[Thank you all for waiting! I’m back!]

Fifteen years before Jin’s awakening as a Vampire…

In High Vampire Society, there were numerous noble houses. Each noble house was created by respective Vampire Lords, many of whom were thousands of years old. It is often said that one noble house was equivalent to a billion-dollar company, given how they operated within the boundaries of the world’s economy.

Many wouldn’t discuss it, or they were simply unaware, but even though the Vampires seemed elusive, they were intricately involved in the underbelly of society. From human trafficking to money laundering, or be it simply owning property that had been passed down for generations.

Over thousands of years, it would be strange if those Vampires weren’t the wealthiest and most influential individuals on the planet.

Yet, even among the many noble houses that Vampires boasted, there were few that stood far above them all. Compared to the average noble house, these Houses were practically on a whole other level. If the average noble house had a net worth of a billion dollars, these noble houses had the money to purchase an entire country. No, some of these houses possessed vast land masses larger than the smaller countries of the world.

They were the shield that protected the Vampires. The swords that pierced the enemies of the Vampire race. The ears that listen to which threats would lead to the downfall of all Vampires.

They were the oldest and most influential houses…

The Ten Guardian Houses.

Everwinter, Moonreaver, Blackburn, Shadowgarden, Gravemind, Terrabound, Lakefall, Skywing, Arcanasong, and finally… The original Vampire House… The Bloodborne House.

The Everwinter House. A monolith that had stood since the beginning of the Vampire race. Led by Matriarch Innocence, the most famous Vampire alive, the Everwinter House were the undisputed lords of the North. In fact, even the Holy Church doesn’t deny its sovereign power over the northern land they govern.

The Moonreaver House. The wealthiest and most diplomatic house of them all. They maintain the crucial Warp Gates that all Vampires used and were the sole creators of the Nightmare Realms. Without them, the Vampire race would have never become this elusive and would likely still be hunted down by the Church.

The Blackburn House. The Vampire House with the largest army and the biggest fighting force. The only Vampire House that fights head-to-head with the Outer Demons on a regular basis sometimes even allying themselves with their historical enemies to rid the threat of those foreign invaders possessed.

The Shadowgarden House. The intelligence agency of the Vampire race. They protect the Vampire race through the wide network of information gathering, and oftentimes, they would work as espionage agents to protect the interests of the Vampire race.

The Gravemind House. A unique Vampire house with the power of dominating minds and using psychic abilities. They govern their own territory and utilise their natural-born magic to control living organisms and Outer Demons.

The Terrabound, Lakefall, and Skywing Houses were much the same. The Terrabound specialises in magic pertaining to rock and mud. The Lakefall House were born with the innate talent to control water. As for the Skywing House, they dominated the skies with the wind and flight magic.

The Arcanasong House. The only Vampire house that didn’t rely on one’s bloodline. As long as a Vampire was willing to commit themselves to the House, it didn’t matter how high or lowborn they were. They were the scholars, the bookkeepers of the Vampire race. They kept records of every living Vampire, their powers, their age, and practically recorded their entire life. They were even researchers who experimented on how to improve a Vampire’s life and power.

Each one of these Guardian Houses had its own territories and its own interests. But they were all united in one common goal: the Vampire race’s protection and future.

And to lead the future generation of Vampires to a better tomorrow, the four greatest houses of the Vampires created an alliance that superseded the Ten Guardian Houses.

The Everwinter, Moonreaver, Blackburn and Shadowgarden Houses had decided to strengthen their bonds beyond that of compatriots and into true allies that dominated the entire Vampire race. And the first step in that process was to let the future leaders of their clans bond.

Four young girls were gathered in an isolated villa, one that was serene and far away from civilization. The villa was filled with everything a young girl would need. A television, toys to play with, servants to cater to their every demand… It was a perfect getaway for those looking for a retreat.

Yet, the four girls sat together on the couch, each one moving their bodies in unease. The youngest of them all was a white-haired girl. From afar, one might think that little thing was a doll rather than an actual living person. Folding her arms, the white-haired girl seemed slightly distressed with her current predicament. With her lips puckered and her eyes dreary, the girl never once connected her eyes with anyone else in the room.

The other three girls were behaving in awkward manners as well.

The blonde girl, who was just a little bit taller and older than the white-haired one, frowned while watching the younger girl’s spoiled behaviour. She was restless, her leg shaking while her other foot was under her knee. Not knowing what to do, she went into her bag, pulled out a thick, leathery book, and began to ignore the rest.

The tallest of the bunch, a black-haired girl, watched the actions of her two new acquaintances with an anxious look in her eyes. The tension within the room was palpable; one would think they had entered a war zone. Scratching her nails, the black-haired girl turned to the only other person in the room, hoping for some assistance.

