POV Rio
"Miss Selene and your ally, our master, wishes to speak with you. Would you please come with us?" says a man in a suit instead of tactical gear, which I will call the G-Man.
I look to Selene, and she looks to be thinking about it.
"You can leave if you want, as I'll be opening the door," Selene says.
"Eh, I've gone this far, might as well see this to the end, just stick close if you want to teleport away," I caution.
Selene gives me a small smile and nods.
The door opens, and the men on the other side don't react with violence, but rather the G-Man just smiles.
"Thank you for your cooperation, Elder Selene," the G-Man says.
"Ouch, called old right as you meet," I joke.
"Hmm, and you are?" the G-Man asks.
"You can call me The Question for now," I respond.
"Hmm, I must admit I haven't seen someone like you before, but that is irrelevant; we have places to be," the G-Man says.
We follow him and get on a helicopter.
'This will be interesting.'
After a few hours, we arrive on an aircraft carrier and are swiftly brought to the leader of this vessel.
"Leave us," the elderly looking man orders.
The guards who brought us here leave.
"Why have you brought us here?" Selene asks.
"You're the last of my bloodline. I would think I would want to see what you were like," the man says.
"The last... Wait, you're Alexander Corvinus?!" Selene says with shock.
The man looks unsurprised.
"There was a time when I was known by that name. But by any name, I am still your progenitor. Or at least the Virus is," Corvinus says with a slightly annoyed tone.
"How have you stayed hidden all these years?" Selene asks.
"When you have lived centuries, you see that everything is a pattern that grows out of itself. Sometimes you can no longer see the trees, only the roots," Corvinus says with an exhausted tone.
Selene seems to understand what he is saying at least better than I did.
"You still haven't explained why you bought us here?" Selene says.
"Sigh. I am tired. My sons are dead at the hands of religious zealots, and you are the last of the virus that started this entire war. I have no interest in continuing this pointless duty," Corvinus says.
Selene shifts a bit as if prepared to fight.
"Don't worry, I am not here to kill you. The exact opposite, in fact. I want to retire. But to do that, I need someone to take my place. Someone who can continue where I had left off. You are the only choice I have, despite my reservations," Corvinus says while grabbing a bottle of wine and pouring some for himself.
His statement caught me off guard. I was not expecting this to go this route.
"What? Me? Why?" Selene asks.
"It will be at a cost. You'll have to sign a magical contract that will prevent you from infecting anyone else. You may still feed, but it won't create more vampires. As for why I chose you, the answer is I had no other choice. You were the only option I had for a long-term, stable leader. I trust the men I have now to do their jobs, but I cannot guarantee they will not fall into darkness over time. And with their resources, they could become a grave threat to many innocent people. It was also a requirement from the other vampire covens. Their assets can only be used by a vampire or those of my bloodline," Corvinus explains.
It was at this point that I spoke up.
"Why do you have their funds?" I ask.
"You're called Question, yes? Well, to answer your question. I have been working with every major and minor vampire and werewolf clan for centuries to help keep the world unaware of their existence. If any conflicts or incidents happen, our cleaners will be dispatched to clean up any mess. Since I am more human than they were, I was also often treated as a financial advisor to them. Most of them had more money than they knew what to do with, so they let me use it to help fund my work as long as I also attempted to increase or at least maintain the amount of money they had," Corvinus explains.
"And you expect me to take care of those assets?" Selene asks.
"Not really. Most of those clans are extinct. The only ones I know to still exist are one or two Volturi. And maybe one of Beowulf's kin. The rest of the assets have been left to me to use. I've already sold off most of the property, as it was quite a large collection, and the likelihood of vampires or werewolves returning to Europe within the next 1000 years is basically non-existent. As such, you are allowed to do with that money whatever you want. After signing the magic contract," Corvinus says.
"How much?" Selene asks.
"239 billion dollars in liquid assets. With perhaps another 6 billion in stocks, artwork, and property," Corvinus says.
I have to try really hard not to react to that ridiculous number.
"That would make me the richest person on the planet," Selene comments.
"By a sizable amount. The next richest guy is Tony Stark at 127 billion," I comment.
