Valen frowned as there should be no way such an intrusive smell could reach him, he pressed a flashing light by his waist and went back to his thoughts, but after a few seconds he received no reply from his butler and then he cursed out loud, more heads would roll for this oversight.

Then with an annoyed groan, he released his Spirit Sight to scan through his immediate surroundings and saw no one around and all the major lighting was switched off except for candles set far apart, but he did not really need light to see, and all was peaceful, which immediately struck him as suspicious.

For a man of his station it was impossible for his surroundings to be empty. Assistants, Guardsmen, butlers, servants, the list goes on, it was an uninterrupted stream of people that swirled around him at all times, but sometimes in the past few moments when he was deep in thought, everyone around him had disappeared.

Valen found it odd, were there any activities happening around him that he was not privy of? Where was that smell of blood coming from?

He pushed his way out of his office and walked through the darkness, his eyes narrowed in suspicion and he walked down his hall, seeing nobody around. He pushed the doors of rooms and offices open to check the insides, and all were empty. Something was wrong, even after centuries of pleasure, Valen still had the battle instincts of Dominators.

From his Spatial Ring he began equipping himself in armor, the best his money could afford, and before long his body was glowing with fantastical lights and his feet left the ground, a large blade hovered by his side, and he folded his hands in his chest and he activated a force field near his waist wrapping him in a semi translucent globe of dense air that sliced and vaporized everything it touches.

Valen was a bureaucrat and even though he was a second Circle Dominator he was not a warrior, he upgraded his State of Change because of long life and perfect health, but it did not mean he was not aware that the world was a dangerous place.

He made sure he was equipped with enough autonomous defenses and offensive equipment and runes that he could safely challenge anyone in the second circle and escape if the need calls for it.

His armour could shrug off every physical and energy based attack below the second circle and greatly defend it against attacks of the second circle and minimally defend him against attack of the third circle.

If he was attacked with an overwhelming blow, it could sacrifice parts of itself and totally block such an attack twice, effectively granting him two extra lives.

The hovering weapon beside him, had an autonomous Spirit Core, and was equipped with some of the best offensive runes available, it could slice through metal like mud, fly faster than sound, and unleashed devastating ice-based attacks.

With his armor and weapon he was safe against all known dangers around him. He also did not forget the three disposable teleportation gates he kept inside his Territory, except a third circle Dominator attacked him, he was safe.

His confidence boosted, he began flying towards the source of the dense blood smell, and he noticed soon enough he was reaching the grand hall room where he made major announcements and hosted parties. It could comfortably hold 5,000 people and a solid door of gold barred his entry, yet from beyond the closed door was a dense smell of blood he could even smell through the field of air around him.

As he got closer to the door, he began hearing a voice singing

Valen Boreas had centuries of life under his belt, and he had listened to the best of music and the worst, heard voices of beauty and horror, yet he could safely say, he knew of nothing that could compare to what he was hearing at this time.

It had a piercing quality that penetrated the defenses of his mind and quietly filled his mind with honey.

He shook his head as if driving away cobwebs stuck on his face and moved forward, his force field began shredding the golden door apart, and his eyes were at the ready.

A circular hole opened up and he entered into the vast hall, and what he witnessed nearly drove him to the ground in horror.

His wildly beating heart and his opened eye attested to the fact that what he was witnessing was tearing his mind apart. He was centuries old, but he was never near the thick of battle and the horror that it brought, every violence he had committed or witnessed had been as a form of a game to him, and they had been doctored to make such experiences pleasurable.

What he was seeing was not pleasurable, it was horrifying.

He heard a distant rumble as if the earth were shaking, but he did not bother investigating, all his senses drawn to what laid before him.

He saw a young girl, most likely his daughter, dancing and singing alone in the middle of the hall-way. That was the barest minimum his mind could cover before wanting to flee in horror, but he held himself and allowed his eyes to take in the full nature of what he was seeing.

The girl was naked, maybe fifteen years old with small breasts and a toned body. She was covered in blood, and she danced on top of a massive pool made from blood.

It was a slow dance accompanied by the voice that sliced through the air, and Valen could not understand the words she sang, but he could feel their meaning inside his soul.

It spoke of endless warmth under her embrace, it spoke of a heavy burden that should be let go off. It spoke of endless refuge and ultimate relaxation, and he knew if he gave into it, he would experience bliss that surpassed whatever he had ever known.

With an effort of will he did not know he had, he forced himself to think and concentrate on the pool of blood.The hallway descended a few feet from the open door, so anyone entering through the door would descend at least seven feet to reach the ground.

Now, that seven feet were filled with blood. Just how many people would you have to kill to fill up the entire hallway?

That observation drove the fog away from his mind.