Sixth Bloodline [BxB]

CHAPTER 30: BOND AND DIVIDE [MIKHAEL THOUGHT; BEING LOVED ISN'T SO BAD]

cHAptEr 30:

dividE And bOnd

[mikHAEL tHOUgHt; bEing LOvEd bY tHis mAn isn't sO bAd]

MIKHAEL HAS seen many terrible things in his entire life. Why did he find it to be extremely painful when a child was turned, he didn't really know. But he did understand that what always made him lose control was when he saw those children unwillingly kill — he didn't know how to express that feeling in words.

If he, perhaps had to find something in his entire life to compare that feeling to... It's like when something terrible which happened to you now happened to someone else and you witnessed it with your own eyes.

That bitterness of seeing yourself in someone else, that helplessness as you finally see how you looked like, that rage when you see someone similar to the reason why you suffered, that need to strike back but unable to do it yourself, that hope that everything will end but it doesn't... Those emotions would just connect and made you rush to stop it without you even realising.

Making you unable to stand seeing another you being born in this world.

Though, Mikhael doesn't understand why is it as such. Perhaps, because he doesn't really want to kill when he loses control but something else makes him do so?

It would make sense, but...

That's not it.

Mikhael wanted to know, but he didn't at the same time.

It's like turning your back to something never wanting to see it again, but still being curious to see how is that thing doing without you? He would always look on the world as if it's too bleak, a lie, an illusion to hide, but...

People would always use beautiful illusions to cover-up the painful truth. And Mikhael was no different — realising that there's a terrible truth on the other side of this illusion, he decided to never learn of it.

So he just turned a blind eye to what he didn't want to know and pretended to be ignorant.

The same was now with Cera.

And others he saved.

He knew it, that feeling from Cera's blood Ethan couldn't notice and other half-bloods ignored.

Cera was not a human.

She was a half-blood.

He pretended to not see Amelia's concern and pain, nor the way Dominique threw those subtle glances at the two women. Nor how Ethan looked at them with complicated gaze, as well as guilt.

It had nothing to do with him. He only needed to save Cera.

As the pressure began to condense into that single blade, Yelena on the side screamed in pain. The beating heart beneath that blade stilled for a moment as the pressure paused as well. Then, it suddenly exploded with terrifying energy that gathered around Mikhael and Cera. The others all backed away realising the danger of that vortex as Mikhael and Cera became obstructed by the flow of energy which was do thick even an ordinary human could see.

At that moment, Cera's eyes that were slowly changing color suddenly became completely red — but Mikhael didn't panic at all.

He's already done those things many times before when he could save some of those children. The ritual wasn't complicated since he already had this dagger and Yelena's heart — heart of the one who changed a person.

As for that dagger... He should probably thank Einz.

Cera's face became expressionless before darkness devoured those red eyes of hers, making Mikhael's eye twitch.

'So fast...'

As expected of a half-blood.

Once a vampire was created, it's impossible to completely reverse the process. Not even a Vampire King could do that.

His proudest creations, Purebloods were the beings who could stay vampires as long as they drank blood or remain human-like once they stopped — relying completely on ordinary food. But that's about it, they couldn't age and the moment they drank blood, they'd go back to how they were.

It's why it wouldn't matter to them if they fed or not.

So how could Mikhael possibly stop it for Cera? Especially since she was a half-blood herself?

What a joke — he could only suppress her change and delay it. At his current state, he could only delay it for another decade or so, but he couldn't stop her from turning into a vampire. When he picked up those children, some of them were with their makers so he could use their hearts to save them and delay that change until they are old enough to survive in their own.

But Mikhael wasn't a god, there were too many he couldn't save, who are still stuck in that state of craving blood against their own will.

From Cera's wounds and blood all around her, an odd energy began to condense before taking a shape of a white deer.

A familiar.

Every vampire has at least one, the only difference is that some awaken their familiar in a day and other take millenniums. To suppress a vampire's change, there should naturally be some kind of resistance. In this case, the familiar would awaken to protect their host. The fact that Cera's appeared right from the beginning and in completed form means that her familiar is not only powerful, but also was meant to awaken as soon as she turned.

