Текст книги "Red Serpent: The Falsifier"

Автор книги: Делсон Армстронг

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In the Markian Empire, relative peace prevailed. But as an Emperor, Markos wanted more power. He conquered other realms (planets) and in doing so, created a solar empire. Using the other planets’ resources and manpower, he made Migra the center of that system. He even changed the system’s name to the Migra System. After 750 years of rule, the people of the Migra System became distrustful of the Empire. They wanted a better ruler, someone who was democratic and yet strong at the same time. Eventually the “revolutionaries” found a man who fit that ideal. This was Argos, the twin brother of Markos. Argos was a diplomat and a very important member of the Board of Advisers. He never let the personal mix with the professional. He too was dissatisfied with the corrupt reign of Markos. The revolutionaries asked him to speak to Markos. One evening, while having dinner with his brother, he brought up the subject of the people’s unrest. Markos said nothing and tried to change the subject. When Argos persisted, the emperor became furious and yelled at him. He spoke about the people in a way that no leader should. Argos had enough and politely took his leave. In his heart, he had already turned against his brother. He would have to be careful from now on as suspicions were bound to arise about his true loyalties.

The next day, Argos met with a man named Fabian II who was the leader of the revolutionaries. The revolution officially began when Argos joined Fabian. Meetings were held on Jostna, an icy realm at the furthest reach of the system. Argos came to and fro constantly and word got back to the emperor. Markos sent spies to watch him. When he discovered what his brother was up to he had him arrested and taken prisoner for treason and terrorist plots. But this did not stop or even slow down the revolution. The people of Migra, appalled by the arrest of Argos, stormed the prison gates. Bloodshed ensued and the Migrites succeeded in freeing Argos. Soon after, they joined forces with the other planets and waged a full-fledged war against the Markian Empire. General Gregorious III centralized the command of the revolutionary armies and was successful in seventy-two of the one hundred and eight battles that were fought. These included the Battle of Drego Fort, the Battle of Kilas Plains and the Battle of the Foria Desert on Migra. In addition to these famous turning points were other successful campaigns on the planets Jostna, Kolwar, Urwqene and Hildkür. The space force was commanded by Fabian who was then officially known as Admiral Fabian II. However, they had limited ships and space-fighters, which in the latter years of the Migritic Revolution became a major liability. Fabian was finally defeated and killed in the Space Battle of Jostna. There was a major loss of ships and fighters. Admiral Johannes took over and miraculously managed to turn the entire fleet around. One after another, they won many battles, especially after 895 M.E. (Markian Empire) when Argos Nyrax created numerous foolproof strategies.

The final battle was at Drakim Castle, the main headquarters of the Empire on Migra. It was to be the battle which made Argos Nyrax I the hero of the Revolution. The Markian Armies were valiant and would not give up easily. However, equal bravery was to be found in the Nyrax Armies. Finally, the armies infiltrated the castle, and Argos led a small group of soldiers into the Throne Room, where the emperor awaited with his guards. A swordfight followed and Argos was able to get to the emperor. With one final slash, he cut off his twin brother’s head. He carried it to the highest tower in the Castle, and declared victory for himself and his armies. The Revolution was over and after three weeks of discussion, a Constitutional Monarchy was established with Argos as the King of all Migra and its system. The Nyrax Monarchy was established, with each king serving a reign of one thousand years. The coronation of Argos I took place in 1 N.D (Nyrax Dynasty). A thousand years of Golden Peace reigned. This further continued into an Age of Knowledge, Peace, Unity and Bliss that lasted for the next 150000 years. The latter years of this period were, however, besmirched by some war and ravage.

In about 10000 BC, the Migrites came to the Earth and passed on their knowledge to the Humans. It was at this time that signs of internal deterioration within the Kingdom were duly noted. They learned the secret of necromancy and were able to raise the dead. Politics took place inside the Courts and soon another war broke out, this one ending with Anaxagoras XXIX. It was known as the War of the Eight Kings and began in 142000 N.D, lasting about 7000 years. The war was ignited by a disagreement between father and son. It spread to future generations all the way to Anaxagoras, thus making it one of the longest wars ever fought in Migritic history. Finally, Anaxagoras XXIX won the battle in 149000 N.D, when he learned a secret way of defeating the other Seven Kings. He summoned a man named Johesham, who was a powerful practitioner of the forbidden Black Arts. Johesham told the King to go to the Earth along with the other kings to sign a secret peace treaty at Antarctica. When they arrived there, they entered a hidden cave. It was said that the magician cursed them and cast them into the Abyss where he presided over them as their gatekeeper. From then on, there was no king but Anaxagoras. His reign was more terrible than that of Markos I and not surprisingly, another Rebellion took place in 150000 but was garnered no measurable success. In 151000, Anaxagoras was to die, but the Red Serpent saved him.

