Chapter 640: The Third and Final Trial

The Blood of Strigoi was encased in an orb of arcane script and floating in midair where Viktor just stared at it.

With a sigh, Viktor waved his hand and the energy of the dimension materialized a figure. A figure that Caius recognized as Conscience. He looked the same in the memory as he did now.

"From this moment on, until one arrives to do what I cannot, you will be the Keeper of the Blood," Viktor said.

Conscience bowed in acknowledgment.

"You truly wish it destroyed?" He then asked.

"You know I do. I have imparted to you my memories, my emotions. You should understand better than anyone ever could why this must be done," Viktor said.

Conscience furrowed his shimmering brow.

"Yes, but—"

"But?"

"I can sense reluctance within you. A seed of doubt that makes me question what it is you truly want," Conscience said with a respectful bow.

Viktor’s eyes never left the Blood and he said nothing.

As the silence wore on, Conscience became uncomfortable.

"Forgive me," he said, "I am still adjusting to existing in this form— to having emotions that didn’t exist for me mere moments ago. I must have misunderstood—"

"No, you didn’t misunderstand," Viktor said with a heavy sigh as he stroked the Orb around the Blood of Strigoi,

"I am reluctant. I do have doubts. I have lived far longer than I ever should have but I can already feel my legacy will not be a lasting one.

My Empire has been broken up and the mention of my name no longer inspires awe or fear. Merely contempt. I will be forgotten. I have left nothing of value behind.

I have had no children, not that I wanted any despite how hard Valeria tried. I have had no spawns. And the one person that may have cared for me in her own twisted way, I killed her for my ambition.

This..."

Viktor stroked the Orb.

"This is my legacy. It is the culmination of my journey. It is the evidence of my misinterpretation of the agony I have been afflicted with. The evidence of my fatal flaw: ambition. To destroy it would be to truly erase the last bits of my footprint upon this world."

"So you don’t want it destroyed then?" Conscience asked.

"No. It must be destroyed. Though it hurts me, and though I struggle to accept my life as meaningless and my name forgotten, it is a price I am ready to pay for Peace.

Peace for all."

Viktor placed his other hand on the Orb and then splayed all ten of his bony, sickly fingers all over its surface as he began to infuse it with the last bit of magic in his body. Turning his very life into magic for a final enchantment.

"With this one last act, the magic of the dimension will endure. My safeguards will hold until the Blood is rend free of the orb... destroyed."

As he spoke, Viktor continued the infusion and his body began to grow translucent. Soon, specks began to exit his translucent being, floating around him, and as they moved, one could hear shrieks of agony.

"Ah," Viktor said weakly, "Old friends... I can call you that can’t I? After millennia of you torturing me. This is the end. Quite dramatic, isn’t it?"

The specks, so incredibly numerous that they were uncountable, became rowdier and rowdier the more translucent Viktor became and then, as one, they flew at him, and became one with his body once again.

"Nghhh— ARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH" Viktor screamed as he spent his final moments in mental agony.

And then he was gone and the memory went quiet.

"A sad demise, I think," Conscience said with his hands behind his back, calling the attention of Caius, Athenodora, and Philip back to himself,

"It took far too long but he got there in the end. Fortunately, it was before he unleashed his terrible masterpiece on the world.

And now I stand here, the embodiment of that moment of clarity— of his conscience and beseech you to do what must be done.

Fulfill my creator’s dying wish."

Conscience pointed with his hand and all three turned to see the Orb of Arcane Scripts floating in midair. The Helix-shaped Blood safe within it. Not a memory this time but the real thing.

Caius heard Philip’s heart leap with excitement. He heard Athenodora’s heart thud with ready determination.

"Every Trial leading here has been to assess if you had what it takes to fulfill that wish," Conscience said,

"The first trial assesses your strength. The second trial assesses your mindset and willingness to comply."

"We didn’t overcome the first trial with strength though," Athenodora pointed out.

"There are various kinds of strength. The ability to assess a situation and discover an alternative, especially one to appease the dead, counts as strength to me.

