Cain withdrew his hand from Ivira’s cocoon slowly.

The moment contact broke, the dream space shattered apart around him once more, the countless memories dissolving into crimson fragments before vanishing completely. Reality returned instantly afterward, bringing back the ruined battlefield, the distant celebrations, the scent of blood mana lingering in the air, and the endless noise of vampires still discussing the terrifying potential of the Moonshade family.

But Cain—

Did not move immediately.

He stood frozen before the three cocoons.

His expression remained calm outwardly.

Too calm.

Yet inside—

His thoughts churned violently.

Faith’s dream resisted him.

Cornelia’s dream resisted him.

Ivira’s dream resisted him.

Not partially.

Not imperfectly.

Completely.

And that—

Should not happen.

Cain slowly stepped backward.

One step.

Then another.

His gaze remained fixed on the cocoons, especially now that he had seen what lay inside all three. The emotional connections between him and the sisters were no longer simple attachments in his mind.

They had become systems.

Complex.

Self-correcting.

Alive.

And the blood pact sat at the center of all of it like some invisible parasite weaving itself through thoughts, emotions, memories, and interpretation itself.

"...No..."

Cain’s brows slowly knitted together.

Because the more he thought about it—

The less natural it felt.

Yes, blood pacts influenced emotions.

That much existed even in his previous life.

Contracts tied to blood often created attachment, loyalty, synchronization, and emotional dependency.

But this?

This was far beyond normal blood pact influence.

This thing was actively protecting itself.

Correcting memories.

Strengthening emotions.

Amplifying attachment endlessly.

And worst of all—

It could resist him.

An Overgod.

Even weakened, even reborn, even restrained inside this body, Cain still possessed understanding far beyond ordinary existence. There should not be a blood pact capable of rejecting his interference this thoroughly.

Unless—

His eyes narrowed slightly.

Unless something else was involved.

That thought immediately made him still.

Completely still.

The surrounding vampires remained occupied. None of them paid attention to him at all. Lord Vord and Elder Achilor continued speaking with the Moonshade elders while GrandLord Dreath occasionally laughed loudly discussing the future of the vampire race.

No one watched Cain.

Good.

Very good.

Because the moment that thought formed—

Cain’s instincts immediately sharpened.

"...Something touched the pact..."

He muttered internally.

Not randomly.

Not naturally evolving.

Touched.

Modified.

Strengthened.

The realization slowly formed in his mind.

And the more he thought about it—

The angrier he became.

Because if someone truly interfered with the blood pact without him noticing—

Then that meant something had manipulated even him.

Cain slowly exhaled.

Then casually turned slightly away from the crowd.

Not suspiciously.

Not abruptly.

Just enough.

His expression remained indifferent as though he was merely observing the cocoons quietly like before.

Meanwhile—

Inside—

His blood mana began moving.

Slowly.

Carefully.

Unlike ordinary vampires, Cain’s understanding of blood magic transcended the current era entirely. Even GrandLord Dreath and Elder Achilor together would not compare to his mastery in his previous life.

And because of that—

He knew how to investigate without being noticed.

Thin streams of blood mana spread quietly beneath the ground from Cain’s feet, invisible to ordinary senses. He controlled them with absurd precision, weaving them through the surroundings silently like hidden threads.

The blood mana moved toward the cocoons first.

Toward the blood pact connections.

Toward the lingering emotional resonance still flowing between him and the three sisters.

Cain closed his eyes slightly.

His consciousness followed the blood mana deeper.

"...Show me..."

The blood mana entered the connections slowly.

Carefully.

Not interfering.

Only tracing.

Observing.

The blood pact immediately reacted faintly the moment his blood mana touched it, but this time Cain did not attempt to alter anything. He merely followed the pathways silently, allowing the pact to reveal its structure naturally.

And then—

His eyes narrowed.

"...There..."

Deep within the emotional network tying him and the sisters together—

Something existed.

A layer.

Hidden.

Buried extremely deeply.

So deeply that Cain had not noticed it earlier because the overwhelming emotions and memories concealed it perfectly.

But now that he was specifically searching—

He found traces.

Very faint traces.

Yet unmistakable.

His blood mana followed the trail further.

The hidden layer pulsed quietly.

Almost invisibly.

Like something sleeping beneath the blood pact itself.

Cain’s expression slowly darkened.

Because this feeling—

He recognized it.

Not completely.

But enough.

"...Ancient..."

The traces carried age.

Not ordinary age.

Ancient age.

Far older than the current vampire race.

Far older than Lord Vord.

Far older than Achilor.

Possibly even older than GrandLord Dreath himself.

Cain’s heartbeat slowed slightly.

Because now—

Things became far more serious.

His blood mana carefully wrapped around the hidden traces, examining them deeper while avoiding triggering reactions.

The structure was unbelievably sophisticated.

It did not control directly.

It nurtured.

Amplified.

Fed emotions gradually.

Strengthened attachment naturally.

And then used those emotions to reinforce the blood pact endlessly.

A perfect cycle.

The more affection existed—

The stronger the pact became.

And the stronger the pact became—

The more affection intensified.

"...What kind of monstrous thing is this..."

Cain felt genuine irritation now.

Because this was not random.

Someone made this intentionally.

Someone designed this structure.

And whoever did—

Possessed terrifying understanding of emotional manipulation and blood magic.

Cain’s blood mana pushed deeper.

Slowly.

Carefully.

The hidden structure trembled slightly as if sensing observation.

Immediately, Cain concealed his presence further.

The surrounding vampires still noticed nothing.

Good.

Very good.

The last thing he needed was attention right now.

His consciousness moved deeper into the hidden layer.

And suddenly—

He saw it.

Not physically.

Not fully.

But enough.

A mark.

A hidden blood imprint buried deep within the pact.

The instant Cain sensed it—

His eyes widened slightly.

Because he recognized the aura.

Not the individual completely.

But the style.

The method.

The feeling.

It resembled the same overwhelming emotional authority he sensed inside the dreams.

Yet far more ancient.

Far more refined.

Far more terrifying.

"...You..."

Cain’s expression slowly twisted.

Because now he understood.

The blood pact itself was not naturally evolving.

Something—

Someone—

Had tampered with it long ago.

And worse—

That existence might still be connected to it somehow.

Cain immediately pushed his blood mana harder toward the imprint.

The hidden structure reacted violently.

The blood pact trembled.

The cocoons pulsed faintly.

But Cain no longer cared.

His irritation exploded rapidly now that he finally found evidence.

"...You dare..."

The hidden imprint tried retreating deeper into the pact.

But Cain followed relentlessly.

His Overgod instincts sharpened completely now.

The hidden layer twisted.

Concealed itself.

Attempted to disappear.

Yet Cain’s blood mana wrapped around it tightly.

And suddenly—

A faint presence emerged briefly.

Only for an instant.

But enough.

A feeling.

A consciousness.

Watching.

The moment Cain sensed it—

His expression darkened completely.

Anger surged through him immediately.

Because now he was certain.

Someone had interfered.

Someone had manipulated the blood pact.

Someone had been hiding beneath all of this the entire time.

And the realization infuriated him beyond reason.

Cain’s blood mana exploded silently beneath the surface.

His eyes sharpened dangerously.

Then—

Inside his head—

He snarled coldly.

"...Found you."