But alas…

The fourth and final girl looked dazed. Her luscious green hair dropped down to her waist as she seemed disinterested in everything that was going on. As the oldest of the bunch, she was meant to lead the conversations and, at the very least, keep the harmony of the room. Yet, the girl simply didn’t care as she kept her expressionless face on, not giving any clue on what she might be thinking.

Unable to bear it anymore, the black-haired girl started to stutter:

“E-Ermmm, t-the adults told us to play together… It wouldn’t be right to keep to ourselves, right?”

“…”

“…”

“…”

None of the girls answered Ysabelle’s question. Irina let out a silent harrumph and turned her chin away. Lilith acted as if the girl’s words were like air and continued reading her book. While Rosalyn never once broke her demeanour.

“L-Let me start t-then! I’m Ysabelle, nine years old, and…”

“We know that, Ysabelle.” Lilith shut her book with a loud thud and raised her vale eyes to stare deep into the nervous Ysabelle. “All of us were present when the adults introduced us. I know your name, age, and personal details already.”

“A-Ah, is that so…”

“Tch, why are they so insistent on putting us together? It’s not like you can just become friends overnight just by forcing us into one villa for a season.” Clearly irritated by her circumstances, Lilith clicked her tongue and turned to the other girls again.

“Do you girls read any papers?”

“P-Papers? A-Ah, like s?”

“Not s, you silly. I meant research papers.” Lilith rolled her eyes and snorted. “Or do you follow any magic research?”

“I-I learnt how to use my Vampire Aspect recently…”

“That’s not what I meant…”

Lilith sighed and once more bemoaned her regrettable circumstances. As someone who was relatively advanced for her age, she didn’t like interacting with those from the same generation. Most of them couldn’t even read the title of the papers she usually read, let alone understand the subject matter she was most interested in. Rather than spending time playing, Lilith would much rather further her studies or, at the very least, train her magic.

“But sure, at least we have some common ground. All of you have awakened your Vampire Aspect, right? Mine is the Elysian Melody. In layman’s terms, I can warp dimensions and generate electricity. What’s yours, Ysabelle?”

“A-Ah! The Obsidian Phoenix!” Excited that the meeting was finally getting somewhere and that she could fulfil her father’s request to bond with the other girls, Ysabelle yelled with lifted spirits. “I can create the Blackburn House signature flame with it!”

“Oh… That’s impressive.”

Lilith’s eyes sparkled with a tad bit of interest after hearing that fact. As expected, the apple wouldn’t fall too far away from the tree. Even if Ysabelle looked like an unreliable child at the moment, she was still a Blackburn and one of the four girls chosen to bond together at this very villa.

“What about you, Irina Everwinter? I heard you’ve gotten the Winter Sovereign Aspect. You must be proud, inheriting the same Aspect as Matriarch Innocence.”

“… I don’t really care.”

Irina’s face turned sour and grim for the first time since arriving. It was as if Lilith’s compliment had struck a nerve with the girl, forcing her expression to change for the worse.

“How could you not care? The Winter Sovereign is one of the most powerful Aspects there is! You can dominate the Everwinter House and the North in the future!”

Ysabelle, being the Blackburn she was, blurted out her innermost thoughts. The Winter Sovereign Aspect was legendary. So much so that even the Vampire Progenitor himself feared its power of absolute zero and the fact that Matriarch Innocence was near invincible when fighting in the snowy Winterlands of the North.

Compared to Ysabelle or Lilith’s Vampire Aspect, the Winter Sovereign was on a whole other level.

Which prompted Ysabelle’s genuine reaction when she heard that Irina wasn’t all that impressed by it.

“I said I don’t care about it!”

Irina blew her top and uncharacteristically yelled out at the black-haired girl. Ysabelle didn’t know; no, she couldn’t have known the immense changes in Irina’s life.

Before she awakened the Winter Sovereign Aspect, the girl was treated like a nobody in the Everwinter House. Her parents were both in hibernation, her biological brother didn’t care for her, and she was primarily left alone in an empty house.

Yet, in a span of just under a year, the eight-year-old had changed from an invisible child in a massive family to the focal point of all the attention. Irina was even forced to come to this stupid retreat with three complete strangers, girls she didn’t know or care about.

For a mere eight-year-old… It was too much to bear.

“Excuse me!”

Slamming her palms on the table, Irina landed on her feet and, with a brisk tailwind behind her, rushed out of the room and into the wilderness past the villa. Stunned by her actions, Ysabelle could only drop her jaw while Lilith traced Irina’s steps, bewildered by the sudden change of events.

And in the heat of the moment, neither Lilith nor Ysabelle noticed the shift in Rosalyn’s expressionless face. A wry smile crept up her rosy lips as she muttered so softly that no one could hear her:

“He’s coming…”