My wife is a vampire.

Rise of Fantasy

"Did you know? We're currently in Loughborough, Ireland, and our journey takes us across the country to Berlin, where we'll find a ship to cross the English Channel. It's a long road ahead, so please be careful not to get bitten by those zombies.

This is the first time Cotdivar has ventured outside of Camarilla, and despite Mary's explanations, he still finds himself disoriented about his surroundings. However, the sight of scattered zombie limbs along the way hints at Mary's handiwork. She is indeed formidable, yet erratic, leaving Cotdivar puzzled about her ultimate goals.

'Mary... may I call you that?'

'Of course, I like the sound of it. Do you have a question?'

Taking a deep breath, Cotdivar asks curiously, 'If I had appeared earlier to prevent the ritual's inception, would you not have been able to resurrect?'

'Perhaps. But once the Philosopher's Stone materialized within the magic circle, I was already aware. By then, it would have been impossible for a mere human to hinder my revival. Only a foe of comparable strength could have challenged me. Even then, amidst the chaos of vampires and humans, I could have gathered enough blood to ensure my resurrection. Though briefly outmaneuvered, it ultimately boiled down to a contest of power.'

The seven Elders of Camarilla's fourth-generation vampires dispatched an eight-member team to thwart the resurrection of Bloody Mary, the leader of the Setite clan within the Sabbat. Cotdivar now realizes that not even the combined forces of Camarilla's humans and vampires could have prevented her return. She was poised to reclaim her place in this world.

'Can I ask another question? What method can kill a third-generation vampire?'

Mary smiles and replies, 'There are many ways, but none within your reach. The most effective is the 'Last Drop' curse. Drain a third-generation vampire of all their blood, then consume their final drop within yourself, turning them to dust. We've tried it before; it works.'

'You've tried it? Did you kill another third-generation vampire?'

'Indeed, the truth is plain. There are 14 third-generation vampires, not the 13 you may have heard of. Yet we disdain the number 14; 13 is our creed. Thus, we eliminated one among us. Cappadocian fell, possessing strength akin to ours but not enough to stand against the other 13. We drained him of his blood and summoned an ordinary human to consume his last drop, freeing the human from the vampire's curse. Both the human and Cappadocian vanished into dust.'

It's clear this is beyond Cotdivar's capabilities. Though unsure of Mary's ulterior motives, he senses she harbors no intention to harm him. Cotdivar's curiosity lingers, but he refrains from asking further, knowing the answer might be simple or complex. Instead, he resolves to follow her, hoping to uncover a way to defeat her. Among the possibilities, the Philosopher's Stone holds the greatest promise.

The Philosopher's Stone's power awakened Bloody Mary from her slumber; conversely, it could also consign her back to it. This legendary stone, a crystallization of God's strength upholding the world, will resurface as long as the world exists. Cotdivar believes he will eventually find another stone and use its might to seal Bloody Mary once more. For now, he shadows her, seeking clues to her downfall.

'Odd, who could have killed these zombies? And the animal carcasses too. I detect another scent here, one that shouldn't exist in this world.'

Cotdivar has noticed the zombie and animal remains, initially suspecting Mary's handiwork. Yet, upon reflection, he dismisses the idea. A third-generation vampire like Mary wouldn't resort to such brutal methods, crushing zombies and animals into pulp. The massive** and footprints suggest a giant, yet their density and size defy logic. If it were a giant, it would tower at least 20 meters, perhaps even more.

"A scent not of this world?" asked Cotdiva curiously. "What do you mean by that?"

"It's not hard to explain. An ancient monster has awakened. It's waiting for its master. Let's move on; this has nothing to do with us. As long as that creature doesn't cross me, I won't kill it. I don't want to offend the heavens and the earth for such a reason," Mary sneered, making it seem as if the awakening of an ancient monster was nothing out of the ordinary. This was beyond Cotdiva's comprehension; he couldn't fathom what kind of ancient monster it could be.

Cotdiva immediately approached Mary, for he had seen the footprints. Though he wasn't sure if Mary was telling the truth, it was certain that such a monster was nearby. Moreover, the creature must have left already, given that nothing strange had happened for quite some time, nor had they heard any loud noises recently. Perhaps these footprints were left long ago.

In human history, such creatures had almost never truly existed. But since the advent of 'The Day of Darkness,' all sorts of strange beings had emerged in this world. Human defenses were weakening. These creatures might have once feared humans and hidden in places beyond human reach. Now, with humanity's large-scale extinction and the remaining undead easily manageable in small numbers, strange creatures began to awaken.

It all started with unicorns, the purest of creatures with silver-white blood and beautiful appearances akin to that of graceful horses. They bore horns on their foreheads, each unique in shape. Only two colors existed among them—black and white, though some unicorns sported wings, while others retained only the bodies of horses. Winged unicorns were extremely rare, as were black ones. Unicorns possessed high intelligence and were easy to tame, but they would recognize only one master. Even after their master's death, they would seek another, yet always remember their first.

The Vantrue clan had protected unicorns, fearing that humanity, if aware of their existence, would destroy this nearly extinct species. Once vampires gained control over humans, unicorns were freed. Their numbers soared, and with their incredible speed, immense ramming force, and ability to run for days without rest, they fearlessly coexisted with the undead, thriving even in the wild.