[Apologies, the last chapter was meant to be the start of Volume 5, but I forgot to change it. Anyway, from this chapter on, Volume 5 will begin, and we're reaching the next major act!]

Damien Everwinter.

One of the three potential heirs of the Everwinter House. While the Everwinter House had multiple heirs-in-training, and all had a chance to inherit the Winter Throne, in actuality, only three factions stood a chance.

Magnus Everwinter, the oldest and most trusted of Matriarch Innocence's children, led the charge. He had been training since the days of Dracula, and his faction was by far the largest and most influential. The vast amounts of ancient Vampires on his side were enough to topple entire nations, let alone deal with some rowdy family members who wished to challenge his authority.

Hilla Everwinter, the second most powerful female Vampire in the Everwinter House, was not too far back either. In her youth, she was heavily favoured by Matriarch Innocence, and many thought that she was groomed to inherit the ancient Vampire's title. But her power wasn't the only thing that added to her influence; Hilla was a personable character who had gathered some of the Everwinter House's strongest elites to serve at her feet. In many aspects, Hilla was Matriarch Innocence's true successor, with the vast number of men who did her bidding.

And finally, the most pitiful one of them all.

Damien Everwinter.

As a Vampire that was barely five hundred years old, he was considered a child or, at most, a teenager by the Everwinter House. However, even at a young age, he was talented enough to stand toe-to-toe with ancient Vampires that had been around since Dracula's time. Bulldozing through all the records, it was not an exaggeration to claim that he was the most talented Vampire that the Everwinter House had ever produced.

It's a pity that he was born too late. If he were just born a few thousand years earlier, there would be no factions within the Everwinter House. Damien would have unified Magnus and Hilla under his wing, and he would be the uncontested heir of the mighty Guardian House.

But even with his late arrival, Damien had amassed a considerable following. Young and ambitious Vampires mostly supported Damien, with a few outcasts joining his ranks. As Damien continued to prove his worth, his faction grew bigger and bigger. In no time, the young Everwinter had become a force to be reckoned with, even though he was part of the younger generation.

Alas, there was one person who had overshadowed the young prodigy…

"Irina, that brat… To think that she'd found a Progenitor to back her…"

Deep within the Everwinter Estate, an emergency meeting was called by Damien's council. The council consisted of a plethora of Damien's most trusted aides. From Vampires that grew up with him to wizened advisors who held Elder positions within the clan. They had all joined Damien's faction with thoughts of achieving greatness and possibly influencing the entire Everwinter House in the future. However, that future was currently in huge jeopardy.

"We should have killed him when we had the chance!"

"It's too late for regrets now; we need to figure out how we can salvage this situation."

"Salvage what?"

"Irina has shown hostility to our faction before," one of the advisors reminded the rest. "During the Winter Hunt, we purposely targeted Jin Valter, the new Progenitor. Also, we attempted to use her biological brother Trent to negotiate an arranged marriage with Lord Damien. Amongst the three factions, Irina must hate ours the most."

"Still… We're all part of the Everwinter House. She can do nothing to us without the Matriarch's permission."

"Do you think the Matriarch would risk fighting a Progenitor just for one faction in her house?"

"..."

At this point, all of the voices in the room were silent. They looked at their leader and his silent figure. They then looked down at his missing arm, and their faces soon lost all their colours. Yes, how could they forget the ruthlessness of the Matriarch? To teach Damien a lesson, she had severed one of his arms and sealed it away for fifty years.

All because Damien's subordinates attempted to harm Irina.

It wasn't a secret that Matriarch Everwinter favoured Irina. After all, Irina possessed the same Winter Sovereign Aspect as her, and if given a chance to grow, she would indisputably take her place as the strongest female Vampire in the world.

So from a tender age, Irina had been isolated from the Everwinter House, immune to the politics and schemings that the factional wars often drag Vampires into. Now that she had a Progenitor by her side, Irina's position in the Everwinter House would likely skyrocket past everyone else.

Hell, it wouldn't even be strange if the Matriarch announced Irina as her heir tomorrow.

After all, who would want to cross a Progenitor?

"Lord Damien… What should we do?"

