I Awakened The Ancient Vampire System

The Chevalier mansion’s courtyard was bathed in the warm, golden light of the late afternoon. A black sedan crunched over the gravel, coming to a smooth stop. Click. The passenger door opened, and Clara stepped out. Ryan stepped out from the other side, adjusting the cuffs of his coat. They walked up the stone steps together. Rose was waiting at the double doors, practically vibrating with poorly concealed excitement.

"They’re in the dining hall," Rose chirped, unable to hide her wide grin.

Clara frowned slightly but nodded, walking inside. As they entered the sunlit dining hall, Clara stopped dead in her tracks. Squeak. Her shoes skidded slightly on the polished marble.

Sitting at the head of the long wooden table was a young man. His silver hair was longer now, falling past his shoulders, and a short, rugged beard covered his jawline but those crimson eyes were unmistakable.

Lucian stood up slowly. He opened his hands, a small, familiar smile playing on his lips. "Surprise."

SLAP!

The sharp, stinging sound echoed through the hall. Ryan flinched. Rose covered her mouth with both hands.

Lucian’s head was turned to the side from the impact. He slowly turned back to face Clara. Her face was twisted in a teary scowl, her lips trembling.

She stepped forward and hit his chest with her fist. Thud.

"Why?" Thud. "Why, why, why!" Her voice cracked, tears spilling down her pale cheeks. "Why would you do that? Why did you push me through that gate? We should have fought together!"

Lucian stood still, letting her hit him. Her fists were weak against his chest, but the pain in her voice was palpable. Then, he reached out and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tight against his chest.

"Because if I hadn’t, you would have died," Lucian said softly, resting his chin on her head. "And I can’t let that happen. Never."

Clara trembled against him, her fists unclenching as she gripped his shirt. After a long moment, she pushed herself free, wiping her eyes quickly with the back of her hand. She pouted, crossing her arms defensively. "You’re making me look like a baby."

Ryan stepped forward. He didn’t say a word at first; he just walked up and wrapped his arms around Lucian, patting his back firmly. Pat, pat. "It’s good to see you alive, man."

Lucian patted him back. "Good to see you too, Ryan."

A few hours later, the dining hall was alive with the clatter of silverware and the rich smell of roasted meat. Rose had gone all out, grilling thick steaks, ribs, and chicken until the table groaned under the weight.

Creak. The front door opened, and Rose’s mother, Céline Chevalier, walked in. She paused in the archway, blinking in surprise at the lively scene before her.

Arthur, who was chewing a piece of steak, swallowed and smiled. "Mother. Lucian is back. I’ve already told Father to stop the search parties."

Céline’s eyes widened, and a warm, relieved smile broke across her face. "Oh, thank the heavens." She walked over, gently touching Lucian’s shoulder. "We were so worried, dear. Welcome home."

They ate together, the mood surprisingly light despite the heavy weeks they had endured. Laughter filled the room, mixing with the clinking of glasses.

Later that evening, Ryan and Lucian stood on the mansion’s balcony, overlooking the glittering Parisian skyline. The faint sounds of the city hummed below them, and a cool breeze rustled their hair.

Clink. Ryan swirled his glass of wine, staring into the red liquid. "So... where have you been, Lucian?"

Lucian took a sip of his own glass, his crimson eyes distant. "Things are about to get difficult, Ryan. Those vampire clans... they needed my blood."

Ryan frowned, turning to look at him. "Your blood? Why?"

"To awaken some kind of powerful being," Lucian said, his voice flat and cold. "That’s why Athens is currently in ruins."

Ryan’s grip tightened on his glass. He had seen the news broadcasts. The fall of Athens had sent shockwaves across the world, a major capital reduced to ash in hours.

Lucian rested his hands on the balcony rails, leaning forward. "I will be gone for a while."

Ryan sighed, taking a long drink of his wine. Glug. "Going on revenge."

Lucian didn’t say anything. He just stared at the moon hanging in the night sky.

"Take care of Clara and Rose for me," Lucian finally said, breaking the silence. "Also, tell Iris I said hi. You and Rose should focus on breaking through to the Grand Core realm. I will see to a way to accelerate that."

Ryan set his empty glass down on the railing with a soft clack. "I’m going with you."

Lucian turned his head, looking at his friend.

Ryan raised his hand before Lucian could speak. "I know you might think I will be a liability. But with the new suit Iris and I have been working on, I can take on at least an Early Grand Core master."

Lucian sighed, rubbing his temples. "I’ll think about it."

"I’m coming either way," Ryan said stubbornly, crossing his arms.

Lucian looked at him for a long moment, then reached into his shadow storage. He tossed two small, glowing crimson pills to Ryan. Ryan caught them, his eyes widening at the dense, pulsing mana radiating from them.

"Take those," Lucian said. "They’ll help."

A week later. New Miami.

The sun was blazing, reflecting off the glass of the towering Knights of the Horizon base. Lucian walked through the heavily fortified halls, nodding at the guards who snapped to attention as he passed. He reached the top floor and pushed open the heavy oak door to Miss Solstice’s office.

She was sitting behind her massive desk, her pink hair contrasting sharply with her stern, businesslike expression. She looked up, her eyes narrowing as she saw him.

Tap. She closed the file she was reading. "Lucian," she said, leaning back in her chair. "We had assumed you were dead already."

Lucian smiled, walking over to sit in the leather chair across from her. "Don’t go presuming me dead until you see a body."

Solstice crossed her arms, her expression unamused. "At this point, I don’t even consider you an active Knight. After all, you have been skipping a lot of missions. Now tell me why the fuck the Du Maurier, the Apeps, and even the Khamsin vampires were after you."

Lucian leaned back, his face perfectly composed. "I took an important item of theirs."

Solstice pressed a hand to her forehead in sheer frustration. "And you didn’t bother to give it to us? You caused the death of many students of the academy, Lucian."

Lucian’s smile vanished. His expression turned ice cold. "Don’t go throwing blames at me. They didn’t come for just me, they came for the soul matrix treasure of the academy. And if you know its use, you should know that you guys and the government have a lot on your plate right now." He paused, leaning forward as he tapped his fingers on the table. "I’m pretty sure Athens was just the first to fall. Very soon, it’s gonna be all of Europe, then America, then Africa, and it will go on and on and on. I’m sure as hell you know what I mean."

Solstice stared at him. "I don’t know how you get entangled in this type of shit every time. Egypt, New Geneva, and now the UK academy."

Lucian smirked, his crimson eyes glinting with a dangerous light. "What can I say, I’m kind of a magnet for these damn vampires."

Solstice stood up, walking to the window. The city of New Miami gleamed below, oblivious to the storm brewing across the Atlantic.

"I’m pretty sure you didn’t just come here to give me this information," she said, her back to him. "What do you want?"