Supreme Hunter of Beautiful Souls

Chapter 544: Where is my grandson?

Eleanor watched his denial with an indulgent expression, like someone watching a child insist they hadn’t stolen candy while still carrying sugar on their face. Her smile deepened slowly, too amused to be discreet. Kael remained motionless in his chair, arms resting on the armrests, trying to maintain the same neutrality he used in the face of wars, ancestral entities, and political collapses. Unfortunately for him, none of those things possessed the specific ability his grandmother had to turn composure into a pastime.

"You always think silence is invisibility," she commented, raising her cup and taking a long sip. "But, my dear, in certain environments silence speaks louder than shouts."

"I only came for the report."

"Yes, and I only wore this for comfort." She tilted her head with feigned innocence. "We all lie a little."

Kael let out a controlled sigh.

"Information."

"Impatient." Eleanor set the cup down on the tray, then rose with the same calculated elegance of someone who knew perfectly the effect of each movement. The red fabric and delicate straps followed her slow steps across the dark carpet as she approached him without any hurry. "You inherited this from me, unfortunately."

"I didn’t inherit any of that."

"Denial also came from the family."

Before he could answer, Eleanor stopped in front of the chair and observed him for a second, as if assessing angle, posture, and reaction. Then, with offensive nonchalance, she settled sideways in his lap, resting an arm on his shoulder as if that were the most logical place in the room.

Kael froze for a split second.

"Grandma."

"Stop repeating my title as if it were a defensive incantation."

"Stand up."

"No."

She adjusted herself comfortably, crossing one leg and resting her back against the arm of the chair, perfectly positioned. Kael held his hands suspended in the air for a moment, clearly deciding where to place them so as not to make things worse. Eleanor noticed and smiled with quiet satisfaction.

"You’re still terrible at spontaneous physical contact."

"You’re still a domestic threat."

"And yet you visit me."

"I came for information."

"Then behave yourself and listen."

Her tone shifted only slightly. There was still humor, still provocation, but beneath it rose the ancient authority that sustained kingdoms. Kael immediately perceived this and relaxed enough to accept that escaping this position would cost more energy than enduring it for a few minutes.

Eleanor placed two fingers on the arm of the chair and made small runes appear in the air between them. Translucent images began to float: stone corridors, elongated shadows, red eyes, blood flowing through channels carved into dark marble.

"I entered Vlad’s memories first," she said. "The most recent ones were fragmented, corroded, and rewritten several times. Someone manipulated his mind delicately enough not to break the structure too quickly."

Kael frowned.

"Gradual control."

"Exactly. Nothing brutal. Nothing vulgar. She dismantled desires, reinforced existing paranoias, amplified old frustrations, and transformed insecurity into state policy."

Another image emerged: Vlad sitting on the throne, alone, staring into the void.

"He was already rigid. He already had excessive pride. He already believed that only he understood what the kingdom needed. This made everything easier. He didn’t need to plant a new personality. He just needed to fertilize the worst part of the old one."

Kael nodded slowly.

"So he wasn’t just a victim."

"No." Eleanor turned her face to look at him closely. "Never absolve cruel men just because someone encouraged them. She pushed. He chose to fall many times."

He held her gaze for a moment.

"Continue."

She smiled briefly at the curt command.

"The first few months were discreet. Advisors removed by accident. Rivals accused of treason. Small internal purges justified as security. Then came the bigger tests." The images shifted to closed halls, guards dragging nobles, documents burning. "When she realized that no one would resist in a coordinated way, she accelerated."

"Liza tried?"

"Several times." Eleanor moved her fingers and showed the vampire queen arguing before the throne, only to be ignored. "Her voice still had popular influence, so isolating her became a priority. They withdrew access, intercepted messages, distanced allies."

Kael rested his head on the back of the throne.

"Predictable."

"And efficient."

She then grew more serious. The playful glint in her eyes faded.

"But Vlad wasn’t the center of the problem."

The runes in the air darkened. A new figure emerged: a female silhouette with her head tilted, smiling emotionlessly.

"The woman."

"Who is she?" Kael asked.

"That’s an unpleasant answer."

"It usually is."

Eleanor took a deep breath.

"The oldest name I found was Morvayne. Perhaps not the original. Perhaps just one of the names used in different eras. She doesn’t belong to the vampires. Nor to any modern kingdom."

The images showed ruined temples, symbols etched in stone, and people kneeling before something hidden.

"She comes from cults predating the current organization of nations. A highly intelligent type of spiritual parasite. She doesn’t possess raw power comparable to mine or yours. Her talent lies in infiltration, attrition, and capture of structures."

Kael remained silent.

"She enters where there is rigid hierarchy, fear, and pride. She fuels conflict, centralizes authority in someone vulnerable, and then rules through that host."

"How many kingdoms?"

"More than I like to admit. Fewer than she would like."

Eleanor rested her head briefly on his shoulder, thoughtful.

