[Achlys Keresa]:
"NO!!" Achlys screamed, her will suddenly strong enough to overcome the force that was keeping her down as she rushed forward, willing her scythe to fly into her hand.
Joshua took stand with his own blade, ready for the rematch, his removal of his own blade causing Korey to fall backward, still quite in shock. He deflected his blade to Achlys' scythe, and thrusted a hand forward, willing a telekinesis wave to send Achlys flying back into the flaming wall.
"Like I said before, I will kill you and devour your bones!" screamed Joshua Allen, stepping forward, getting closer and closer to Achlys, as his hand-controlled telekinesis kept her pinned — she couldn't move, let alone get out of her hold. "And, just so you know, when I'm finished with you, I'll go after them," he gestured to a dying Korey and then to the place he sensed the little girl's presence. "And, when I'm done with them, I'll go after those cousins of yours. I always get what I wan—."
"Oh, silence, child," a sudden voice spoke, startling all that were present.
Turning, both Joshua and Achlys saw a floating mass of blood descending unto the ground before them, turning into…
"Faction Head Athan!" screamed Achlys in relief, tears already forming her eyes.
Hair as crimson as his eyes, skin as pale as snow and the aura of a Peak Chaotic stage ranker, Faction Head Athan Eubeleus was dressed in a typical black and red, expensive suit, with black dress shoes, black socks and a red dress shirt. He had a pair of silver, embroidered wrists cuffs on each hand and had a long black and just as expensive looking overcoat with red inner coating and a cloth-leather material.
Joshua only raised a brow. Taking in the appearance and aura of the new late arrival.
"Sorry I'm late to the party," said the instructor. "Now, who needs killing?"
[Joshua Allen]:
Every instinct in Joshua's being was telling him to make a break for it, that this man was dangerous and would expeditiously and most definitely kill him. However, before he could, Athan was already before him.
"You've injured someone in my care," the man named Athan noted dully, as he casually punched Joshua so hard in his stomach, blood and spit came out his mouth. "You will not be getting a second opportunity to kill someone in my care again. Your madness ends right here, right now, before it can fester any further."
Suddenly, Athan kicked Joshua into a thick oak tree, leaving a deep dent in the trunk. Yet somehow, Joshua knew — with a grim certainty — that if his opponent had used even a fraction more strength, the tree, and perhaps the many behind it, would've splintered to nothing on impact.
Getting up, Joshua spat out blood from his mouth, his eyes alit with a crimson flame. He was pissed. He was just supposed to attack a simple, mortal foster home — one that his mother's murderer had live in; he was not prepared to deal with other more fully realized cultivators seeking to stop him.
Deep down, he knew Athan was holding back. In his head, he was thinking of ways to exploit this weakness — He considered Athan underestimating him, but, in the end, he realized it was that at all. The Faction Head was simply toying with him, he realized in horror. To him, Joshua was but a mere toy, and, as he was getting bodied in a controlled manner, his rage just grew and grew. He wanted to kill this man. He wanted to summon the CHaotic Flames to burn and eviscerate his corpse.
'Retreat,' whispered a voice he was quite familiar with.
'Fall back,' they were an echo of a voice.
'You won't win this,' said the same voice.
The sudden voices gave him pause. Immediately, he sensed their accuracy. He knew he wasn't on par with his enemy quite yet. The wise option would be to cut his losses and pull away.
Sti;;, though, he wasn't in a situation where he could afford to lose. The voices in his head were whispering to him, telling him to retreat, that he could not beat this being before him. Logically, Joshua Allen was not gone enough to not see the impossibility of his situation, but he also knew he probably won't end up far he gets caught bu him. His options were to run away and get caught and killed immediately or to get beaten to death by someone stronger than he was.
He was trapped, his fate sealed.
'Don't worry,' said the voice of his master suddenly. 'Back up is already here.'
Just as Athan was approaching Joshua, something happened…
[Athan Eubeleus]:
The shadows of everything around, be they trees or houses or even just the clouds — They began converging at a singular point, like a spiderweb, before merging into a circle of shadows. Athan squinted his gaze, as the 10 meter pool of shadows caused a silence to stur. And, from this shadow pool, a humanoid, hooded figure arose.
"What's this?" Athan titled his head, seeming to think aloud. "This aura… There's no mistaking it. This is Cosmic rank aura. Who are you?"
The figure was slim, its form covered by a cloak of darkness — Literally. The cloak the figure dawned was so dark and seemed to be mixed with the very shadows themselves, it could have been mistaken for darkness itself. And, to Athan, it felt… familiar. The cloak of shadows the being's form completely and wholly. Even Athan couldn't get a good enough look to see through its facade.
