Most vampires were born and created by other vampires. If a vampire wishes the victim to become a vampire through sucking their blood, the victim would turn into a vampire, regardless of whether they wanted to become one or not.
Most of the vampires in the world of Eria in fact, were created like that.
But not all vampires were. Every vampire in the world was once a human being.
Among them, there were very few, but there were vampires that transmigrated to Eria as a vampire already or were born between two parental vampires or had extremely rare cases of becoming one suddenly without any rhyme or reason.
Like getting second-hand high, or getting sick and catching a virus. There were some humans that just became vampires without ever coming into contact with another vampire. These cases were extremely rare.
Vampires born that way were called pure bloods. Even if you were a human up until the previous day, you would not have any thoughts as a human being any longer if you were a vampire the next.
In the case of vampires born from the contagion method, the mindset of a human would remain somewhat strong but you would eventually succumb to the desires of a vampire and the desire for blood. It was a slow and arduous process, but it was not the case for pure-bloods.(T/N : I call it the contagion method since it seems pretty accurate like a virus, but it’s essentially just the “I suck your blood and now I ruin your innocence” type of method)
Pure-bloods had their bodies mutated and turned, and those vampires were incredibly strong. They had the ability to create more blood relatives and they were born with the blood of a vampire standing at the very apex.
Vampires that were created from the contagion method, had no choice but to obey the commands of the vampire that turned them, but even moreso, they had to obey the commands of the pureblood that stood at the top of the chain.
It wasn’t an unconditional and all-encompassing sense of order, but any vampire that was turned would know and respect the pure-blood who started the family.
That was what a blood family was. A branch of vampires that were born from a single pure-blood vampire but gained more and more members.
The Queen of all Vampires within Eria, that was Geniella. However, as a pure-blood, the vampires that she had directly turned into her first few blood relatives had their identities almost completely hidden.
“The first blood.”
It meant that Gemini was the first vampire that Geniella had turned after she became a pure-blooded vampire. Lee Sungmin looked at Gemini’s back while she was walking in front of him.
She was very small. She was almost the same size as Oslo. But the sinister feeling of bloodlust and primordial mana was incredibly similar to Geniella.
[Gemini, Geniella’s first blood… I’ve never even seen her before.]
“Really?”
[Geniella had a lot of things to hide even before this old man died. Actually, it’s probably because there wasn’t much contact between this old man and Geniella in the first place. But even still, it’s my first time seeing her first blood.]
Heoju had lived in the South and established it as his territory when he was alive. Even since the era when Heoju was active, Geniella was still in the North and rarely left her territory of Travia. Because of this, there were very few opportunities for them to ever meet.
[Most monsters are the same, but for vampires, the time they have lived is a measure of their strength. Unlike humans, Vampires don’t grow weaker as they grow older.]
If Gemini was Geniella’s first blood, then it was a given that she had lived a very long time indeed.
[It’s not just that girl named Gemini has lived for a long time. Geniella… she clearly put a lot of work into that little girl. She probably gave it a lot of strength since it was the very first blood relative she created. Because of that, I can confidently say that amongst all the other vampires I have ever met, other than Geniella, that girl in front of you is the strongest.]
Lee Sungmin thought deeply about the organization known as Predator.
The first time he learned of what the organization was, was when he first came North in order to find the fateful encounter he would have.
Since then, Lee Sungmin had been constantly involved with Predator both in minor and major events. However, at that time, Lee Sungmin’s main enemy was Beyond the Heavens because of the fact they threatened and kidnapped Wijihoyeon.
Thanks to the continuous clashes with Beyond the Heavens, Lee Sungmin was able to cut the power of Beyond the Heavens in half. Three of the Six Transcendent Warriors they had died by Lee Sungmin, and Kang Seok and Jehu had betrayed Musin after spending a prolonged amount of time with Lee Sungmin and his late master.
Wolhu was killed by Sima Ryunju. Ten years later, Lee Sungmin didn’t know what could have happened, but before Lee Sungmin was sealed, all that remained left of Beyond the Heavens’ fighting force was Musin, Do Zun and the person shrouded in mystery known as the Divine Maiden.
Kim Jonghyun and Volander had died. The Death Knights fell apart. But did that weaken the Predator’s power? On that note, Lee Sungmin felt that he was unsure as he looked at the girl in front of him.
When Beyond the Heavens still had the Six Divinities fully intact, Lee Sungmin thought they were a very powerful organization.
But Predator also had something similar to the Six Divinities. It was the Five Black Stars. The Vampires, Lycanthrope Tribe, the Death Knights, the Liches, and the monsters.
Among the Five Black Stars that Lee Sungmin knew of, Volander, Arbeth and Henemy, had all died.
The crucial difference between Beyond the Heavens and Predator was simple.
[The sheer numbers.]
Heoju spoke as he read Lee Sungmin’s thoughts. Even if the former King of Monsters, Henemy, was dead, there were still several humans that had turned into monsters within Predator’s ranks, and there definitely had to be some strong ones amongst them.
