Asher looked at the cloudy sky for a moment before forcing himself to stand. He caught Aster's fist but Aileen landed a heavy kick on his ribs. Asher was running on fumes. Blood covered his mouth and chin from the times he had bitten the two vampires. The mouthful of flesh he obtained each time was the only fuel that allowed him to move. But it wouldn't last forever.
The two vampires were quickly adapting and working together. This made it harder for him to bite them which led to the current situation. Asher on his last legs, struggling to stand straight while his attackers were covered in bite wounds that didn't heal. Their exhausted bodies could barely keep them standing, there was no way it could support healing.
'Can someone please help me keep them busy so I can eat.' Asher thought to himself as he barely managed to stop himself from losing control. As though answering his summons, Step showed up from out of nowhere. Jumping higher than she normally would, Step landed a dropkick to Aster's head, who was over a head taller than her.
Aileen was shocked by the sudden attack and failed to dodge Asher's fist. With the two pushed back, Asher did something he had wanted to do all night. He took a piece of flesh out of the bracelet storage and gorged on it. The ravenous sounds produced were enough to unnerve those who heard it. A loud burp and satisfied sigh were enough to inform Step that Asher was ready for the fight to continue.
Aileen struck first, she thrust a dagger at Step who easily dodged and countered with a blow to the ribs. Aileen flinched but kept rushing forward toward Milas who would have been mistaken for a corpse if it wasn't for the faint wheezing produced by his breath. Step realized her mistake too late and Asher was too focused on Aster to notice Aileen. Aileen grabbed the hilt with both hands and thrust down. Time seemed to slow down as memories of her time with her brother flashed though her mind. But those memories were cut short by the person below her. She screamed with rage as the blade aimed for Milas' heart plummeted.
"Stop!" A loud booming voice echoed across the clearing. All motion siezed immediately. Even the wind seemed to have obeyed the decree. Then came the overwhelming pressure. The sense of fear that enveloped the area was leagues beyond what Milas achieved with blood mist. It was like comparing a waning flame to an all-consuming inferno. Aileen was experiencing the worst of it. The tip of the dagger in her grasp had pierced Milas' skin but it wasn't deep enough. She was struggling with all her might to move but nothing happened.
A hand grasped her shoulder and easily lifted her off Milas. Tears streamed down her face as she realized her hopeless situation. Her body was rendered immobile due to the charm skill of the man before her and that man was none other than the Great Elder Deogratius De Viers. "Please just let me kill him! HE KILLED MY BROTHER!!! PLEASE!!! My father trusts you more than anyone else. Please just let me avenge my brother."
"I can't let you get blood on your hands young Aileen. Especially not the blood of someone I plan on using. And as for your father, he doesn't trust anyone. I doubt he would even care about the death of your brother. But don't worry, I won't get in the way of your revenge." After saying that, Deogratius kneeled beside Milas and released a sigh. He placed a hand on Milas' head and another on his chest, above the blood crystal. Blood energy pooled on Deogratius' hands and entered Milas.
In Van's subconcious domain, Milas was standing in front of Van who was laughing loudly. The pain from his body had been overwhelming and now Van was laughing and mocking his 'weak' will. Milas felt a hand firmly grasp his shoulder and a familiar voice cut through the laughter. "Pardon my intrusion. I wasn't expecting my slave's subconcius domain to be occupied by another."
Van glanced at Deogratius curiosly and spoke in the same arrogant tone he uses on Milas. "Well this is interesting. A mere vampire enters my domain without alerting me. I'm impressed. Praytell, are you perhaps from the illustrious third generation?"
"I wish I were but I'm a little older than that. Anyway, I'll be taking my slave for a moment." With that Deogratius took a step back into a fog filled portal that appeared behind him, pulling Milas along. Van looked at the closing portal lazily as he thought to himself. 'Such a strong affinity for souls. And he's from a time before the third generation. I feel like I should remember someone like that but nothing comes to mind. It shouldn't be too important then.'
Milas was surrounded by impenetrable fog and the only thing within sight was Deogratius' frowning face. He knelt on one knee immediately and was about to apologize for trying to escape when Deogratius spoke first. "It seems you've been hiding more secrets than I first thought. I won't pry, I've seen enough throughout my life to lose my curiosity. Anyway, let's get down to business.
"I will free your body from the slave contract and I will accept you into my family. Don't take it lightly. By accepting you into my family your bloodline will be purified making it easier to breakthrough your innate limits. You will also gain two of my five bloodline traits. But there is a condition. Those of my family are free to roam for five centuries but after the time passes, you have to look for me and serve me for one year. During this one year period, I will analyze your progress and if I find it unsatisfactory. I will remove my bloodline from your body."
"Now choose two between these five innate skills." Five balls of identical red energy emerged from Deogratius' chest. "The first from the right is a skill that allows you to use blood energy as a fuel for magic instead of mana. The second is the skill I'm using now that allows you to use blood energy to mimic soul affinity. The third is a skill that produces a flame that specifically targets blood. It basically uses your enemy's blood as fuel. The fourth is a skill that enhances your charm skill and improves your immunity to illusions. I suggest you pick this because the forsaken desert is filled with illusions. The last is a skill that allows you to summon beasts from the shadow realm. But they won't obey you. Choose."
Milas didn't even have to consider the first choice. He immediately went for Deogratius' suggestion in order to appease him. As for the second, he didn't bother to think too deeply and picked the one that would help the most in his current situation. "I choose the charm skill and the flame skill."
"Good." Deogratius said as a drop of energy separated from the two selected balls. The drops entered Milas' chest and the five balls returned to Deogratius. "The abilities you picked are physical so you won't feel any changes here. I'll feed you some of my blood to heal you. But the vitality is quite strong so you'll be excited for a few days afterwards. From now on you shall bear my family name. You are now Milas Zan Malein. Welcome to the family."
Milas was pushed through a portal that opened behind him and ended up beneath Van's throne. "Stand up. I need to check the changes he made before he wakes you up." Van spoke before Milas understood what was happening. Milas stood before Van who had decided to stand from the throne for the first time since they met. Van towered above Milas who barely reached his chest.
After thoroughly scanning Milas, Van sat back on his throne and spoke. "Tell me everything that happened." Milas recounted everything and Van sat there silently contemplating after the explanation. "Zan Malein. It sounds so familiar yet I can't seem to recall it. But what's more interesting is the existence of five innate skills. Vampires should only have three. This vampire has piqued my interest."
"Milas, you must be the luckiest being in the world. Not only did you meet me but you somehow got accepted into a family led by such an interesting vampire. If I didn't know better I'd think your fate is being manipulated. We'll talk later, you are about to wake up. When you see that interesting vampire tell him that I am Vandelorian the Crimson Phoenix." Van had finished the sentence when Milas felt the familiar sensation of leaving the subconscious domain.
Milas opened his eyes and felt the cold night air on his skin. He sat up and his previous injuries were completely gone. Around him stood Deogratius, the butler he had seen earlier and the maid. Milas could feel an odd sense of closeness to these three. It was then that the maid spoke, "Welcome to the family youngest."