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"I wanted to see for myself if this human has succeeded in recovering Hades' key," he replied, his tone almost mocking."Is it time to let her go?" Liona asked, her heart heavy with uncertainty. "No, there is still another key of Hades missing. Until we have it, we cannot open the doors. Patience is required," he said, his voice low and ominous. "I refuse to suffer any longer. I won't live like a servant," she retorted, anger flaring within her. "When you open the doors of Hades, he will tell you," he warned, his eyes glinting with dark promise. "Even in darkness, you will find more power than you can imagine.You could destroy this woman." "I will wait anxiously for that day to arrive," Liona replied, her determination solidifying. "I will eradicate the Venobich family completely. They will pay for everything that has happened to me." "Ready, little one? Ready to have the power to do whatever you desire?" he asked, a sinister smile creeping across his face. "It would be better to leave me alone. I don't want any woman to see me," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "What's your name? Now you're not hiding it," he pressed. "Dagon. You can call me that," she replied, her resolve hardening.After she had given him a name, the creature vanished among the trees. Liona fell to her knees in front of the cave, waiting patiently until Cira emerged, a black key hanging from her white gown. Cira cast a quick glance at Liona and called out to her dragon. "What are you going to do now?" she asked, concern etched on her face. "We need to recover the key that is in Cosset, but for that, we will need an army," Liona explained, her mind racing. "However, there are no monsters left; they have all been eradicated. Where will we find this army?" Cira questioned, her brow furrowing."When my priest was alive, he created seeds that could spawn monsters. They may not be as strong as the royals, but they will serve to create our army. I will go for the rest. I want you to hire mercenaries and assassins. It doesn't matter if they are good warriors; I will communicate with you when I have the seeds," Liona instructed. Before Cira left, Liona added, "To hire mercenaries, you need money, Princess Cira." Cira pulled a bag of gold from her clothes and tossed it to Liona. "This should be enough." As the dragon landed, Cira climbed onto its back, and they soared into the sky.Cira was her priest's right hand, which is why she knew who had delivered the seeds of darkness for experimentation. Many of those people came from the kingdom of Cosset, but she could not enter without being noticed, especially since she possessed Hades' key. So, she decided to head to the kingdom of Sator, where a noble lived near the border. He had personally delivered some fragments of darkness to her. The kingdom of Sator was crumbling, and even with her dragon, it would take time to return. As night fell, she stopped to rest in the woods, not wanting to draw attention.She needed to bury herself in her plans. Lying back next to her dragon, she felt it cover her with its wing, as if it were a bird protecting its chick. Cira gently caressed the dragon's wing. "You are a dragon; you should be fiercer and not behave like a chicken," she teased. The dragon growled softly, moving closer to her. She continued to stroke its scales, and it seemed to relax under her touch, eventually falling asleep beside her. Cira woke each night to the whispers of the key echoing in the silence. The screams were devastating, enough to drive anyone mad.The voice of the demon in her head spoke as well, pleased to have obtained Hades' key. Yet, it continued to demand, urging her to find the time to open the doors of Hades and unleash hell on earth. But since the blood of the angel had been consumed, she felt a sense of urgency. Doubts began to creep into her mind, but they were quickly drowned out by the darkness within her. The next day, Cira left at dawn, arriving at dusk in the kingdom of Sator. She hid in a forest near Count Brans' mansion until night fell, then broke into the mansion, causing a great uproar.Count Brans hurried to investigate the commotion. When he saw Cira, he paled, ordering all guards and servants gathered in the vestibule to leave them alone. Once they were alone, Count Brans rushed in front of Cira. "I apologize for the rude reception my servants gave you, Princess Cira. Please, forgive us!" he pleaded. "I don't have time to waste on these fools. Let's get to the point," she replied, her impatience evident. "To what do I owe the honor of your visit?" he asked, trying to regain his composure. "There's only one reason I'm here.You know what I seek-the three sharp edges I entrusted to you," she stated, her voice steady. "I hid them in a safe place when your father died," he confessed, his eyes darting nervously. "Your experiments?" she pressed, her tone sharp. "When your father died, I had begun many experiments, but they were all destroyed," he said, fear creeping into his voice. "Bring me what I came for, and do it quickly. Don't waste my time," Cira commanded. Count Brans hurried away to retrieve the seeds of darkness, terrified of what Cira could unleash upon his home.When Count Brans returned to the room where he had left Cira, he handed her a bottle containing the seeds, his hands trembling. "Here you go, Princess Cira." "They're all there. I see you didn't think I would take advantage, even though this time it favors me," she said, inspecting the contents. Cira turned to leave, and Count Brans felt a wave of relief wash over him. But she paused, a cold smile spreading across her face. "I won't destroy your house, but I can't leave you alive." "Please, spare my life! I would never dare to betray you.I beg you, don't kill me!" he pleaded, desperation in his voice. "I can't leave loose ends, especially not one as pathetic as you," she replied, her voice chilling. With that, black flames appeared in Cira's hand, flames that quickly engulfed Count Brans, reducing him to ashes.