The allure and promise of getting stronger.
It was something that little to nobody in the Vampire world could dream of or imagine. What you were born into, what bloodline you had and everything else dictated how your life was going to be.
Of course, Anastasia and Alexei dis Vardoken might have had opinions on how that was entirely inaccurate as there were other circumstances that dictated on how your future was going to be like… but that was not the case for Matthew.
Matthew Williams.
A young Vampire that was sixteen years of age, who had grown up with his older sister taking care of him and not really amounting to anything else.
Their bloodline was nothing special to write about.
It was only recently that his older sister had grown sick and it was only Jasper Argenti who had helped him take care of her medical needs.
He didn't want to owe anybody anything, wanted people to see him for who he was and not just what he wasn't.
And now he was stuck in the Dark Forest.
Matthew's gaze flickered around the woods and coldness seeped into his body—will he ever get out and see them again?
Jasper would have talked him out of this, but Matthew didn't approach him for that very reason. And so, when Matthew finally heard the words come out of Lukas' lips, he only hesitated for a moment before he stepped up.
"I… I'll do it, Lukas. If it's really going to make me stronger, then I'll drink it." Matthew said, a soft sigh leaving his body.
While Matthew did not have much dreams and aspirations about tomorrow—he wanted to live another day, and see his people once again.
In the end, that was all that really mattered to him.
***
Lukas blinked at Matthew's words, but did not hesitate to transfer his pool of blood into the younger man's hands.
"Okay, then."
"You know, we don't really drink each other's bloods. Nobody does this nowadays except for some couples and family members." Philip frowned. "It's… a strange thing unless it's with someone who you really highly trust."
"Is it really?" Anthony asked. "We've drank blood sourced from other things but can't drink the blood of our own kind?"
"It's just—not encouraged. Do you want our people to run around and trying to kill each other to get their hands on blood?" Philip clicked his tongue, but there was nothing he could do.
Matthew Williams looked at the blood in his palm and raised it to his mouth, taking one deep breath before finally gulping it down in one go.
He didn't try to think about the flavor or the taste, he just drank it and then winced. He rested a hand on his forehead and swayed slightly.
"Are you okay…?" Lukas worriedly asked.
"He doesn't look okay. That's far from okay." Philip swerved to Lukas and looked at him with a frown. "This isn't a good idea—Anthony, the first aid kit, maybe there's something there that can make him spit it out."
"No—I'm fine." Matthew raised a hand weakly and then went for a smile. "It's… just, ugh."
Lukas watched him retch for a moment, falling down into the ground and emptying the contents of his stomach. Anthony bent down and tried to help him, while Philip's gaze flickered around their environment.
'This much noise could attract something. He's being cautious—but what exactly is happening to Matthew? This hasn't happened with Lily or Chaerin before at all. What's wrong?' Lukas' face was calm and unyielding, but he immediately checked on the young man.
A status finally came up within his vision.
Name: Matthew Williams
Age: 16 years old
Race: Dhampir
Description: Born as one of the offspring between a human and a Vampire, or a Vampire and a Dhampir, their strength is comparable to that of a normal Vampire with fewer of their weaknesses.
[This Individual Has Received Your Blood And Can Undergo Vampire Transformation—> Proceed/Cancel]
[Canceling Will Result Into Negative Effects For Dhampir]
As Lukas read those words, he nearly gawked and threw a confused look towards Matthew but held himself back from saying anything.
What the heck was this?
'This isn't…' Lukas had never done this before with anyone else, but now he was tempted to go all the way and checked on both Anthony and Philip.
[Lesser Vampire]
[Dhampir]
The results were something that made Lukas unhappy, but he quickly bit down and returned to Matthew.
[Proceed]
[Transformation Proceeding]
As Lukas gave his confirmation, Matthew finally stopped vomiting and instead nearly dropped down into the ground and passed out.
Anthony caught him and put him carefully before looking at Lukas with a betrayed look. "Did you… did you know that this was going to happen? You said it was going to make him stronger but all it did was make him sick. That's not a good thing."
"He's going to be fine." Lukas reassured him. "My girlfriends drank my blood and nothing bad happened to them."
"But you made that Dream Eater into one of your Blood Servants and something terrible happened to her. Is it a flip a coin situation? Are we going to end up with some kind of monster?" Philip asked, taking a careful step away from Matthew.
"Come now, it's not going to be that bad." Anthony said, even though he looked a little uneasy.
"You guys…" Lukas said, but then paused. He wasn't going to ask them about their bloodline now. Everybody referred to themselves as Vampires, so it meant that nobody was aware that they weren't pure-blooded Vampires.
"What?" Philip asked.
"We should look for shelter or something." Lukas said, then glanced down at Matthew's body. He went over and slung the guy over his shoulder. "Let's go. Staying around here isn't going to help any of us."
"The chances of us running into danger is the same as anywhere else—" Philip tried to protest, but then sighed and shook his head. "Very well. But… have Anthony carry Matthew, you're the one with more combat capability than any of us."
Read latest chapters at f(r)eewebnov𝒆l Only