The summons for visiting the Matriarch came sooner than any of us expected. As if she was expecting Irina's request, the Matriarch summoned Irina and me the very next day. It did give us very little time to prepare, but fortunately, Irina seemed to be ready for the visit. In fact, she'd even prepared a full suit for me overnight, which was quite a feat since I was still in the middle of my growth spurt.
As for how she got my exact measurements… Well, I guess she'd gotten it when I was sleeping? I wasn't all that sure, but I wasn't brave enough to question the anxious girl.
And who wouldn't be?
Especially since we were whisked away into the deepest regions of the Everwinter Estate. Since it was my first time visiting this exclusive compound, I wasn't particularly sure where we were going, but from the number of times we were stopped by Vampire butlers and bodyguards… I'd imagined that we were entering a place fully restricted even for the direct lineage of the Everwinters.
Fortunately, Variel and Irina were by my side, absorbing all of the pressure from the seasoned guards. All of whom were perfectly capable of pounding my head into the ground ten times over. Still, that didn't disperse my nervousness at all.
After thirty minutes of checks, we were finally permitted to enter our final destination. A piece of barren Winter land. Compared to the rest of the Everwinter Estate, this isolated area was largely undeveloped. Other than snow and trees, there was literally nothing around.
It was eerily quiet… There weren't any signs of animals or any living creature for that matter. Even the trees that surrounded us seemed to be withered dry by the state of constant snow. The chilly winds were stale, as if they were programmed to blow at a constant speed.
It really felt like…
I had entered a virtual dimension where the programmers controlled every aspect of the world.
It was mind-bendingly creepy.
And in the middle of this creepy Winter Wonderland was a certain little cottage. Unlike the luxury and extravagance of the palace that welcomed us, this simple cottage was the epitome of unassuming. It was about the size of an apartment, and it barely had any liveable materials.
However, even though it seemed like nothing more than a humble hut, everything in this barren snow land gravitated toward this very house. No, it felt as if the entire Everwinter Estate was centralized based on this unassuming cottage.
Or rather, the being that resided within it.
"Young miss, we have arrived."
"Thank you, Variel."
"My pleasure. I will be waiting outside."
The butler bowed once to Irina and turned his heel around. It felt like even this seasoned butler, who was unfazed by most things, was avoiding getting as close to this cottage as possible. He would rather brave the cold than step on foot closer to the being within this modest home.
Needless to say, only Irina and I were left standing at the entrance. As much as they were unwilling, my parents couldn't pass the clearance to enter the deepest region of the Everwinter Estate. Nevertheless, I knew I couldn't be protected by them forever, particularly since I've become a Vampire.
Now that I could protect myself with my own two hands… I would rather face my foes alone than let my parents fight my battles for me.
And meeting the Matriarch was just the first step in my long journey as a Vampire.
"Let's go in," I said with determination. "We shouldn't keep your grandmother waiting."
"Yeah…"
Even at this junction, my 'little sister' felt threatened by the creature within this cottage. With our souls connected, all of her emotions were directed into my subconsciousness. The dread for her grandmother. The fear that something might happen to us. The caution she felt when entering a hostile land.
All of which were transmitted to my soul. And oddly enough, it felt familiar. As if I had been in this position before.
Still, I wasn't in the position to look through my fractured memories. I gently reached out to her ice-cold hand and grabbed it tightly.
"Don't worry," I whispered warmly. "We'll get through this."
"Brother…"
Feeling the gentleness of my touch, Irina's tense expression eased up, and a dazzling smile was soon plastered all over her face. Her fingers soon intertwined with mine as she took a deep breath in.
"You're right!"
With new, reassured confidence, Irina led the way and sauntered through the wooden doors of the cottage.
The inside of the humble abode was very much like its exterior. There weren't any lavish sculptures, nor was there any degree of opulence on full display. In fact, it seemed like the cottage only had two rooms based on its interior.
