My Vampire Little Sister

126 Vita, The Power Of Life (3)

“Jin Valter…”

The High Elder said my name with a low growl, his nostrils flared and his eyes visibly shaken. It felt like he could stare daggers through me with his gaze as his Vampire fangs hung out menacingly from his mouth. Wow, this must be the first time someone was this pissed to see me…

Still, I could understand his current mental turmoil.

“Horatio surrendered? To you?”

“Why? Is it hard to believe? That your precious nephew had decided to turn on you and betray your trust?”

“… You irritating brat.”

The High Elder paused for a moment, likely to regain his composure. Unlike other Vampires, especially from the Bloodborne House, the man seemed calm and collected enough to keep his head cool during discussions. Likely, it was a product of hundreds, if not thousands, of years fighting with others on the negotiating table. Lord knows how often he had to be the sane one in the room when an army of hot-blooded Vampires would suggest insolent and brash actions.

Perhaps… This was why this man was chosen as the High Elder of the Bloodborne House.

“What did Horatio tell you?”

“Nothing much,” I smiled gleefully as I prepared myself to see the reaction on his face. “Just the fact that you’re trying to resurrect the Progenitor, and you believe that I’m his reincarnation. Also, you’re planning on using the World Tree to call upon the Progenitor’s soul, but since you have a lingering suspicion that I’m his reincarnation, you’ll need my soul.”

“…”

The High Elder’s face instantly turned ashen, as if he’d been given the shock of his life. I must admit, seeing such a lauded Vampire tongue-tied truly was something else. Drawing up a wry smile, I continued to poke the devil.

“Come to think of it, if I’m the reincarnation of the Progenitor, wouldn’t that make me your father? Go on then, call me Daddy.”

“… Your taunts are meaningless, Jin Valter.”

Although he was shaken, the High Elder once again composed himself. Raising his arms up towards me, an enigmatic symbol appeared on the palm of his raised hand. Magic power soon filled the atmosphere as a repressing feeling descended upon the Elven Forest. The invisible pressure almost forced my body to kneel as my torso felt constrained by a mysterious force.

Almost by instinct, my Soul Armament appeared, and my middle ring started to glow with an empyrean light. The power of Spacetime filled my veins, but oddly enough, the mysterious pressure never seemed to cease. If anything, it felt like through using my magic, my body became a hundred times more lethargic, and the control I wielded was slowly being wrested away from my fingertips.

“This is…”

“Bloodline Suppression,” the High Elder said with a somewhat bored voice. “You’ve underestimated me, Jin Valter. My blood is the purest among all Vampires, and while I may not be at the same level as my father, I can decrease the abilities of every Vampire through Bloodline Suppression.”

The High Elder looked down upon me like a human would an ant. Each time he directed his gaze, I could feel the mysterious pressure mounting up like a builder piling on a heap of bricks. Before I knew it, my body was burning, and my blood felt like boiling. Speaking out words became burdensome, and my face could not keep my eyes straight.

“Have you ever wondered… Why is the Bloodborne House still so feared even though we’ve lost so much over the years? Even an ancient Vampire like Matriarch Innocence would suffer under the effects of my Bloodline Suppression, let alone a youngling like you.”

Adjusting his white gloves, the High Elder walked over like a surgeon preparing for surgery.

“I don’t know if you truly possess my father’s soul, but unfortunately, your body is just that of an ordinary Vampire. No, since you were a former human, your body is weaker than a True Vampire. You never did stand a chance against me.”

Still unimpressed, the intimidating Vampire channelled more magic power into his mark, exponentially increasing the mysterious pressure that sealed my movements.

“You shouldn’t have come alone, Jin Valter. While Horatio’s circumstance seems regrettable, he’s done his job. He’s delivered you to me, after all.”

“…”

The High Elder didn’t care for the well-being of his kin. He didn’t care if the words that came out of my mouth were true or not. All he cared about… Was the completion of his master plan.

… Just what I’d expected.

“Jin! Jin! Jin! What are you doing?!”

A familiar annoying voice echoed within my ears as I was busy finishing the play. I resisted the temptation to break character and look over my shoulders. However, the ever-so-aggravating fairy made her way in front of my eyes and yelped:

“D-Do you need my help?! J-Just wait for a moment okay?! I’ll get Rosa to-…”

[Sora, don’t do anything.]

