The enormous circular room remained shrouded in an elegant twilight, illuminated only by the long, bluish flames of the chandeliers suspended above the central table. The entire atmosphere conveyed an oppressive sense of ancestral authority, heavy enough to make even experienced vampires instinctively reduce their presence. The walls were too high for ordinary human eyes to easily adjust to, decorated with ancient symbols of the Valentine bloodline engraved directly into the black stone like scars etched into the architecture.
There were no windows. No openings to the outside. Only silence, luxury, and a constant supernatural pressure hanging in the air like an invisible entity observing every movement within that hall.
In the center of the room rested the gigantic round table made of dark wood mixed with crimson veins that seemed to pulse slowly beneath the polished surface. Nine chairs were distributed around it.
Nine thrones.
Nine Blood Kings.
