123 Rosalyn Shadowgarden (4)

This was… The power to control Life.

With one cusp of my hand, I unravelled the pesky, thorny vines that held me down. Standing up from the bed, I revitalised myself through Spirit magic, something that should have been unique to the Elves, and strengthened my weakened body. Magic power quickly filled my veins, and it didn't take long for my peak physique to return.

While I was busy recuperating, I heightened my senses and tested my new powers out. I could see the entire Elven Forest and all of its inhabitants. Any tree, squirrel, Elf or insect… Anything with a soul was visible under my new vision.

And that's how I saw…

The forest was burning…

Elves were fighting Vampires. Vampires were fighting Vampires. And the Spirits… They were all crying.

As I zoned in on the attackers, I noticed something shocking. Horatio Bloodborne, one of the ones responsible for attacking the Moonreaver Dimension, was leading the charge. The more surprising part was the words that came out of his mouth.

"Find Jin Valter! Don't come back if you can't capture him alive!"

"Yes, sir!!!"

Numerous Vampires charged in all directions, seemingly ripping any and all life in sight. They burned trees, razed bushes, and killed rabbits. Anything that stood in their path, they would get rid of. Blood and fire were sprayed in all directions, turning the serenity of the Elven Forest into an orchestra of war.

We were under attack… By the Bloodborne House, no less. And apparently, their motive seemed to be me.

"Sora, this is…"

"Just some pesky bugs. We can deal with them later."

To the Spirit of the World Tree, the many Bloodborne elites, which included ancient Vampires that lived during the Progenitor's age, were nothing more than cannon fodder. Sora, no, the World Tree had lived through countless world-ending cataclysms and had faced disasters that I could only dream about. In comparison, these Bloodborne members did seem like pesky pugs that could only serve to irritate her.

"Sora, they seem to be looking for me?"

"Ah, they think that you're the reincarnation of their Ancestor. So, they wish to resurrect him using your soul."

"I've heard that before, but am I really?"

"I told you, something is blocking my vision of your fate." Sora shook her head with a regrettable expression. "I can't deduce if you're really the reincarnation of their Ancestor or not."

"I see…"

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If I possessed the soul of the Vampire Progenitor, that would explain a lot. My meteoric growth and rise to power. My unrelenting obsession with magic. And my unique Vampire Aspect that no one seems to understand.

I raised my Soul Armament up to my face and carefully inspected each ring one by one.????n????????????????????.＆nbsp;????????????

Spacetime… Creation… Destruction… And now… Life…

Four of the five rings on my hand had been powered up, each hiding a power that anyone would be happy to possess. Heck, any Vampire that possessed just one of my powers could instantly rise up to the peak of the world. Yet, I had four incredible abilities. And the last one has yet to unveil itself too.

If I were the Vampire Progenitor's reincarnation, everything would make much more sense.

But there was one more possible explanation…

"Sora, the future you saw… Were the four of them there?"

"Four of them?"

"The four that are most important to my life," I looked towards the sealed door and muttered my deepest thoughts. "Irina, my precious younger sister. Lilith, my lovable Bloodmate. Ysabelle, my beloved betrothed. And… Rosalyn, my gorgeous soulmate. These four, were they present in your dreams?"

"No… I didn't dream of them…"

"I see… So even your eyes can't see their future, huh?"

If Sora could only see my future and not the other four, does that mean… No, nothing is for certain. Besides, even if their fate doesn't lead them to the future… to my future… I will break that destiny.

"I'm going…"

"Hmmm? Do you really need to fight them? The Elves should be sufficient to fight them off. Besides, they can't harm you as long as Rosa is in the forest."

"No, they can't harm me anyway. I'm going because I have to test something." Unconsciously, I'd let out a wry smile, a smile that didn't escape Sora's eyes.

"You want to confirm if you're their Ancestor?"

"That too, but more importantly… I can't let Rosa face danger because of me, now can I?"

"You…"

Sora opened her eyes wide and stared at me as if I were a dumb ape. Now that I had the power of life by my side, I knew how powerful Rosa truly was. She was the World Tree's guardian, the Dreaming Forest's owner, and quite possibly, the most powerful living Vampire.

To say that such a being needed protection was nothing short of ludicrous.

But before all that… Rosalyn was my lover. The woman I swore to protect.

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And I won't let her fight my battles for me.