"Suppress it, Asura!" His eyes were calm, although the familiar could awaken early, unless it was called out — it won't actually manifest. Mikhael could summon it the moment he was told about it, but Einz suspected that it had awaken as soon as he himself awakened as a vampire.

The air around him suddenly became warmer as a hand shot out to that familiar from his shadow. It had the red skin with scorched traces of fire on it, some odd red patterns beneath it like molten lava. Unlike back then where he could only summon it's power for a short while, Mikhael who was now well fed with Ethan's blood had enough strength to fully control his familiar.

Seeing the size of that hand and being sure that Mikhael will be fine, Ethan chose to withdraw upon realising that there will be mess after this. Dominique and Amelia followed after seeing the size of that hand that was the size of this room.

Cera's familiar howled angrily when the hand touched it before it's horns glowed with pure white light. Another hand appeared before shielding Mikhael and Cera's bodies as the deer started to grow in size, the walls in the room began to show clear signs of cracking from the pressure the two emitted.

As if trying not to lose to it, another angry howl resounded from behind Mikhael as its head emerged — it somewhat resembled those volcanic titans from the legends. It had a glaring yellow eyes and fire instead of hair, when it opened its mouth one could only see a raging inferno inside — one a normal person wouldn't be able to survive from.

As Asura began to rise and deer to grow, the room could no longer hold them in before it was completely destroyed, along with entire wing of the castle. Mikhael and Cera were fine since the two protected by the Asura while Tristan took Yelena away when no one looked at them.

In the end, both familiars grew to be over fifty feet tall, locked into a glaring contest, but neither moved first.

Although that deer was newly awakened and had no much knowledge nor its host to give it instructions, it knew that it couldn't recklessly attack it's foe. Mikhael also didn't want to hurt her familiar because it would be Cera who would feel the most of that pain in the end, so he wanted to talk the familiar out of this battle.

It wouldn't listen to Mikhael, but if it acknowledged that it couldn't beat it's enemy and that Mikhael meant good, then it would probably lend him its ear. After all, familiars had some intelligence.

"I'm not trying to hurt her," he spoke as Asura moved it's hand away to let the other see Mikhael and Cera. The deer fumed angrily, but it didn't approach when it recalled Asura.

"I need you to back down for now, it's too early for her to change," he continued. This ritual required the help of the familiar to seal and suppress the change for the time being. The dagger was there only to awaken familiar before its time while the heart of the vampire who turned the human was needed for the familiar to seek and suppress it's blood.

It generally doesn't really matter who is the maker of a vampire, but a newly turned who fell into the hands of a sinister maker could suffer quite a lot. Not to mention that under constant power of suggestion, by the time the vampire learned to control themselves, it would be too late to escape the hands of its maker — and their personality could change for worse during that period.

It's another reason why vampires aren't allowed to wantonly change others and need to be under supervision. There was a time when a group of vampires changed and manipulated newly turned ones to destroy for fun and so.

"She's too young, she won't be able to handle this power," nevertheless, Mikhael focused on pacifying this familiar, "And if you allow her to turn right now, she'll be in danger. She'll be targeted and people will try to kill her."

Hearing those words, the deer only roared angrily, obviously stating that it would trample to death whomever dared to harm its host.

"You can't do anything about it, the other party is also strong." Mikhael too, could only bitterly smile. He'd also kill whomever wanted to harm Cera.

"I need your help, to protect this child," he continued, "I need you to suppress this change for a short while, at least for a single decade."

He couldn't stop this, he could only delay.

"I don't need you to disappear, I just want you to sleep for a little longer."

"..." The deer calmed down before shrinking in size. Sighing in relief, Mikhael also nodded to Asura who moved away, but didn't go back completely. Asura too, wanted to protect Mikhael more than anything. Familiars and vampires aren't just a weapon and holder.

