Victor looked at Carmilla and finally asked, "Well, if you're okay with that. For me, of course. But what now?"
Carmilla looked at him, "Well, I don't know. I don't know what the world is like out there. I was sealed away. You tell me."
"I clearly have no idea." He pointed to himself, "I have a mother who's practically a general watching me, not to mention the problems I have to solve. That bastard from the Cross family that I almost beat up must already be plotting something." He spoke as if Carmilla knew the situation.
She looked at him, "Cross? That disgusting little family of filthy people who only eat women?" Carmilla questioned with a serious look. "Are those people still alive?"
Victor nodded, "They have some influence in our House. Apparently, one of their ancestors did something good for the King, and the King allowed them to become part of House Valentine as a Subordinate Clan."
Carmilla shook her head in denial and scratched her head. "Whesly Cross, that son of a bitch must have helped Vlad with something related to women, it's the only explanation!" She said nervously, turning to him.
"Kill everyone in the Cross Family, they deserve to be purged." She ordered, "They created Walpurgis Night to kill the witches who always helped us; it's because of him that innocent witches were burned. That family is disgusting from root to tip." She commented.
Victor had heard of it, Walpurgis Night was when witches were hunted by the Inquisition, sentenced to death by the paladins… He didn't think vampires were to blame for it…
"I understand your anger, but for now…" Victor looked at her and seeing how nervous she was… "What I can do is start by killing those below," he said calmly, despite never having killed anyone. Just to quell her anger.
She felt his gentleness and his other emotions and calmed down, "Sorry. I'm kind of temperamental about… genocide," she commented, running her hand through her white hair, then looked at him.
"You'd better go," she commented, turning her back.
Victor raised his eyebrows, "Go?" he questioned as he walked beside her, "You're coming with me." He said, taking her hand.
She says: "There's no way I can live in the current world, I'm too weak." She commented, "Besides, you seem to have problems."
Victor shook his head as he led her by the wayside, hand in hand, towards the exit.
"We'll deal with this later," he said, smiling, and as they passed through the door…
Poof!
A cute, explosive sound occurred, and he looked to the side, his hand holding nothing. Her hands had vanished! He turned quickly to see her and he saw something quite…
"Stop looking at me like that!! I told you, I don't have the strength!!" She spoke in a much higher voice as a small flapping of wings echoed in that old, dusty place.
Victor just looked at her; a tiny bat, less than 6cm tall, was really… cute?
"D-don't look at me with that smile!" She stammered.
"Relax, you're very cute," he said, laughing.
She looked at him, thinking of denying it, but she saw that he had already assumed that she, the Vampire Queen, was just a cute pet. She continued flapping her wings as she looked around.
"Where are we?" she questioned.
Victor shrugged, looking at the door, "We're in a dungeon in one of the towers of the Training Area. My mother said this was just an old warehouse they stopped using. Although I find it curious that this place exists and nobody talks about it."
Carmilla nodded and looked at him and just sighed, "Well, I'll stay like this for a while, until I recover my energy. But I'm warning you. My core is completely gone... there's nothing here."
Core… All beings have a core equivalent to their soul. This core is responsible for their magical, physical, and spiritual abilities. It's a reservoir within their soul that allows their powers to be stored and evolved… This practically meant that…
"You've gone back to being just another vampire," Victor commented.
She made a funny face but agreed, "So… considering my experience and all my previous powers, I think it's best to just say I'm hibernating. My core is intact, which is great; if it had broken, it would be impossible to live." She commented and continued, "But I've just lost my strength; the blood reserves from the last few years of my life are completely gone. It will probably take a while for me to replenish them. After all, I'm a Primordial Vampire." She said. "However, you have RH Null in your veins. The blood of the Night King. Golden blood. That's a damn delicacy; 1 liter of your blood is equivalent to about 600 liters of regular blood. So I just need to drink from the source until I'm strong enough again."
Victor looked at her, "So… I'm a walking blood bag for you?"
She laughed, "My Darling won't deny me a little blood, will he?" She gave him a pout, even in a bat-like way.
Victor just nodded and grabbed her by the neck, "H-Hey!! What are you doing!!!" She cried out desperately before entering a dark place.