I sent a mental message to the ignorant Spirit of the World Tree, who was just about to ruin my master plan.

“H-Huh? Why are you acting this way?”

[I told you right? That I needed to confirm something.]

“You mean… You want to check if you really possess the soul of the Progenitor?”

[No, I’ve verified that I’m not the Progenitor… Or at the very least, I’m not related to the Bloodbornes and their nefarious bloodline.]

“Huh? Then why are you willingly giving yourself up?”

[Just watch.]

I would have explained everything to Sora, but it would take too much time. And besides, who knows how this meddlesome fairy would interfere with my plans? I only needed her to silently watch from the sidelines and leave the rest to me.

“Come here… It’ll be over in a minute.”

Oblivious to my scheme, the High Elder grabbed onto my weakened body and yanked me from my arm. Playing along, I stumbled and tripped as I tried my best to put on an act. I needed him to drop his guard down and believe everything was going according to his plan. Fortunately, the man was too arrogant to even consider the fact that I could resist him, and he shoved my ‘defenceless’ body right in front of the Progenitor’s coffin.

“If you really possess Father’s soul, you’ll be resurrected as the True Progenitor of our race. The head of the Bloodborne House and the sole ruler of the Vampire race. But, if you don’t have Father’s soul… Well, you can just be a nutrient for his rebirth.”

The High Elder tapped on the large coffin and sent tremors down everyone’s spine. All the Bloodborne loyalists knelt in reverence as some began to weep, either with joy or anticipation. And it was for good reason.

The sarcophagus lid creaked open, and blood flowed down from the coffin. Waterfall after waterfall of red liquid poured onto the grassy floor as a putrid, pungent stench overwhelmed my senses.

At that point, I heard numerous voices. Some were young and sharp, like a baby’s wail. Others, deep and resonant, like a grandfather’s snore. Each one of those voices echoed within the chamber of my skull like a broken recorder, and it didn’t give me one moment of peace. I couldn’t even begin to count the number of voices that came out from the coffin, and before I knew it, I realised what was causing this strange phenomenon.

These voices… Were the voices of the sacrificed.

Just how many lives were spent in this scheme to resurrect the Progenitor? How many innocents were ripped away from their families to become fodder for the Bloodborne House? Just how many… souls were contained within this coffin?

Hundreds? Thousands? If not… Millions?

The members of the Bloodborne family… They sure were despicable. In their chase for prestige and power, they were willing to end the lives of so many pure souls…

As the blood finished pouring out from the coffin, I was given a clear view of what lay within. A mummified body, one that was wrapped tightly in satin and stained completely crimson by the blood that flooded the coffin. I could not see the mummy’s face, but with the soft, pulsating life force that resonated out, I could tell that the body was still alive.

Likely, it was one of the many sacrifices that the Bloodborne House had prepared for the resurrection of their Progenitor. And given the life signature of the body… It should be a direct descendant of the Bloodborne House.

How disgusting… To think that they would sacrifice one of their kin without any remorse. No, given how they’ve always operated, it was to be expected.

“Now… It’s time to discover if you’re truly Father’s reincarnation… Or just a dud meant to be our sacrifice.”

With a calm smile, the High Elder threw me into the bloodied coffin and closed the lid tight behind me.

Good… Now that I’ve infiltrated this place, I can move on to the next step of my plan. I wished to take a deep breath in, but the horrid stench prevented me from taking any big whiffs. Calming myself, I looked around at my new ‘hospitable’ space.

Compared to its luxurious exterior, the inside of the coffin was rather mundane, boring even. There was nothing of interest besides the fact that there was a live person wrapped like a mummy. Though, that didn’t last long.

Magic power filled in from the outside as blood started to pour back into the coffin. I could see runes carved into each crevice of the bloodied box as the souls of the sacrificed continued their wailings.

It seems… The Bloodborne House had begun the resurrection ritual.

A big smile rose from my lips as my Soul Armament started to glow. Using every ounce of my magic power, I channelled everything into my ring finger and muttered the spell I’d prepared for this moment.

“Vita: Rebirth.”