The Duke's Passion

Most vampires were blessed with one ability that they would hone to perfection. Samael was no different. But his ability was the most misunderstood of all. Everyone knew he was simply blessed with many abilities, but that wasn't the case.

Those abilities he was using were all stolen. 

Only a few knew his actual ability: the late king, the late crown prince Dyrroth, Lara, and Alexander Bloodfang. And all of them were dead. Not that he was the person who took their life, but the dead tell no tales. Hence, not a single living being knew his actual ability anymore... or maybe there was, Heliot.

Of course, just like everyone else, there were repercussions for using these abilities. For example, Samael couldn't just absorb anyone's ability or too many people if he wanted to stay sane or keep his consciousness. Abusing this ability could make him forget who he was and let these voices of those he had absorbed take over his body.

  "Welcome to the mind of the monster."

Samael greeted lazily, hearing the distinct voices of familiar people in his head. This made him realize how tough it was for Lilou to have an entire clan inside her head. They weren't just whispering; they were much louder than that. 

"I had always thought of absorbing the core, but I was afraid I would absorb her as well," he murmured, attempting to shut off the curses he was hearing inside his head. "I don't even know if the core can be absorbed too. I might just end up killing her for nothing."

A sigh of relief slipped past his lips as he felt exhausted, an effect after stealing something from someone. The more powerful it was, the weaker he would become for a short time. 

"But Alex, why is there only... a few of you?" he whispered while stroking the unconscious Lilou. "Where are the rest? I plan to say my greetings to all my in-laws."

'Dead,' a cold and authoritative voice rang in his head. 'They all schemed with the Moriarty. My daughter managed to detect what's rotting underneath the core.'

"She did, huh? And you killed all of them?" the voice named Alexander didn't respond again, but Samael still let out a deep exhale. "You should've killed Jin too... for fun."

'Fucking bastard. I can't believe you will end up seducing my niece! If we only know, we won't let our descendants stay in your fucking fief! Now she is with a child! Where the fuck did you leave your fucking brain? I mean, do you even have one?'

"Sorry, Uncle Jin," Samael chuckled as he thought having them inside his head wasn't that bad. They would talk in his head for quite some time until he could get used to them and find them a nice place in the back of his mind.

He slowly opened his eyes once again, and a glint flickered across his eyes. "But don't you think doing business with me instead of briefing my wife from scratch better?"

Finally, there was a brief silence in his head. What he said was correct, after all. Pushing Lilou to do the sole purpose of their sacrifice was tough, but Samael would understand better since he had been there from the very beginning. 

'Can we even trust this fickle-hearted fool who never has any motivation to do important things?' Jin, who had a very light and carefree voice despite cursing, inquired with a voice full of doubt. Surely, he didn't trust Samael, even though the man was more than capable. 

Alexander, the head of the Bloodfang clan, stayed silent momentarily. 'He wouldn't want us inside his head if he didn't have enough drive for this.'

"Just so you know," Samael cleared his throat while he carried Lilou in a bridal style as he stood up. "I'm taking the throne for myself."

As soon as he dropped those words, he kicked the thick metal bars, and it entirely broke away as if it was as brittle as glass. A deafening bang echoed across the dungeon as soon as the metal landed on the rough concrete, creating thin smoke which ascended from it. 

Samael didn't idle for long as he started walking away with his wife in his arms. His expression was sharp, licking the blood on the corner of his lips. 

"You better tell me everything from start to finish. I don't enjoy playing guessing games anymore, Alexander."

The voices in his head stayed quiet for a while before Alexander's solemn voice was heard again. "You better not miss a single detail, Hell. We will kill you from the inside if you fail this time."

"Sure." Samael's answer was quick, prepared to die if he failed Lilou again. "I give you permission to do as you please if you see my actions unsatisfactory."

Upon sensing the determination in his voice, the consciousness in his head detailed their plan from start to finish. They even included the Moriartys meddling, the reason Lilou had been losing her mind, and Lilou's actual abilities. Everything they had explained made more sense about why Zero was so eager to have her by his side. 

Samael paused in his tracks in the middle of the hallway towards the third prince's palace. "What did you say?"

'Even if you absorbed the core, this version of her will stay within her.' Alexander repeated in a solemn tone. 'She had carried the core for too long. Samael, with all the details I had given you, you now understand what kind of host the core was looking for.'

It wasn't just strength and compatibility. The core that was corrupted by the Moriarty was searching for the very opposite of what the Bloodfang wanted. Someone who was pure and untainted as a blank canvass, so the core had slowly painted it black. 

'That child... what you've seen is already a part of her, Samael. I knew she was kind the first time I laid my eyes on her, but people who were the kindest, the most loving, and the shines the brightest... their dark side is just as extreme. She is not trapped with you, Hell. You are trapped with her forever... and I will make sure you have no option to back down.'

Samael took a deep breath as he resumed in his tracks. "I don't need another option." His eyes flickered menacingly.

"Also, you are wrong.." — for he had planned to cage Lilou in this enormous place called an empire.