The same was with the Death Knights that had retreated from Germane. There were a lot of them, and the same was with the amount of Liches despite Arbeth being dead.
‘Beyond the Heavens was just surviving at the mercy of the Predator…….’
Lee Sungmin recalled the eerie thing that Geniella had told him. Beyond the Heavens was a strong organization. But in terms of all-out war between the two? There was no need to even think about who would win.
Geniella had said that Beyond the Heavens wouldn’t even be a threat even if they were left alone. Beyond the Heavens was not an opponent for Predator, and Geniella said that Beyond the Heavens was still present in the future she wanted to create.
“Our relationship.”
Gemini crossed the garden.
“You and us…. I’d say we’re pretty friendly with you.”
“But does that mean the whole of Predator?”
“I meant the Queen. And the Queen means Predator.”
Gemini chuckled.
“You’d better think rationally. What there is to gain, and what there is to lose. Isn’t that the basis of transactional relationships?”
“What can you give me?”
“It’s the Predator that is making the offer, not me. But… I can tell you what I can give you as the Queen’s first child. First of all, right now, your…… No, I can guarantee your life.”
“That’s assuming that you can even take it in the first place.”
It was Yana who opened her mouth. When she spoke out, the eerie sinister aura around Gemini and herself clashed in the air.
“Gumiho, I know you’re strong. But inside of this city, are all the direct blood descendants of the Queen, herself. There are also several Liches and Werewolves here too. Do you really think just because you are present, that it will change the risk of danger?”
“If I give up my life to do it, then I can ensure he will live no matter what.”
“I see. You value the Ghost Spear more than your own life. Why? Is there some connection between you and the Ghost Spear that would make you indebted to his life? Or is it because of Heoju who resides within the Ghost Spear’s body?”
Gemini murmured in a suggestive tone of voice. Yana didn’t bother to answer.
“If you’re really determined enough to give up your life, hmm…… All right, let’s decide on something else. What can we give you, Ghost Spear? I’m sure you know that we can return someone precious to you.”
Gemini was talking about Baek Sogo.
“A year ago, we retrieved the poisoned Silent Flare, Baek Sogo, under the Queen’s orders. I’ve done everything I can to keep her from dying in Juwon’s poison. Without turning her into a vampire that is.”
Gemini stopped walking in the back of the garden and turned towards one of the several detached houses.
“We can turn her into a vampire anytime. You should keep that in mind.”
Gemini turned and looked Lee Sungmin in the eyes.
“Do you know what happens when a human becomes a vampire? It changes the way you think, act and feel. At first, you will be resistant, but once you start sucking blood…… Kiki, it’s been a very exciting experience for me since my first time drinking another human’s blood.”
Lee Sungmin already knew. He had seen the Solitary Blade, Dokgo, and the Bloody Heavenly Demon both turn into insane madmen that had given up on their humanities after turning into vampires.
“It will give you a very new sense of despair. The person you remember becoming a completely different monster that will no longer care about you, that is.”
The words were enough to provoke Lee Sungmin.
However, he did not explode.‘Hang in there.’Lee Sungmin clenched his teeth and swallowed the bursting emotions as he forced himself to stay composed for even a bit longer.
Gemini opened the door of the mansion, glancing at Lee Sungmin’s distorted expression.
“You’re the only one coming in.”
“Why?”
“Why? Are you afraid? Don’t worry, I won’t do you any harm. Not if you don’t like it.”
Gemini giggled and pulled on the doorknob again. The open door closed. Lee Sungmin clenched his fist at Gemini’s attitude.
“I got it.”
“But…….”
Scarlett and Yana were surprised by Lee Sungmin’s answer of acceptance. He knew their concerns, but there was no way to move forward since they were not the ones who held the power in this conversation.
“You should come if you want to see her.”
Gemini grinned and opened the door again.
Beyond the door, the long hallway reeked of death. The smell of blood and rotting flesh mixed in the air with a foul combination.
Lee Sungmin stared at Gemini with a pale face. Before he could retort, Gemini spoke first.
“I was doing my best to make sure she stayed alive.”
Gemini walked down the hall as she spoke.
“I stopped the poison while maintaining her nature as a human being. Juwon’s poison is very powerful. It’s very, very powerful, especially for humans. The power of that poison is not something a human should ever be able to live through, and even worse, normally makes the human go insane.”
Even the Black Dragon, Jehu, a half-dragon, suffered from the poison of Juwon.
“It’s important to dismiss what you saw before this, and just focus on what you see in front of you. That way you can see…”
At the end of the corridor, Gemini opened the closed door without hesitation.
“…That we are friendly towards you.”
Lee Sungmin looked at the luxurious bed in the middle of the room.
A woman that was wrapped in several white bandages was lying down. She was wearing a white linen cloth over her body and another layer of coating atop of that. Lee Sungmin quietly looked and examined her condition,
As he listened, he could hear a shallow breath. Whenever she took a breath in and out, there was an indescribable pungent smell coming from her body.
