[No need to be in such hurry Thelma, I brought two fine young men with me, I’m sure one of them will catch your eyes.]
As if receiving a cue, a young vampire wearing a dark grey suit stood up and bowed to Ocelio’s parents.
His short silver hair was combed in a refined hairstyle, making him stand out from the rest.
His red eyes stared at Eribea with confidence.
[I’ve long heard rumours about the Enigma’s lifeblood standing, only now do I realise how noble your blood is. It would be an honour for me to offer my flesh and blood to shoulder the responsibility of accompanying lady Eribea for the rest of my days. She shall become my priority…]
[Are you strong?]
An impatient voice interrupted the young vampire’s declaration of love.
Eribea stared at the man with a look that had a strange resemblance to her brother.
[Of course. I am one of the strongest in our territory, I train every day…]
[So, you’re not the strongest.]
As if she had lost her interest, Eribea no longer looked at him.
An awkward silence followed the young woman’s words.
All of a sudden, laughter spilt out of another young vampire standing among the guests.
[As expected, young lady Eribea only has eyes for the best. I may not be as talented as my brother with words and poetry but I am strong.]
Ocelio’s lips twitched as he looked at this scene, he gave a glance at his sister, his lips rising into a smile when he saw the battle lust glowing in her eyes.
He seemed to understand her thoughts. She wasn’t choosing a husband; she wanted a training partner. However, to her, there was no difference between the two.
His parents remained as bystanders, leaving the stage to their daughter. His mother, in particular, looked interested to see how this would play out.
[Show me.]
At Eribea’s words, both of the young men glanced at each other, their faces remained the same as before, a mask of pride etched on their skin, however, a combative spirit had started burning in their eyes.
[Very well, brother, I’m sorry but this woman is made for me. I’ll invite you for a drink in the most expensive tavern when we return.]
The brown-haired man seemed a bit older compared to Eribea, his clothes stuck to his body in a tight fashion, outlining the solid muscles underneath it. Compared to his refined brother, he appeared intimidating.
[You have strength; however, you lack technique. I fell in love with her at first sight, I’ll make her mine no matter what.]
Philotas glanced at the young daughter of the Enigma lifeblood, he drained his cup before announcing the start of the spar. The rules were clear, the first to fall would lose the match.
To avoid causing damage to their surroundings, they moved the table closer to the door, watching from a distance.
The two vampires seemed to be used to each other’s fighting style.
They glided on the ground using their movement technique, their feet moving too quick to follow.
Both vampires had high agility and they took advantage of it to launch an all-out assault on their rival.
However, the brown-haired man was in an obvious advantage, his fists carried more strength, forcing his rival to avoid his attacks and waste his stamina.
Both looked for a weakness to exploit, knowing that one wrong step could spell their defeat.
After exchanging a few feints and chasing each other within the confine of their arena, the brown-haired man made a dangerous bet. He chose to not evade his brother’s fist heading toward his face, instead, he continued to direct his own fist toward the chest of the opponent.
A punch to the face would create much more damage than one to the chest, yet, he appeared confident in his ability to resist his brother’s attack.
The silver-haired vampire looked panicked, he seemed intent on avoiding the fist however it was already too late.
They both traded blow, but to everyone’s surprise, the massive body of the older brother flew back, landing on the ground with a heavy sound.
The silver-haired vampire, despite having just taken a blow to the chest appeared to have only received a mild injury.
[A Sumefah uh, and I suppose his brother is a Berserker.]
Eribea’s words resounded across the room. Ocelio seemed to have also guessed the two men’s natures after the end of the fight.
He appeared to show a particular interest in the men’s physical abilities and the use of their nature.
[How was it honey; did you take a liking to one of them?]
Eribea shook her head at her mother words. She stood up in silence and approached the vampire who was still standing, a smile of euphory etched on his lips.
[One move. If you can take one move from me, I’ll accept whatever you want.]
His eyes widened in confusion; however, she didn’t appear to want to waste more words with him.
She took a fighting stance; she lowered her centre of gravity as if she was about to lunge at him.
Seeing her posture, he took a defensive stance in a hurry.
She didn’t wait for someone to announce the start of the match.
She pushed against the ground; her body disappeared from everyone field of vision for a second before reappearing behind the silver haired man’s back.
She stood behind him with a bored expression on her face.
He seemed to have not even realised what had happened, then his body as if attracted by gravity hit the ground in a slow fall.
[The next time, bring someone capable of standing his ground against me.]
Philotas clapped his hands in marvel, his eyes examined Eribea as if he had found a treasure.
[I made a mistake, I made a mistake. I made a fool of myself; please overlook our lack of manner. I will report our failure to present young lady Eribea with a matching partner. I am sure the esteemed young members of our Lifeblood will soon queue up in front of the young lady’s room for a spar. That you can be assured of.]