This made no sense. How did Uncle John learn so much about the history of the vampire kings? He concluded that he must have had help from the Rebels.

Alexandros. That name rang through his head. Could it be that there may have been some connection between him and the vampires? Was he himself one of them? It certainly made sense but it shocked him to think so. His own name was Alexander III. So did that mean he was the continuation of that race? He wanted to know more. Was he really a vampire? If not he was sure that he had some part to play in all of this. He went through the book once more. Something fell out from behind the back cover and landed on the desk. A letter:

November 11th 3328

My Dear Son Alexander,

Today is your birthday, and as I am writing to you, I see your face. Your emotions are conflicting. On one hand your soul is at peace because you have been born into this universe and know your place in it. On the other hand something irks you. Today is the Last Battle, and we have lost. The reason I am writing this letter, which should have been given to you by your guardians at the right time, is to let you know the things you have always have wanted to know. I must tell you that after I finish this letter I shall die.

I am holding on to my last breath so that I may tell you this. You are my beloved son, and your father told me many things about you before you were born. His name was Aidan Nyrax, the son of Anaxagoras Nyrax XXIX. That’s right, you are a descendant of the Nyrax dynasty, but it isn’t mentioned in any of the books. Even your father’s name isn’t mentioned in any of the books. That’s because your grandfather believed he disgraced the dynasty. Because of this, he was cast out. Alongside his cousin Nikolas, your father started the Rebellion. And now, Anaxagoras has killed him.

Your father was no ordinary vampire. He was born after the conversion of your grandfather. Now, vampires cannot procreate, but they can turn other races, especially the human race, into their kind. Anaxagoras wanted a direct heir to the lineage of the Nyrax family, but this was not possible. Therefore, he created your father out of pure energy. He used the energy of the stars and quanta and molded it into your father’s form. So he was born as a grown man, having had no childhood. At first his only thoughts were an extension of Anaxagoras’s. It was after some time that your father became independent and started to think on his own. He learned all the great secrets from Anaxagoras. After the Rebellion, he taught them to Nikolas and John and later used them against his father.

But you, my son, are quite different. Your father prophesied earlier for Anaxagoras, and later he spoke of the Prophecies of Ardemis. He had visions about you and foresaw your coming. You are the one who will be known as the Falsifier or the Equivocator. You are both human and vampire. You may wonder how that’s possible. Your father did as your grandfather and created you out of energy. You were made the same way Christ was made. Your father never touched me. So he put pure energy into my womb, with a single cell of his blood and you were conceived. You were born to avenge us. Your grandfather is afraid of you, I know that. And your father still has many things to tell you. He left some discs for you, which I gave to your uncle. There is a code for all of them. Ask him and you will know everything else you need to know.

I know you will not fail in anything you have to do. You are destined for victory. Your father could not foresee what will happen after you go to battle with Anaxagoras, but he knew that you are the salvation for all races.

I shall forever be with you in spirit and I will watch over you. I remain your loving mother eternally, and I address you by your true name: Alexandros yus-Aidan Nyrax III.

So he was the Falsifier and a vampire. A half vampire at any rate. He whispered the word to himself. Suddenly, he felt it in his blood and his heart. Somehow, he had always known. Was that why he had achieved so much? Because he had such powers and came from such a noble lineage? I am a vampire prince, he thought.

He returned to the shelf to look at the other books in the library. Next to the shelf was a full-body mirror. He walked over to it and glared at himself. Even his reflection seemed different now. It disturbed him. The more he scrutinized himself the more his reflection distorted until he saw himself as a monster. He jumped with fright.

“I can’t be a vampire!” he cried out, suddenly horrified by the notion. He felt now that he could trust no one. It hurt him that Uncle John and Grandma had not told him before. He went to sit on the sofa and looked into the pool of blood and the waterfall. His senses electrified seeing it once again. He got up and touched the pool, swirling his fingers in it and lightly skimming the blood. He tasted his finger. It tasted...good! It was so different, unlike anything he had ever tasted before. It was sweet, but not like sugar. This must be the taste of Ambrosia, the food of the Gods,he thought.