"Who I am, does not concern you, for it does not matter," came a voice through the white neutral-face mask that seemed to distort the wearer's voice. The figure seemed to ooze shadow energy, as its shadow covered Joshua Allen and itself. "Your days are numbered, Athan Eubelues, son of Zagreus, as is his. Your new apprentice will fall, just as you will, mark my words. Until then, farewell."
Then, in a burstful wave of shadow energy, the two of them — the mysterious stranger and Joshua Allen, vanished, leaving behind a squinting Athan, perplexed but guarded.
[Unknown POV]:
On a distant planet, in a whole other solar system, many hundreds of thousands of light years and galaxies from the Milky Way, there was a ruin of sorts. Inside this ruin, many cultivators patrolled the vicinity, even as, from within the deepest part of this ruins, a 10 meter pool of shadows spread, slowly erecting Joshua Allen and the masked figure.
"Who are you?" Joshua asked the figure immediately after the smokey shadows receded.
The masked figure just tilted its head, before answering. "I am an agent of you father."
"My father…," Joshua stated, contemplating, before shaking his head, lost for a minute, "That can't be. My father is dead."
"Your other father," the masked figure started with a heavy sigh, as if slightly annoyed. "Part of you knows whom I speak of, but the current you don't seem to recall it. Nevertheless, I shall explain things to you. Your human father was merely an mortal avatar for a sliver of our lord's power, Lord Chaos. You are his son and heir, Young Lord. I exist for your security and service, as decreed by your Lord father."
Joshua's brow was raised. He did not know any of this. He definitely hadn't known his father was… Well, that. Or, apparently, the current him didn't? Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Joshua couldn't help but think of his human father. Withdrawn and neglectful, sure, but the host of a primordial deity? He couldn't see it. Never would've guessed it.
Joshua had been taught the many pantheons of gods and deities during the 30 years training he'd undergone in that place, in preparation for when he inevittably ascends to godhood. As a primordial spawn, that level of power is a guarantee for him. He was taught the politics of the cultivation world and the Primordial War against the forces of Chaos itself, and how they sealed the god — his father? — and his realm at the cost of many others.
He was told that he has a high affinity with the element of Chaos, amongst a few other innate elemental affinities, and, because his training in the elements of Chaos, he'd be able to take on crazy powerful enemies and learn even more advanced elemental arts with a touch of his innate Chaos element.
He wasn't told his father — his real father — was the very same entity he was already learning about — the nigh-omnipotent being, nigh-all powerful, Chaotic-born entity/deity, whose real body is sealed in a land far, far away, give or take a few countless universes away… Until now, that is.
Then again, according to this same lady, he was told this; he just wasn't the 'Joshua' who heard it. Apparently, there existed two souls in his body, both were his, but, at the same time, they were very different. It was apparently similar to having an alter-ego. For all his life, his other side remained dormant, only recently stirring after Joshua's home caught fire and his mother was murdered by Corven —- It was in response to the negative emotions that his mother's murder wrought that his other side was awakened.
"My father… is Chaos incarnate?"
"Technically, he's Chaos itself, not to be confused with being a god of chaos or, of course, the Mother Khaos herself whose name starts with 'K', not 'C," stated the masked figure, confusing Joshua even more. "But yes, your father is Chaos itself. After all, who's will could be strong enough to create a very real and lively psychic plane personal dimension in that head of yours but Chaos himself? It was by his will that you've breached the limitations of mortal cultivation that would take 100s of years in just a few days. Even your mother's killer took months just to reach this level of power. You are blessed by his will truly, child of Chaos.
"That said, that dimension has 1 flaw. While technically, it is real, it is also completely artificial. The mechanics behind it, I've noticed, is that you don't physically enter this dimension of yours — You astral project into it for the most part, at least, from what I've observed. Your brain and mana reserves aren't necessarily used to the sudden burst of power, even despite you forming a core beforehand.
"Hence is why we're here."
Joshua Allen looked round, curious. "I-is that 2 moons in the sky? Where are we and what are we doing here exactly?"
Up in the sky, there were two spheres, much closer than just the moon to the Earth.
"Dwarf planets that revolve around this Earth-like planet," the masked figure corrected. "We are here to undergo this planet's complete conquest and assimilation. While his grace has an incredible army in his own right as the son of Chaos, both mortal and divine, it doesn't hurt to expand what which dwells outside the Chaos Realm —- especially considering most of the Chaos Army are still sealed within its borders.
