Ascendant Path of a Lustful Vampire

Chapter 463 463: Better off without you

***

An entourage of carriages pulled in through the open Gate. A guard draped in Mage Robes stepped out of one of the carriages and hurried over to the one with the most luxurious design to grab its door and pull it open.

A man stepped out. Even wearing Noble robes that showed off his status and had many layers and folds, it was clear to see that he was a thin man. Taken with his height of 6'2, he could be considered lanky.

His face was handsome, and his black hair was slicked back on his head. His eyes were a sky-blue color that looked like they once shone with curiosity, desire, and a thirst for adventure but were now dull with responsibility among other things.

The man was Lord Revon Aeisling, Count of the Aeisling County.

"My Lord," The Guard who opened the door bowed.

Revon barely glanced at him but raised his hand in acknowledgment and a gesture for the guard to stand straight. Then he walked past and toward the Grand Manor's main building. More guards were there to receive him, along with the Manor's head of staff, the Chief Butler.

"Lord…" the Butler began.

"Where is she?" Revon asked, "Where is it?"

"Young Miss and the strange phenomenon are at the third Grand Hall, My Lord."

Revon acknowledged the news with a nod and walked away, down the corridor before making a turn to head up the stairs. He had just climbed to the second floor when his path was blocked by someone.

She was a woman dressed in a gown that clung to her buxom upper half but flared at her lower half. She looked like she could have been in her early forties and somehow, also her mid-twenties.

The woman's beautiful face had no wrinkles. There was a care about her that showed she had long enjoyed the pampering of a noble. She had almond-shaped amber eyes and her hair was a healthy shade of auburn, falling down her back to the arch of her ass that the flare of her gown didn't/couldn't completely cover up.

"Lilian," Revon said carefully.

"Husband," Lilian greeted coldly with a curtsy, "You're home."

"Only just," Revon said, "There's a matter I must attend to."

The Count tried moving past his wife then to head up another floor when he heard her cool voice behind him.

"You're here for her, aren't you?"

"She's in trouble," Revon said firmly. But he did pause.

"She's throwing a tantrum," Lilian scoffed, "Like she always does."

"Kaya has never thrown a tantrum," Revon said with a frown.

"How would you know?" Lillian asked, "Were you ever here?"

Revon rounded on her.

"Lillian, do not think my physical absence ever made me unaware of what happens in my own home," he snapped,

"I know everything that girl went through."

Lilian was unbothered.

"So?" She asked and laughed, "Is that your attempt at confronting me? If you think I've done wrong by her, at least have the guts to say it plainly."

"I didn't—?" Revon started to say but Lilian didn't let him finish before interrupting.

"You're a coward, Revon. You've always been. Couldn't even tell me what you did to me until the evidence, a fucking baby, arrived and exposed you," Lilian said.

"Lilian, it's been twenty years—" Revon started in an irate voice.

"It's been Nineteen," Lilian snapped, "At least get it right."

"Twenty or Nineteen," Revon said with a raised voice, "What fucking difference does it make?"

"If your empty apologies ever meant anything, you'll know exactly how long ago you hurt me," Lilian said.

For a second, she and Revon glared at each other, and then the Manor trembled as what sounded like a growl thrummed out from the higher floors, causing Revon's heart to tremble.

"I don't have time for this," he spat, "My daughter needs me."

Lilian's eyes widened at the tremors but she retained her stance as she retorted,

"She hasn't needed you in over eighteen years when you ignored her, overworked yourself, and attended meetings after meetings to be away from her.

There is only one person who has been the source of her 'pain' and 'struggles' and he's trudging up the stairs right now thinking of playing 'Hero'."

Revon paused again, his hands clenched into fists.

Lilian smirked with a sick sense of pleasure at his distress and pain.

"You know it's true. That girl would be better off without you," Lillian said,

"If for nothing else, on that front, she's just like me."

Revon let her words settle with him and then continued climbing the stairs. Every step suddenly felt heavier like he wasn't ascending to another floor but the heavens themself.

"Father!" Kyrus called as he saw Revon walking over.

"He's here?" Kaide said as he pulled up the corner, and then he grinned with relief and called as well,

"Father!"

Revon didn't acknowledge either of the two. His mind was so heavy, he just walked right into the oppressive aura. It didn't repel him. Rather, it seemed to welcome him. At least, that was what Kyrus and Kaide thought as they watched.

In reality, the heaviness in Revon's chest grew a hundred times. Strangely, he felt whole for the first time in almost two decades. He also felt the most shitty he had ever felt. Suddenly, so many thoughts he had pushed down deep came rushing back into his head;

Thoughts of pain.

Thoughts of regret.

Thoughts of loss.

Feeling all those thoughts, experiencing those emotions, Revon realized just how empty he had been for so long.

He placed his hands on the door, and pushed them open, his eyes going wide as he saw Kaya wrapped up in a coil of hazy blue aura and lifted off the ground.

"Get off!" Kaya yelled, swinging her staff, summoning vines formed of an energy that was teeming with the life of nature, and repelled the Aura, loosening its bonds from around her until she hit the floor.

Kaya landed on one knee, her eyes widening as her instincts alerted her to oncoming attacks. She leaped away right before the Aura came striking down at her with hazy blue tentacles whose ends were tapered into spikes.

The attacks moved faster than Kaya could leap and seemed sure to make contact until a green spell circle appeared beneath her, conjuring vines that she fell on and rode to safety.

While moving, she harnessed Nature energy, focusing it into a beam. The beam didn't have any physical properties or effects. Really, it seemed powered only by thoughts and emotions.

That was the power of Nature and what made Elves and some half-elven offspring like Kaya so perceptive. Nature imbues thoughts, emotions, and the very essence of Life. It's such a vital aspect of Aether, the Goddess of Divine Light.

Nature Magic, and its offshoot/source of Nature Energy, were why Kaya had been able to sense the aura even as a child, and were the only tool that could be used to combat it. Any other type of magic would fail.

"Kaya," Revon called out as he watched it all transpire.

Kaya looked like she thought she might be imagining the sight of Revon.

"Father?" She called uncertainly.

The hazy blue mask of malevolent emotions above snarled as the beam of Nature energy struck and forced it back. And then it growled and unleashed a powerful force that slammed into Kaya.

Distracted by Revon, Kaya couldn't defend herself in time or anchor herself with her staff. The force hit her and slammed her into the wall.

*BAM!*

"Ah!" Kaha cried in pain from hitting a hard surface. The attack of the Malevolent Aura itself hadn't hurt her physically, it had actually targeted her mental well-being, trying to eat away at all the positive emotions she had and turn her into a husk.

"Stay away from my daughter!" Revon yelled, a spell circle already formed. He fired the spell and it went right through the hazy blue mask, tore a hole in the ceiling above right into the next floor, and then the one above that, and so on.

The uninjured mask of the Malevolent Aura now turned its eyeless sight on Revon and swam at him with purpose.