Flacon Family – Meeting Hall
Luke and his wife had just returned home. As soon as they arrived, Luke called an urgent meeting in the family's meeting hall. Hearing the news of an emergency meeting called by the head of the family, everyone left their work and came immediately.
Luke: "I welcome all the heads of the family... We have succeeded."
Hearing this, everyone's faces lit up with joy.
Luke: "The Gey family has agreed to the marriage… Congratulations!"
Just then, a servant entered the hall and handed over a letter, saying,"Sir, a servant from the Gey family delivered this letter."
Arthar took the letter and began to read it. After reading, he spoke in a serious tone:
Arthar (4th level magician): "The letter says they want to do the engagement tomorrow evening itself."
Everyone was surprised to hear this.
Luke: "So soon...? Are the Gey family planning something?"
Arthar: "It's not just the engagement… there's a condition as well."
Everyone immediately became alert.
Luke: "They don't agree this easily. Something is definitely going on in their minds."
Arthar: "They want Duke to be sent to the same academy."
The hall erupted into murmurs.
Family Member: "How is that possible? Duke is still a Noob, and without reaching the Bita level, he can't even enter the academy."
Luke: "Uncle Franics, what do you think?"
Franics (Half Gold): "Danial must be planning something. The academy's Headmaster, Brennan (Half Nova), was once his unknown personal student. Sending Duke there won't be hard for him."[Note: Nova (royal blue eyes – above Gold level) – has 2 stages: Half Nova and Nova.]
Luke: "But that academy also has the children of many of our enemies... That place won't be safe for Duke."
Franics: "You're right. Danial is very cunning—this must be his idea."
Luke: "Arthar, what do you think? How can we avoid this situation?"
Arthar (serious): "Blood Wedding..."
Luke: "What? Will they even agree to that?"
Arthar: "How long will you keep Duke hidden? He'll have to face the world eventually. Besides, Blake, Jerry, and many others will be with him... and this year, Veronica too."
Luke: "Yes, Veronica too... Talk to her."
Franics: "Then it's settled. Send a reply with a servant — we will arrive tomorrow evening at 6."
Luke called a servant and sent the letter.
Franics: "Quickly go to the tomb below, Luke... you need to leave soon."
Hearing this, everyone's eyes turned toward Luke — there was a faint golden hue in his eyes, and power had begun to radiate from his body. There was a mix of fear and excitement on everyone's faces.
[Note: Vampires use tombs to break through levels. A vampire's strength comes from their body — they go against nature to increase this strength, breaking natural laws. When a level is broken, their body releases more power than it can contain. To control this, vampires use tombs, where the energy is sealed and then reshaped into cores within the body. These cores contain fragments of their soul and are essential for their power.]
Vampire Core System:
Noob: 1 core + 1 soul fragment → bonded together.
Bita: 2 cores + 2 soul fragments → more complex structure.
Alpha: 3 cores + 3 soul fragments → older cores merge with new ones and rotate in a pattern.
Silver: 4 cores + 4 soul fragments → old cores break, new ones form, and they can be rotated or held at different positions inside the body.
Beyond Silver, the pattern becomes even more complex...
During level breaks, if even one core survives, the vampire can be revived. A vampire only truly dies when all cores are destroyed.
Black Market – Blake
Arthar sent Blake to retrieve Duke. Blake used a glass portal to reach the Black Market. He took out a drop of blood from his hand and released it into the air. The blood drop floated like a tracker toward a direction. Following it, Blake reached a tavern.
[Note: The Black Market exists on the borders of both continents — a place for all illegal activities, cursed items, hidden goods, assassination deals. No one has control here. Everything has a price. It is said the market's main office lies somewhere at the border between the two continents — but no one knows for sure.]
Inside the tavern, Duke was lying on a table, completely drunk, unconscious from drinking "Madira" (a wine made from blood, water, and magic).
Blake (going near): "What state have you put yourself in! Who would believe you're the young prince of the Flacon Family?"
Duke: "Blake … good that you came. They refused to serve me more Madira and even threatened me."
Three Noob-level vampires appeared.
One of them: "He drank Madira but refused to pay."
Duke: "How much is the bill?"
Vampire: "2 red blood capsules."
Blake pulled out two red-level capsules from his pocket and tossed them at them.
They were stunned. Blake lifted Duke and took him back through the portal.
Flacon House – Duke's Return
Two figures emerged from the mirrors at the gate. Seeing them, the guards quickly helped Duke. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, and Arthar appeared.
Arthar placed his hand on Duke's stomach — Duke felt a jolt and immediately vomited everything. After gaining some consciousness, he sat on the ground.
Arthar: "Go, clean yourself up. Tomorrow is your special day."
Arthar ordered Duke to be taken to his room, then turned to Blake:
Arthar: "Was there any trouble?"
Blake: "No, brother… but we didn't even feel your presence when you arrived."
Arthar (smiling): "As the levels rise, so does the connection with nature."
Arthar: "Send a message to the rest of the brothers and family… and any news of Joiner Russal?"
Blake: "No, brother… he's still missing."
Arthar: "Wish he were with us…"
Blake: "Do you think he's reached Half Gold?"
Arthar: "I believe he may have reached Gold already."
Preparations in the Gey Family
A servant from the Flacon Family arrived at the Gey House with the letter.
James: "Blood Marriage...? That wasn't part of the deal."
Danial: "Clever move by them. Backing out now isn't possible. We've already sent out invitations."
James: "But the Blood Bond can't be broken. Once it's formed, the Queen can't bond with anyone else."
Danial: "She didn't want to marry anyone anyway. Even if Duke dies, the Queen will still be ours — and no one else's."