"Well, it is hundreds of years of accumulated wealth. It shouldn't be a shock that the many vampires and werewolves had acquired immense wealth throughout the years. If anything, it should have been more. Their total wealth should have breached 300 billion, but many assets were stolen by the invaders or lost value due to the fighting. Several properties were outright destroyed. Then there is the 22 billion dollars that belongs to the remaining clans that, as far as I can tell, still live. That money you will be responsible for safekeeping until those clans are wiped out or they return to claim said fortune," Corvinus explains.
"What about this ship and your men?" Selene asks.
"The ship and most of the men will return to the countries they came from. As for those that don't, they will fall under your command, if they choose to do so," Corvinus says.
"What exactly will my responsibilities be?" Selene asks.
"Since there is little in the way of supernatural events for you to clean up after, you will technically have no responsibilities. You will be free to do what you want. If you assist the UK Government, it will help you remain in their country and under their protection, but that would likely come at some cost. If you don't help, you may be required to find somewhere else to live or bribe enough politicians to keep you safe. But I'm sure you know why that is likely a bad idea. But honestly, once I retire, it won't be my problem," Corvinus says.
"That seems fine. How will this contract restrict me?" Selene asks.
"You will be incapable of infecting others, meaning you will be the last of the Corvinus strain. You are not allowed to use the funds of the other clans until they have died off. This clause will allow you to know when they die off. Other than that, you are free to do what you want," Corvinus says.
"Is there anything else?" Selene asks.
"One last thing. I will give you my blood," Corvinus says.
Selene looks a bit confused about this.
"Why?" Selene asks.
"It should complete your transformation. Likely making you the strongest you could ever become. It will also likely remove the need for hibernation. Lastly, it should allow you to walk in the light," Corvinus explains.
Selene's eyes go wide, and her pupils contract to pinpricks.
"Why would you give me that?" Selene says with some suspicion.
"You have to be strong to live. And despite your shortcomings, I feel you are at least trying to change for the better. And think of this as a final gift to make up for the horrors I had brought upon the world with my sons. I want to alleviate some of that guilt I hold. And I feel this is my only chance," Corvinus says.
"I... I accept," Selene says.
"Excellent. Then let us begin. The sooner this is finished, the better," Corvinus says.
He pulls out a golden scroll that faintly shimmers and rolls it out. Inside is exactly what they had talked about for terms, and I didn't sense any hidden clauses, but I did sense that this contact was extremely powerful.
"Where did you get such a powerful contract?" I ask.
"Oh, you must be a mage then. Well, I purchased this from the Ancient One. She was kind enough to give it to me for only 10 billion dollars," Corvinus says.
For a moment, I want to say that sounded extreme, but based on the power I felt from the contract, I couldn't deny that it was likely a very low price. This thing was easily capable of altering the virus within Selene without reducing her capabilities.
"Is it safe?" Selene openly asks me.
I feel a bit surprised, but I decided to check the contract once more.
"Yes. I don't sense or see any hidden clauses. It's an honest contract. It doesn't even have a cost for breaking it. Once you sign it, it will fundamentally change your body, and the virus will stop being contagious. The money clause requires your integrity and nothing else, though I imagine that was on purpose," I explain while looking at Corvinus.
"Indeed. The vampires and werewolves that still exist are not the good kind. Or at least most of them aren't. But I am contractually obligated to make her say she will not touch the money of those clans. And she won't be able to breach that part. Anytime she tries, it will fail. As such, there is no need for a punishment clause," Corvinus says.
I nod, and Selene reads the contract one last time before signing her name. Corvinus signs it right after her, and the contract burns into golden fire while golden chains shoot into the chests of both signers.
"Good, now follow me, and we shall begin the transferal process, and get you that blood," Corvinus says.
"Should I wait here? Or would you rather I go?" I ask.
"You can stay here or leave. If you need a ride, just ask one of the attendants, and they should be able to get you one," Corvinus says.
"I don't need a ride. But uh, here is my contact info," I respond while handing a card to Selene.
The card just had a large Question Mark on it and nothing else.
"How do I use this?" Selene asks.
"Press your finger over the Question Mark and mentally call for me. It will reveal how to contact me in a language only you can comprehend," I explain.
"Interesting," Selene comments before storing the card in her suit.
Once that was done, I left soon after, but not before telling Selene goodbye and explaining I would be in touch. She also gave me her contact info for later. I returned to the forest near her manor and quickly checked myself for any trackers. Then once I was certain I was clean, I teleported again, this time back to my hotel room.