Philotas seemed to be half-joking, yet when Eribea heard him, her cheeks blushed, she pushed herself deeper in her chair in an awkward mood.
Despite the ugly faces the two young vampires made during dinner, it proceeded in a light atmosphere.
Thelma insisted that she would only consider a member from a Lifeblood Lord lineage for her daughter, even if his strength satisfied her criteria.
Most of them had finished eating when the topic shifted back to Ocelio and the need to cure his body.
It seemed to be something Philotas had considered beforehand. He promised he would work on curing him of his illness as soon as Ocelio came to visit their territory.
Seeing the lack of interest in her husband and children’s faces, Thelma wrapped up the conversation. Ocelio followed his father out of the hall, a cold light reflected in his eyes as if he had made a decision.
He made his way back on his own, his father and sister had disappeared in another corridor, leaving him alone. His wheelchair moved in the direction of his bedroom when he scrunched up his nose.
A disgusting smell permeated the air in the corridor of his residential area.
He looked around, in search of the source of the smell, yet all he could see were grey walls extending on both sides of the corridor.
He could not see anyone nearby, however, he appeared wary of something, his pace slowed down as he approached his bedroom.
The dark yellow lights fixed at the ceiling made the atmosphere stale and grim.
All of a sudden, the sound of footsteps coming from behind him, making him stop in place. His eyes stared straight ahead, a faint distortion in the air around him seemed to extend across the corridor.
He was just a few meters away from his door, in an abrupt push, he drove his wheelchair faster than he ever had. As soon as he got in, he slammed the door behind him before locking it.
A shiver went through his arms, his spiritual perception had picked no presence in the surrounding and yet he seemed convinced that someone was there.
The corridor had been empty, there was no place to hide apart from the bedrooms situated on both sides of the passage, however, these were for his family and guests.
At that moment, realisation seemed to have struck him.
He opened the door and shouted in a loud voice:
[I know it was you Eribea. Is that how an Amister use his power, to make a prank? Grow up, will you.]
He slammed his door shut with enough strength to make the door vibrate.
His face contorted into a grimace, he supported his body by placing his hand on the door as waves of pain coursed through his body.
Every time he strained his body, this had happened. He would be tortured by pain as if his whole body was about to collapse.
He gritted his teeth as he placed his hands on the wheels, however, he appeared powerless, his muscles trembled in a constant rhythm, making him unable to muster any strength.
He jerked in his seat in an abrupt movement; he had felt his wheelchair move. He straightened up in his chair out of reflex as he was pushed to his bed.
His eyes widened in surprise and fear. Even now, he couldn’t feel anyone in the room. When he entered, he had seen no one side.
He turned his head to look behind him in slow motion.
He shuddered in terror at what he saw.
A man-sized rabbit with silver fur and dark eyes stood in his bedroom.
When their eyes met, the rabbit’s lips curved into a smile, revealing two rows of knife-like teeth in his maw.
[Does it hurt, boy?]
When the creature spoke, Ocelio turned his head back. He closed his eyes, using his spiritual power to sense any sign of intrusion in his mind.
He couldn’t pick up anything, but he had somehow regained his composure.
He tried hauling his body to the bed, ignoring the sight of the rabbit in his room. Yet, he was once again disappointed as his body refused to move.
The creature didn’t seem intent on helping him, he only stared at Ocelio with a strange lustre in his dark eyes.
[Whoever is tricking me, you’re pretty good. Even now, I can’t pick up your presence or your influence. You must be one of the guests, what is your intention in influencing my mind?]
Ocelio asked in a polite tone, his face remain calm as he continued to make his way into his bed, ignoring the frightening creature that invaded his room.
The rabbit smiled in response. His silver fur had a soft glow that made him appear ethereal.
[You missed something boy. If I was really an illusion, how did you get to your bed?]
Ocelio clenched his fists. He shook his head at the creature, fear evident in his eyes.
[You could have made me push the wheelchair while giving me the illusion that it was you who did it. You can’t be real.]
[In the state you were in, your body wouldn’t have been able to push your wheelchair, you know that better than I don’t you.]
Ocelio expression crumbled, a mix of fury and terror took over his face, He glared at the creature with malevolence shrouding his face.
[Piss off whatever you are. You’re not welcome here!]
The large rabbit pretended to not have heard his words. He came to sit on the bed, right next to Ocelio. He observed Ocelio’s body with attention as if he was trying to find something.
[Trust me, you don’t want me out of here. Rather, you want me to stay. You see, Ocelio, I know why you’re in such a state. And I know how to make you better.]
He remained silent; his eyes were shut tight. Slight tremors on the muscles of his face made it clear that he was listening though.