There wasn't any kitchen, bathroom, or even a balcony. It seemed at first glance that there was only a living room and a bedroom which was hidden behind a door. And thus, the moment we entered the cottage and stepped foot in the living room, we were already greeted by the humble abode's only resident.
"You've arrived…"
It was only two words. Two words. But that was all it took for my earlier confidence to evaporate. The affliction and tone of the voice were nothing spectacular. If anything, it sounded like a sweet woman's whisper that was as harmless as a firefly.
However, the existence behind that voice was anything but harmless.
Seated right in the centre of the living room on an elevated platform was a young woman who seemed barely older than thirty. She was dressed in historical Victorian clothes, which weren't adaptable to the freezing temperatures outside in the slightest. But it wasn't like the woman cared for the cold.
Beautiful ivory hair that flowed longer than the world's deepest waterfalls. Pale white skin that seemed whiter than the snows of Winter. Deep grey eyes that pierced through one's soul if she so wished. And… Magic power that was far more concentrated than the endless abyss that purged the Netherworld.
There was only one word to describe this existence that sat nonchalantly while staring me down.
Unfathomable.
"Irina, don't be shy. Have a seat. Didn't you want to chat with your feeble grandmother?"
"Please excuse me, Honored Grandmother."
Irina nodded whilst shivering and holding back her desire to run out of the cottage. Leading me to the two wooden chairs prepared for us, Irina took her seat while I promptly followed. Perhaps I was blinded by curiosity, so my fear of the monstrous existence had been clouded. So, I cautiously examined the young woman who sat confidently in her elevated position.
An elegant noblewoman… That was the feeling I'd got from her appearance. If anything, the woman looked like an older version of Irina herself. An Irina who had matured from years of experience and endless trials.
Irina had warned me beforehand, but I couldn't imagine that this young woman, who seemed no older than thirty, was actually a five-thousand-year-old monster. One that was able to take on entire countries and sink mountains into the ocean.
While this woman looked like an older version of Irina, make no mistake, she was capable of turning me into a blood mist with a wave of her finger.
After a brief moment of silence, the Matriarch finally turned her attention to me and snorted:
"I see you have brought your toy."
"!!!"
Irina's face instantly turned red, and her eyes screamed out with fury. Evidently, she didn't like how her grandmother addressed me and immediately went into fight mode. However, before anything could happen, the elder Vampire chuckled.
"To think that there would be a day where my favoured heir would side with a human… I must be getting old."
"Brother is not a human anymore!"
"Just so," the Matriarch's lips rose ever so slightly. "You're really quite the daring little imp. To think that you would use that ritual to turn him into a True Vampire. I don't see anything special with that toy, so why would you risk your life so easily?"
The white-haired Vampire's attention then moved over to me and eyed me from head to toe.
"Hmmm, he does have the looks, and when his growth is completed, I'm sure he'll be a good catch. But you're the future heir to the Everwinter House. There'll be countless men for you to pick from. If you want, you could even get a few consorts like I did."
"... I would rather be with my Brother than inherit the Everwinter House."
"Oh dear…"
The Matriarch held the temples on her forehead as she watched her precious granddaughter openly defy her. Helpless to stop her, the Matriarch then looked over at me with a tinge of amusement in her smile.
"I wonder what kind of magic you pulled on my granddaughter. To think that she's so enamoured with you even after all these years. Do you know how much I had to spend just so she could spy on you?"
'... She what?'
Irina had been stalking me all these years? No, I think she vaguely mentioned something along those lines before. However, I was so caught up in the other matters that it completely slipped my mind. I wanted to press the subject, but the Matriarch had other plans.
"I really wonder… What's so special about you that she had to use that ritual to turn you into a Vampire? If it were me, I would have just turned you into a Blood Servant and toy with you until I got bored. Why did she have to take that risk?"
"... What are you talking about?"
"Oh? She didn't tell you?"
The Matriarch looked down at both of us as a playful smile crept up her face. Seeing this, Irina's body visibly shook as if she were living through a past trauma.