"The secondary purpose of this conquest is for you to gather combat experience. A man can have all the power in the world, but, should that power ever leave him, all he'll have is his experience in combat to save him. The beings of this planet are powerful cultivators, who use the same cultivation hierarchy as we do. They'll be your first hold in this particular galaxy.
"Don't worry, about the guards you have here, in this ruins, for you have allies on Earth that also await joining our ranks should you call —- both inside our organization and in the cooperation of other organizations we have ties with — All under your banner currently are capable fighters. And we've already conquered the area. Next, with you and your father's guidance, we'll conquer this world and, eventually, this galaxy, too."
Joshua pondered this for some time. He knew that the road for revenge would be a long one, no matter how much he wants to hunt his mother's killer. After all, vengeance is a dish best served cold, and Corven, while initially weak, must've grown in power if the monstrosity who caused his other side to go quiet was truly his master.
No, it was best he plotted and prepared in any way he could. He needed an army and he needed power, because he knew Corven would have both most likely next time they face one another. And he needed experience, too.
But something remained, a hesitance he couldn't help but feel. Turning to the masked figure, Joshua asked "Who are you? What is your name? How can I have you follow me if I don't know your name? Better yet, how can I trust you, if I can't see your face?"
The figure tilted its head. "You may call me Madame Chaos. I'm a member of the organization known as 'The Eye of Chaos'."
"I assume this organization wants to… spread chaos?" asked Joshua, to which Madam Chaos stayed silent, which was in and of itself an answer. "I mean, I really couldn't care less. So long as I get my vengeance of Corven Umbrovante, I'll kill whoever I need to kill."
"Come now, let us meet the others," Madam Chaos said, a minute later, gesturing Joshua towards the outside. "There are lots of plans needing your approval, my Master."
"Then let us go and enact them, Madam," Joshua followed after the lady, unaware of what the future would hold, but ready to lay claim to it nonetheless.
[Athan Eubeleus]:
"Faction Head! Over here!" Achlys' labored voice suddenly brought Athan from his daze.
Looking over, Athan saw Achlys over a mortally wounded Koreyl who was struggling to stay conscious. He was bleeding out i the wooded overs of the woods behind the house, while the firefighters, previously frozen in time by the boy's magic, now going about to take out the fire of the house, no recollection of what they saw — Even if they had seen something and remembered, Athan would have used Coercion on them to make them forget it. Thankfully, though, the Veil seemed to have done its job properly in that regard.
Coercion was a compelling ability that vampires possess. They could make the ordinary and, if stronger willed, the powerfully cultivated, remember what they want them to remember or do anything they want them to. They could even make them forget things, as Athan would've done to the ordinary firefighters had the Veil not beaten him to it.
Suddenly rushing to Achlys's side in a lightning fast blur of motion, Athan appeared by Korey's side, noticing the little girl — 'Bella,' he remembered the name — was also by Korey's side, tears in her eyes, standing over Korey's bloodied form, likelyin shock and horrorifed. Achlys seemed more disassociated than anything, though there was also sadness in her gaze. And Korey, coughing up blood, was breathing raggedly, a hole in his stomach from Joshua's blade coming out crimson with blood. Even without seeing the wound, Athan could sense the boy didn't have much longer in the land of the living.
"I-it h-hu-hurts," Korey managed to stutter out between coughs, before he released more, much more gruelling coughs.
"I didn't foresee this death…," Achlys muttered to herself. "Why didn't I see his death?"
"He's not dead yet… Can you do anything, Mister Blood guy?" Bella said between her tears. "Please, you have to help him! He's all I have left!"
"Re-relax…Lil… Bella," came Korey's raspy voice between coughs once more. "I-I have no…regrets, lil… sister."
At this, Bella cried harder into her hands. Even Achlys had a tear coming down her eye. Athan took this in, his facial expression thoughtful.
'The whole reason for finding this home was for the protection of those with the innate potential to cultivate that nobody else wanted nor wanted to protect,' Athan thought to himself. 'It was supposed to be a safe house of sorts, from both monsters and other cultivators with less noble intentions. And yet…'.
Athan turned to look at the inferno that was formerly a foster home cover of a safe house — He felt many things: Pain, anger and sadness. But, above all, he felt regretful. He should've been here sooner — should've kept better tabs on this place — then things wouldn't have happened. However, that whole ordeal with his apprentice happened and he had only received the news of what was happening here after returning from the Dungeon.
