“Theia?” A rough voice came from the darkness as the woman entered the hall, built from obsidian stone. “Why have you come?”
Is she scared of her own master?
I noticed that Theia stopped near the entrance, as if she was afraid to step closer to the veiled figure. My impression of vampires had never been particularly high. I had no reason to believe they were a kind or welcoming race, but I had assumed the one she called “master” would be someone she did not fear.
“I have a request, master,” she said carefully. “I wanted to ask if you knew anything about the Mistress…”
“You smell different, Theia,” the voice said.
It was neither deep enough to sound like a man nor soft and high enough to belong to a woman. I couldn’t see it either. If Theia hadn’t mentioned that her master was a man, I wouldn’t have been able to tell.
Even after raising my rank, this damn Window can’t see through darkness…
Sometimes even the darkness created by the Night God couldn’t hinder my sight, yet at other times, a simple lack of candlelight rendered me blind. The Window and the way it functioned made no sense at all.
“I came with my… friend. He and I are looking for our Mistress,” Theia said, ignoring the man’s words. She took a step back as the darkness seemed to bend toward her, swallowing some of the light that came through the open door.
“A friend, you say…” the man replied. “I have nothing to share on that matter. But I am glad for your visit. Come, let your master see you closely.”
Theia’s breath caught for a moment, and she glanced toward the door.
“If you know nothing, then I’ll leave, master. My friend is waiting outside, and I don’t want to keep him…”
The door slammed shut with a loud bang. The darkness swallowed everything.
Theia screamed, but her voice was cut off, as if something had silenced her.
I could see nothing in the darkness. Nor could I sense anything.
The silence and darkness lasted only a fraction of a second before the door burst open.
Crimson and gold light flooded the hall as Aurelion spread his wings. His eyes swept across the room, searching for the source of the voice and for where Theia had been taken.
Deeper inside, on a small stone platform, Theia lay sprawled, a figure cloaked in a dark veil pressing her down. I sensed no mana from him. He looked like a tall, thin figure wrapped in a cloak.
Until he turned around.
His eyes were bulging, four fangs jutting from his mouth, saliva dripping from them. His skin was dark gray, almost black.
“Who dared to disrupt my meal…”
Aurelion did not let him finish. He flapped his wings and charged. A wave of crimson and gold rippled through the hall as he closed the distance and slammed the figure into the ground.
Stone slabs shattered on impact, shards flying in every direction. Whether the vampire had not expected Aurelion’s strength or was simply too weak, his body folded unnaturally, limbs twisted at impossible angles.
Aurelion grabbed Theia, pulling her close. He checked her condition quickly, and only after confirming she was merely unconscious did he turn back to the vampire.
“I know you can heal yourself. Stand up,” Aurelion said, placing a hand on Theia’s head.
[Warning: Your angel is trying to channel your divinity.]
I had already felt it, as if someone was pulling at a part of my body. I allowed it.
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My divinity wrapped around Theia’s head, crimson and radiant. It flared for a brief moment, then dimmed and disappeared as she flinched.
[Warning: Passing the divinity consumed 0.1 Divinity Points.]
Surprisingly, Aurelion had managed to use only a minuscule amount of my power. Despite rarely relying on my divinity, and barely using even his own, he clearly did not lack talent in it.
The vampire slowly rose from the ground, his body shimmering green. His eyes had dimmed, and his fangs had shrunk. The desire for Theia’s blood, or perhaps even her flesh, had clearly drawn out his more primal side.
“Who are you?” he asked.
“That is not for the likes of you to know,” Aurelion said, not even sparing him a glance.
He placed Theia on the ground. She had come to her senses, but still struggled to keep her balance.
“What happened to you, master? Why did you attack me?” she asked, moving closer to Aurelion as the vampire stepped toward her.
“That smell…” the man hissed, his long tongue licking down to his chin.
Then he lunged at Theia, his eyes fixed on her, his fangs bared once more.
Aurelion intercepted him. He slammed him into the ground and pinned him there, placing a foot on the vampire’s chest while grabbing his arms. He stretched them and twisted until a loud crack echoed through the hall.
The vampire screamed in pain as his arms dropped limp at his sides, both of them broken.
“If you heal them, I will break your head next,” Aurelion said. “Answer the questions.”
“I cannot,” the vampire rasped.
“Why, master? We are trying to save the Mistress. Were you not her most devout believer?”
“Mistress…” the man whispered, a mix of blood and saliva slipping from his lips. His fangs receded, and his skin lightened slightly. His unfocused gaze settled on Theia as clarity returned.
“Theia…” he murmured. “I no longer share a connection with the Mistress. I betrayed her.”
“But you were her most devout believer… why?”
The vampire tried to rise, but Aurelion’s foot kept him firmly pinned. He could not move at all under the angel’s weight.
“Why? You ask why?” the man scoffed. “Do you know what happens to us when we go too long without receiving our god’s blessing? Yes, the Mistress made us dependent on her. It was her decision. If a sanguine goes without her blessing for too long… we become this. Look at me. See what I have become?”
“But master, if we can find the Mistress, she can save you.”
“Find her… even if you do, it will not help me anymore. I already submitted to Marcus,” the vampire said with a sigh. “I was deceived like a child. In my desperation, he made me an offer I could not refuse… it does not matter now. Just leave me here. Let time claim me. And do not be worried, I will not leave this place. The bastard sealed me here…”
His voice slowly rose, madness returning to his eyes.
“Mistress…” Theia whispered.
She turned and walked toward the door, leaving the man sprawled on the floor, pinned down by Aurelion.
“My Liege, what should I do?” he whispered in my mind, clearly confused.
To be honest, so was I.
First, the master attacked Theia, and now she had left him at Aurelion’s mercy, which she should have known was limited.
I did not care for the vampire, or even for Theia. I was keeping her alive only because it served my goal. But in my case, that was natural. I was the God of Velmoryns, not sanguines or vampires.
But why was she not interested in saving her master’s life? Or at least showing some emotion - anger, hatred, anything at all?
Were sanguines perhaps detached from emotion? Velmoryns, at the very least, were loyal to one another. They would sacrifice themselves without hesitation for those they cared about, or even for the sake of the tribe.
Whatever… it doesn’t matter anyway.
As Aurelion sensed my decision, he increased the pressure of his foot, crushing the man’s ribcage and heart. The vampire screamed and thrashed as Aurelion leaned down and, with a single swift motion, beheaded him.
[Warning: Aurelion used the skill Reaper.][Warning: Reaper consumed Gold Rank high vampire’s soul.][Warning: You’ve gained 490 Divinity Points!]
Huh?
I already knew Aurelion possessed this skill, but he had never used it before. I had assumed it would generate ten, at most twenty Divinity Points. But 490?
I gain one point after converting a velmoryn. But killing a vampire gave me 490?
I found myself reconsidering my domain. Perhaps it would be better to become a monster slayer. I could send Aurelion to hunt powerful beasts and collect their souls. That would be far more efficient than trying to cultivate religion and believers.
Then it hit me.
What had started as a joke gave me an idea.
What if I created a mercenary group to hunt monsters and other powerful creatures? I could bless each of them and grant the same skill Aurelion possessed.
Damn, I would become rich if I could take part in crusader wars…
And just as I was forming that thought, I heard Amon’s voice.
“Hey, Verde, what if I settle down in his place?”
**