The two shared deep bond and grew stronger with time together, relying on each other to live. The two would never willingly abandon each other. In fact, the Blood Contract itself was based off that connection, it's just that familiars and vampires had better time understanding each other than two vampires who were bonded together.

"This heart, I need you to seek the power within Cera's body resembling the one inside it and to take it all. Take it deep within her mind and lock it away, to sleep with you until the day you need to awaken," he explained, "At most, I need you to sleep for ten years or until her life is in grave danger before that. That's all I ask of you."

So much power in such a little body... Mikhael didn't dare imagine what future would lie in store for Cera unless he suppressed her change. Not to mention that she would be hunted, a vampire child is already dangerously, not to mention a half-blood...

Her familiar reluctantly nodded but after hearing that it's fine to wake up if she's in danger, it accepted those terms. Familiars learn through the eyes of its host, Cera did in fact know what happened to the children who were turned despite her hound age.

The reason this deer familiar appeared as soon as possible was because it was aware that it's host would be targeted, so it wanted to take her and run away. It had a simple mind like that of a child, so upon facing extreme danger, it would run and hide. Had it not been for Cera in Mikhael's hands, it would've long ran away from Asura.

In the end it got close to the heart Cera's hand was stabbing before sniffing it once, then it gave Mikhael one last glance before it turned into specks of light and blended unto Cera's shadow. With its disappearance, Asura also retracted back into Mikhael's shadow as he finally let out a breathe he was holding.

Finally.

He was lucky, most familiars of children were unreasonable so he had to resort to using force when subduing them. It was truly a blessing that Cera was smarter than usual kids and raised in a place full of vampires.

He finally felt exhaustion sweep through his body as he finally pulled out the dagger from Yelena's heart, it immediately flew back to her body as if attracted by some odd force. Although he didn't really want to forgive her, he was well aware that any further action will bring trouble to Ethan, not to mention that he was really tired right now, both physically and mentally.

His health was no longer what it used to be, the more he used some abilities that were extremely consuming of energy the more he felt his nature as a vampire weaken. Back then, he could call Asura and make him go back without exhausting any energy at all, but now he required Ethan's blood and would be drained of it once he was done. Not to mention that seeing Cera in this state brought back some troublesome memories, so he really had no will to deal with aftermath of his actions and fight those Purebloods.

Cera's eyes finally returned back to normal before she closed them as her heart continued to beat normally. Since Mikhael negotiated with her familiar, he didn't have to worry that it will hurt Cera further. That familiar really wasn't suited for fight, Mikhael had seen quite the number of them in his life so he could differentiate between offensive and defensive type and hers was certainly in the later group.

Such a gentle familiar who would stay to protect her despite being afraid could never possibly do anything to harm Cera.

"How lucky," he smiled. Not that he minded his own familiar, but having a defensive type meant that you could protect some people you care for easier.

"Flame," hearing Ethan's voice, Mikhael raised his head to look at him.

"Ethan?"

"Is it done?"

"Mn," Mikhael nodded. Was it time to get scolded now? He really did make quite a mess today.

Amelia came behind him and pushed him away before kneeling down in front of Cera.

"Is she alright?" Amelia asked hastily as she hugged Cera, Mikhael only bitterly smiled before nodding.

"I've bought her some time, she'll be fine until she grows," he didn't ask anything. Even if he was blind he could understand that Cera wasn't any descendant of Ethan's sister from when he was just a human. Instead, he really was her uncle.

Amelia and Dominique disappeared for s decade after their wedding, Amelia also complained to Mikhael though her phone that she gave birth and all — but Mikhael never truly saw those children of hers. Usually, despite immortal humans being strong and old, the children they had with a vampire would still be a vampire, and humans are almost impossible to be born. Since it was impossible to inherit the genes of immortal humans, they rarely conceived.

For Cera to be born of a lineage of such human and a Pureblood... Was she targeted? Why did those two decide to leave her to Ethan and hide her identity? Also, Cera said that she saw her parents die in a car accident, was it staged or was she out under suggestion? Maybe something else happened on that night that she didn't know?