As Alex drank more of the blood, he felt more at peace. There was a soothing humming sound in his head. It was the sound of the universe and it pleased him. His face was a picture of serenity like one who had attained nirvana. “This is the missing piece in my life,” he whispered.

Suddenly he felt something pop in his left ear. He took out his hearing aid and whistled. It was incredible! Sound had entered his left ear! It was just like before the football accident; in fact it was even better.

He was immediately addicted to the red liquid. With a splash, he thrust his whole head into the pool. Suddenly, he could feel his gums expand as his canine teeth grew. He felt them with his tongue and laughed. He felt more powerful than he had ever felt before. He found himself speaking in a very strange language. Fire seemed to glaze over his pupils and two red energy beams shot out of his hands.

He yelled at the top of his lungs and collapsed.

Alex had fallen into a dreamless sleep. When he woke up, he felt as though he had been hibernating for a thousand years. He stretched his arms and yawned. A huge smile spread across his face. He opened his eyes and blinked. He was on the living room sofa. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw the figure of Uncle John.

John smiled at him as he sipped some black coffee. “Good morning,” he said. He came closer to Alex and placed his hand on his nephew’s forehead. “Well, the fever’s left you and you seem better now. You gave us quite a scare last night.” He spoke matter-of-factly, as if nothing had happened last night. Alex tried to remember last night, but his head ached as if he just swallowed an ice cold drink.

Suddenly he saw a vision of an emerald cross, and a serpent, red as blood, crawling towards it. He saw a rift between him and the cross and in that rift was a white light. The previous night came back to him. “Anaxagoras!” he shouted. He paused, catching his breath, and said much softer, “I didn’t have a fever last night.”

“You did. Right after you fell unconscious.”

His grandmother hurried out from the kitchen, sat down in a chair next to him and said, “Alex, you’re okay. We were so worried about you last night.” She gently wrapped her fingers around his hair.

“If you hadn’t drunk the blood, everything would have been fine,” his uncle added.

“So am I one of them?” he said weakly.

John took his time before saying anything. “Well you’re half vampire, half human.”

“Okay,” Alex said, trying to make sense of it slowly. “So I wasn’t dreaming after all. So, what does all of it mean? Am I some sort of messiah?”

“You are the Falsifier. According to the prophecies, you are a vampire in every way but you do not share their curse. Ultimately you are the enemy of the Anisaei.”

“Anisaei?” Alex asked.

“Vampires, in the ancient tongue of the Red Serpent,” John said.

“Please tell me this is all a joke, you guys.” He looked at John, then at Grandma, searching for the slightest hint that they were pulling his leg.

“Think about it, Alex,” said John, raising his right eyebrow. “All this time you had a feeling.”

“What? That I was a vampire?” Alex thought about it and realized that in his heart of hearts, it was true. “So what’s my true name? Alexandros yus-Aidan Nyrax?”

“That’s right; you are a royal prince. Your name means Alexander son of Aidan Nyrax. Like in the Hebraic traditions.”

Then it hit him. “Wait a minute! So then Anaxagoras is my grandfather! He killed my father, didn’t he?”

John looked at him solemnly, but said nothing.

“So now I’m supposed to kill my grandfather?” he said, as he got up wide eyed, from the sofa.

“Alex,” said John. “I think we should go back to the Inner Chamber, where you were last night.”

“Are they ready?” Lord Julius asked the President of the Vampire Confederation.

“My lord, they will be shortly.” Daniel bowed slightly. He had never liked the Twelve. They were a Council of Elders that Anaxagoras had established before he left. They outranked Daniel and came between him and his chance for ultimate power over the Earth.

“That is all?” asked Lord Julius. He was part of the Twelve. Although the majority of vampires on the earth wanted a democracy, Anaxagoras had always preferred a dictatorship. Nevertheless, he listened to the people, and a Confederation was established. They were responsible for making important decisions to do with the rule of the king, the keeping of the Ancient Covenant, and of course top-secret war plans. The Covenant, made to the Red Serpent by Anaxagoras on behalf of the vampires, was something that was hidden under the ancient inscriptions in Anaxagoras’s diary. The only thing the vampires knew was that they were supposed to keep the humans alive, though they were the enemies. Many speculations arose from this controversy including that they were to be made vampires later when the Red Serpent came, that they were to be placed under the rule of the Red Serpent and made slaves for the vampires, or that they were food for the Red Serpent. However, no one understood why the Treaty of New York was approved by Anaxagoras, and why the humans were to live so freely with only the necessary restrictions. These, including Anaxagoras’s sudden departure, were only the beginning of the numerous speculations the vampires conceived.