"HEY WHERE AM I!" She screamed, then lifted her head. "Ahh…haah…! I almost choked!!" She said in her new personal box… the left pocket of his shirt!!!
Victor just smiled and put his hands in his pockets. "Relax, I'll handle everything and give you blood until you're satisfied." He said calmly and finally left that place…
…
…
…
[Palace of Roses]
Palace of Roses
The Palace of Roses was the heart of House Valentine's training grounds. Like the Lotus Palace and the Lavender Palace, it represented one of the three Acceptance Clans—the branches responsible for recruiting, evaluating, and shaping vampires into the ranks that sustained the bloodline's military power.
There, not only soldiers were formed.
Weapons were formed.
The main hall was spacious, clad in pale marble with dark veins reminiscent of roots beneath the stone's surface. Black roses adorned the columns, vibrant despite the absence of sunlight. Their subtle fragrance mingled with the refined aroma of tea.
In the center, a low table of dark wood.
Three women.
Three silent pillars of inner power.
The one in the middle was Silvia Silverblood. Red eyes with a serene gleam, silver hair falling like strands of moonlight over her shoulders. She wore an outfit reminiscent of a meticulously tailored white Victorian women's suit, with black and gold details that conveyed authority in every seam. Her posture was impeccable. Her presence, balanced.
To the right, Sable Nightshade. Hair as red as fresh blood, eyes equally crimson. The outfit followed the same Victorian pattern, but in deep red, with black and gold details. A small cape rested on her shoulders, giving her a martial air—as if she were always ready to leave there straight for a battlefield.
To the left, Eleonora Thorne.
Different.
Always different.
Light violet hair framing a face with features too delicate for the mischievous look she carried. She wore a black dress with a daring neckline, elegant and provocative in just the right measure. Her way of holding the cup was refined… but her eyes suggested that she was constantly one step ahead of any conversation.
The sound of the porcelain gently touching the saucer broke the initial silence. "So," Silvia began, bringing the cup to her lips before continuing, "the incident involving competitor Victor… and Ethan Cross."
She glanced sideways at the two, serene yet attentive.
"What do you wish to do?"
Sable didn't even hesitate.
"Nothing." Her answer was direct. "If someone can be challenged by someone labeled 'Cursed' and 'the weakest vampire in existence,' then they don't deserve institutional protection."
Her tone wasn't cruel.
It was pragmatic.
Eleonora remained silent.
Drinking.
Observing.
The sound of the tea being sipped became unsettling due to the absence of any other reaction. Silvia and Sable exchanged a brief glance—the kind of look that said she was overthinking.
Finally, Eleonora set down the cup with calculated delicacy.
The small tap of the porcelain against the saucer echoed louder than it should have.
"Just kill Ethan already." She said.
Without emotion.
Without a smile.
Without any change in her breathing.
"Or have someone kill him."
The air seemed to cool slightly.
Silvia parted her lips to reply, but Eleonora raised her hand, asking for silence.
"First." Her eyes closed for a moment. "This Victor… is Serafall Valentine's son."
The name wasn't spoken with fear.
But it wasn't spoken carelessly either.
There was a pause.
"Initially we ignored this on orders from Central." She continued calmly. "And we will continue to ignore it."
She opened her eyes.
Red.
Calm.
"The rules are clear. Nothing that Serafall considers… hers is touched."
The word hung in the air.
Silvia lowered her gaze slightly. "I didn't want us to get to this point… but it seems the Cross family will have no protection from the Palace."
Sable let out an almost satisfied sigh.
"Finally." She rested her elbow on the table. "That boy… if he truly awakened the late bloodline, it's best to let him act as he pleases. Interfering now might be… unwise."
"I agree." Eleonora raised her cup again, as if discussing the weather, not the possible execution of an entire family. "Then it's decided."
She took a sip.
"There will be no Palace intervention in matters between the Cross family… and Serafall's son."
"Yes." Silvia confirmed.
"Yes." Sable repeated.
Eleonora nodded slightly.
The silence that followed wasn't uncomfortable.
It was expectant.
"I hope," she murmured, watching the reflection of her own face in the dark liquid of the tea, "that the Cross family understands the mistake they made in provoking someone connected to that... monstrosity."