Ascendant Path of a Lustful Vampire Chapter 638: The Second Trial

Sometimes, it takes seeing things with your eyes to truly understand them.

The trials had been described in [To Kill A Demon Lord...] as Aurelius went through them. Because of that, Caius already knew the tale they were now watching. However, as it had been written from the perspective of Aurelius, there was so much context that had been missing, as Caius was now learning.

Because Aurelius never had contact with Athenodora, he couldn’t tell there was a resemblance between her and Valeria and so the original text didn’t include the details of the resemblance either.

As such, only after watching the memories himself did Caius understand.

"Viktor is the one with Blood Magic. If I’m related to anyone, wouldn’t it be him?" Athenodora asked with a head gesture at where Viktor was still chanting his incantation.

"Well, you’re also related to Viktor in the sense that he carries the blood of Valeria as you do. But I don’t think he had children with Valeria," Caius said.

Athenodora was a natural-born Vampire. The original canon had made a point of mentioning that as part of her mystique and an explanation for why she was so formidable despite being the only Vampire Noble without a Coven.

Vampires can have children. It’s just a very difficult process with certain conditions that have to be observed and a very slight chance of success. Caius was sure Valerie must have fulfilled the conditions and had children of natural birth. It was the only way she and Athenodora could be so related since although getting turned makes you share blood with your creator, you don’t gain physical resemblance to them. That sort of thing only happens with biological offsprings/descendants.

"How can you be sure?" Athenodora asked.

"How can I be sure of Valeria not having children with Viktor?" Caius said with a shrug, "I just know."

He could have explained but he didn’t see the point since Athenodora would learn how Caius knew soon enough.

Valeria’s screams had reduced for a while now and now they kicked up again as Viktor’s ritual reached its peak.

Even after Viktor, Valeria and the Altar melted back into darkness, the screams continued to ring all over the dimension.

"Here it comes," Caius said, "The second trial."

"What do we do?" Athenodora asked. Philip was already getting into a battle stance.

Caius waved his hand.

"Just stay behind me," he said, "This isn’t one you can fight out of."

"We couldn’t fight out of the last one either," Athenodora pointed out.

"Exactly," Caius said, "There’s even less of a chance of survival here. If it says we fail, we die. There will be no fight. Unless you surpass the strength that powers the Dimension by being at the Twelfth Circle."

Neither Philip nor Athenodora said a word.

The darkness formed a figure then. A woman floating about five feet above the ground. Her arms were outstretched, her fingers thin and curved like talons with sharp tapering at the ends. Her face was gaunt and her mouth was open like she was stuck in a scream.

"It’s Valeria," Athenodora realized.

Caius said nothing. Of course, Athenodora was right and this was an imitation of Valeria just as the undead from before were an imitation of those who fell in the war Viktor waged to usurp his King.

But Caius couldn’t comment on that. He needed to clear his mind. He had spent the days leading up to taking this journey preparing for the Trials. The first, he had no chance of surviving without someone powerful enough to hold back the horde of undead and while that was important, it wasn’t quite as important as this.

If Caius didn’t get this one right, he couldn’t pass the third and final trial. Also, he’d be dead.

The presence of Valeria’s shadow—the best word for it—released an assessing wave that passed over the three and found Caius open so it connected with his mind.

"You seek my Blood?" It asked in a hoarse voice that sent chills down Caius’s spine.

"I do."

"Then look at what is expected of you," the shadow said.

Images flashed in Caius’s mind but when he studied the images, he didn’t actually see them, but rather comprehended their meaning;

The Blood destroyed.

"Are you prepared to do what must be done?" The shadow asked.

"I am," Caius said without a second thought.

The Shadow searched his mind, seeking falsehood.

Caius stood very still, hoping—as much as he could hope without giving himself away—that his ploy worked. That he had read Viktor’s Blind spot accurately.

The shadow withdrew.

"I sense no falsehood within you," it said, "Proceed, potential Keeper of the Blood. If your conviction remains true, you shall succeed."

The shadow dispersed, leaving Caius, Athenodora and Philip once again alone in the dimension.

"Was that it?" Philip asked.

"That was it," Caius answered.

