"Blood cultivation?" Luciel asked, but Nosferatu just smiled in return.
"Yes. Most of the vampires use it to get stronger. I'll teach you the basics, but instead, I want you to stay loyal to me."
Luciel rubbed his chin, staring towards the ground as he was taking his time to think about the offer.
A way to get stronger sounded nice, but selling himself to Nosferatu was a different set of shoes.
Nosferatu might be presenting himself as nice, but who knows what kind of evil intentions were hiding behind his good heart.
"So, what is it going to be?" Nosferatu rushed Luciel a little bit since he waited for some time now.
Getting taught by one of the most powerful vampires sounded like a good opportunity that Luciel didn't want to miss.
He wanted power, especially after fighting with Scarlet. In this day and age, strength was everything, without it, he was a sitting duck.
"Fine, I'll do it, but under few conditions." Luciel finally answered after staying quiet for some time.
"And what would that be?" Nosferatu asked, leaning back and crossing his arms. There was a throbbing forehead vein that was visible on his head.
"First, I will get to decide who dies and who lives, no matter what." Luciel started, noticing Nosferatu's annoyed expression.
"Second, you will offer protection to those I care about, making sure that no harm comes their way."
"And lastly, I am ready to help you even in the hardest times, but I expect you to do the same for me."
Luciel wasn't asking much. Nosferatu was to help him out and he doesn't expect him to do it for free. Doing a few tasks or missions for him sounds fair, even if he was a vampire.
The one more thing that worried him was that if he joined Nosferatu, he might ask him to harm humans.
Luciel knew that he would need to go out to get some blood, otherwise, he wouldn't be able to survive, so it was hard to say that he didn't want any missions that involved humans.
In case Nosferatu sends him on such a mission, he could do something to go against his order and help the victims.
"If those are your only concerns, then you don't need to worry." Nosferatu shrugged with his shoulders.
The old vampire extended his claws and made a horizontal cut across his palm. "Vampire's tradition when making promises."
"One more thing before I agree to join you. What is your motivation for helping me out?" Luciel asked with crossed arms, sniffing the air as he could smell a sweet honey-like smell filling the room.
The gray-haired vampire looked like he was taken by surprise. The way the conversation was going, he never expected Luciel to ask this.
"I'm curious," Nosferatu chuckled, having a grin on his face, "You are a peculiar one. I wish to see which side you will choose."
Luciel sent a chilling glare towards Nosferatu as he made a slash wound on the palm of his hand.
Right when he was about to give a handshake, he stopped for a moment, thinking if this was the right way. Siding with the creature he hated.
Making eye contact with Nosferatu, Luciel sighed and they finally shook hands.
Luciel expected some kind of trick from Nosferatu, a weird ritual that might bind his free will or something, but there was nothing.
It was just a normal handshake, not counting the blood.
"Well then, shall we start?" Nosferatu asked with a cheerful voice, showing his fangs after the two shook their hands.
He had lots of work to do, but he couldn't wait to start Luciel's training. He wanted to see just what kind of ability would the newborn vampire display.
All vampires possessed one ability unique to them. Rarely a vampire would have the same ability as someone else due to the countless number of powers out there, but it could still happen.
Nosferatu was an old vampire. He saw all there was to see, but there were still times when he would see a new skill.
'As an ex-vampire hunter, I wonder what kind of ability you possess.' Nosferatu rubbed his hands together, barely being able to wait.
"Wait? Right now?" Luciel raised an eyebrow. It was true that they were in a rush because of Kai. It was questionable if Luciel would even be able to pick up the basics, but this was still way faster than he could have expected.
"Yes, unless you have something else to do."
Luciel was about to say something, but stopped in his tracks when he realized that… He had all time of the world right now, if it weren't for the problem with Kai.
He was about to say that he had to go and get ready for a speech. He would usually give them at hunter gatherings.
He would also need to go and meet with other hunters, friends, or Helen.
Sometimes he would need to travel to other colonies and help out.
There was rarely a moment of peace in his life till now.
"No, I'm free. You just took me by surprise at how fast you are ready to teach me." Luciel shook his head in disbelief.
"Well… When you live long enough, time will become irrelevant. Now follow me." Nosferatu spun his finger in the air, getting up from his chair and walking out, with Luciel following behind.
"Where are we going now?" Luciel asked, being right below Nosferatu as they were climbing up the stairs.
"Ever wondered how this cave came to be?" Nosferatu avoided answering Luciel's question since everything will be revealed in due time.
"Honestly, isn't it just a naturally made cave that you guys sculpted to suit your needs?"
"Close." Nosferatu chuckled, "I made it. It took me hundreds of years to perfect it and it still isn't done, but I like how it turned out."
