn’t even approach it; they would bleed from all seven orifices and die if they got close.
Even high-ranking vampires needed special talismans to enter.
Lisa prepared three talismans, one each for Kiz, Elia, and herself.
“These talismans can resist the Taboo Magic on the outskirts of the forbidden land. But I’m not sure what will happen once we go inside,” Lisa said.
Elia took the talisman and hung it around her neck. “It’s fine. If there’s danger, I’ll protect you. After all, I’m the strongest~”
“Then we’re counting on you, Saint~” Kiz said with a smile.
Elia pinched her cheek.
“Stop with the cheeky talk!”
Then, the three of them left the City of Shadows and sped northward.