[Volkov Compound, Northern S-City — 2:14 AM]

The moment Ivan accepted the order, the atmosphere inside the mansion shifted invisibly. Nikolai felt the subtle change in the air around him.

Though he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

Somewhere beneath the estate, ancient steel doors groaned open with an ancient beast’s roar that reverberated through the marble floor beneath Nikolai’s boots. Hidden systems dormant for years slowly came alive beneath the mountain foundations of the Volkov compound.

Outside the office doors, the Maid Corps moved immediately.

Polished heels clicked faster against black marble hallways while encrypted communication devices lit up beneath sleeves and gloves. Several maids who had stood calmly moments earlier now carried silver-plated rifles across their backs, while others disappeared into hidden corridors behind moving walls.

The scent inside the mansion itself began changing.

Old parchment.

Wine.

Lavender perfume.

Those softer scents slowly drowned beneath gun oil, hot steel, silver dust, and the faint electrical sting of military systems booting online.

For the first time in years...

The true Volkov war machine had awakened.

Nikolai remained seated behind the desk, though the weight settling across his shoulders felt heavier than any battlefield he had ever stepped onto.

Before, he was just a frontline grunt, throwing his weight around.

The reality of being their Patriarch began to sink in when he saw the numbers, roles, and futures resting in his grasp.

Thousands.

That single order would move thousands.

Soldiers.

Maid Corps.

Vampires.

Mercenaries.

Aircraft crews.

Engineers.

Families waiting for them to return.

His fingers rested silently atop the desk while the room itself continued moving without it, as if he became the centre of everything.

Selene observed him quietly from beside the chair, crimson eyes softer now beneath the cold moonlit calm she carried so naturally. One elegant hand drifted across his shoulder before squeezing gently.

"Let me help you, Darling."

Her eyes appeared to whisper proudly:

"He’s finally understanding what this title truly means..."

Her voice soft and tranquil as she began arranging documents for him to check. She would whisper about their meaning and usage whenever he seemed confused. His father had left earlier and had activated the current situation.

Elizabeth, on the other hand, continued drinking.

Her eyes locked on his figure, trembling with a faint smile.

...

Meanwhile, Ivan had already begun working.

The enormous werewolf crossed to one side of the office, where an old black cabinet stood embedded in the wall. Thick mechanical locks disengaged one after another with heavy metallic CLACK-CLACK-CLACK sounds before the doors slowly opened.

Inside rested weapons.

Not decorative pieces, but the tools of extinction used by their forefathers.

Massive anti-regeneration rounds rested beside ancient silver-forged blades while black combat armour bearing deep claw marks hung suspended behind reinforced glass. Most carried traces of dried blood that no servant had ever dared clean.

"Son, are you prepared to don this thing?"

Nikolai glanced at the old armour, yet strangely clean, white fangs peeking through his overzealous grin.

"That old thing?"

"Tsk! This armour is something all Volkov men used to dream of wearing, kid... don’t make me forget my place and beat your ass!"

’Shit...’

He’d almost forgotten how dearly his father held their family history and rules.

Elizabeth watched her husband with amused crimson eyes as she slowly swirled her wine.

"My, my..." she murmured softly. "I haven’t seen you open that cabinet since Prague, you wanted to show off to me and got caught by your father."

Ivan grunted.

"Fufufu~ he chased you around with that silver blade until you fell down the main stairwell." She leaned on her palms with a bright smile on her face. "It was such a wonderful sight to behold, I must say."

"Wife."

His tone carried absolute authority.

Elizabeth paused, stopping mid-breath, before nodding, clearly respecting his wishes.

Then his silver gaze shifted toward Nikolai again.

"You made the correct decision."

Nikolai looked up.

Ivan leaned one massive arm against the armoury cabinet.

"But now comes the part that decides whether men follow you willingly... or merely obey because they fear you and have no choice."

The older werewolf’s voice had lowered again, becoming calmer with a sharp tinge.

"You already possess strength. No one questions that anymore." His scarred fingers tapped against the black steel beside him. "But strength alone creates tyrants, Nikolai."

Elizabeth smirked faintly into her glass.

"And tyrants rarely create anything but broken empires and shunned people."

Rain tapped softly against the towering windows overlooking northern S-City while distant thunder rolled beyond the mountains.

Nikolai slowly exhaled through his nose.

"...Then teach me properly."

The answer seemed unexpected as Ivan’s eyes widened.

Then he laughed.

A deep, rough sound that filled the office walls.

"Haah! Good answer."

Selene, who had gripped the edges of her seat, relaxed slightly beside him, while Elizabeth downed her wine, grinning at her husband with narrowed eyes.