[You weren’t supposed to be in this state in the first place. You have a great power in your body, you’ve seen it in the past didn’t you.]
Ocelio opened his eyes, giving the creature a look of fear mixed with disgust.
[Is that why you've come to me? For that thing? Then take it, and leave me alone!]
[No, no, you misunderstand. I did not come here to take away something, I came to give you something.]
The Rabbit reached for something in the air. A red liquid appeared around his paw, hovering freely in the air. A bottle of water that was placed on the desk nearby also rose in the air. The cap was removed with ease, the water was thrown on the ground as the red liquid came to fill 1/3 of the bottle.
[You should know by the current state of your body, you don’t have much time left to live. After all, “that thing” is putting a heavy toll on your body and blood. What I can offer you is an additional bloodline, one that would make you strong enough to balance the thing trying to kill you.]
The creature licked his lips, staring at Ocelio’s face with a strange expression.
Ocelio laughed at the Rabbit’s words as if his life and death were of no consequence to him.
[Tell me, what are you looking to get out of this. I’m sure you didn’t come all this way from Hell to heal a sick person. Or is this poison?]
The bottle hovered between Ocelio and the giant rabbit. A single drop of red liquid flew out of the bottle and landed on Ocelio’s neck, before disappearing under his skin.
He widened his eyes in surprise as a gush of energy came to his chest, all the cramped muscles in his body relaxed as the pain from his “illness” retreated.
He became shocked when he sensed something wrong in his legs, drops of energy trickled in a slow manner toward his legs. He focused all his attention on it, a faint tingling made itself known from his toes but before he could get a clearer understanding, the energy vanished, taking with it everything it gave him.
[I am neither from the underworld nor am I a liar. I am a trader. Today, if you are willing, I can give you the mythical bloodline of the Void Rabbit. In exchange, all I expect from you is an agreement: that if one day you acquire what I seek, you shall give it to me.]
A long silence fell in the room. Neither of them moved, they assessed each other with their eyes. Ocelio observed the bottle from time to time as if trying to make up his mind.
[What is it that you want, when do you require it?]
The rabbit shook his head, taking back the bottle.
[I can’t tell you. I can predict your future up to a point, but I can’t predict mine. I don’t know when and if you’ll acquire it, it may be in a thousand years or never.]
[That easy?]
[You have nothing to lose Ocelio. You and your family live in a sewer, like rats trapped by humans. Your body holds a decent vampire lifeblood purity yet you have no way to access your power as something else is corroding you from within. You are bound to die in a few months. Your life has never been your own to live until now. This is the opportunity to make it all yours by attaining greater power. To gain the power to subdue fate itself.]
Ocelio made a dubious face. If he seemed hesitant before, now he appeared vigilant against the Rabbit.
[Then why don’t you take it yourself if it’s so great.]
The man-sized rabbit laughed, signalling with his paws at his body.
[Where do you think that bloodline came from? I chose you to inherit that bloodline, all I want is a favour if you can become strong enough.]
[And what if I decide to remain weak. Living life as I want it?]
[Then, I would lose out on this trade and you would acquire a meaningful life.]
Ocelio gritted his teeth, he seemed to have reached a decision.
[Give it to me.]
The rabbit smiled at Ocelio’s words. He presented the bottle between his paws as he started speaking in a solemn voice.
[I shall offer the bloodline of a mythical magical beast, the Void Rabbit to Ocelio Enigma. In exchange, Ocelio Enigma agrees to offer me what I desire, if he acquires it in the future.]
The rabbit gave him a nod, signalling him to speak.
[I agree.]
As soon as the bottle landed in his palms, the rabbit disappeared from his bedroom.
He looked at the red liquid resting inside with a peaceful face.
He closed his eyes, only opening them after a few minutes.
He then used spiritual energy to guide his consciousness inside his personal container, deep in his soul.
This technique called inner sight allowed him to see all the techniques, bloodlines, and special arts he possessed.
His attention focused on three eyes floating in his personal container, far above him.
A red and purple iris floated side by side, as if looking back at him, while a third golden iris stood above the previous pair, staring straight ahead, appearing to look beyond him.
All these years, this was what caused Ocelio so much suffering. He and his father didn’t know what it was or why it was in his body.
Just like the Rabbit had said, the blood-red water below his feet was diminishing in size, the river had turned into a stream, making him realise that it would soon deplete.
A vampire was his bloodline, if his bloodline disappeared, his soul would turn to dust and disappear with it.
When he returned to reality, Ocelio poured the content of the bottle down his throat.
There was no hesitation, no fear. Only calmness and determination.
[Father…Mother…]
His humid eyes closed as he travelled to the world of dreams.
