Vampire Progenitor System
Chapter 195: The Lords

Chapter 195: The Lords

Valena’s boots tapped quick against the obsidian floor as she moved through the ancient halls of the High Keep. Her hands trembled slightly. Not from fear—she didn’t know what she felt yet. Just that something had changed. Deeply. Permanently.

The air had shifted when she looked into his eyes. That man... Lucifer. He wasn’t a king because of his seat or title. He was the seat. The realm bowed not because it wanted to—but because it had no choice.

She reached the grand rotunda and stopped in front of the summoning altar. Old magic lingered here—deep, carved into stone. Her fingers brushed the sigil, and dark veins of red light spread from her palm across the glyphs. One by one, flames rose from the circle’s edge. The blood-echo spell activated.

The call would go out to every vampire lord across the realm. Those who ruled cities. Those who ruled bloodlines. Those who ruled silence.

And they came.

Not all at once—but quickly.

Portals shimmered open like bleeding mirrors around the rotunda. Shadows stepped through them. Noble robes. Armored coats. Swords, wings, coats of mist. Seven lords arrived within minutes. Then two more. Then another group of four.

Some stood in silence.

Some looked annoyed.

One—a pale, wide-shouldered noble with hollow eyes—spat to the side as he crossed his arms.

Valena stood tall in the center. She said nothing at first. Let them feel the tension. Let the silence breathe.

Finally, a voice spoke.

"Where is he?" It came from Lady Nira of House Eltross. Her voice was sharp, crisp, and cold. "The one who triggered this call. I assume this isn’t your idea."

Valena didn’t flinch. "It’s not. But I speak for him."

Laughter came from the right. Lord Helvain of the West—tall, crimson cloak dragging behind him, half his face burned and replaced with etched iron. "You? You speak for a king now?"

"I do," Valena replied calmly. "Because the throne accepts him."

"Then the throne is broken," Helvain said.

Another scoffed. "You drag us here because someone sat on an old seat and called it destiny?"

"He didn’t sit on it," Valena said. "It formed around him."

Some flinched. Some didn’t believe her. But no one laughed.

She looked around at all of them. "You don’t have to like it. You don’t even have to agree. But you will listen."

That’s when another voice cut through the gathering. Deep. A voice that didn’t raise volume to command—it lowered the room around it.

"He has the Throne of Thorns?"

Valena turned slowly.

A tear opened at the back of the hall, like reality slicing open with regret.

And he stepped out.

Lord Dracula.

The father of Vladimir. Grandfather of Ella. The oldest pure-blooded vampire still walking. He wore no armor, no crown. Just a high-collared coat, deep gray, and a pendant of woven crimson thorns around his neck—a symbol few dared to wear. His skin was pale ash, his eyes gold and ancient.

"Dracula..." someone whispered.

He said nothing as he walked. The others instinctively made space. Even the lords who ruled cities moved aside. Not out of respect. Not out of fear. But because gravity had bent toward him for too long to stop.

Valena kept her ground. "Yes," she said softly. "He does."

Dracula stopped in front of her.

"And what does he want?"

"He said..." Valena hesitated for the first time. "He said the realm is his. And the castle will be his stronghold."

The words hung heavy in the air.

Then Lord Helvain burst again. "And you just let him? Just like that?"

Valena’s voice stayed quiet. "I saw him."

Dracula’s eyes narrowed. "What did you see?"

"I saw someone who didn’t claim the throne. I saw the throne claim him."

The hall shifted. Some lords started whispering. Others scowled. A few looked away, unsure now.

Then another voice rose—Lord Verek of the Hollow Vale, young and bold and stupid. "This is madness. We’ve ruled ourselves since the last King vanished. We don’t need another."

Dracula didn’t even look at him. "And yet... you came when summoned."

Verek paused.

"You answered a call from blood," Dracula said. "You knew something was different. You felt it."

"I came to shut it down."

"Then try."

The challenge wasn’t loud. It didn’t need to be.

But Verek looked away.

Dracula turned back to Valena. "Where is he now?"

"In the old capital. The throne chamber. With his people."

Dracula nodded once, slowly. "And his name?"

"Lucifer."

He stilled.

"I’ve met him once," Dracula said.

Whispers again. Ella had returned to the realm with the others. Dracula had spoken to her. She’d told him about the boy she once knew and the vampire he became. The monster he became. The blood that walked like a god now and he does not take no for an answer.

Dracula didn’t share those details. He simply turned his back to the others and walked toward the open exit.

"Where are you going?" Lord Nira called.

"To see him," Dracula said. "And to decide what comes next."

Valena stepped aside to let him pass. Then turned to the rest of the room.

"I won’t beg you," she said. "I won’t threaten you either. I’m not Lucifer. I’m not a king. I’m just someone who saw what’s coming."

Her voice lowered.

"And if you want to survive it, you should too."

Some looked uneasy.

Others scoffed.

But a few... stepped forward.

Lady Sive from the North, her face always hidden behind silver gauze, lowered her hood. "I’ll go," she said softly. "If he truly holds the Throne... we cannot afford to be blind."

Then Lord Dremal, a quiet ancient who hadn’t spoken in years, moved forward and followed silently.

Valena turned and walked with them. The rest remained behind—either in disbelief or denial.

Some would come later. Most would wait and see.

But the message had been sent.

The realm was shifting.

And at its heart was a throne that didn’t ask for loyalty.

It took it.