The atmosphere in the throne room was tense as the vampire emperor looked down at Edmund from his seat. His eyes, glowing faintly with crimson light, bore into Edmund with an intensity that felt almost suffocating. Edmund newly awakened essence made him feel stronger and more confident, yet there was an underlying tension that he couldn't shake.
"You are to keep the fact that you have awakened a light essence a secret. Do you understand?" The emperor repeated himself, a gesture that was incredible rare.
Edmund frowned in confusion."But why, Father? Why must I hide it?"
The emperor's expression hardened. "This is a command, not a request. You will obey it."
Edmund clenched his fists. "I don't understand! Why should this be a secret?"
The emperor's eyes flashed with anger. "Enough, Edmund! You will do as I say."
Edmund took a deep breath, trying to control his rising anger. "But why? What is it about the light essence that you don't want anyone to know?"
The emperor sat up abruptly, his aura radiating power. "You dare question me?"
'Why is he so defensive about it?'
Edmund's mind flashed back to the dream he had, the ethereal garden, and the mysterious woman who spoke of his mother.
"Father," he said, his voice trembling slightly, "I want to know about my mother. About Clarisse."
The emperor's reaction was immediate and explosive. "Do not speak her name!" he roared with fury. "You will keep your mouth shut and never mention Clarisse again!"
Edmund felt a pang of anger and hurt. He stepped forward as his eyes blazed with defiance. "Why? Why does no one ever mention her? I have so many questions about the circumstances of my birth, about why you were affiliated with a human in the first place!"
The emperor's face twisted with rage. "You do not understand the complexities of the past! She is not to be spoken of!"
Edmund's frustration boiled over, and he yelled back. "You keep saying I don't understand, but how can I if no one will tell me anything? I deserve to know the truth about my own mother!"
The room fell into a stunned silence, causing the tension in the air to thicken.The emperor stared at Edmund whose chest was heaving with barely controlled rage. For a long moment, neither of them spoke causing the silence to stretch out painfully.
Finally, the emperor broke the silence with a cold tone. "Never speak of her again, and that's final."
Edmund's heart sank. "Fine," he said with a low and strained voice. "But I won't forget this."
The emperor took a deep breath, visibly composing himself. "There will be a banquet to celebrate the awakening of the crown prince's essence," he said, his tone more controlled. "It will be in two weeks time."
He snapped his fingers and several vampires entered the throne room. They each bowed deeply before the emperor.
"These," the emperor said, gesturing to the group, "are assigned to take care of preparing you for the upcoming banquet. And the others will be your royal trainers in the matter of blood cultivation."
One of the vampires with a 7'11" visage stepped forward. He bowed slightly to Edmund. "Your Highness, I am Master Lucius. I will be overseeing your training in blood cultivation."
Edmund nodded curtly, still seething with anger but determined to master his new abilities. "Thank you, Master Lucius."
Another vampire, a woman with long, flowing black hair and striking green eyes, approached. "Your Highness, I am Lady Vivienne. I will assist in your preparation for the banquet."
Edmund took a deep breath. "Thank you, Lady Vivienne."
The emperor watched the exchange with an inscrutable expression. "You have much to learn, Edmund. I expect you to take this seriously."
Edmund met his father's gaze, his resolve hardening. "I will, Father."
Edmund left the throne room and retreated to his quarters with Sasha. The tension between father and son still hung heavy in the air, but Edmund knew he had to focus on the tasks ahead.
This was the first time there was any ever such confrontation between the two of them. It had shocked even the emperor.
Sasha helped him change into more comfortable attire.
"Edmund," she said softly, "you did well in there. It's not easy to stand up to your father."
Edmund sighed. "I just want answers, Sasha. Why is it so difficult for him to tell me the truth?"
Sasha's eyes were filled with sympathy. "The emperor is known for his indomitable personality. People see him as a cold stoned person without any feelings but the truth is, that isn't always the case. There are many things about the past that are painful, things that your father might not want to revisit. But you do deserve to know. Maybe in time, he will open up."
"Does this mean you know something Sasha? Tell me," Edmund demanded.
"It is not my place to butt into sensitive matters of the crown. It is the emperor's place to reveal such things, it will be treason if I say anything," Sasha stated.
...
...
...
Edmund walked back to his room as thoughts from the day ran through his mind. The briefing with the royal coaches had been informative but also overwhelming.
They had outlined a rigorous training schedule, emphasizing the importance of mastering his new abilities and controlling his bloodlust. His father's command to keep his light essence a secret still weighed heavily on him.
As he returned to his chamber, he let out a deep sigh while closing the door behind him. He sank into the plush armchair by the fireplace, trying to process everything.
Suddenly, a system notification appeared in his line of sight.
[ Task Completed: Consume Blood ]
Edmund recalled that he hadn't checked this yet.
"Open rewards..."
[ Issuing Rewards ]
< Blood Cultivation Ability Unlocked: Blood Fusion >
< Blood Cultivation Ability Unlocked: Internal Accumulation >
Edmund's eyes widened in surprise. "Two abilities?" he muttered to himself with a tone of intrigue.
He had been told that a vampire typically gained an ability after consuming blood for the first time, but gaining two was unprecedented. He wondered if this was another benefit of the system.
He focused on the information provided about the new abilities.
< Blood Fusion >
( Merge Your Blood With That Of Other living beings To Manipule To Your Desire )
< Internal Accumulation >
( Accumulate Blood In Specific Regions Of Your Body To Amplify Its Functions Momentarily )
Edmund leaned back in his chair, thinking about the potential of these abilities. "Blood Fusion... I don't entirely understand that but it seems like some form of external blood manipulative. And Internal Accumulation... amplifying specific regions could give me an edge in various situations... Internal blood manipulation..."
His mind was abuzz with possibilities, and he resolved to start training on these new abilities as soon as possible.
But another thought nagged at him: why had his father insisted on keeping the light essence a secret?
He decided to check his system status window for any new changes.
[ Opening Status Window... ]
...
Name: Edmund Rigorial Alucard The Twenty-Seventh
Race: Half human/vampire
Essence: Blood + Light
Skills: Dark Veil
Abilities: Blood Fusion + Internal Accumulation
Supernatural level: Surface
Strength: Surface
Speed: Average
Agility: Average
Durability: Surface
Immunity: High
Distributable points: 50
Title(s): Nil
Completed goals: 4
...
He noted the changes and the ten distributable points. Some had changed from underground to surface and others to average. Initially he couldn't even mark himself as a supernatural creature but now he could.
"Interesting," he thought while considering how to allocate the points best. "I need to balance my strengths and weaknesses."
Edmund decided to distribute the points strategically. "Let's start with Strength," he murmured, adding fifteen points there.
[ +15 Points Added To Strength ]
"I need more Speed and Agility for combat," he continued while allocating ten points to each.
[ + 10 Points Added To Speed ]
[ + 10 Points Added To Agility ]
"That leaves me with fifteen points. Durability could use a boost," he concluded, adding ten points there as well.
[ +10 Points Added To Durability ]
Edmund didn't spot any changes in the status window after the allocation but he could physically feel a bit of boost in his body.