'I was hoping to do it again after that happened,' Athan thought to himself, sighing heavily. 'But it would save him….Looks like I'm asking.'
"There is a way I can save him," Athan stated, garnering the youths' attention. He turned to Korey. "If you survive the process, you'll be… different. Faster. Stronger. More powerful than you can possibly imagine… but there is a cost. You will hunger. And you may just kill others in the process of feeding. Is this what you want?"
"Anything!" screamed Little Bella.
"I need his verbal agreement," Athan said, looking to a barely conscious Korey. "I need you to give me the affirmative, understand? You won't ever be the same ever again, so this is a very big decision. I'd advise think, though, not too long… I sense you don't have long."
[Korey]:
Korey had already decided even before Athan had given him his warning. He was 9 years old; he had his whole life ahead of him. He didn't want to die. He wanted to see Corven and Little Bella by his side once more, and he could only do that if he decided to live. So he decided to live.
Korey and Athan locked eyes, a silent understanding teeming to pass through the two of them.
"I…," Korey rasped out, Little Bella leaning in unconsciously to hear his answer. "...Agree."
"Very well," turning to Achlys, Athan spoke. "Take Little Bella out of here. If the process is successful, he'll be thirsty for blood and, as the only defenseless human present, she'll be easy pickings for a newly-turned. I'll catch up with you later, and don't worry, I won't let him die easily."
Nodding her affirmative, Achlys carried a silent Bella as she spread her violet-black wings and flew away after giving their regards.
"Now then," Athan turned to Korey, his naturally crimson eyes glowing faintly with color as he spoke. "This is going to hurt, so let us keep the sound of screaming within only our earshot, shall we? Blood Dominion: Sphere of Blood."
Suddenly, their environment changed, and they were inside a sphere — A giant sphere of blood. Walls dripping with the crimson liquid and blood making the black ground like a sea of crimson, and the sky an eternal shower of blood, Korey was both impressed and slightly shaken. Though Athan didn't give Korey much time to take in the sights, for his fangs to extend from his canines and he bit into Korey's neck, who couldn't even scream, as, from his neck, pain travelled to every part of his body.
The pain was unlike anything he had ever felt before and he was literally dying less than mere moments prior. It was like every cell in his body was dying only to be resurrected and transformed all at once. He was not feeling powerful but, at least, the bleeding had stopped.
The pain continued on for at least what felt like hours but could have only been a few minutes before it began subsiding. However, in its place was a new thirst — A thirst unlike anything Korey had ever felt before. It drew him to dry throat and he, instinctively, knew what he wanted: Blood. And something else… something not just blood…
"Interesting..," Korey, clawing at the dryness of his throat, turned to see Athan observing him weirdly. "Not a typical one…No, a rare type — A Psychopompic Vampire, a vampiric subspecies of vampire that feeds on blood and souls… Is this because his father is Hermes?"
But Korey couldn't pay the man too much attention to what was being said. All of his senses were on high alert — He could smell the smallest ember made by the house fire and the smallest drop of sweat coming from the firefighters battling the flame. He could hear the firefighters' excited heartbeats. He could see the smallest, farthest insect burning within the flames, even from his place behind the manor. And he was just. So. Hungry!
THUD!
Suddenly, a packet of something that smelled divine in red hit Korey in the face. Korey, not even looking at the object, felt his instincts take over before he could properly process what the object was. His fanged teeth punctured the bag and let the taste of the divine liquid satiate his thirst. He was suddenly filled with warmth, the red juice out of the sac drained quicker than any cub he had ever chugged.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
Three more sacs of juice hit his lap before he could even complain about running out of the first one. The juice was sweet and fulfilling to the taste buds. And, with every swallow, Korey felt himself become stronger and stronger. It was fulfilling in a way Korey had never felt before, and Korey couldn't find it in himself to complain about anything concerning it and how it felt entering his body. In a single word, if Korey were to describe the sensation he felt when drinking the Crimson juice — Lifegiving.
Korey drank the rest of his juice, eventually coming back to himself from the high it gave enough to read the juice label: "Moreno Valley, CA State Funded Blood Bank — Blood Bag, Type A." Korey was immediately horrified. 'This isn't juice,' he realized in horror. 'This is blood…I'm… a monster…'.
Athan, who had been watching Korey's reaction silently, decided to speak up at last. "You've probably guessed it by now. Your vision is sharper,your reflexes are quicker — Even your brain can now process information much more efficiently than before, when you were an average mortal. You are human no more. You are—."
