Chapter 814: An Echo of the Past. 2
"Father... I..."
"I know, Violet..."
Violet fell silent, biting her lips in frustration.
"You don't understand."
"No, I do," Adonis speaks again with a sigh.
"I've been with you all for a long time, and I know your personalities well." Adonis sat in the air and looked at the three women.
Although, it was clear that he was looking more at his daughter than the other two women. The reason for this was simple: he had seen Victor's memories and how badly Violet reacted to his death. The sight left him a bit bitter; he wished he could go back in time and not hide his condition.
Due to his and Agnes's selfishness, Violet had to endure everything that happened.
He also felt sorry for leaving Agnes in that state, but... Honestly, he was more concerned about his daughter than his ex-wife. The reason for this was simple.
Regardless of whether he had died or not, he knew that Agnes would become even stronger over time; she was that kind of woman. She had already been through a lot of bad things in life, and his death wouldn't stop her.
On the other hand, from a Vampire's perspective, Violet was practically a baby; she hadn't even reached her first 100 years yet. She had a lot to live for, and losing her father so early could have hindered her path.
Fortunately, he made the right bet. He entrusted the two most important women in his life to Victor, and that turned out to be the right decision. The mature gaze that Violet now carried was something she wouldn't have achieved so quickly if it hadn't happened.
Victor's influence had been quite positive on her, and the same could be said for Agnes, although her change was more subtle than Violet's.
Adonis floated toward Violet with his ethereal form. "I owe you an apology."
"... Father." Violet bit her lips and looked at her father, attempting to reach for his hand, but her hand only passed through his wrist, proving that she couldn't touch him like her husband could. It also proved that he hadn't been 'revived'; this was just an echo of the past.
"I thought that hiding my weakened state long enough would make you focus more on your life. That would give me time to try to find an alternative for improvement, but... I didn't expect my curse to become stronger."
"Or should I say that my body couldn't endure it anymore? After all, I've always had a weak body, and ever since Victor appeared, I began having more visions of the future, many of which proved true—like you joining him—
while others didn't, like the vision of you and six other women burning Nightingale to the ground."
"It seems that my fusion with Victor caused a change in that future."
"Father..." Violet wanted to protest a little.
Adonis smiled slightly apologetically: "I digress, I apologize." Adonis sighed and stroked Violet's hair, even though he couldn't touch her. Violet could vividly remember that touch; he used to do that when she was younger.
"You don't understand... Do you know how your sudden death left me? I... I..." Violet bit her lips and swallowed, holding her feelings inside. It wasn't the time to cry like a little girl; she had many things she wanted to say, and she would do so. After all, she wasn't sure if this chance to talk to him would come again.
"This isn't fair... My mother, and even Victor, saw your final moments while I didn't. I was supposed to be there with you... I was supposed to be... But, I wasn't." Her words were failing her, there were things she wanted to say, but her feelings wouldn't allow it.
It was frustrating. She thought she had evolved beyond being just a little girl who cried at every little thing, but it seemed she hadn't grown as much as she thought she had.
Violet sniffed and tried to control her emotions; her heart ached as if someone were squeezing it in their hands.
Adonis smiled gently. "You've grown, my daughter."
"... How? I still end up the same tearful girl when it comes to you." She huffed.
"Just the fact that you're able to speak without shedding tears shows me you've grown and become a splendid woman."
Violet fell silent at these words.
"As a Vampire, it's not easy to control our emotions, right? Especially for someone of the Snow Clan, whose Lineage intensifies emotions even more."
"You're digressing again."
Adonis chuckled. "I apologize."
"Lend me your ear," he said as he gestured for Violet to come closer.
Violet looked at him in confusion but did as he asked, moving closer to her father.
In the next moment, Adonis whispered silent words into Violet's ear, words that made her face overflow with confusion.
Even though Persephone and Agnes were close to him, they couldn't hear anything; he seemed to be saying something, yet not. What was happening?
"... Father, what is this?"
"It will help you with your Lineage."
"My Lineage...?" Violet asked, puzzled.
"Yeah, the Lineage you received from me. Your eyes."
"It's more special than you think, Violet. The ability to see the future is just a basic skill that I couldn't properly control because I was too weakened."
"In that place, you'll find instructions to further enhance your eyes."
"Why do I feel like I shouldn't know this?" Violet asked, glancing briefly at Victor.
It was quite obvious what she was thinking.
Adonis laughed. "Your thinking is correct." He looked at Victor, who was playing with Aphrodite and Thanatos.
"He wouldn't have shown it to you until you were ready. After all, it's a dangerous Power that, if used incorrectly, could harm you more than help you." He turned his gaze back to Violet.
"If this were the you from before, I would have agreed with him, but... that's no longer the case. You'll know how to make better use of this Power than I could. When you go to that place and read my instructions, ask him for help. You'll need someone more experienced and who has developed this Power to such an extent."
"Ugh, I don't like this. Even after death, you're still keeping secrets."
"I am a Vampire Count, my daughter. The Leader of The Snow Clan. Keeping secrets is second nature to me."
"... It's good to know that not everything was just my selfish mother's fault." Violet huffed.
Agnes squirmed upon hearing what Violet said.
"Respect your elders," Adonis scolded.
