A crimson glow flickered across the surface of the ring—
Then vanished.
Vito's body trembled.
The next moment, a translucent, ghostly green figure peeled itself from his form, floating weightlessly in midair.
He blinked.
His gaze dropped to his hands—
But his fingers were no longer solid.
He could see straight through them.
"What… what is this?"
Vito instinctively tried to step forward.
His physical body obeyed—
But his spirit remained motionless, hovering in place.
The disjointed movement threw him off balance—
He stumbled forward, about to crash face-first onto the warehouse floor.
Evens caught him by the shoulder just in time.
"Alright. Take the ring off."
Vito nodded quickly.
As soon as the ring slipped from his finger, his ghostly form dispersed—
And his body jerked back to life, eyes blinking open.
The other two gang members stood frozen.
Both swallowed hard—
Neither dared say a word, but the sheer terror in their eyes was unmistakable.
Lorien took back the ring, studying it.
He had a fair idea of how it worked now.
It didn't seem dangerous—
At least, not yet.
But he'd test it further on his own time.
For now…
"I found someone who will be helpful to you."
Lorien turned to Evens.
"Or rather, a ghost."
Evens' pupils contracted slightly.
"A ghost?"
"Yes—exactly the kind you're imagining."
"A man who died… and remained behind."
Lorien briefly introduced Benson, then gave Evens the lawyer's address.
"Go retrieve him later. He'll be useful for the church."
"He was a lawyer in life—find him a suitable role."
"Understood."
Evens nodded solemnly.
He was beginning to realize—
His Master's powers extended far beyond anything he had imagined.
A ring that could extract souls.
A ghost who could still think and speak.
And this was merely what his Master chose to reveal.
Evens clenched his fists.
"I must continue to prove myself worthy."
Lorien gave his final orders, then stepped into the shadows.
Darkness wrapped around him—
And he was gone.
Evens remained bowed deeply, still as a statue.
It was almost a full minute before he finally rose again.
"Alright then…"
He turned toward the three trembling gangsters.
"So, gentlemen—"
"Ready to leave?"
Vito and the others nodded furiously, faces lit with hope.
"Y-Yes, sir!"
Evens sighed deeply.
"Of course."
Then—
CRACK.
Before Vito could even register what was happening,
Evens grabbed his head and snapped his neck cleanly.
Bone and muscle tore apart.
His sharp, elongated nails sank deep into the flesh,
Ripping out a string of veins and sinew.
"You've seen the face of our Master."
"That means you belong in Hell."
"Wait for me there."
Evens brought his bloodied hand to his nose, inhaling deeply—
Savoring the scent of fresh death.
The other two panicked.
Screaming, they bolted toward the exit—
But they didn't even make it three steps.
Evens lunged forward, eyes glowing a sinister red.
With inhuman speed, he caught them both—
Gripping the backs of their necks like a pair of fragile twigs.
Then—
SNAP. SNAP.
Two more lifeless bodies hit the ground.
Dark red blood pooled across the warehouse floor.
A chilling silence followed.
Two Days Later
Rain drizzled softly outside.
The sky was overcast, shrouding the city in a heavy, gray fog.
Lorien sat at his desk, palm outstretched.
A spider—one that had fed on his blood—crawled from his hand to the table.
It was small, about the size of a thumbnail—
But when its eight legs fully stretched,
It was larger than a grown man's hand.
The mutated spider moved quickly, spinning a web between the desk and the windowsill.
A gust of wind rippled through the open window—
The silk strands wavered, but held strong.
Lorien reached for a book and placed it on the web.
It stuck firmly.
Then he added another.
And another.
And another.
The web remained intact—
Even under the full weight of every book on his desk.
Only when he pressed his own hand against it—
Applying gradual force—
Did the silk finally snap.
A few books tumbled to the floor.
"Hmm. Not bad."
"It's strong enough to restrain an adult human."
Lorien reached for a small iron cage, releasing several large rats onto the floor.
The spider moved instantly—
Leaping onto the nearest rat, sinking its fangs into flesh.
The rodent squealed, kicking desperately—
But the spider held firm, its legs planted solidly.
Within seconds, the rat stopped moving.
Its body gave a few twitches—
Then fell completely still.
One by one, the spider hunted down the rest.
Each rat died within seconds of being bitten.
"Lethal venom. Good."
"One of these things could kill a human in seconds."
The spider crawled back onto his hand.
Lorien opened a drawer—
Inside, dozens of others waited, suspended in intricate webs.
Each one turned its eight glowing eyes toward him.
He gently placed the new arrival inside, then slid the drawer shut.
"That should do it."
He leaned back in his chair, mentally reviewing everything he had learned.
Standard Blood could mutate animals and spirits, creating Blooded Beasts and Blooded Servants. Pure Blood could create true vampires, but required significant energy to extract. Corpse Servants could be raised from the dead—if their bodies held strong resentment. Influence and reputation accelerated his growth.
He glanced at the silver ring in his hand.
So far, its power was simple:
It projected a ghostly form of the wearer.
For ordinary people, the spirit couldn't touch anything—
But when Lorien tested it himself…
His soul projection could choose to be intangible or solid.
He could even bring some of his powers into it.
"Interesting."
He was still waiting on Evens to collect information about Benson's apartment.
But one thing was certain:
His path as a vampire was full of potential.
The future was bright.
Then he heard it.
A car engine.
A sharp braking sound.
He turned toward the window—
And saw a police car pull up outside his apartment.
Two uniformed officers stepped out.
And they weren't familiar.
"Well now."
"This could be interesting."
To Be Continued...