"This little lass… She used a special ritual to turn you into a True Vampire. You humans might call it a Blood Contract, but it's far more complicated than that. It's so arduous and troublesome that not even Vampires that are a thousand years old would bother attempting it."
Hearing the Vampire's words, I turned to the young girl with a look of astonishment.
"We call it the Contract of Equals. As you may already know, there are two types of Vampires. True Vampires and Blood Servants. Most of the time, a True Vampire would make a Blood Servant as it's far less complex. Furthermore, while a Blood Servant is weaker than a True Vampire, they are far more loyal and would never do anything to harm their creator."
Yes, I heard that before. In fact, after reading up on it, I realized that almost ninety percent of all Vampires were Blood Servants who served as food and meat shields for their masters. It was a cruel fate but a worthy price for some when it came to eternal youth and everlasting life.
"As for making a True Vampire… There are only two feasible ways. One is through traditional reproduction. However, Vampires aren't as fertile as humans, so it would take decades, sometimes even centuries or millennia for a new True Vampire to be born. Additionally, the stronger the blood, the harder the conception."
That was news to me. Perhaps this was why Vampires couldn't survive in the past. Even the strongest Vampire would be overwhelmed with numbers. If every True Vampire was hunted down before they could be replenished, it made sense that the Vampires were almost hunted to extinction during the Age of Blood.
"So, the ancient Vampires experimented on various methods to create new Vampires. Two of which succeeded. The Blood Servant contract and the Contract of Equals. The Blood Servant contract created Lesser Vampires, but Vampires nonetheless. On the other hand, the Contract of Equals was the only bona fide way to create True Vampires other than reproduction."
The Matriarch then turned her attention to her granddaughter, who trembled in her seat like a puppy who had been caught tearing up the sofa.
"But alas, the Contract of Equals came at a tremendous risk."
"What do you mean?"
"First of all, the Vampire initiating the ritual must find a noble compatible soul, one powerful enough to become a Vampire. Next, the Vampire must be willing to link its own soul with the human and lastly, the Vampire must remake the person into a True Vampire."
The elder Vampire then alternated her gaze between the two of us, seemingly amused by our reactions.
"And the conditions had to be right for each of those steps; otherwise, the True Vampire conducting the ritual would have their soul utterly annihilated. In fact, the success rate is so low that most Vampires wouldn't even bother as the risks were so astronomically high."
"What?!"
This time, it was my turn to be utterly flabbergasted. I'd always thought that Irina remaking me into a Vampire was as simple as biting down on my flesh. But evidently, that wasn't the case in the slightest. To think that this girl had taken such a big risk for me…
Feeling awkward at my passionate gaze, the cold beauty's face flushed red. Shyly, Irina averted her gaze from mine.
So cute…
As much as I wanted to admire the adorable little creature before me, the five-thousand-year-old Vampire had other intentions. After watching our exchange for a few seconds, the friendly face of the elder Vampire quickly turned.
"Jin Valter…"
The Matriarch's voice resonated through the entire chamber with a dead tone. As if answering her call, the howls of the Winter winds beckoned from the outside, blasting the windows and walls of this small, wooden cottage.
Magic filled the room we were in, so much so that it became suffocating for me to even be in. My world felt as if it had been turned upside down, and an ocean had been weighing on my human body. My fingers could barely move, and my eyes began to tear up.
It was then that I remembered who I was dealing with.
Matriarch Innocence.
The undisputed ancestor of the Everwinter House and one of the strongest beings alive. A monster that made Nine-Star Hunters, humanity's strongest heroes, tremble in fear. An ancient existence that even the Holy Pope, the leader of the world's largest religion and a former organization that hunted Vampires, couldn't hope to overpower. A monster that killed the strongest Outer Demons for sport and a being that I couldn't hope to equal.
Against her… I was a mere firefly.
No, an ant that was waiting to be squashed.
And thus, all I could do was wait with bated breath as the Matriarch began to speak.
"Human toy… Are you worthy?"