“So, are you going to tell me what’s going on?” Narvari asked, sternly watching her father. She had asked the same thing an hour ago as soon as they had teleported into the house her father had been living in all these years in Brazil. But Yabaga insisted they freshen up and eat something first. And so, after begrudgingly doing what her father had asked, she finally sat in the warm living room, impatiently waiting for answers. “Tell me everything, Papa. Don’t hide anything from me anymore.”

  Yabaga sighed. “Maybe it’s time for me to tell you about your mother.”

  Narvari inhaled slowly. She would be lying if she said she had never wanted to know about her mother. She’d never met her, and though she grew up loved in a wonderful family, there were times she wondered what her life would have been like if her mother had raised her. Was her mother as kind as Anana? Strong like her father? And did her mother love her? If so, where had the woman been these past eighteen years of Narvari’s life? What could have stopped her from being a mother to her own child? Narvari narrowed her eyes, sharply gazing at her father.

  “Is my mother a demon?” Her heart tightened in anticipation. This was the only explanation she could think of. As much as she didn’t want it, Narvari was slowly coming to terms with her demon side. She couldn’t have inherited that side from her father?—?he was no demon. And since Narvari wasn’t turned into a demon either, the only logical conclusion was her mother. “Is that why she left us?” she asked.

  “Narvari, princess…” Yabaga rubbed his temples. “You asked for an explanation. Why don’t you let me do it?”

  She sighed. “Fine.”

  “Indeed, your mother is a demon,” Yabaga began. “And yes, she’s still alive. You need to understand that your mother is the kindest, strongest, and most loving person I know. You are just like her in every way.”

  She was? Was her mother really that kind of person despite being a demon? Trixan’s words suddenly came to her. People weren’t inherently evil and just because one was a demon didn’t mean they were malevolent. Maybe that applied to her mother. And yet… “Why did she leave us then?”

  “She didn’t leave us, Narvari. She was… taken. As a prisoner.”

  “What?” Narvari’s eyes widened. “The Order has my mother?”

  Yabaga shook his head. “No, princess. It’s not the Order.”

  “Then who?” Other than the Ancient Order of Vanquishers, who would go about capturing demons and imprisoning them? Was there another organization Narvari didn’t know about? And why was her father hesitating to speak? “Papa, tell me.”

  “You heard about how I got lost in Bezvar, didn’t you?”

  They were talking about her mother. Why would he suddenly bring up Bezvar? But she wanted answers. So she indulged him with a nod.

  “They made me a spectacle there,” he said, “tying me to a pole for weeks. Demons came from all over the kingdom to catch a glimpse of the vanquisher who dared to fight Bezvaros.” Guilt pricked at her conscience. She couldn’t imagine what her father had gone through. They must have tortured him so much, those bastards. She would like to vanquish every last one of them. “And that,” said Yabaga, smiling with glee, “is where I met your mother.” He laughed.

  “What?” It took Narvari a moment to understand what her father had just said. “You met her in the Lower Domain?”

  Hellstorm nodded. “While I was locked up in the dungeons, she would often come and see me. Well, there’s a lot more to that story. But all you need to know is that, after I suddenly awakened my new teleportation power, we escaped together.” He explained that they ran away to an uninhabited island in the Pacific where they lived together happily. But everything changed when Narvari was born.

  “What do you mean?” asked Narvari.

  “We were in hiding, you know, from the Demon King. Now, your mother… she sealed her demon energy to stop Bezvaros from finding us. But when you were born…” He paused.

  Narvari tilted her head. “Bezvaros found you because of me? Because of my demon energy?”

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  “It wasn’t your fault, princess. We never expected that your demon energy would be so powerful. As soon as you were born, your mother sealed your demon energy. But it was too late. Bezvaros not only knew where we were, but he also knew about you.”

  Izenros and his highblood demons, on Bezvaros’s authority, invaded their island. Yabaga begged his wife to run away with him but she insisted that Yabaga escaped with their newborn instead, while she stayed behind. Yabaga would have none of that. He wanted to stay behind and fight Izenros and the two highblood demons. Narvari’s mother, however, stopped him. It would be a suicide mission, she said. They had to protect their child first and foremost. He had to protect their daughter.

  “So she stayed behind and you left with me,” said Narvari.

  Yabaga nodded. “She said she had to return and make Bezvaros believe that the baby… you… were dead. Also, if Bezvaros had her back, he would have no use coming after me.”