Luciel raised his eyebrows and looked around the cave walls. It was impossible to believe that one person was able to create all of this.
"How?" He asked, widening his eyes as he touched the wall.
"Patience young one, you'll see," Nosferatu said with a singing voice, humming a melody to himself as they continued to ascend.
After what seemed like an eternity, they reached a dead end. There was nothing but a wall in front of them.
"Here we are!" Nosferatu announced, waiting for Luciel's reaction.
Luciel stayed quiet. He kept looking around before approaching the wall, knocking on it a few times.
Nosferatu smiled, clapping his hands.
At first, there was nothing, but then, everything seemed to start shaking.
Luciel looked up after sensing a vibration. There were pieces of small rocks falling from above. It felt like the whole cave was collapsing.
His heart skipped a beat, eyes widening in fear while his skin got pricked with goosebumps.
Luciel thought that this was the end of him, he awaited the roof to fall down, but that never happened.
On the wall in front of him, there was a thin crack that appeared in the middle, spreading from bottom to top.
The wall started to split in two, each side going in its corresponding direction, creating a huge entrance to another cave hall.
"Welcome to my personal training ground!" Nosferatu gestured with his hand to Luciel, prompting him to enter before him.
Luciel gasped at the awe-inspiring scene before him.
His jaw dropped at the sight of a medium-sized cave wall.
Around the cave, there was a small stream of stillwater going around. On top of that water, there were colorful lotus flowers that seemed to be made from some kind of crystal.
The crystals were illuminating the cave walls, giving the area a mystical feeling.
In the place where two rivers would meet, there was a large waterfall that was coming down from the hole in the cave ceiling, creating a pond underneath.
In the middle of the pound, there was a medium-sized rock, large enough to sit down.
Luciel walked right towards the center of the cave which was completely empty.
He didn't know how to describe how he was feeling with words alone.
"You made this?" Luciel tilted his head on the side, staring at Nosferatu who said nothing and only pointed up towards the ceiling.
Following the direction Nosferatu was pointing towards, Luciel stared intensely at what was right above him.
The sight made him feel small in comparison to what was above his head.
There, on the roof, was a giant Yin Yang symbol engraved into it.
The part that symbolized Yin was covered in thousands of glowing blue dots while Yang seemed to be made from pure white crystals.
"Yin Yang, the base material for life energy, Qi, that flows through every. Living. Creature." Nosferatu explained with his hands behind his back, approaching Luciel.
Nosferatu stomped on the ground and two small pieces of rock started to rise up.
He moved his hands in front of him and in each, he had a tiny rock hovering above.
One pebble stayed the same while another started to crystalize. "Where there is light, there is darkness as well."
Nosferatu raised his hands and the rocks started to float toward the engraved Yin Yang symbol.
"Nothing is as it seems in this world. In evil, there will always be a little bit of good and vice versa. Master this concept, and you'll be able to rise above the rest." Nosferatu explained, staring at Luciel.
Luciel listened to the old vampire's words. For a moment, he felt angry, thinking that Nosferatu tricked him, but then he remembered the divine arts that hunters would use.
Now divine arts sounded even more ridiculous than this. A power borrowed from the divine realm. The stronger your belief is, the stronger the arts.
It never made sense to any hunter, including Luciel, but it was the only power that the Church had been teaching.
Luciel's gaze met Nosferatu's. He could tell that he was a knowledgeable and powerful vampire, so it was worth asking: "And what about the divine arts that the Church is teaching us? Never have they ever mentioned Yin Yang nor Qi."
"Hm…" Nosferatu closed his eyes, tapping his chin. "Unfortunately I am not familiar with the cultivation techniques that humans are using, but I can tell you this."
Nosferatu opened his eyes, looking at Luciel as he made a small stop, "Whoever is using the divine arts should stop immediately."
"I don't know what divine arts are, but whenever someone would use them, I would feel a sudden increase in Qi, rushing through their body, eating the user from inside out," Nosferatu explained, sounding very serious.
"Think about it. Have you ever seen an active hunter still walking around past their forties?" Hearing Nosferatu's question made Luciel squeeze his fist as his eyes started to glow vibrant red.
"Nosferatu, you said that you aren't familiar with human cultivation techniques, but you make it sound like they exist, is that true?" Luciel asked, wanting to confirm something.
"There are, more than one. I witnessed some myself." Nosferatu answered, thinking about the odd question.
"Tell me then, what do I need to get stronger?" Luciel bared his fangs, feeling furious at the whole realization, wanting revenge.
Not only did the Church hide the downsides of the divine arts, they tried to hide it by gathering a group of older vampire hunters that would soon die due to coordinated vampire attacks, but there were also other ways to get stronger.
Luciel didn't know if the Church knew about cultivation techniques, but he would make sure to find out.