Chương 136: Xia’s Ambition

Mason had agreed to show Xia how to perform the ritual, but in exchange, she would have to remove the curse afflicting his body. Naturally, Mason did not trust her word. For that reason, before proceeding, he forced her to enter into a blood pact. The blood pact was a spell of vampiric origin, although over the centuries it had also been adopted by the other magical races. Its workings were simple. The two people involved had to make a binding promise.

In this case, Mason would promise to show Xia the ritual, while Xia would promise to remove the curse from his body as soon as Mason showed it to her. The promises had to be spoken aloud and according to a precise formula. A single mistake in pronunciation would nullify the spell, forcing them to repeat the entire process. Afterward, both of them had to bite a part of the other person's body. Mason and Xia chose their arms.

The moment their teeth sank into the flesh, a black substance was injected into their bodies. That substance represented the promise itself. If either of them broke their promise, the poison would rapidly spread throughout their body, poisoning them from within. And although vampires were immortal beings, that poison was powerful enough to pose a threat even to them. For two reasons. The first was that there was no cure. It was an eternal poison.

The second was even more terrifying: the poison would continue damaging their internal organs every single second. This would force the vampire to continuously regenerate those wounds for eternity. Vampires could only die when they failed to feed sufficiently, but the poison would accelerate that process enormously. Continuous regeneration would consume an absurd amount of energy. Normal meals would no longer be enough, and the vampire would need to feed more and more frequently to sustain their body.

To compare it to humans, it would be like forcing a person to run a marathon every single day of their life. The calories they consumed would have to be enough to continuously compensate for those they burned, otherwise their body would inevitably collapse. For that reason, neither of them had any intention of breaking the pact. Mason and Xia bit each other's arms and completed the spell. Now, whoever betrayed their promise would be poisoned. And neither of them wanted to suffer such a fate. The following morning.

Mason led Xia to a black-sand beach. The sky was covered by low-hanging clouds, and a thick fog enveloped everything, muffling even the sound of the waves. Behind them stood the silhouette of an enormous abandoned castle. It was half-destroyed, worn down by time and the elements, like the corpse of a gigantic creature left to rot for centuries. Xia studied the place carefully.

"Why are we here?" Mason gave the faintest hint of a smile.

"You wanted me to show you how rituals are performed, right?" Xia nodded.

"This is the best place to do it". Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. He pointed toward the castle behind them.

"See that? It was once the home of the Vampire King. He was killed right inside by the clan head of the Clan Prinz at the time". Xia slowly lowered her gaze. For a few moments, she remained silent. Then she spoke.

"The Vampire King…" A note of excitement entered her voice.

"If I manage to recreate the vampire race, I'll be happy to become their queen". Mason sighed.

"So ambitious…It's exhausting". Xia slowly shook her head.

"For a mediocre being like you, perhaps it is". She turned toward him.

"You're a vampire, and all these years, you've wasted your existence. It's fortunate for our race that I exist". Mason did not respond. After several seconds of silence, Xia spoke again, this time in a firm voice.

"Show me the ritual. Now". Mason nodded.

"I need your blood". He paused briefly.

"Now". Xia did not hesitate. With an almost imperceptible movement, she cut the palm of her hand. Mason did the same. Then he extended his hand toward her.

"Our palms need to touch". Xia raised her hand and pressed it against his. The blood of the two vampires mingled.

"How long do we have to remain like this?" Xia asked.

"Until I finish the ritual". Mason raised his free hand. He began performing a series of gestures. They were complex and incredibly fast movements, executed with almost unnatural precision. After a few seconds, he placed his hand on the black sand. A red circle suddenly appeared beneath their feet. It pulsed as if it were alive. Inside it, a demonic symbol appeared, formed from lines and runes that seemed to slowly shift. A powerful spiritual pressure spread through the surroundings.

Xia immediately sensed the ritual's energy. Behind them, the old castle creaked. Part of the walls gave way, sending enormous amounts of rubble crashing to the ground. At the same time, the sea began to churn. The waves grew higher and more violent. Xia tried to remain calm.

"Is this normal?"

"Yes". Mason did not seem the least bit concerned.

"It means it's working". Suddenly, a blinding red light exploded from the circle. Xia was forced to avert her gaze. The spiritual pressure reached its peak. Then…silence. The light disappeared. The circle vanished from the sand as if it had never existed. Xia and Mason remained motionless for several seconds. Then they approached the spot where the circle had appeared. There was nothing. No change. No sign that the ritual had succeeded. Xia clenched her fists slightly.

"Nothing happened…" The disappointment was evident in her voice. Mason frowned.

"I told you. The chances of it succeeding are extremely low". Xia turned sharply toward him.

"That means we'll have to try again, when can-" A sudden cry interrupted her. It came from behind them. Xia froze. Then she slowly turned around. Her eyes widened. A newborn lay on the black sand. It was crying. Xia approached it and examined the child. It was malformed. It was missing an arm, and its head was much larger than normal. Xia picked it up. That was when she noticed its eyes. They were completely white. The child was blind. Xia stared at it for several moments.

"Why…?" Her voice trembled slightly.

"Why was it born like this?" Mason laughed. He did not seem the least bit disturbed by what stood before him.

"Because the low odds of a child being born aren't the only problem". He pointed at the newborn.

"The chances of it being born healthy and identical to us are even lower". Xia lowered her gaze toward the child.

"That makes no sense". She pressed her lips together slightly.

"Why does our race have so much trouble reproducing? Why?" She was visibly nervous, even though she was doing everything she could to hide it. Mason, on the other hand, allowed a grin to spread across his face.

"Ah…" He almost seemed amused.

"Of course the ritual comes with a price for those who perform it". Xia slowly raised her gaze.

"A price? What do you mean?" Mason stared at her.

"I mean that we've both lost our vampiric immortality". Xia remained silent.

"Of course, we can still regenerate. Our abilities haven't disappeared". Mason paused briefly.

"But now hunger isn't the only thing that can kill us". Xia looked at him coldly. She did not seem particularly surprised.

"I assumed you hadn't told me everything". Then she looked at the newborn again.

"It doesn't matter". Her voice returned to its calm tone.

"The ability to regenerate will be enough". Mason let out a short laugh.

"And what are you going to do with that little monster?" He pointed at the child.

"Want me to throw it into the sea myself?" Xia lowered her gaze. The child continued crying in her arms. But there was not the slightest trace of maternal affection in her eyes. No compassion. No hesitation. She looked at it as though she were evaluating a defective object.

"There's no need to make it suffer by drowning it". She raised one hand. She pointed it toward the newborn. Then she slowly twisted her wrist. Crack. At the same instant, the infant's neck snapped. The crying stopped. The child was dead. Without pain. It had been born only moments before. And moments later, it was already dead. Xia let the body fall onto the black sand without showing the slightest emotion. Mason slowly cracked his neck.

"Good". He looked at her.

"Now that your curse is no longer on me, I'm free". He took a step back.

"I'd like to say it was nice meeting you, but it wasn't". An ironic smile appeared on his face.

"Goodbye, Xia". He turned away.

"And good luck with your insane endeavor to recreate our race". An instant later, his body vanished. He had teleported away, leaving Xia completely alone on the beach. She did not pursue him. She remained motionless. Then she turned toward the sea. The waves continued crashing violently against the black shore. The fog enveloped everything. The wind gently stirred her hair. Xia's expression was calm. Serene. But something completely different gleamed in her eyes. Determination. Ambition. Obsession.