As the group set off from the dark area where Nixlas' Shadows' old headquarters was located, Vicente's five friends were counting the group's winnings. At the same time, Vice had Lauren in his arms, flying slightly ahead of the group.",

Lauren had a hateful expression on her face, her eyebrows pulled tightly together, her eyes narrowed and her facial muscles rigid. Her teeth were pressed together, while her dull eyes seemed to have something else in them today.

Vicente was looking at her face and smiling. Despite the unattractive expression his sister was making now, he could see her face after all these years.

Lauren had changed since her awakening. She still looked a lot like she did then, but now her bone structure seemed to be denser, her skin softer, her lips slightly fuller, among other signs of maturity.

Her appearance seemed cold and decisive, the kind that would make anyone observing her for the first time feel something pointing towards avoiding the poisonous person she had become.

Even her voice had changed, becoming less sweet and more deep, full of hatred and cruel feelings.

But she was Vicente's sister, and he didn't care how she had gotten here. She was alive and in his arms. That was all that mattered to him.

"I've waited so long for this moment," he said to her in a low voice. "Fortunately, I made it. I avenged our parents, and now I've rescued you. Now we can live as a family again, Lauren."

"You bastard!" she said to him, feeling hatred for what he had made her see, or rather feel, moments ago. But now he was acting like he was her friend, something she couldn't help but abhor.

"Do you think I'll live well with you? Do you think I'll turn into your doll to please you? I'd rather die than be around someone like you!" she screamed at him, trying to move as he held her tightly.

"I know what you've been through. Your words won't fool me, Lauren. They forced you into the mind washing of that damned sect, forced to forget your family and become a murderous weapon. But don't worry, I'll make you remember who you are," he said, looking into her eyes, aware she couldn't see him, but doing so nonetheless.

"You'll regret what you've done!" she said, having no choice but to say something like that. "When the vampires find out what you're capable of, the strongest of the breed will hunt you down!"

"We will be, Lauren. We're in this together," he said, making her shake with anger.

As much as she didn't remember her family, she knew about the current reality on the continent and how terrible vampires were. Not only that, but as she imagined the consequences of Vicente's actions today, she couldn't help feeling that she would in fact become a target too.

Even though she was Vicente's hostage, the vampires wouldn't care. She alone was of no value to them, so when they came to hunt Vice, she would become one of their targets.

"You bastard! You've destroyed everything I've built! I hate you!" She struggled in his arms, while on the outside Vicente smiled, but on the inside he hated Nixlas' Shadows even more for how much they had made his sister suffer.

"I love you, Lauren. No matter what you say or think, I will take care of you from now on. You no longer need to dirty your hands with the blood of the innocent. When you've recovered from your situation, we'll fight side by side as we should," he said before giving her a kiss on the forehead, with the black-haired girl obviously not liking any of it.

Vicente let his sister curse at him, turning his gaze back to Casey. "As soon as we get back to the Vinia Empire and go into hiding, I'm going to let you into my mind and her mind. I want you to copy my memories of her and my family and pass them on to her. I also want you to analyze what that sect did to her."

"All right. I just can't guarantee you success in making her remember. She's a Paragon, and they brainwashed her many years ago, when she was weak. It's possible that I won't be able to help her as much as you'd like just yet," Casey said sincerely.

"I know. Don't worry about it. Just do your best. Any progress we make will be welcome."

Vicente could imagine that it would take years for Lauren to recover, even partially. If Casey were an Archmage, perhaps her recovery could be made quickly. But he might never become an Archmage, given how difficult it was to happen or even how dangerous the journey there would be.

But as long as Lauren stopped being hostile to his group and minimally understood that she had been used by Nixlas' Shadows, her real enemies, that would be fine with Vicente in the meantime.

He didn't intend to let Lauren absorb her fifth pentagram before Casey became a Paragon, absorbed his fifth pentagram and then spent some time treating her. Then there was a good chance that she would get better in the future.

There wasn't much he could do now, so he turned his focus to what the group had just achieved.

"How much did we win?" he asked Layla and the others.

They each told him their results, which added up gave the group over 10 million gold coins, 2,000 4th grade artifacts and resources, 175 5th grade artifacts and resources, and 5 6th grade artifacts and resources!

Items, resources or things of less than 4th grade quality the group merely ignored.

But even considering only 4th, 5th and 6th grade things, they had gained excellent wealth!

The spatial rings of the leader of Nixlas' Shadows and some elders of that sect also had letters and books that might have relevant information, things that the group would still look at on their journey back to Seidel Kingdom.

For now, they celebrated the fall of a powerful vampire ally, Lauren's rescue and the wealth collected, which could nourish many Sovereigns, some Paragons and even help an Archmage.

"Where are we going now?" Rory asked, eager to return home.

Vicente commented. "Our next destination is the Vinia Empire, the Valley of Lightning. We can temporarily hide in that area to cultivate and recover from the previous battle. We'll continue our journey to the secret Cataclysm Order outpost in The Hungry Canyon after that."

'Cataclysm Order?' Lauren listened to the conversations of these people in silence, identifying the name of the ancient religion of Dark Path magicians.

How could she not identify such a religion? Nixlas' Shadows had been significantly strengthened by the surviving members of that religion in the war of a few millennia ago, with her sect having been influenced by that religion's ideas.

She had even gained an old title used by the Cataclysm Order in the past, Miss Death.

'What do they want with the order's altars?' she wondered, aware that there were sacred sites of this religion lost around the continent and supposedly held secrets and great values of their faith.

According to the information she had, some secret outposts even held ancient living beings with pentagrams of high value to Dark Path magicians.

Unable to escape Vicente for the time being, she could only plan to spy on the group and try to escape when she had the chance!