The pressure inside the room eased for the first time since Nikolai entered.

As a calm silence lingered, there was a knock at the door.

Knock knock.

The office doors opened carefully.

Brunhilde stepped inside before immediately bowing deeply, golden hair falling over her face while she struggled to steady her breathing.

"P-Patriarch... a report from the western checkpoints."

All of a sudden, four sets of eyes sharpened into blades instantly.

Brunhilde swallowed.

She stepped back, leaning against the doorframe for support.

"A-Ahem! The Nosferatu have begun retreating from several southern sectors..." Her fingers tightened around the tablet in her hands. "...but our scouts confirmed movement close to the Northern and Eastern borderlines approximately forty minutes ago."

"What!?" Ivan exclaimed.

"Calm down, darling, it’s just a few scouts." His wife tried to calm him.

"Tell me, what else the scouts noticed!"

"A-Ah, yeash Patrirach! They seemed to be withdrawing even the small gangs to the last district under their control, while taking advantage of our stretched numbers to slip through the port untested..."

Nikolai rose from the desk.

The chair slid backwards across polished wood with a low scrape; his exhaustion remained along with the ache of his muscles.

But something inside him changed after speaking with his father.

He turned toward the office doors.

"I need to see everyone before preparations begin; there might not be time after I leave." He glanced at his father, his mother, and then at Selene.

"Will you come with me, Selene?"

"Of course, I would follow you anywhere, Nikolai."

She didn’t hesitate, quickly standing beside him almost immediately.

"You two should be careful, don’t rush and always know you can come to us if you need help."

Elizabeth finished her wine in one elegant motion before rising gracefully from the sofa.

"I will, Mother-in-law, Father-in-law!"

"Mhm, cute daughters are the best, fufu. Honey, let’s go."

In response to his wife, Ivan removed the massive black combat coat from inside the armoury cabinet and slung it across one shoulder.

The old monster’s silver eyes glowed faintly beneath the dim office lights.

"Son, I will handle the troublesome issues and go visit your grandfather. Make sure you don’t have any regrets before you leave." He glanced at the stormy atmosphere outside the window before snorting. "I don’t think tonight will be an easy one."

"Understood."

...

[Volkov Compound, Northern S-City — 2:31 AM]

Nikolai gave a small nod before turning toward the doors again.

The moment they opened, the reality of the situation struck harder than any speech inside the office ever could.

The mansion had fully awakened.

Maids carrying weapon cases moved swiftly through the corridors while hidden security shutters slowly unfolded over reinforced windows with deep metallic groans. Somewhere below the estate, transport elevators thundered downward toward underground hangars buried beneath the mountain.

"Are you nervous?"

Selene asked softly, while reaching out to grasp his hand.

The offered hand felt warm as it gently tightened around his fingers.

"Nope."

"Oh, why not?" She joked as they started moving.

Nikolai just grunted back with a serious tone, "Because you are beside me."

The air was different from anything he remembered: hot machinery built for war, burning fuel instead of the gentle air-conditioning units.

Even the hint of blood from the bloodbank felt more intense.

’The Port, huh.’

He didn’t have good memories of that place, but with servants bowing respectfully as he passed, Nikolai slowly began to understand his father’s words and their meaning.

It wasn’t some faceless threat.

Right now, they watched him with a subtle glimmer of hope and curiosity, and there wasn’t a trace of fear from them just yet.

’Feels more like expectation, or faith...’

Everyone inside the compound now looked towards him for support, guidance and protection.

I really became the Patriarch...

Beside him, Selene quietly kept their fingers interlocked, the faint heat from her body unnatural for a vampire.

Though he was happy for it in this moment.

That comforting heat.

"This atmosphere reminds me of when I first met you, Selene."

"You are thinking too much again," she murmured softly.

Nikolai snorted faintly.

"I learned that from living with intelligent women."

A tiny smile tugged at her lips.

Ahead of them, distant laughter and a playful voice bellowed from one of the large mansion hallways. Nikolai glanced towards the opening and couldn’t help but smirk. It was Nikita, she was playing with their three daughters and Leonid.

The sound brought a sense of warmth and vibrance to the tense atmosphere as if she were the sunlight breaking through storm clouds.

For a brief moment, Nikolai closed his eyes and listened.

His daughters.

His wives.

His family.

His brothers.

The people waiting for him to return alive once he left this place.

However, as if to refuse his current thoughts.

Far beyond the compound windows, somewhere above the storm clouds surrounding S-City...

A crimson light ignited across the heavens.