"I'm a vampire," Korey said it outloud, his voice devoid of emotion before, oddly, he had come to a sudden peace with his new reality.
"Yes," Athan fixed Korey with an expectant gaze. "You are a vampire."
[Athan Eubeleus]:
Athan decided to let Korey fully process his new reality before hitting him with the truths: He explained about how gods and monsters exist, and that magic and the Supernatural does as well. He explained to Korey the basics of the Cultivation world and how his father was a deity, who likely mated with a regular human of non-noble status or simply a regular cultivator instead of a powerful well-known cultivator or a member of a significant family or House, given Korey that status of being an orphan."
"So I'm a demigod, then?" asked Korey, surprisingly happy. "Like my favorite movie, like Percy? But wait, aren't I also a vampire? How does that work out?" Korey grabbed his hand, slightly overwhelmed by everything.
"Technically speaking, yes, you are a demigod, and, yes, you are also a vampire," answered Athan. "But you are also so much more — A rare type of vampirism even amongst progenitor families and the whole of the community — so rare in fact, that it can be counted on one finger the number of others of your kind in our community. In fact, of the Zagreus lineage, there is only one more Psychopompii vampire and that is my elder sister."
"A Psy-co-pump-ie vampire?" Kore seemed curious. "Special? Am I really so rare? Also, who is this Zaguss guy?"
"Yes, Psychopompii vampire. There are very few in existence that is known," Athan corrected in answer. "As for Zagrues, he is our vampiric lineage's progenitor — an Original of sorts, and the god of blood. He is also my father."
"Is this Zaguss—."
"Zagreus."
"That's what I said," muttered Korey. "Is he the creator of all vampires?"
"No, just the Zagreusean lineage of vampires," stated Athan, as the two of them began walking in the direction Athan noted Achlys had taken Little Bella in. "There are other lineages of vampires that exist, some of which have their own unique traits and talents, but ours are the only ones with a ruling seat in the Underworld," stated Athan with pride, before shaking his head as if remembering something unpleasant. "Not all vampires need to drink blood — In fact, many train their bodies to run on minimum blood every few years, sometimes decades for some of the more powerful and strong willed of us. That said, for you, a Psychopompii vampire, blood is more feasible than souls, I think, at the moment."
Athan just hummed.
'This form is just a blood clone,' Athan thought to himself. 'My more stable clone is still at the academy, but I've still bitten someone. As far as etiquettes go, this little boy is now someone I am responsible for. I'll teach him control and everything else he needs to know, just like I did with Shifu, just like I did with….him…. That said, that masked person was immensely powerful. I doubt they were just merely Cosmic rankers. I'll have to go home soon…my real home….'.
"You will be a member of House Eubeleus now, Korey," Athan said, after shaking his head from his own thoughts. "And, though not related by blood, you are related to me by bite, and therefore a direct descendant of Zagreus himself. As far as I am concerned, you need not worry about not having a family any longer. You have me now."
Korey fixed Athan with wide eyes — he could tell he would've cried if they weren't in public. Still, he couldn't help but be filled with pride. Though he had bitten him on a whim, the boy was already showing to have a strong will. He'll make a fine vampire.
'I'm not alone anymore,' Korey thought, privately. 'Not like I was before with Miss Blueford, with Corven and Little Bella. I have someone to look after me. I won't let them down. Wait…Miss Blueford…'
A single tear managed to fall down Korey's face as the realization hit him. Miss Blueford was dead. He didn't have Miss Blueford. Not anymore.
Sensing his distress, Athan realized the shock of his situation was dissolving and that the boy was realizing he'd lost someone precious to him. Hugging the boy, Athan silently wondered why that boy, Joshua, had attacked the house in the first place. 'Why kill Miss Blueford? She was moral, an uncultivated one at that. The whole point of putting a normal person in the house to watch over the kids in my stead was to prevent this kind of outcome in the first place by not drawing attention from my own enemies. And yet…'.
He knew Miss Blueford wasn't the same since her husband's death. He had assumed she would've gotten over the grief. And Athan was sure she would've, too, if she hadn't died in that house.
Sighing heavily, Athan swore to himself he'd get answers…eventually.
"This cultivation thingy," the boy said, gathering Athan's attention once more. He noticed the pain and anger in Korey's eyes; the desire for vengeance — the rage — it was all there. "Teah me. I don't want to be weak like that ever again. Teach me to be strong, won't you?"
'This is…,' Athan was suddenly hit by a deja vu, a familiar feeling, as a certain apprentice came to mind. When he looked at Korey, he briefly saw Corven…