"They really came!"
"After having so much trouble with the Clan Representatives, I never expected this!"
The eyes of hundreds of disciples gathered in a far corner of the Holy Blood Sect were on the magic circle formed by blood stones. These people, who would enter once the Blood Valley opened, started talking among themselves when they saw Nafız and Jashua.
"Look, he didn't bring those five people with him!"
"True, the blind girl isn't here either!"
When the arrivals were only the red-haired girl and the hulking young boy, gossip heated up; what they didn't know was that Jashua made this decision. The Young Count had confronted Lareina and the five, his men, while leaving the Garbage House in the morning. Jashua, who harshly rejected all kinds of objections and attempts to resist, said only one thing while leaving.
"If you want to walk side by side with me, do as you are told and continue working!"
Of course, these words were for the five; Jashua behaved much more gently towards Lareina. Enduring one or two resentful words from the young girl, he came here, to the place where the entrance to the Blood Valley would open.
There was a circle surrounding the five-pointed star, and a small mountain of blood stones lay at each corner of the star.
"The tip of the Pentagram is pointing upwards!"
Nafız murmured to herself; the words Ainle said during the struggle on the Wild Swamp continent were falling into her mind. Ainle, inheriting her ancestor's consciousness, had humiliated the inverted star pentagrams of the disciples of the Lands of Light and revealed her own massive pentagram.
While thoughts passed through her mind, Nafız began to wait like everyone else. Although they were under the sharp gazes of the Clan Representatives who had formed their own groups in a far corner, the air they emitted was calm. There was no one around them; people weren't stupid, they understood what changing the name of the Blood Valley served.
Hours passed, and the shipment of blood stones to the corners of the star forming the pentagram continued ceaselessly. This commotion, which continued until the noon sun reached its zenith, ended with the appearance of the snake-bodied Third Elder.
"Attention!"
When his shrill and forked voice swept the area, everyone involuntarily startled. The aura he emitted was evil, unlike his previous appearance, and he had no intention of hiding this.
"Blood Valley opens for all of you today. The upcoming Royal Birthday will be a turning point for our sect; enter and return reborn!"
When he finished his words, he waved his right hand down giving his signal; people dressed in blood-red robes waiting at the corners of the star began to transfer their energies to the blood stone mounds. For a period of ten breaths, there was no change, but then the five mounds melted all at once and joined the blood stones forming the lines.
The entire Pentagram melted and mixed into the soil; it was almost like a seal stamped on the soil of the Holy Blood Sect. The energy overflowing from the ground began to gather in the air and formed a sphere the size of a fist. The size of the sphere expanded with every breath; its blood-red color lightened and turned into a gray curtain not showing the other side.
Within a total period of half an hour, a portal appearing to have a radius wider than twenty steps emerged where the pentagram used to be. Breaths were held; the faces of old disciples who knew what this was were smiling, while Nafız and Jashua sufficed with observing.
"It opened, it really opened!"
"I couldn't believe it until I saw this; look how big the portal is!"
While two disciples were whispering, others nearby turned their heads away in disdain.
"Ignorants, they have no idea how many blood stones the clans sent for this portal!"
"When they heard the news that everyone could enter, they poured blood stones in torrents!"
A voice came from every head, but the Third Elder, who had a body structure resembling a pumpkin on a thin pole, wasn't finished yet.
"Due to this special situation, the time you can spend inside has been extended to exactly six days. This amount of blood stones will be spent every day to keep the portal open; make sure you do whatever you need to do!"
When his speech finished, he left suddenly just as he came, but although no one noticed, Nafız had caught that last look. The meaning of that look thrown towards where the Clan Representatives were was significant.
"Sir, I will kill them all without leaving a single proof!"
Jashua also sensed the situation and spewed hatred as an outward expression of the anger growing inside him. To this state of his, Nafız answered with a crooked smile; it was clear her intention wasn't different.
"Your first target is to receive the Area Master's approval. Whatever comes before you on this path, just destroy it!"
The eyes of the duo waiting for the crowd moving towards the portal to finish were on the Clan Representatives, and coincidentally, they were also watching the duo. Nafız and Jashua seemed to have no intention of leaving their places without making a move; this state of theirs was enough to provoke the suppressed emotions of the duo.
"I am going; I am sure I will see you here when I return!"
Nafız stomped her foot hard on the ground, rose a few steps, and when she landed again, she was in front of the portal; taking a deep breath, she threw herself inside. Jashua turned his head and scanned the Clan Representatives from head to toe; when he entered through the portal, his fists were clenched.
"I will take the bitch's life; if anyone sees her, let them inform me!"
Black Lily Virgen was the first to speak among the six Clan Representatives forming a circle; the answer to his impulsive move wouldn't be delayed.
"We didn't gather here for your brother's revenge; whoever sees her first will take care of her!"
Bloody Sun Sol couldn't prevent his harsh temperament, but Virgen, whose face tattoo painted his visage black, continued clenching his teeth.
"This is my personal grudge; I don't know what you will do to her body, but I am the person who will take her life!"
As soon as he said his last word, he entered through the portal with nearly a hundred people behind him; he was going to put an end to his sleepless nights lasting for a long time.
"Let's go!"
Bloody Valley Valle had made her hair even shorter than it was; the monster lying beneath her appearance resembling a small boy was evident only from her eyes. Following the duo, the other four representatives also used the portal with their followers.
While all this was happening, Nafız was falling headfirst in the gray void. The condition of her body and what she felt reminded her of a time that now seemed very old.
"It's as if a metallic voice will start asking questions soon and the fucking brats will answer. Almost the same as the place that allowed me to come to this world; now I am much more curious about what is going on."
Then that white light appeared again; when Nafız opened her eyes, she found herself in the water. She was going to the bottom; when she lifted her head, she could see the surface pierced by sun rays, but her momentum was downwards.
She didn't force herself, let it flow; before ten breaths passed, her feet touched the ground. The movement to get back up was to bend her knees and spring upwards, but she didn't do it. She felt very peaceful in the water; it was familiar as if she had spent a lifetime in this water.
Whatever happened happened then; she felt being pulled from the leather battle outfit on her back. She was going upwards at full speed; no matter how much she resisted, it was of no use. When she came out of the water, she was stunned by the light hitting her eyes; a few breaths later she saw the person pulling her up.
"I caught it father, I caught a huge fish!"
The tall man looking in his thirties looked first at the child holding the fishing rod with difficulty in his hand, then at Nafız. In response to the boy's joyful shouts, he also burst into laughter; only Nafız hanging on the end of the fishing line was unhappy.
"Put me down, man; you son of a bitch!"