"I found echoes of her in three dead empires, two famous civil wars, and a religious collapse that the books describe as divine punishment. It wasn’t divine punishment. It was her administration."

Kael let out a low sound of disapproval.

"She escaped the seal?"

"No." Eleanor smiled slightly. "Your work was excellent. She’s compressed, conscious, and furious."

"Great."

"I agree."

She moved another rune, and now the image of Morvayne whispering in Vlad’s ear appeared, while shadows emanated from her fingers and penetrated the nape of his neck.

"She intended to use the Vampire Kingdom as a base. The dome’s magic protected them from external offensives and made the nation perfect for slow expansion. First she would consolidate the kingdom. Then she would provoke controlled wars. Then she would absorb survivors."

"Ambitious."

"Parasites hate thinking small."

Kael stared at the images silently for a few seconds. Eleanor’s presence in his lap remained awkward, but the strange familiarity of the moment made everything less absurd than it should have been.

"She knew about me?"

Eleanor turned her face away immediately.

"Yes."

"When?"

"Sooner than I like." The answer came dryly. "There are fragmented memories of her reacting to your name. Curiosity first. Then caution. Then fear."

"Fear?"

"Kael, you destroy complicated plans just by entering rooms." She smiled with a certain pride. "For creatures like her, that’s terrifying."

He ignored the compliment.

"Does she have allies outside the seal?"

"Possibly smaller cells, old worshippers, useful and disposable people. Nothing of her caliber, but enough to cover her tracks."

"Then there’s still work left."

"There always is."

For a few seconds, the room was silent. The images dissipated like smoke. Eleanor uncrossed her leg and adjusted herself again, completely comfortable.

"Now for the personal part," she said.

"No."

"Yes."

"I literally said no before the sentence even started."

"And it was successfully ignored."

She touched the center of his chest with a finger.

"You’re too tired."

"I’m functional."

"Functional isn’t healthy."

"Debatable."

"Can you stop acting like this? Where’s my grandson? Geez, I’m getting nervous." Eleanor made an exaggerated pout while crossing her arms under her chest, looking away as if genuinely offended, though the amused glint in her eyes betrayed the act.

Kael watched her silently for a moment. Then, for the first time in a long time, he let out a slight, rare smile.

"Hehe." Eleanor turned her face away immediately upon hearing that, as if the mere sound had shattered the entire pose she was trying to maintain.

"You silly thing," she murmured, trying to sound annoyed and failing miserably.

Before she could regain her composure, she felt his hands wrap firmly and suddenly around her waist. The unexpected touch made her jump slightly; Eleanor leaped briefly, her eyes widening for a second in genuine surprise.

"O-oh..."

Kael pulled her slightly closer, maintaining that rare, tranquil smile as he watched her react.

"My grandma’s feeling sensitive... could it be..." he began, in an unusually provocative tone.

She didn’t let him finish.

In one swift movement, Eleanor cupped his face in her hands and kissed him intensely and abruptly, silencing any further words. The gesture was laden with surprise, authority, and pure provocation, as if she needed to regain control of the situation immediately.

When she pulled back just enough to look at him, there was a subtle blush on her cheeks and a dangerously satisfied smile on her lips.

"Learn one thing, darling," she said in a low, velvety voice. "If you’re going to provoke an ancient witch... be prepared for the consequences."

Kael stared at her for a moment, still holding her waist, without seeming the least bit regretful.

"Understood."

Eleanor raised an eyebrow.

"Liar."

"Probably."

She let out a low laugh and rested her forehead against his for a brief moment, still amused.

"There," she murmured. "Now I’ve found my grandson again."

Kael kept his gaze fixed on Eleanor for another instant, his hands still on her waist, before sliding one of them lower and giving her a sharp, firm slap on the curve of her hip. The sound echoed through the silent room, eliciting a small, surprised gasp from her and a visible shiver that ran down her shoulders.

Eleanor placed her hand on her chest, her golden eyes narrowing as a slow smile appeared on her lips.

"It’s hot in here..." she murmured, her voice lower and full of provocation. "Or maybe it’s you."

Kael didn’t answer immediately. He just stared at her for a second, as if measuring the exact extent of the chaos she naturally caused. Then he effortlessly held her, lifting her into his arms firmly and suddenly.

Eleanor let out a short laugh, surprised by the movement.

"Oh? What an unexpected decision."

Without slowing his pace, Kael crossed the room and threw her onto the enormous bed surrounded by translucent veils. The mattress sank beneath her body, and the dark sheets spread around her like waves.

She braced herself on her elbows to lift herself slightly, her red hair falling over her shoulders as she watched him approach.

"Kael... you’re bold today."

He stopped beside the bed, looking down at her with relentless calm.

"I’ll put out your fire."

For a moment, Eleanor was silent.

Then she bit her lower lip and let out a low laugh, clearly satisfied.

"My grandson has returned dangerous... this could get me into trouble."