Nobody knew what the Twelve looked like as they always wore dark cloaks and hoods over their heads. Rumors had it that they symbolized the Twelve Elders of Migritic Mythology. No one knew their real names for they were lost when Anaxagoras hypnotized the entire race and bestowed upon them new names. These names came from the great emperors of Rome. Anaxagoras had a passion for this history, and so he named them after the Twelve Caesars.

“No, my lord,” said Daniel with a reluctant tremor, “I wanted to ask you about the project.”

“You mean Hydra?” Lord Julius asked.

“Yes,” Daniel said, “I was curious as to when we would start it. Is–”

“Now is not the time,” said Lord Tiberius. “We must wait till this mission is successful. Have the Rebels ready. If all goes well, we will start with Phase Three of the Silver-moon Project. Once Phase Three starts, we will simultaneously work on Hydra.”

Daniel looked unsatisfied with Tiberius’s answer, but he knew better than to mention it.

“Does something displease you about what I said?” asked Lord Tiberius who had read Daniel’s mind.

Daniel changed his thoughts and said, “No, my lord. I was just intrigued, that is all. I am a little anxious about the war.”

“Why so? Plan everything, make sure everything is foolproof and start. These were Lord Anaxagoras’s orders. Do not forget that.” said Lord Caligula.

“Of course, my lord.” He bowed and left the darkened room facing the Twelve. The heavy iron double-doors slammed shut.

Daniel walked out of the hallway and into the courtyard where he looked up at the sun. We conquered you a long time ago, and now we have even conquered silver,he meditated. Who can stop us now?He smiled and ran his fingers through his long black hair.

His secretary, Mikhail IV, approached him, interrupting his thoughts, and said, “They are ready, sir.”

*****

Alex and his family entered the Inner Chamber. “Let’s see,” his uncle said thoughtfully as he looked for a particular book. “It was here somewhere.”

“Uncle John?” Alex said, looking at him.

“Yes?” John said, as he continued to browse through the collection of books.

“Was last night all set up?” Alex asked.

“I thought you would have figured that out by now,” John said. “But to clear your doubts: yes, it was set up after we inhabited this space station. I had this chamber built secretly so that you might learn about your vampiric heritage. Ah, here it is!” John pulled a book off the shelf. Compared to John’s history book, it was a slim volume.

“What is it?” Alex asked.

John blew the dust off the cover, “It’s the Annals of the Kings of the Nyrax Dynasty. The original is of course in Migra, but before the king left he had four copies made. One was given to a secret group called the Twelve, another to a vampire named Daniel yus-Nikolas Gareng and this is the third.” He smiled holding the book and showed it to Alex.

“Gareng! Isn’t he... I mean... wasn’t he part of the Rebellion?” Alex asked.

“Daniel is Nikolas’s son. But he deserted the cause thousands of years ago. After the failed Rebellion in 151000 N.D., he joined forces with Anaxagoras. That’s when the Great Conversion took place and the Vampiric Race was born.”

“So General Gareng helped you to write the book?” said Alex, looking at the book’s title. The Annals of the Kings of the Nyrax Dynasty was engraved on a small rectangle sheet of silver.

“Well there was help from both Gareng and your father. Gareng, Nikolas Gareng, is your father’s cousin.”

“So he’s my....” Alex said, trying to link it all together.

“Well, technically, he’s your second cousin first removed.” John chuckled, “But Nikolas always joked about the vast age difference between Aidan and himself. He would say that if Aidan were to have a son, he would be more like a guiding uncle to him. Now the last copy is in the secret chambers of Antarctica. It’s said that that’s where the Red Serpent lies, in the Mausoleum of the Anu-Sa-Rihm, located in the Great Cave.”

“What?” Alex looked at John, his brow furrowed.

“Anu-Sa-Rihm. It means the Blood Gods. You really need to learn the Mitgritic dialect of the ancient vampiric language. And you need be trained in combat,” John said, walking over to the fireplace. “You will learn how to use a sword, how to fight hand-to-hand, and how to develop your vampiric powers.”

