The young man lifted his eyelids and greeted Evelyn with a wicked smile. After the initial shock, Evelyn took three steps back. She couldn't figure out the young man's gaze, perhaps like he was different.
The young man sighed, "To think a beautiful girl like you will be scared of my handsome face, Christoph. What have you been doing?"
Evelyn tightened the grip around the knife in her bag. She was ready to kill this guy if he tried something funny. It was her primal instinct. Suddenly the young man shivered, and with a pained expression, he said, "Umm, Evelyn, although I would love to chat, the time is not quite right. Could you please feed him more blood? He is poisoned with silver nitrate. Also, do not tell him about our affair, okay?"
He winked, earning a surprised expression from Evelyn. The young man fainted, and his body turned stiffer. The lady quickly grabbed a bag of blood from the bar shelf, poked a hole, and emptied the contents into Christoph's mouth.
As the new blood replenished his power, Christoph's condition eased. The toxic silver purged out of his pores as dark blood. Evelyn heaved a sigh of relief, but simultaneously, she was fishing about the matter.
She wasn't aware of what Christoph was discussing and why his gaze had changed. She was clueless about why he asked her not to talk about this. With a confused face, she turned around and focused back on the young man on the floor.
Her cell phone buzzed. She took it out of the blazer's pocket and found the caller was Ambrosia. She connected the call "Hello."
The other side asked, "Evelyn, is he okay?"
Evelyn reported the situation but left out the bizarre persona shift. Ambrosia nodded and asked her to report if any changes might occur. The call concluded in a few seconds.
Evelyn shook her heels off, picked up Christoph like a princess, and took him to the bedroom.
…
Inside Christoph's mind, he stood before a golden chalice placed on a pedestal. The surroundings were still dark, like the last time. However, unlike last time, he could see his body and a few steps around him.
When he wondered why he was here, an aloof voice sounded, "Chrisy, why do I feel like you have not missed me even a bit?"
Christoph shivered and asked, "Can you show yourself, Lawrence."
Lawrence appeared on the other side of the pedestal, the same as before. The phantom of Lawrence surprised Christoph. This time he noticed the details, which he didn't in the first encounter.
The playful eyes were as if a child had just made some mischief and was enjoying the aftertaste. He had a confident smirk as if he ruled the world, and a high chin, depicting the epitome of arrogance and pride.
Someone opposite of the cautious Christoph. Lawrence asked, "Have you seen enough?"
Christoph nodded and replied, "Yeah, it's nothing much. I don't get why you are so cocky."
Lawrence opened his mouth agape, "You are talking to me?"
Christoph shrugged and said, "Look around. Do you see anyone else?"
Lawrence clenched his fists, "Good one, at least you have developed a sense of self."
Christoph sighed, "Thinking too much of yourself again. I always had a sense of self and did not bother to mingle with people. Now can you answer a few questions?"
Lawrence smirked, "No."
He was not going to tell Christoph anything. He loved to tease others, and Chirtsoph was his favorite, as he did not have many targets.
Christoph nodded, "Fine, things will eventually unfold to me."
The phantom of the progenitor questioned, "Why do you think you should know everything? Why do you even want to know what's hidden? It could be good that you do not know a few things, right?"
Christoph briefly nodded before answering, "You always say that one should follow their instincts, so my instincts tell me that you all have been hiding something.
For example, Mister Lawrence, whenever I consume blood, my mood turns into this philandering egoistic bastard that does whatever he wishes. You know, the other day, I kissed Ambrosia Silvermoon."
Lawrence opened his eyes wide and exclaimed, "You did what! Did you kiss that old block of ice? Tell me, Chrisy, are you alive, or are we meeting in the underworld."
Christoph raised his brows and rubbed his forehead in exasperation. He couldn't figure out what sort of person Lawrence was. He sighed heavily before asking, "Lawrence, you died long ago, right?"
Lawrence smiled, thinking Christoph wasn't interested in finding the truth anymore. However, just as he was about to go on with a magnificent introduction of himself, Christoph stabbed his heart with, "Then why the fuck are you residing in my conscious? To think that not only did I lose my humanity but got stuck with the ghost of a vampire. Ugh, fuck my life."
Lawrence was speechless. Christoph's words were beyond his expectations. This sort of speech and action contrasted the usually stable and calm Christoph.
He raised his hand, reaching out to console the young man, when Christoph raised his head and greeted his sincerity with a cold face. The latter said, "You cannot fool me with these tricks of yours, Lawrence. I know that you were a progenitor. I also know that it was your blood that revived me.
I remember the method Ambrosia used to transform me. It has no mention in any of the vampire books. You both are hiding something from me. Evelyn is here to watch over and tame me with her honey trap.
As he spoke, he noticed how Lawrence reacted. The changes were not noticeable. Christoph was a psychologist and the best in his class. He caught a micro expression, which Lawrence tried to conceal.
Lawrence shook his head, unwilling to admit anything. Christoph stated confidently, "Somethings you are aware of, like when I kissed Ambrosia, and somethings you are clueless about, like, how I got injured.
Concluding that, you can tap into my consciousness for a limited time after I have consumed blood. That is enough information for me to control you from acting up."
Lawrence chuckled, "How do you even know I have no idea how you got wounded?"
Christoph sneered as he remarked, "If you knew, you would not have questioned me to cover it up. You would have avoided it, just like the rest of the things you already know, and never interrogated me about it. So, I am going to say a few things that might ignite your ego, but you must know the status quo.
I hold the primary and major control over this body. You are a fragmented consciousness embedded in the genetic code of an old vampire progenitor. If you wish to take control, you must become stronger. You need the blood of stronger vampires or humans.
Either way, I will grow stronger with you if you cross the lines. That is why you should act mellow with me. You 'need' me to sustain, right, dear Lawrence?"
The exertion put by Christoph on the word 'need' made Lawrence's sunny and cheeky smile vanish, and it got replaced with a cold glare. He remarked in a low voice, "You think I have no way to take over?"
Christoph smirked and replied, "Why don't you show me then?"