Something that made Amelia and Dominique helpless that they had to get away from her?

In that case...

The First Pureblood, the Hunters HQ, the Vampire King or someone else?

Which or those who had power would be the side that made their move?

Now that he thought about it, he never really asked Cera how her parents looked like. He also never saw Dominique and Amelia come to Ethan's place before, so... Avoiding her?

Although he was curious, Mikhael chose not to ask anything. In any case, they could've told him and since they didn't... Did they perhaps doubt him?

He smiled bitterly.

So that's how it is...

"I... Thank you, Mikhael. Cera, she... to me and Dominique..." Amelia began, but he shook his head. It was not what he wanted to hear and he didn't do it because he wanted some praise. Instead, he only shook his head and got to Ethan with somewhat weak footsteps.

He really was tired.

Of living, of everything.

"You've done well, Flame," Ethan's words made him pause.

Done what well? Isn't he being scolded?

"Don't worry about it, I'll clean up after you," he reassured him and for the first time in a while, Mikhael felt lost. He was used to Ethan bickering with him a bullying him, not to mention getting scolded after making a mess — and not just by Ethan. He realized that he went to far and created trouble for other party, get Ethan only said that he did well and that he'll take care of his mess — so Mikhael didn't know how do respond to his words.

He was someone who could deal with the hard approach easily, but when someone went soft on him he really didn't know what to say nor what to do.

So he only foolishly nodded his head.

"I'm tired," he truthfully said how he felt.

Ethan only turned away to see Dominique and the rest come.

"You brought this mess upon me, so you deal with it and explain it to others. I don't want to continue being dragged in your mess," he said before taking that dagger out of Mikhael's hand and then moving to take his weapon as well.

He realized that it didn't hurt as earlier when he pried it out of Mikhael's hand which made him furrow his eyebrow in confusion for a second, but then his expression turned to normal.

"There are no more problems with Cera, and I don't want Tristan in my territory for the time being. If you're unsatisfied with my decision, you're free to go with him — I'm more than capable of dealing with the Blue Death and don't need your help," then he turned to Mikhael before taking his hand and taking him away.

"I won't be accompanying you for a while either and I don't want you to meddle in my life anymore. I'm not Seventh, I'll kill you rather than running away, so don't push me!" He threw the last one to Constantine and then he left with Mikhael before any of them could respond to his words.

Constantine clenched his teeth before moving his eyes to Dominique and two women involved with him instead, asking for what he believed to be a rather long story. Only Samuel's eyes somewhat confusedly glanced at Mikhael's retreating back, but he didn't bother to say anything.

'For a second there, I could've sworn to have felt it...' but then he turned to Cera.

Could it be, even their power could be suppressed like this?

He didn't doubt Mikhael's identity, but he realized that there was something wrong with it. He only had empty assumptions to accompany him about his identity while wondering about Cera's origins.

Another half-blood, but this bloodline of hers...

How troublesome.

Some people would soon find their hands itching. Perhaps there would even be another Great War on the way at this rate.

He already felt tired just by thinking about it.

ETHAN BROUGHT Mikhael back to his room again. The maid just changed the sheets before she saw the two enter so she was somewhat surprised as she cursed inside her head, but in the end she just silently left to inquire about the noise from earlier.

Luckily, Ethan's room was on the opposite side of this castle, but Mikhael's wasn't that lucky.

Not that he had a chance to use it anyway.

"I..." Mikhael still didn't understand what happened as he watched Ethan leave the two blades on the nearby table then sit on the bed. He beckoned Mikhael do come closer and the later did as told with someone suspicious eyes, but there really wasn't much he could do about it.

"It's fine, Flame," Ethan said as Mikhael stood between his legs. He pulled him into a hug before dragging him into the bed, Mikhael could only clumsily kick of his shoes with Ethan as he lied there.

"I made a mess," he said, "I'm sorry."

"..."

"I really am."

