Free Web NovelChapter 338: Saving Clara From The Blood Dunes
Linda and Clara stood at the center of a deserted street, their backs almost touching as they surveyed both ends of the road. Men dressed in black kaftans stood silently on either side, crimson scarves concealing everything below their eyes. Heavy gold necklaces, rings, and bracelets glittered beneath the afternoon sun, each piece looking more like a trophy than an ornament. Curved scimitars rested comfortably in their hands, their sharpened edges reflecting streaks of light that made them appear stained with blood.
Every escape route had been sealed.
The streets surrounding them had emptied long before the confrontation truly began. Wooden doors remained tightly shut while curtains shifted ever so slightly as frightened residents watched through narrow openings. Nobody dared intervene. Everyone living in this district recognized the men surrounding the two women.
The Blood Dunes.
For years they had terrorized the surrounding settlements, extorting merchants, kidnapping foreigners, murdering travelers and hunting missionaries foolish enough to preach within their territory. Whenever their crimson scarves appeared, sensible people disappeared.
Linda glanced toward Clara before sweeping her eyes across the rooftops.
"I’ll have to summon it here," she muttered beneath her breath.
Clara frowned.
"Here?"
Linda gave a faint nod but before either woman could move, something changed.
The Blood Dunes members simultaneously froze. Every single one of them seemed deeply shook. The confidence that had filled their eyes moments ago vanished without warning. Their hands tightened around their scimitars while their breathing unconsciously slowed.
None of them were looking at Linda anymore. Their attention had shifted upward. Confused, both women instinctively followed their gaze.
Only then did they notice a thick mist was silently spreading through the street. It rolled along the stone pavement before climbing the walls of nearby buildings like living smoke. Visibility dropped with every passing second until only vague outlines remained.
Then Clara saw him.
Seated casually on the edge of a rooftop overlooking the entire street was a towering figure nearly twelve feet tall. One leg hung over the edge while the other rested comfortably upon the rooftop. His elbow leaned against his raised knee as though he were merely enjoying the scenery.
His gaze, however never left Clara.
Resting across one massive hand was a small seven tailed fox whose black fur shimmered beneath the daylight. Damian gently stroked its back while remaining perfectly still.
"Damian?" Clara gasped, her voice filled with disbelief.
She stared upward, unable to reconcile the towering giant before her with the man she had once known in America.
Everything about him had changed.
His gray eyes had become pools of burning violet that seemed capable of swallowing the world whole.
His mere presence weighed heavily upon the street. It was less like standing before a man and more like standing beneath a mountain.
"Who dares try to harm that which I have chosen to protect?"
His voice was neither loud nor threatening. It was calm yet every word echoed through the entire district as though spoken directly beside every ear.
Several Blood Dunes members visibly trembled.
"The Prince of Lust..."
Someone whispered beneath his breath. Another instinctively stepped backward and Damian’s head slowly turned. His burning gaze settled upon the man and it tilted ever so slightly.
Buzz!
Without warning the ground exploded.
The loose sand scattered throughout the street surged upward like countless living serpents. It wrapped around every member of the Blood Dunes before any of them could react. Their bodies disappeared beneath rapidly hardening shells of compressed sand until only their heads remained exposed. They struggled violently but the restraints only tightened further with every movement.
Clara’s eyes widened and Linda looked equally stunned but neither woman spoke. Neither of them remembered Damian possessing any control over earth or sand.
He had become something entirely different.
Damian gently rose from the rooftop. He simply stepped forward and hie enormous body descended gracefully through the mist before landing silently a few feet before Clara.
She instinctively raised her head and he lowered his and their eyes met. Even standing this close she barely reached the middle of his chest. His shadow completely engulfed her.
"Come with me both of you."
Without waiting for an answer Damian casually raised one hand and slashed forward with nothing but his fingers.
Space tore apart.
A long black fracture appeared before them before widening into a massive opening filled with absolute darkness. It looked less like a portal and more like reality itself had been ripped open.
Damian stepped inside without hesitation.
The moment he disappeared, the sand beneath Clara and Linda suddenly softened into flowing waves. Before either woman could regain her balance, the sand surged upward, carrying them effortlessly through the opening as though they weighed nothing.
The same fate befell every restrained member of the Blood Dunes. Still imprisoned within their sand shells, they floated after them through the tear in space.
The portal sealed immediately afterward and the scorching desert vanished. In its place appeared an enormous modern living room surrounded by towering glass walls overlooking an endless ocean.
The sudden transition left both women momentarily speechless.
Before either could fully absorb their surroundings, the imprisoned Blood Dunes members were dragged across the polished floor by their sand restraints.
The front doors opened on their own.
The shells carrying the prisoners shot outside with frightening speed before disappearing toward the shoreline.
Several seconds later...
Splash!
Splash!
Splash!
The distant sound of enormous bodies crashing into the ocean echoed faintly through the mansion.
Clara and Linda instinctively flinched. Neither needed to ask what had happened.
Damian calmly walked toward the largest couch in the room before lowering himself onto it. His massive frame sank slightly into the cushions as he crossed one leg over the other. Rin leapt lightly from his arms onto the armrest and curled into a comfortable ball while Damian rested one elbow against the side of the couch.
Only then did he raise his eyes toward the two stunned women still standing where they had landed.
"It’s been a while."
His voice was calm as though the events of the past few minutes had been nothing more than a routine visit between old acquaintances.
