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 flesh 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 firm.
"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 effort. Her voice was a little listless, like she was under the influence, 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, finally 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 flush 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. Dignified. 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 effect 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 find himself enthralled in the presence of a real lady such as my-"
Valera instantly got off 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 finish 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 off 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 find 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 filled 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 fitting."
"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 suffered 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 first 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 flicker around his body.
