Dracula's power-hungry mindset didn't bode well with what was going on. He was barely able to accept adventuring with Abbula, who seemed trustworthy enough. Now he was working together with jungle bandits who wanted the same source of power he did.
He found himself whispering his compulsive thoughts to himself as they walked along. "I want power." "I need power." "Without power, everything else is just idealistic garbage." "Power shouldn't be quelled, but craved. Not shared, but taken." "I can't have these people have access to such. It is mine. Mine, alone." While these thoughts plagued Dracula's mind, Arleno's voice brought him back to the present moment. They had arrived at what seemed to be a tall, large and circular barricade of thornbushes. At first glance, one would think it was a hoome in the middle of the jungle, but through the tiny spacAll Dracula could sense at the moment was pure darkness, his body felt numb to all feelings. And all that he could feel were his thoughts. "Oh, so is this what death feels like?" Dracula thought to himself for a moment, wanting to give in to his fate. But when he remembered what had caused his death in more detail, including his reasons for venturing into what led to it, he couldn't just let it end like this. "No, this can't be it" he thought to himself. "Not yet." And as he was doing so, he slowly began to feel his hands and feet, he felt his body start to feel like a body and the blackness slowly turning into dim light from the moon above. He opened his eyes and found himself right where he had died, looking around and seeing blood splattered around his body. He could remember his encounter with the Chimaera, which was trying to tear him apart, so he instantly got on his feet as fast as he could, ignoring his mild headache. H
"Also, it's not Tepez" he said to her. "Its Dracula." She nodded before he further introduced himself. "I am Vlad-Nosferatu Dracula" he said. "I have been gifted by God with the gift of eternal life, not the vague life promised in his Scriptures, but something that transcends even that. Because of this, by fate, I am the future ruler of all that breathes in this world. I am going to take down all three Emperors and become the only true Sovereign of this reality. Nobody shall stand against me, and my kingdom shall never end. I have chosen you to be my first disciple, because I wanted you to be a part of my dream. So now, you exist henceforth for my glory alone, and you will stand beside me until I find no use for you." Dracula then looked at her neck. "That might be a problem" he said as he noticed his bite mark. "Humans don't heal as fast, I remember." "Don't worry, it doesn't hurt. I'll cover it with something" she sa
"We can start with what you called me" Dracula said. "Kyuuketsuki. What does that mean?" Dracula didn't want to start, taking about the Chimaera, as he felt that was his secret to keep. He didn't want to know anymore, and nether did he want to tell anyone the little he had known. ""Kyuuketsuki," is an ancient name adapted from the term: Kyūketsu Kōmori, the name given to the much hated vampire bat" she said. "When the ancients wrote in their books of prophecy about the first human like yourself, they referred to the entity as the Kyuuketsuki. It sounded merely theoretical, but some took it as prophetic. And those that did were labelled as "the mad Alchemists." But they unwavered, being assertive with what they believed. Some even coming out to identify themselves as "Prophet's of the gods of Alchemy." They were the laughingstock of the era. Yet, here you are. The very fulfillment of all their prophecies. If they were
Meanwhile, back at Brannuka... Emperor Vlad opened his eyes, panting heavily as he got out of bed. The nude women who were sleeping next to him were also made awake by the way he had jolted out of bed. One by one they caressed his back, planting kisses on his sweaty shoulders. The day was bright and fair, as it was well past dawn that morning. "Your Majesty," they said. "Please come back to bed." "Are you both blind?" he asked them. "Can't you see its daybreak? Pack your things and get out. We are finished here." "Aw, come on, your Majesty. Don't be like that" one of them said. "You are obviously stressed. Was it a nightmare? Let us comfort you." Then he looked over his shoulder at that one. And from the look on his eyes alone, they could tell he was damn serious. So without hesitation, both women got out of bed, gathering their clothes and quickly putting them on. "Meet with the elde
Emperor Vlad was having his meeting with his officials, even though it had been about a week since he returned as an Emperor, there were a lot of things that were yet to be put in place. Vlad was begining to learn the heavy responsibilities that came with being an Emperor, and it felt unbearable. He was the type who didn't like it when too many people worked under him. As a micromanager, so he wanted to know everything going on in the Empire and manage as much as he could from meetings such as this. It had been quite productive so far, as they were able to address multiple major problems reakted to rebellions and keeping the peace between regions. But ever since Dracula came back, the meeting had never been the same. It became unproductive, and the officials were stressed, given what had just happened. Just a mere encounter with the Prince had upset everyone in some way, and nobody was in the right frame of mind anymore. The
Emperor Vlad entered the room with his head held high, ready to face whatever lay ahead. As he looked to his side, the doors closed behind him. Zaraki had said that the Prince would be waiting for him in the room, and he was tight. "I believe it is now time to do the needful" Dracula said as he stood there. The light from the setting sun outside the window caused his shadow to be casted down to the other side of the room. And it made his sihoutte all the more frightening with his red eyes glowing in contrast to his dark figure. "I understand this has to be done" the Emperor said as he drew forth his sword. "But you ask me for the impossible." "You can't bring yourself to kill your own son?" asked Dracula. "How predicatable. But don't worry. I could tell before now that you wouldn't be able to do it. But one thing I know is that we share the same blood. Unlike most people, we both truly appreciate power, and for peo
Just as Vlad had instructed the butler, the death of the Emperor was framed as a suicide. And the way Zaraki testified of it perfectly coincided with the final testimony the Emperor gave before he dismissed the last meeting. This made a lot of the nobles and senators think back to the meeting and shake their heads, not believing the Emperor literally meant what he said when indirectly implying that he would take his own life. It was tragic, as most of them had been with the late ruler from the beginning, a few being old veterans who served Chief Nosferatu before Vlad was made ruler. Zaraki went through the hard work of pulling the strings together, making sure there would be no hint of the truth leaking out anytime soon. This plan had to go perfectly, no matter what. And that meant there had to be no eyewitnesses. So as many servants who came to know about that event in the Emperor's room in great detail, he killed.
It was now a different time in Brannuka, the capital city of the Wallachian Empire, and the world at large. Vlad, the Dragon was dead, and his son, Dracula, was now Emperor. Now there were three Emperors in the known world, and they were: *Vlad-Nosferatu Dracula, a Ketsuki, 22, sovereign head of the Northern Wallachian Empire, a territory that comprised only of humans - save for the Emperor and his bride, and a few weak inferior sentient creatures bought as slaves. *Dastan Alexander, a human, 19, sovereign head of the Eastern Nihonian Empire, a territory that was a mixed bag comprising mainly of humans and elves. Both races mingled and copulated but always produced purebreeds of either side, and they went along quite well. It was thanks to their alliance that each of them succeeded as a race. *Rumulus Thorgrinson, 26, a human also, sovereign head of the Southern Langford Empire. His empire comprised mostly of humans and goblins, with an e