"You aren't, nor do you sound like you are," he chuckled, "but it's fine."

Mikhael didn't even know what else to say anymore. Perhaps Ethan hit his head or something? He's been quite lenient with him as of lately, no?

"I'm a valuable asset here, so don't hesitate to use me. As long as we're in this city, I'll clean up your mess so don't be so afraid," he laughed seeing Mikhael's expression.

"But..."

"Yes, there needs to be something you can't do."

Ethan recalled that panic from earlier.

"You can't kill Mikhael," he said, "You aren't allowed to kill anymore."

"..."

But...

"That's my job," somewhat malicious yet somewhat charming smile graced his lips as he said those words, but Mikhael who was pressed to his chest couldn't really see it.

"You've done enough, I'm here by your side now. So I'll take some of your burden away," he could only listen to his words as he his face heated up. No matter how shameless Mikhael really is, this is too much even for him!

"You're mine, Mikhael."

Fuck, don't say those corny words.

Shit! He really does have a kink for poetry. Will they do the deed after this?

"Those hands of yours belong to me as well, and I don't like dirty things. So don't stain them anymore."

"..."

At this rate, he really didn't know if Ethan was being nice or just an asshole.

"You've done the right thing today, but when you want to make a move against someone again, ask me instead," he pursed his lips, he'll be magnanimous today and pretend that Ethan was being nice.

"You're also weak and dumb. You shouldn't fight anymore."

"..."

Nice, he's being nice — Mikhael repeated in his head.

"And vandalize a lot," from Eden to New Eiffel Tower to New York and now his castle... He just turned his eyes away for a moment and look what Mikhael did.

He's just showing concern... — Mikhael fought the urge to punch him.

It wasn't his fault, really. It was legitimate self defense this time, he felt like he need d to explain himself.

"Uh, I..."

"I'm also worried, so don't do anything reckless anymore."

"..."

Those words immediately shut him up and he weakly nodded, the blush on his face slowly began to spread so he his his face before Ethan could see him.

"Go and rest ahead. This will be the last time you had to make a move yourself. Just stay lazy as you always are, it really is out of character when you fight."

"..."

If the ground could open and swallow him whole right now, Mikhael would've willingly jumped inside even if it led to Hell.

But he had to admit, this feeling wasn't that bad, after all.

"Sleep tight," Ethan pretended to not see his actions as he gently kissed his forehead, "I'm sorry I haven't met you earlier, my little Flame."

He couldn't stop him from falling into darkness once. Perhaps, if he had found Mikhael before, this silly and lazy vampire that always thought to be wise but showed too many mistakes, maybe he wouldn't have to see that lost and aggrieved expression on his face when he stopped him earlier.

Maybe then Mikhael wouldn't have had to bear the sin of wiping out an entire city nor show that cruel smile when toying with another's life.

He would've indulged him into a bright world of happiness, they met so many times before but how come neither realized each other's identity? If back then, if only back then Ethan chose to stop Mikhael from recklessly going to New York...

He sighed.

What use is there to ponder on matters of the past now? Mikhael only remembers him as a nasty Noble who bickered with him and fought with him whenever the two met while Ethan would've only remembered him as an odd vampire who always got in his way and provoked him so much that he was willing to abandon his mission just so he could beat him up. It was messy twenty years ago, Ethan really thought that the vampire from back then had died and Mikhael most likely thought the same, therefore let the two who parted on bad terms be forever buried with those fake identities.

From now on, he'll stay by the side of this silly half-blood who thought to have hidden well. He'll ignore those slips he makes and will help him hide until he's ready to speak. How could Ethan fail to realize Mikhael's secret when the later dug his own pits wherever he went?

To be able to beat up a half-blood and ignore blood suppression, doesn't he merely need to be one himself? The power of that familiar, the ability to wield the AV weapon, to be able to not lose himself to the blood despite being youngster, to be able to use spells as a vampire...

And to be able to get out of the city that not even a Pureblood could escape alive from...

Truly, only a half-blood could do something like that.