“You’re going to teach me how to what?” Alex said.

“Not me,” said John, leaning against the wall next to the fireplace, “your father.”

“How can I learn how to fight from a letter?”

“The discs.” John smiled.

Soon after the Treaty of New York and the Great Exile, there were many tasks that lay ahead for the Anisaei on the Earth. First, in accordance with Anaxagoras’s orders, the Rebels were to be held captive until Phase One of the Silver-moon project was foolproof. It took about four years to perfect. During this time some of the captives were experimented on. Then the second phase began, in which the silver immunity serum was injected into the remaining Rebels including General Gareng. It took two years for this immunity to peak. Training procedures took place for another sixteen years.

At the same time, the infrastructure for the entire Earth was planned and remodeled. Most of the devastation caused by the war was cleaned up and the debris was launched towards the sun.

The cities of the Earth were populated and developed with new buildings, roadways and airports. The water in the oceans was recycled and used for hydroelectric power in the cities and in the Central Command Centers. These CCCs were large mega stations that bridged the oceans and connected all the continents. There was one connecting Europe and Africa to North and South America and another from Asia to Australia and the Pacific side of North and South America. Two smaller CCCs also interconnected with the islands (or what was left of them) such as Greenland, Iceland, and Japan. From the sky, these command centers looked like giant metal octopi that attached themselves to the coasts of the Earth. Only Antarctica remained isolated. For the vampires, Antarctica was their Holy Land and the place where the Great Cave stood. It was strictly prohibited to go there until the Return of the Dark Lord.

Daniel traveled to CCC 1 via helicopter from London. “What’s happening so far?” he asked Mikhail in the copter.

“Well, the situation is under control,” said Mikhail, clearing his throat as he looked through a file.

“What do you mean?” Daniel asked, his fierce gaze trying to penetrate Mikhail. “I thought you said they were ready.”

“Your father was some problem for us; he tried escaping the lab and with his newly acquired power, he killed four scientists and some guards.”

“Well, how did you get it under control?” Daniel asked. “Does the Council know about this?”

“Not yet, sir,” Mikhail said, trying to meet his gaze with confidence.

“In that case,” Daniel sighed, “there’s no need to tell them anything. How did you stop him?”

“We put a restrainer on his neck, which he was unaware of. After the attack, one of the scientists turned it on, giving him a mild electric shock. The silver on his body acted as a conductor and paralyzed him.”

“And how is he now?” Daniel asked.

“Fine,” Mikhail smiled slightly, “but resting.”

“Resting?” Daniel said, raising his voice, “I want him ready for this mission.”

“He will be, sir, by the time we get there.”

“I surely hope so. When this mission is completed, we’ll have everything we need ready.”

From the chopper, they saw the massive tentacle-like structures. The bridges that led to the huge saucer-shaped base stretched from coast to coast, hiding most of the Atlantic Ocean. A row of helipads that branched out from the main base awaited the Presidential chopper. It landed on helipad eight and Daniel could see Erik, the vizier, waiting for them near the elevator doors that led inside the Command Center. Beside him stood two Imperial guards. The President and secretary stepped out and waved to the vizier.

“Oh no,” Daniel said under his breath, “Not him now!”

“Well, good to see you too Daniel!” said Erik as he walked up to them with his arms outstretched. “You had better learn to control your tongue and mind, especially around those you don’t like.” He gave a baleful smile.

“Why are you here?” Daniel wasted no time.

“Just came for some work the Council wanted me to do.”

“And what’s that?”

“To keep an eye on you. So shall we?” Erik gestured towards the elevator.

The elevator took them down to level 32. They exited into the hallway where many scientists in white coats and with clipboards scurried about. Instantly, Mikhail could smell a hint of silver nitrate.

“Isn’t this a little dangerous for us?” he asked, sniffing the air.

“No, of course not.” said Erik, “These gases have been tested upon and are absolutely harmless, as long as you don’t overdose.”

“But why is it here, sir?” asked Mikhail.

“Well, the scientists here are testing it on the soldiers, our Rebels, to see if they are immune to it. Inside,” he pointed towards the door, which had a radiation warning sign on it, “the dosage is lethal for us; that’s why we’ll have to wear these.” He pointed to three reflective hazmat suits that were by the entrance.