"What happened exactly?" Philip asked.

"It showed me things, asked me a question, and I answered," Caius said.

As the exchange had taken place in Caius’s head, neither Philip nor Athenodora knew what had been discussed.

"But it didn’t ask us," Athenodora said.

"There was no need, it seems," Caius said and then gestured at the room, "Look."

The walls fell away and the dimension seemed to transform until the trio of Caius, Athenodora, and Philip were standing on a platform in the air.

Drops of blood rose from beneath the platform as well as dark dust that combined to create the figure of Viktor. He was cradling something between his hands. It had the shape of a helix and was Blood red;

The Blood of Strigoi.

Viktor looked more sick than ever but his eyes looked less mad. There was clarity in them.

"Beautiful," he cooed at what was between his hands, "And devastating. This is not a creation of peace. It’s a creation of war. A creation of death.

This... won’t end my mental torture. More will die and the cries will grow louder still."

Viktor’s eyes moved from side to side restlessly.

"Nothing—" he rasped, "Nothing will ever fix me. There is no fix. There is no forgiving what I did and the deaths I caused. This has always been my punishment and it will remain so for as long as I live."

"All the wrong lessons," said Conscience’s voice off to the side, "And much too late to correct."

"You’re here," Athenodora said as she turned to face Conscience.

"I am," Conscience said, "From here on, my Creator no longer soliloquizes so I am needed to interpret the events that will now play in silence."

"Who are you?" Philip asked.

"You may call me Conscience," Conscience said then pointed at Viktor who was now looking frantic,

"As you can see from his visage, creating the Blood took a lot out of my creator. He pushed his body and failing psyche well past his limits.

Ironically, the very failing of his mind actually allowed him to comprehend magic that should be exempt from mortals. Alas, though this inexplicable knowledge had helped him to create the Blood, it didn’t help him destroy it—"

"Destroy it?" Philip piped, "He wished to destroy the Blood?"

Conscience sighed.

"He did. Alas, he had made the Blood with magic beyond mortal understanding, and with his failing mental state, he just couldn’t muster another bout of genius to reverse the process."

"Why would he want to destroy the Blood?" Philip asked.

"The Blood is much too powerful. It’s a stepping stone to great impossibilities and a potential to topple the hierarchy of the cosmos— Place the gods under heel and all that. At least, so my creator theorized."

"Why would he wish to destroy something so..." Philip seemed unsure what word to use and then settled for, "Wonderful?"

"Wonderful?" Conscience regarded Philip with his shimmering eyes, "You’re quite power hungry, aren’t you? Well, such is the failing of youth."

"I am not a youth," Philip said.

"If you’re so narrow-minded, you most certainly are a youth. The Blood may grant power but it also stoked ambition. Millions, trillions, uncountable numbers of souls will be damned. You might not adore the gods but they are the embodiment of Order and to topple them is to plunge all into chaos.

There is so much at stake. So much that could be ruined all because my creator didn’t accept his punishment."

The memory continued to play in silence just as Conscience had said it would, so Conscience’s continued commentary was necessary.

"Word of what my creator was up to spread. His research wasn’t at all as secretive as he hoped. His empire had fallen apart by then due to his neglect and his influence had waned. He had also made enemies for killing Valeria..."

"As he should," Athenodora said with her arms folded beneath her breasts.

"Valeria’s son seemed especially intent on slaying my creator—" Conscience said.

"And was he also Viktor’s son?" Athenodora asked and she looked really put off at the possibility that she was related to Viktor.

"No. My creator never had any children. Valeria tried to have children with him but for whatever reason, she never succeeded," Conscience said.

"She tried?" Athenodora looked disgusted.

Conscience didn’t seem to notice.

"Well, of course she did. My creator was her greatest spawn. He had magic no other vampire ever did. Her Blood and his talent were a perfect mix to create greatness.

Valeria wanted more of that talent and greatness and believed that a child with him was how she could get it.

When that failed, she tried having children with others besides my creator. After a few hundred tries, she had her son who, of course, didn’t have the talent for Blood Magic."

"So Valeria had children because..."

"Because she wanted another Blood Mage like my creator."