Ancestor Ghurn stepped forward into the light, his bald head gleaming under the crimson glow of the chandeliers, and his voice rang across the massive hall with a tone that carried both authority and an almost youthful excitent.
"Look well!" he shouted, spreading his arms wide as if presenting a treasure. "Look at her!"
All eyes turned toward Cornelia.
"She," Ghurn continued, his chest rising with pride, "is the reason we ancestors stand before you today instead of lying in our chambers preserving what remains of our precious years. She is the reason we can walk beneath this roof for twenty more years!"
The words echoed through the hall and then—
Nothing.
A silence fell so heavy that even the faint crackle of the torches along the walls seed loud. The crowd froze in place, as if the air had turned solid. So vampires blinked slowly, trying to understand what they had just heard. Others stared at Ghurn with parted lips, waiting for clarification.
Twenty more years?
For the ancestors?
The sa ancestors whose lifespan was guarded more carefully than any treasure in the Moonshade family?
No one spoke.
The silence stretched and stretched, becoming almost painful. The ancestors seated behind Rivik remained still, their ancient eyes glowing faintly, offering no imdiate explanation. Their presence alone made the tension thicker.
Finally, whispers began to form at the edges of the hall.
"What does he an?"
"Twenty more years?"
"How can one girl do that?"
Those who had attended the previous gathering stood quietly, their expressions calm, even faintly amused. They had already witnessed the revelation. They watched now as confusion spread like wildfire through the rest of the family.
Then the murmurs grew louder.
"Explain!"
"Ancestor Ghurn, what are you saying?"
"Is this so kind of ritual?"
The noise rose gradually, not chaotic yet, but restless and urgent.
Ghurn lifted one hand slightly, but instead of silencing them, he allowed the murmurs to swell for a mont longer, as if savoring the tension.
Then he spoke again, his voice rich and clear.
"It is because," he said slowly, pointing directly at Cornelia, "this girl standing before you has upgraded her Bloodline Lineage."
The effect was imdiate.
The hall erupted.
"What?"
"Upgraded?"
"Impossible!"
The vampires who had not been present the day before stared at Cornelia in disbelief.
"Upgraded her bloodline?"
"Is that even possible?"
"Is that a taphor?"
"Tell us it is not a taphor!"
So leaned toward their neighbors, demanding answers.
"You were here yesterday, what happened?"
"Speak!"
But those who had already witnessed the event kept their lips sealed, their expressions unreadable. A few even smirked faintly, enjoying the suspense.
The room filled with overlapping voices, questions crashing into one another.
"Did she awaken a hidden trait?"
"Was it through a ritual?"
"Was it granted by the Blood God directly?"
Ghurn watched the chaos with satisfaction before raising his hand again.
"Guess," he said, his tone almost playful. "What do you think her bloodline capacity is now?"
The question fell like bait into a pool of hungry minds.
The vampires who were not present the day before exchanged uncertain glances.
"Viscount?" soone ventured hesitantly from the middle of the crowd.
"Viscount!" another repeated, more confidently.
"Yes, that must be it!"
"Viscount level bloodline!"
The word traveled through the hall, growing stronger as more voices latched onto it.
"Viscount!"
Ghurn tilted his head, his expression exaggerated with surprise.
"Viscount?" he repeated slowly, drawing out the word as if tasting sothing unpleasant. "Viscount?"
He shook his head with dramatic disapproval, even turning slightly away as though offended by the suggestion.
The crowd grew uneasy.
"If not Viscount..."
"Then Earl?"
"Count?"
"Surely Count!"
"Don’t tell she reached Count level!"
Eyes turned back to Cornelia, scanning her as if her skin might reveal the truth.
Ghurn looked back at them, raising an eyebrow.
"Count?" he echoed. "Earl?"
He waved his hand dismissively.
"Naaah."
The simple sound hit harder than a shout.
"What?"
"Not Count?"
"Not Earl either?"
"Then what?"
The murmurs beca louder, more frantic.
"Don’t tell ..."
"Marquis?"
"Could it be Marquis bloodline?"
The word Marquis rippled through the crowd like lightning. Faces brightened. So vampires clutched their chests, hearts pounding with excitent.
"Marquis would change everything."
"That would secure our future for centuries."
"That would raise our standing among all clans."
"How can it be?"
"It must be!"
Ghurn suddenly barked a laugh.
"Marquis?" he said loudly, almost scoffing. "You have got to be kidding !"
The laughter died instantly.
Eyes widened.
So vampires nearly stumbled backward from the shock.
"Not Marquis?"
"If not Marquis..."
A long, breathless silence filled the hall once more.
The tension was unbearable now.
Then the realization began to dawn slowly, painfully.
If it was not Viscount.
Not Earl.
Not Count.
Not even Marquis.
Then—
"No..."
"Impossible..."
"Don’t tell ..."
Ghurn’s grin widened, his sharp teeth visible as he lifted his chin proudly.
"Yes," he declared. "It is beyond that."
The hall exploded.
"Is that for real?"
"Is that for real?"
"You cannot be serious!"
Cries of disbelief mixed with gasps and shouts. So vampires grabbed the arms of those beside them. Others covered their mouths in shock.
anwhile, the vampires who had been present the previous day watched with contained amusent.
Heh.
You will be surprised even more, they thought.
As the truth settled in fully, a new sound rose from the crowd.
A chant.
"Blood God!"
"Blood God!"
"Thank you, Blood God!"
The voices grew louder, unified now by overwhelming relief and excitent.
"Our future is secure!"
"The Blood God has blessed us!"
"Moonshade will rise!"
The chanting beca rhythmic, powerful, shaking the very pillars of the Blood Tower. So vampires dropped to one knee. Others raised their arms toward the ceiling as if reaching for divine acknowledgnt.
"Blood God!"
"Blood God!"
The sound thundered through the hall again and again, echoing in waves that seed endless.
Through it all, Cornelia stood at the center of the light.
Her face remained serious.
Composed.
But inside, her thoughts were anything but calm.
Where is he?
Her eyes moved across the sea of faces, scanning row after row. She searched for a familiar figure, for a certain expression, for crimson eyes that often hid more than they revealed.
Cain.
She could not sense him.
Usually, even when he was far, there was sothing in the air, sothing in her awareness that told her he was nearby. A faint pull, like gravity.
Now there was nothing.
She swallowed.
Her fingers tightened slightly at her sides, hidden within the folds of her sleeves.
Where did you go?
The chanting continued around her, deafening and triumphant.
"Blood God!"
"Moonshade!"
But her ears felt distant from it, as if she were underwater.
She looked toward the entrance.
No sign of him.
She looked toward the upper balconies.
Nothing.
She reached inward, trying to sense even a trace of his aura.
Empty.
A flicker of unease passed through her chest.
He would not miss this.
Not sothing this important.
Not sothing that determined the future of the clan.
Unless—
Her breath grew uneven.
Did sothing happen?
As she scanned the hall once more, her gaze briefly landed on a slightly chubby vampire standing near the middle rows. He wiped sweat from his forehead and mumbled under his breath, barely audible over the chant.
"Finally," he said quietly. "My Overgod aura will not co out now for sure."
Cornelia’s head snapped slightly in his direction.
Overgod.
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