Besides, the First Trial was really only meant to make it difficult to advance due to its great difficulty. The Second Trial is the one that actually mattered.

I was afforded my creator’s memories and emotions so I could assess as an emotionless trial cannot. I believe it is no coincidence that you are here, Athenodora. You, a Blood Mage like my creator. I believe you can learn to listen to your conscience and do what’s right just as he did.

I saw that potential and I utilized the authority I was given over the dimension and the Trials to allow you to proceed."

Conscience had said something similar about Aurelius in the original canon. Although, with Aurelius, he was right since Aurelius was very willing to destroy the Blood. No matter what Conscience said though, Athenodora did not have that desire.

Conscience clapped his hands. The sound was crisp.

"Now the Third and final Trial is simple;

Acquire the Blood and become its Keeper."

A few seconds of silence passed.

"That’s it?" Philip asked.

"That’s it," Conscience said.

"What will you throw at me to try and stop me from getting it?"

Philip asked cautiously, "An Undead? Another ghost of a shrieking woman?"

"The only obstacle is the one right in front of you," Conscience said calmly.

"Alright then," Philip said, excitedly harnessing his magic and physical might empowered by his Emissary designation to strike at the Orb.

Athenodora furrowed her brow.

Caius leaned over to her.

"You didn’t know you were related to the First Vampire, did you?" He asked.

"All vampires are related to the First. That’s why it’s the First," Athenodora said.

"You know that’s not what I meant," Caius said.

"My house has always been unique. We hold a lot of sway among vampiric Nobility. We’ve never discussed exactly why that is the case though. So no, I didn’t know."

"It seems like an important thing that would have been added to your family history. Something to brag about," Caius said.

"Well, we didn’t brag about it. Vampire houses also have less recorded family history than you might think.

We are extremely long-lived, and biological children are incredibly rare. Spawns are often seen as servants so they’re not recorded as members of the house. As such, a family history would just be the life of one, maybe two vampires who are born naturally into the house. No one cares enough to do that.

Besides, history is recorded to be remembered while Vampires are naturally egotistical and believe we’ll outlive all things despite all evidence to the contrary. Vampires don’t see death in their future so we don’t aim to be recorded for remembrance," Athenodora explained.

"I see," Caius said.

Athenodora’s history was very vague in [To Kill A Demon Lord...]. Caius knew about Valeria and her relation to the first vampire from the original canon but never knew Athenodora was Valeria’s natural-born descendant. And he wouldn’t have known if he wasn’t here, seeing Valeria for himself in the memory.

"Her son must have hated her," Athenodora said then.

"You think?"

"Vampires may not care about written history but we do have good memory. Valeria’s son lived long enough to successfully sire a natural-born child but never told that child about Valeria so her name wasn’t passed down the line.

Why would he do that if he didn’t hate her?" Athenodora asked.

"Do you know who the son is?" Caius asked.

"It could be my father," Athenodora said with a shrug, "Vampires live long enough that we can’t use lifespan to count backward. Not that we’d know where to count backward to with the lack of precise dating for all the events we’ve watched.

For all I know, it could also be my grandfather if I have one.

In my house, we speak very little of who came before. Maybe by forgetting his mother, Valeria’s son started a curse that passed down her long-lived and sparse generations."

"Maybe," Caius said with a smile and a nod.

"We’re talking while Philip is getting the Blood," Athenodora said.

"No, he’s not," Caius said, "And you know he’s not; that’s why you’re calm and having a conversation with me."

Athenodora simply smiled.

Philip had unleashed many strikes at the Orb, creating powerful shockwaves but none of them affected the Orb. The Blood remained safe within it.

"I suppose you have a way to get it?" Athenodora said then.

"Of course," Caius said and raised his hand, "I’ll simply call for it."

Caius made a ’come hither’ gesture and Philip’s next attack went flying off into the wider dimension as the Orb went right past him. As the Orb touched Caius’s hands, he became surrounded by an outline of the same Arcane Scripts that made up the Orb.