"If I let Rosa handle my business for me, I wouldn't be living up to my promise… Am I right, Rosa?"

Turning to the door, I spoke softly and distinctively. As if on cue, the sealed wooden door gradually unlocked itself as the vines that kept it shut unravelled. With an eerie squeak, the door inched open, revealing the breathtaking woman standing on the other side.

Donned in exquisite Elven garments, the green-haired woman walked into the room with her signature expressionless face. Those Lapis eyes of hers were sprinkled with a tinge of wetness as her adorable, snow-white nose sniffled with each step she took. Not daring to look me in the eyes for more than a second, the girl averted her gaze and stared at the floor with her hands behind her back.

And with a soft voice, she whispered:

"Jin… Not angry?"

"Rosa…"

I tilted my head to the side and took two steps forward. I tried to raise her chin, but Rosa quickly moved her face away, unwilling to even look at my face. Despite her previous actions, I could feel Rosa's guilt eating at her from the inside. She didn't want to restrain my movements, she didn't want to kidnap me, she didn't want to force me to live a life of a cripple…

All Rosa wanted to do was to keep me safe.

How could I blame her for something like that?

"The reason why you kidnapped me and kept me… You wanted to stop the Bloodborne House from finding me, right?"

"..."

"And you've been having sex with me every night because you were desperate to return your soul and to make me whole again, right?"

"..."

"Even now, when the Bloodborne House is attacking, you don't wish to involve me, right? Even though their target is clearly me."

"..."

Rosa remained silent throughout, but she didn't have to say anything. I could tell from the palpitations of her heart that she was feeling conflicted. Essentially, Rosa had given me all the answers I needed.

This gorgeous girl… This fragile girl… She has always been protecting me from the shadows.

Rosa was content even if she didn't get any of my love if she didn't get any attention from me… As long as I was safe, she would be happy.

But I wouldn't…

I won't allow this precious little flower to hide in the shadows anymore.

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I walked forward and held onto her dainty hands. And the first thing I noticed… was how feeble they were. Unlike the other three girls, Rosa's hands were ever so weak. As if she hadn't stepped a foot out of her chamber and had spent all her time dreaming on the bed. No, given how much she looked after me, she must have been indoors all the time.

Never once getting enough exercise, never once experiencing what it's like to be outside in nature, never once moving for her own sake…

It must have been a hellish experience for the young woman.

Bringing her closer into my arms, I felt her body jerk far quicker than I'd expected. She was light… far too light. As someone standing at 1.81 metres, she should be far meatier and robust, yet… She felt so weak.

It felt like I had been transported to the past when I'd first met the feeble young girl. Over the years, she had never grown properly and was never given the love I'd promised her.

Well, not anymore.

"I'm sorry, Rosa… I've neglected you."

"Don't be sorry… I'm sorry…"

"No, I've made a huge mistake. I should have come to you first."

"Jin…"

"But don't worry… I will right this wrong!"

I pulled her chin up, drawing the familiar shock from Rosa's glistening eyes. I pressed my face down without waiting and stole her delicious, sweet lips. While stunned at first, Rosa's body instinctively knew what to do. Our tongues danced fervently, making breakdancers cry in shame as our bodies were glued together.

Taking in many breaths, we exchanged salivas as if we were vagrants that were stranded in the desert. A certain little fairy was squeaking out weird noises, but I didn't care about her. All of my attention was focused on Rosa.

Our thirst for each other was only quenched after fifteen solid minutes. Separating with reluctance in my eyes, I broke the silvery line that connected our lips by gently stroking her beautiful green hair.

And for the first time in my life… I saw Rosa's face blush fully red.

"Let me deal with the Bloodbornes. It'll only take a second. You go wake the others in the basement."

"... You knew?"

"Knew that you've kept the other girls in hibernation? Yeah, I saw them just now when I unlocked my soul vision. Although nothing will happen to them, it's better to get them awake so they can evacuate at any time."

"... not mad?"

"Haha, of course, they won't be mad at you! If you apologise correctly, that is."

I lied as easily as I breathed. There was no doubt in my mind that Irina, Lilith and Ysabelle would burn with rage when they found out what Rosa had done to them, but I had faith that they would forgive her. Eventually, of course.

"Now, go and wake them up! As for the Bloodbornes…"

Summoning out my Soul Armament, I channelled all of my magic power into the four rings, lighting them up with a lustrous hue.

"Let me deal with them."