It was the smell of poison. Lee Sungmin’s eyes trembled. She had a pale complexion. Despite it being ten years, he still recognized her, but it was much worse that he had expected.
Baek Sogo’s appearance was incredibly haggard, comparing it to what it used to be.
“Baek Sogo…”
Lee Sungmin couldn’t bear to call her name. Gemini was looking at Lee Sungmin’s reaction with a happy expression.
Walking lightly, she stood next to Baek Sogo’s bed. Gemini spoke, sweeping down the sweat off of Baek Sogo’s forehead.
“I’ll say it again. We are friendly to you.”
Lee Sungmin did not answer.
He could clearly see Baek Sogo lying down and in pain.
The emotional turbulence was natural. But… he knew he shouldn’t be shaken unconditionally.
In this situation, Gemini was the one who held the dagger as they say. As long as Baek Sogo’s life was in jeopardy and she had the solution, Lee Sungmin had no choice but to be dragged around as Gemini wished.
‘Yeah, just like always. Think about it a bit more. There has to be something here I’m missing.’Lee Sungmin tried to build a source of reasoning amidst his hectic and wildly thrashing emotions that were screaming to destroy things.
What did Gemini want from him? Why did Geniella proceed to capture Baek Sogo instead of killing her? There had to be a reason. And why was Geniella still not showing up? Where was she in all of this?
‘I have to look at it from a different perspective and take a few steps back from this situation. I can’t be swayed here.’Lee Sungmin kept breathing in and out, regulating his thoughts.
He could not act as Gemini intended him to. She had already laid the plate, and Lee Sungmin had climbed on it and appetized himself.
No matter what happened, he could not lose any more position than this.
At that moment, Lee Sungmin felt a strong sense of incompatibility with his thoughts. Attracted by Gemini’s conversation it seemed like he had almost forgotten about the smell of death in the room. The stench of poison. But there was also something else there. Something was amiss.
‘Oh!’
Lee Sungmin finally understood what was happening.
‘It’s weird.’
It was Genieella who wanted the future where the Predator of Massacre emerged, but she had not stopped Lee Sungmin from being sealed in Germane 10 years ago.It was certain that Predator was involved in Lee Sungmin’s unsealing, but Geniella did not come forward and there had to be a reason for that.
“Why hasn’t the Queen come forward after all of this?”Lee Sungmin decided to flip the question one last time.
“Do you think you’re good enough for her to come forward?”
Gemini asked with a smile that did not match the sinister aura around her. Lee Sungmin did not answer. He thought it was unnecessary to reply to such a provocation.
“The Vampire Queen used to tell me that she wanted to see you in despair, but she isn’t here is she?”
Gemini giggled and provoked him more.
“Where’s the Queen?”
Lee Sungmin’s hand lurched forward all of a sudden.
“And where the hell is Baek Sogo.”
Hisssss!-Crackle~
A purple current of electricity exploded around Lee Sungmin’s hand. Gemini laughed out loud as the space in front of them was shaking from the sheer power Lee Sungmin held in his hand.
But there was a reason for it. The space was torn and the illusion in front of him disappeared.
“The Queen won’t come out no matter what you do.”
The floor blew out and a black dark pit of darkness took its place. Lee Sungmin and Gemini plunged into the depths of the darkness
“She lost her ability to see the future one year ago. And for some reason she was unable to see a single possible future with the Predator of Massacre before her power disappeared.”
Gemini spoke as the creepily smiled while they were falling.
“I don’t know what she’s thinking, but she’s locked up in her mansion after everything that has been going on.”
Gemini’s eyes shone in the dark with a deep red scarlet reminiscent of blood.
“Before she lost her vision, The Queen saw the future of Baek Sogo getting poisoned. And we also found out that you were not dead and just sealed inside the city of Germane. The Queen has always been interested in you so I had no choice but to draw you here to see if your presence would bring the Queen out of her seclusion. You didn’t come here with Lao Shen so I had no choice but to bait you with the Silent Flare.”
Gemini spoke the truth without a single lie finally. As she finished voicing her true intentions, the two of them landed on the ground with light feet. It was still dark and eerie, and it was no longer an illusion in front of Lee Sungmin.
“Well… let’s start over, shall we?”
Gemini spread out her hands with a childlike smile. Behind her, Baek Sogo was lying in chains on an iron bed. Not a bed with luxurious sheets.
“Not with the Queen, and not with Predator…. But this time, with me.”
In front of the smug Gemini, Lee Sungmin was as cool-headed as he could be. Despite that, he took a drastically violent action.
He went past Gemini, smashed the bars chaining Baek Sogo, and stood by her body.
“……Hey.”
Gemini slowly lowered both of her hands and pouted her cheeks at Lee Sungmin’s blatant act of ignoring her.
“If you’re going to be like this, then it won’t be very fun anymore.”
Ignoring the words, Lee Sungmin checked Baek Sogo’s pulse.