A soft plea of fear and uncertainty came out from one of the advisor's mouths. If their opponents were Magnus or Hilla, they would have shown complete confidence and overwhelming determination. Even if they were going to fall, they would do so with pride and honour.

However, a Progenitor was on a whole other level.

They may be young, but they've heard the horrendous stories of Dracula and the reign of terror he presided over. They knew how different a Progenitor was from a regular Vampire, and they feared the judgement would come their way.

If Jin wished to eradicate Damien's faction… He didn't even need to lift a finger. Everyone who wanted to be in the good graces of the new Progenitor would happily take them out for him.

And Matriarch Innocence was no exception.

"How regrettable…"

Damien, who had been silent until now, finally opened his mouth with a groan. Donned in luxurious fabrics, the ostentatious man scratched the bottom of his chin while throwing his head back over his chair. Damien's silence sent shivers down his council's spine, and his icy demeanour even made the Elders amongst the ranks feel nervous.

"We're past reconciliation with Irina and the new Progenitor," Damien's following words brought a frenzy to the round table.

"Lord Damien! We should at least attempt negotiations! Perhaps, we can…"

"If we concede anymore… Our faction is done."

"T-That…"

The advisor bit his lip and looked away. Everyone on the council knew how precarious Damien's position was. Not only were they the youngest and weakest faction, but they were also punished by the Matriarch over the farce of the Winter Hunt. Damien had fallen from grace, and the successor race was slipping away from his grasp like melting snow.

No, with the appearance of Irina, the next heir was basically set in stone. Favoured by Matriarch Innocence. Allied with three other Guardian Houses. And most terrifyingly… She was the future wife of the new Progenitor.

There was no one Matriarch Innocence would rather appoint to the Winter Throne than Irina. Whether she wanted the seat was irrelevant. Even if she didn't accept the role, everyone in the Everwinter House would be subject to her rule. If she wanted the Everwinter House to go South, they had to comply. If she wanted the Everwinter House to serve Jin, they had to comply. If… She wanted to kill Damien and the faction that bothered her…

They had to comply.

Such was the fate of the weak. Alas, Damien didn't think of himself as weak. No, he was meant to be a sovereign who reigned over the North and controlled the most ancient Vampire house.

That was not a fate he was willing to succumb to.

"We have to eliminate them… Irina and the new Progenitor."

"Eliminate them?! How on earth would you do that?!" One of the advisors slammed his palms on the table and shouted. "Ignoring the Matriarch's resistance, how are we supposed to kill a Progenitor?!" The ancient Vampire looked at Damien as if he had seen a fool.

"You're too young to understand, but a Progenitor is on a whole other level than us. In his day, Dracula was the strongest existence known in history! And in due time, this new Progenitor will grow…"

"You said it, didn't you?" Damien smiled and repeated his advisor's words. "In due time… He's not strong yet. Yes, he may be a Progenitor, but he'd just become a Vampire one year ago. If we give him time to grow, he'll become stronger than any of us can imagine, but right now… He's still a newborn."

Damien was working off the knowledge he had. He didn't know the full extent of Jin's abilities nor how the High Elder of the Bloodborne House died. However, using Dracula's past power as a gauge, the man thought he could roughly estimate Jin's current power levels.

"We have to strike him while he's still immature. If we give him a chance to grow, we'll sit ducks waiting to enter our premature graves."

"However, even if we want to strike, we can't get to where he is." One of Damien's most loyal supporters remarked. "Ever since the Bloodborne invasion, he's been holed inside the Elven Forest. We can't get to him there."

"We can lure him out," Damien suggested. "We just need to make up an excuse to summon Irina back. Perhaps the Matriarch is already attempting to do just that. And once she returns, we can force him to come to us."

"Damien, you…"

One of his advisors, mainly on the neutral side, couldn't believe his ears. The man was actually trying to bring Jin out of hiding using Irina as bait.

"Even if we managed to do so, how are we going to kill a Progenitor with our power? Let me tell you this; even a newborn Progenitor is infinitely stronger than all of us combined. If we start a fight with him, you don't have to wait for the Matriarch to send us to an early grave."

"Don't worry about that… We will have ample firepower."

Damien smiled sinisterly as his fingers interlocked under his chin.

"If Vampires can't kill a Progenitor… What about an Archangel?"