  That was quite something. “But there’s something I don’t understand, Papa. Why would Bezvaros care about some ordinary demon like my mother? Even if they came after her because she escaped with you, don’t you think they’d already killed her?”

  Yabaga smiled. “Your mother was no ordinary demon, princess. Bezvaros won’t harm her. Maybe, imprison her, yes. But never harm her.”

  Narvari narrowed her eyes. “Who is she?” What kind of status did her mother hold that even the Demon King would treat her differently?

  After a moment of hesitation, and Narvari slowly losing her patience, Yabaga said, “Your mother is the beloved firstborn of the Demon King?—?the first of the Septos. And you, my child, are the granddaughter of Bezvaros.”

  To say her mouth hung open would be an understatement. “What the hell?” She was what? What the hell? Yabaga was making fun of her, wasn’t he? But the gravity in his eyes was no joke. How could the Demon King be her grandfather? What was this cruel joke? Not only was Narvari a demon, but to make things worse, she was closely related to the Septos. Wouldn’t that make Izenros and the other princes her uncles?

  What the fuck.

  Wait a minute. She raised a brow. That couldn’t be right. “Isn’t the Septos made of seven princes?” she asked. “Lunarvaros is the first prince of the Septos. How could it be my mother?”

  “That’s what the books in the Order say,” said Yabaga. “But the first of the Septos is a demon princess, not a prince. She’s Lunarva, Princess of Luna Principality.”

  “What?” None of this made any sense. Lunarvaros, the first prince of the Septos, was actually Lunarva, and she was her mother. How could this be? “How could the Order have gotten this wrong?” The Ancient Order of Vanquishers believed that the Septos was made of seven princes. Were they wrong about everything?

  “I always thought that was the case too,” said Yabaga. “But it wasn’t until I was in Bezvar that I learned the truth. Bezvaros, for some reason, hid the true nature of his firstborn. There’s a whole story behind that and I think your mother would be the best person to explain it to you once I find her.”

  Her eyes widened. “You’re going to look for her?”

  “It’s what I’ve been doing all this time, princess… the reason I left… I’m sorry. I couldn’t bear to be apart from her. And the thought of her being robbed of your childhood… I couldn’t take it anymore.”

  Narvari squeezed her father’s hand. “You won’t have to do this alone anymore. How do we find her?”

  A look of surprise appeared in his eyes, but they finally eased into a smile. “Izenros is here on earth. If we find him, I’ll get him to tell us where Lunarva is.”

  “Isn’t she in Bezvar?”

  “She is. But Bezvar is a vast place with a population twice of this planet. We can’t just go there and find her. We need a specific location.”

  “Not really,” Narvari shrugged. “If Bezvaros’s firstborn would be held prisoner anywhere, I doubt it would be in any of the seven principalities. I don’t think Bezvaros would trust anyone to be strong enough to hold the first of the Septos prisoner. Especially if he thinks you’d come back to look for her.”

  “You’re right.” Yabaga’s eyes lit up. “I think I know just the place.”

  “You do? Excellent. So when do we leave?”

  He chuckled heartily. “Leave? Are you kidding me? If you’re coming with me to the bowels of hell, then you had better come prepared, princess.”

  “But I’m prepared.”

  Yabaga scoffed. “No, you’re not. If Bezvaros learns of our presence, the Septos and their armies will come after us. You can’t defend yourself in your current state.” Jeez, she hadn’t thought about that. A whole army of royal and greater demons. She shuddered. “Don’t worry,” said Yabaga. “You’ve already unlocked elema. I’ll train you to use it, and perhaps, even help you unlock union.”

  “Wait, really?” It would be just like old times. Memories of her father training her when she was younger appeared in her mind.

  “Well, how fast you progress all depends on you. But I’m not worried. I’ve heard all about your extraordinary performance.”

  Her heart welled with pride. She only wished her father had been around all this time to train her as a vanquisher. He was the great Hellstorm?—?the former Elder of Draghein School and the vanquisher who faced the Demon King and lived. For someone like that train to her… Wait…

  “Papa,” Narvari folded her arms, “how are you part of the Draghein Family?”

  “That’s a story for another time, princess.” Yabaga laughed. “I’ll tell you all about it later. We’ll be training for the next four months. You should be ready for Bezvar by then.”

  Narvari sighed and nodded. There was no rush anyway. Her father was here now and soon, he would tell her everything. But what she couldn’t wait for was the four months to pass so she could see her mother.

  Narvari balled her fists as her resolve steeled. She would do whatever it took to get stronger. And not even the Demon King would stand in her way.