Chapter 4389: Hidden Threat (Part 1)

"Verhen will allow us to study the end product, while Valeron is the blueprint for how our hybrid children’s life forces must be before they come of age. He already possesses Life Maelstrom like us and Origin Flames like Verhen.

"Imagine how powerful we Isharas would become if we mastered the Origin Flames as well?" A wide smile formed on Phalakon’s face at the idea.

"If we have to dream, let’s do it big." Girmala replied. "Imagine how powerful we’d become if we mastered all the Guardians’ bloodline abilities? We’d become the dominant Divine Beast race even without a Guardian progenitor!"

"Yeah, but first things first." Phalakon’s voice dropped to a whisper, afraid that fate might hear him and laugh at his plans. "We need to get our hands on the Harmonizer technology and wait for Ajatar to disclose his bloodline awakening procedure before making any other move.

"The Hydras are in a friendly relationship with Verhen. If something happens to him and they suspect our involvement in his disappearance, our Lesser species will be doomed to irrelevance. Our blood is dying, Girmala.

"You stabilize a patient before a life-improving procedure, not the other way around."

"True." She nodded. "In the meantime, we can hunt the Dead King freely. He’s the living blueprint of everything that could go wrong with our hybrid children. Capturing him would earn us endless merit, Verhen’s trust, and an immortal test subject.

"We’ll try our experimental procedures on him before fine-tuning them into something Verhen and Valeron, our true prizes, can survive until we’ve gotten from them everything we need to bring forth a golden age for the Ishara race."

***

Lith brought the Rivenfall family back home, apologizing again for the scare.

"Don’t worry, Magus Verhen. The only thing that matters is that everyone is okay." Geldrid replied. "Thank you for the amazing gifts. Feel free to visit us the next time you are in Zeska."

"I’ll try, but I make no promises." He said while looking at Osyan. "Happy birthday again."

He knelt and offered the boy his hand, but Osyan gave him the briefest hug instead.

"Thanks for the gifts and for protecting Mirika." He said after taking three steps back.

"No po!" Elysia dismissed the matter with a wave of her hand, making him chuckle.

"I wasn’t talking to you, but thanks, Elysia."

"Wha?" The baby girl said in disbelief. "Me hep. Me! Du ba!"

She pointed her chubby finger at him.

"Sure." He replied while shaking her tiny fist. "Thanks again."

"And that’s our cue to go." Lith said as Elysia’s head burst into flames. "Rhami, Osyan, don’t forget to call me if you need anything. I’ll come as soon as I can."

***

Gorgon Empire, Eclipsed Lands, City of Lightkeep, at the same time.

"These Harmonizers are a real bummer, Grandma." Nyka the Vampire said. "They barely have any effect on an Awakened undead."

"That’s the idea, child." Baba Yaga replied. "I can’t take the secret of Awakening back after teaching it to someone, whereas I can always destroy these abominations once they have served their purpose.

"Always remember that I never meant for my children to become the new master race of Mogar. They are not supposed to evolve. Their duty is to get better, stronger, and back to life. Evolution is for the living, not the dead."

"Do you think that’s the reason Meln’s Vurdalak form failed to retain his original life forces?" Vladion, the Firstborn Vampire asked.

"I’m not sure, but I hope so." The Crone nodded. "The idea of having screwed his and Night’s plans brightens even my worst day."

"Still, there’s something I want to try." Nyka said. "Uncle Vlad, do you mind putting this on?"

"Normally I’d say no to not waste a precious artifact, but since Mother knows Creation Magic, she can remove my imprint whenever she wants." Vladion took the Harmonizer the young Vampire offered him and wore it on his neck. "I don’t feel any different. Anything else?"

"Yes. Now drink this, please." She gave him a Life Vessel, a crystal vial that undead used to keep their nourishment fresh and preserve the life force it contained.

"What is this?" Vladion uncorked and sniffed the vial, failing to recognize its delicious contents.

"A drop of Lith’s Indech blood." Nyka replied. "A Divine Beast-sized drop of his blood, to be precise."

"And what’s all this supposed to accomplish?" The Crone snorted in annoyance.

"Ever since Lith discovered his Indech form and allowed me to drink his blood, I felt overwhelmingly invigorated whenever I consume it. More than I ever did with any other kind of blood." The young Vampire replied.

"I assumed that it’s because my body is still that of a human and an Indech is the Divine Beast equivalent of human evolution. This got me thinking. If I’m right and my dead body reacts to Indech blood, then what about Vladion?

"He’s the strongest Vampire on Mogar and carries part of your life force, Grandma. He’s lived for a long time and has mastered the full-red blood core. Anything undeath is supposed to give us, I’m pretty sure Uncle Vlad achieved it.

"He’s the best candidate to put my theory to the test, and the Harmonizer will enhance any evolutionary effect that he might experience."

"Nice fantasy, child, but that’s all it is." Baba Yaga scoffed. "Corpses don’t evolve. No matter what race your original body belonged to, once you become a member of an undead species, that’s your new race. End of the story."

"I know, but why so grumpy, Grandma?" Nyka shrugged. "If I’m wrong, we’ll have wasted nothing more than a couple of minutes and one drop of Lith’s blood."

"She’s right, Mother, and you know it." Vladion gulped down the crimson nectar inside the Life Vessel with growing thirst.

He had already eaten for the day and his blood core was full-red, but feeding on Indech blood stirred his hunger instead of quelling it. The taste, texture, and power that spread through his mouth filled his being with a joy he had never experienced before.

A joy that every part of his being didn’t want to end.

When Vladion emptied the Life Vessel of the last drop of blood, he became furious.

’More! I want more!’ His eyes flared with the red light of undeath, and his mouth twisted into a feral snarl filled with fangs.

The First Vampire glared at Nyka in hatred, as if she had taken away from him something that was rightfully his. Yet before the young Vampire could realize the danger she was in, Vladion restrained his hunger.

He knew the unquenchable thirst for blood that tormented Vampires better than any member of his undead species. He had fought and conquered the hunger under the most desperate circumstances. Doing it in the safety of his home was child’s play.

"It was damn good." He said. "Maybe too good, but again, I’m not feeling-"

Vladion doubled over, clenching his hands as his every muscle tensed like a bowstring. The veins across his body bulged out, as if they carried much more blood than they were supposed to.

The First Vampire felt the call hidden deep within Lith’s blood, but he was incapable of answering it.

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