Ruby POV

-----

"Can you tell me something, uncle?"

"Hm? What is it, Ruby?"

"Do you believe in Fate?"

"…In fate?"

"Hm…"

"…"

"Well?"

"I believe that there is a Fate that binds us all into the world's future. But it is still up to us to make of that fate whatever we want to, right? It is our future, and we can all make up for our future whatever we want to."

"Uncle… I see…"

Fate… What a mysterious word.

Fate is the development of events beyond a person's control, regarded as determined by a supernatural power.

But I guess he didn't quite get it. And I can't blame him, he had lived a long life as a free man, and did whatever he wanted as well…

I wish I could have such freedom.

The freedom to do whatever I want.

To travel wherever I wanted…

To know the world and its wonders.

But since I was born in this world that such a thing was predestined to not be possible.

My fate as this race, the Vampires, was one…

All of us, Vampires, are the descendants of Venerable of ancient times.

We are all regarded as demons by the world and persecuted to be killed.

I didn't choose to be a vampire, you know?

And it is even funnier when I realize how much even my ancestor sees us as…

Indeed, my family has a secret.

Within this necklace I have, lies within the crystalized soul fragment of my ancestor, the Venerable of Vampires and Blood.

I know why my mother sent me away in some kind of way, it was to save this necklace, and well, my life.

It seems that I was a prodigy since I was born.

I could learn spells by just glaring at them, and using blood was very easy.

I developed my Vampiric abilities very early too.

And due to that, I was regarded as the perfect vessel for our ancestors.

Sometimes I wonder if mom… really loved me.

Or if all of that was just because of my value as the ancestor's new body.

Since I felt lost that Rakasha saved me and welcomed me on his cozy house…

Since then I've been living concerned, worried about my future, about what might happen.

Everything was so uncertain… it makes me feel unease.

But uncle calmed my heart a bit more.

But then, this man came, Drake, a friend of the uncle…

And he brought a lot of kids.

I know my mental maturity is not that of a child anymore…

But it is fun to play games with them.

They're all cute.

Though, as I enjoy my life like this, there is an ever-growing concern about an uncertain future.

I don't know what will happen now.

Will I be captured one day?

Will they come for me and kill Rakasha?

And that Tyrant… the one that wanted me to use for her rituals… where is she?

How is mom doing?

So many questions… Yet I am left without any answers.

But the daily happiness that these children bring to me heals my concern, but at the same time, as I grow closer to them, the imminent fear of losing everything to them grows deeper.

Like deadly and abyssal darkness that devours my mind and heart away.

What should I do now?

Keep waiting for the inevitable while hoping for it to not happen?

Or escape now that I've recovered, and save these people the problems altogether?

I wish I could have been born as an ice giant, an ice elf, a human, a beast-kin… even a monster.

Anything would have been better.

…

"What's troubling you, Ruby?"

Uncle asked me how I was. I guess my face sometimes shows my true emotions.

"Nothing! I am fine… I hope the girls can come to visit me again, uncle… I want to play with them!"

Knock, knock.

"Oh, they're here it seems."

I guess I can indulge once more in a bit of this life… Perhaps a little bit more.

-----

Drake POV

…

We have reached Rakasha's home, and we were greeted by the cute Ruby, who rushed at us.

"Oh, mister Drake, you're here!"

"Indeed, I came here for a change of pace. Today is your free day, right, Rakasha?"

"Oh yeah, come sit with me, man, Benladann too. Let's enjoy some good ale. I'll share with you some from my secret stash." Laughed Rakasha.

"Then I'll help myself." I laughed, as I sat over a chair with Benladann at my side.

"Ruby, come here," I called her.

"Huh? Yes?"

I quickly gave her a few bottles of my blood so she can keep drinking it. It is the highest quality and also better than making Rakasha give her his own blood.

"Oh, thank you! This monster blood is very good, I always feel healthy when I drink it." Said Ruby with a bright smile. She's cute…

"No problem… In exchange, could you talk with me about a few things?" I asked.

"Huh? Which things?" she asked.

"About your family and origins. I am quite intrigued." I said.

"Ohh… Sure…"

I wanted to ask Ruby about her family a bit, more, I wanted to know what did they do, what they made for a living, and if they worshiped their ancestor in some shape or form.

I was wondering that, if there's an inheritance of the Dream Venerable, there could be one for the Blood Venerable closer than we might expect.

I learned from her that her family was ruled by a Matriarch that was an Immortal. She never showed her face and only overlooked them, while the family was run by her mother and father.

There were also many other smaller houses of Vampires within their place, and they ruled over a large territory where Ice Giants, Ice Elves, Beast-kin, and other races lived.

I wondered if they used them for their blood, and she was quite honest at saying that yes, they did.

But they were not cattle, these people were asked to offer some of their blood once every month while the Vampires ruled them rather fairly. It was some kind of pseudo-sect too.

Interesting…

Sadly, she said she had no idea about inheritances.

-----