Violet huffed again and ignored what her father said, though her mood improved a bit. Her heart no longer hurt as if someone were squeezing it. Even though the conversation wasn't very deep, just talking to him normally has helped her more than she thought.
Violet's biggest regret was not being there with her father in his final moments, and talking to this version of her father, clearly from before he merged with Victor, fulfilled that wish.
She wanted to discuss more things with him, she wanted to have a private conversation like they used to, but she didn't have that luxury; time was running out.
'If only we didn't waste time arguing with each other,' Violet thought as she looked at Persephone and Agnes.
It was worth noting that there was still a lot of hatred between The Underworld Goddess and the two Snow Clan women.
Adonis just sighed when he saw his daughter's attitude; she really was so much like her mother that it was not even funny.
'At least, thanks to my influence, she didn't grow up to be just like Agnes when she was younger,' Adonis thought.
Violet looked back at her father with a neutral gaze that held a hint of longing. "I just want to know one thing."
"What is it?"
"Were you planning to die from the start?"
"... Of course not. Why do you think that?"
"I just can't accept the fact that you suddenly gave up after struggling with your weakened state for so long."
Adonis smiled with a touch of melancholy. "... Do you think that if I had a chance to live, I wouldn't have chosen it?"
Violet continued to look at him neutrally, then she nodded.
"You're a terrible liar."
Adonis's melancholic smile wavered slightly, and then his eyes opened slightly in shock. He would never have thought that his daughter would see through his façade, something not even his ex-wife could do.
"... I spent days, weeks, thinking: Why? Why did someone like you suddenly give up after my Husband visited you? No matter how much I thought about it, it didn't fit with the personality of the father I knew."
"You were an arrogant man, but at the same time, quite realistic and hopeful. Because of this mix of characteristics, you never succumbed to that bitch's Curse." Violet pointed to Persephone, who was paying attention to the conversation.
She didn't care one bit about Violet's insults; she had grown enough not to be bothered by them.
"And yet, even with that personality of yours, you 'suddenly' made a drastic decision."
"What did you see, Father? What was the most likely 'outcome' you saw for you to make such a drastic decision?"
Adonis closed his eyes, and in the next moment, he opened them again with a proud look on his face. "You've really become a fine woman, my daughter."
"... You didn't answer my question."
"That's because I don't need to. It's exactly as you thought; you fought in this war."
Violet made a face and said, "The Diablo invasion should have ended very differently, huh..."
"W-Wait, are you saying you knew this would happen? Did you 'sacrifice' yourself because of this?" Agnes spoke up.
"No, I didn't," Adonis said.
These words left the two Snow Clan women in silence.
"Even I couldn't see 'exactly' what would happen. I only had a prediction... A constant prediction."
"We shape our future with the choices we make today, but after spending more than 1500 years with this Power, I realized that certain events are bound to happen one way or another."
"These are events caused by Beings of great Power."
"Diablo had been planning his invasion since the time of Biblical Hell being divided in two. EVERYTHING should have been perfect and just as he predicted. After all, he was allied with practically all The Kings of Hell."
"In the future I saw, Nightingale was covered in a Sea of Blood, and a lone man was on his knees holding your lifeless body, My Daughter."
"All the while, another man like him stood beside him, looking at the Sea of Blood with anger in his eyes."
"... Victor and Vlad..." Violet murmured.
Adonis nodded. "There's a limit to how far brute strength will take you. Intelligence and cunning are necessary for a truly powerful Being to be complete. That's why... I added myself to the equation."
"But I didn't expect that by adding myself to this equation, the created variable would become so great that a Being like the Progenitor of Dragons would be born."
If it weren't for Victor adopting Adonis's mindset earlier, he wouldn't have become proactive and started making complex plans for the future, nor would he have acquired a more observant attitude.
The most important skill Victor acquired from Adonis was reading body language—a simple skill but one that changed everything.
By merging the politician, Leader, flirt, and playboy nature of Adonis within Victor—who was a warrior, a loyal man, and someone with little patience who never backed down—the Being known as The Second Progenitor was born.
Impatience met patience, strength met weakness, potential met one with no potential, inexperience met experience.
And with this fusion, a balance in the existence of The Second Progenitor was created.
Thanks to this variable, the variable known as The Goddess of Beauty, Aphrodite, also entered the equation.
The Goddess was already curious about Victor because he was her friend's son, but it was only after Adonis died and merged with Victor that her interest became more evident.
Of course, speaking this way made it seem like all of Victor's accomplishments were thanks to Adonis, but that's completely wrong.
He had a great influence on his mindset, but as everyone knows, Victor was Victor, and no matter how much he evolved or grew stronger,
His Core remained the same.
Even without Adonis, Victor was already a charismatic man; the proof of this was that he became so close to someone like Scathach, who was naturally difficult to get along with.
It turned out that the useful joined the pleasant, and in the end, Adonis's bet paid off... Perhaps even too much.
The danger of Nightingale's destruction was averted because the girls were stronger and better equipped than they should have been; Violet even managed to defeat a Pillar Demon. And to Diablo's misfortune, his subordinates sent a predator to the Ancestral Demon's home—a predator that took his home for itself and became King.
"I see... That... If it's like that, then it makes more sense... Now, I understand why you gave up so easily." Violet sighed.