Once suited they strolled inside where they saw a small group of soldiers, glazed in bright silver and restrained to operation tables. Some of the scientists recorded data, while others put braces around the soldiers’ wrists. They took blood samples to check the level of silver in their systems. So far, there was no sign of danger for the Rebels. Daniel searched the room for his father and spotted another room. He entered it to find Nikolas encased inside a bulletproof glass container. There were many of these side rooms where wounded soldiers recuperated. There were tubes that had been injected into Nikolas’s body: two in the chest, two at the shoulders, four in the legs, and three in each arm. Through these tubes, Migra was being injected.

Migra, the name of the planet of the vampires, was also their name for iron. The vampires needed blood for iron. Because of a low hemoglobin count, vampires needed the iron for regeneration. They used vast amounts of energy in order to fight and use psychic powers. This energy transmuted from the iron in the hemoglobin. Therefore, it was necessary for them to have blood. But then they realized they could make artificial blood by extracting iron from the Earth and mixing it with other minerals and vitamins found in rocks. This is how they created the concoction known as Migra.

The tubes popped out of Nikolas’s body and retracted into a black metallic hive. The Rebel opened his filmy eyes slowly. Then a crimson color crept slowly back into the pupils. Daniel looked at him defiantly, and said, “Well, top o’ th’ mornin’ to you...father. Did you have a nice slumber?”

Nikolas got up and moved swiftly towards the glass. Suddenly his whole body turned to bright silver. With a supernatural strength he ripped apart the glass wall. All gasped and backed away except Daniel. “Everyone, stay calm!” The President shouted before anyone could call for backup. Nikolas hovered in the air like a silver angel as he approached Daniel.

“So, my son,” he said, “This is what you have done to me.” He pointed and Daniel backed away. “Oh, don’t worry. Though you may have thoughts of patricide, I nonetheless love you, as I always have and I always will.” He hovered back down to the ground. The silver layering of his body dissolved, revealing his pale muscular body and face. Nikolas smiled.

“Oh, my dear father,” Daniel said, “how much you try in vain to persuade me to join you. But look now who is the victor and who is the fallen. I have finally squashed your Rebellion, and now you will work for me!”

“Or rather for your king? Is it not so?” Nikolas looked at Erik with disgust. “I should have killed you when I had the chance. Perhaps things would have been different.”

“Do you really think the humans would have let you all stay inside the Regnum?” Erik scoffed.

“Never mind that!” Nikolas’s voice reverberated through the room, “I know for sure what General Howe would have wanted and what he still wants.”

“General Howe is nothing but a rogue human who couldn’t even control his own battalion!” Erik laughed in Nikolas’s face, his sour breath hitting Nikolas’s nose like a punch.

“You cannot judge him,” said Nikolas, “because of that one battle.”

“Why must you always talk of the past, both of you?” Daniel said. “Mikhail,” he turned to his secretary and snapped his fingers. “Are the ships ready?”

“Another four minutes and twenty seconds, sir.” He said, checking his watch.

“Alright, get these soldiers ready,” Daniel said loudly to the scientists. He addressed his secretary once more, “And I want you to get the others ready and send a report to the council.”

“Right away, sir.” Mikhail bowed and hurried to do his superior’s bidding.

“You know this will mean war,” said Nikolas.

“Precisely father,” said Daniel, “Your mission will be to get the Falsifier. After that, there will be war, but with the Falsifier on our side, we will have destroyed everything even before Anaxagoras comes.”

“Lord Anaxagoras,” Erik corrected him.

“Yes, Lord Anaxagoras.” Daniel said, glaring at the vizier coldly in the eyes.

Nikolas laughed, “You have no idea who the Falsifier is, do you? You think it’s some mutation in the genetic code of the vampiric DNA. Well, it isn’t. The Falsifier is vampiric and he’s something else as well.”

“What? Human?” Daniel laughed back, “It’s impossible to have a Vampiric Human.”

“All things were possible with Aidan,” Nikolas said, his eyes glazing in the light.

“What do you mean by that?” Erik said, almost baring his teeth.

“Oh, you shall see. You want this mission completed, so be it. But you’ll soon discover that all this time you were wrong. Imagine, a vampire in the Regnum,” Nikolas spat.

“Well, it’s possible. Everyone knows the Falsifier will come from the humans but behave like a vampire. Besides, we have found a vampire in the Regnum.”