Ascendant Path of a Lustful Vampire

Chapter 469: Invitation (2)

With his chest caved in, Kyrus turned his face to the side and spat out so much blood that he turned pale. The pain made it so he could barely move but still he tried to stand, scrambling for his wand that had fallen a few feet away, and trying to summon strength that seemed to be failing him to be ready to defend himself or his sister.

He could have tried healing right then with a healing potion but felt there was no telling what his father could do to him to Kaide or to Kaya while he downed the liquid.

’I need to be ready,’ he thought with a groan.

With a sadistic grin, Revon watched his son’s fingers touch his wand and then, still in control of the pillar of earth, he raised it and brought it down on Kyrus to finish what he had started.

There was a crackling sound as Kaide cast lightning that struck the pillar of earth and shattered it. He had just barely done this when a forceful platform of wind sent him so high up that he struck the ceiling and hit the ground so hard, that most of his ribs cracked on impact.

"Ngh!" Kaide groaned as, despite the pain, he rolled up to one knee, his wand pointed at Revon as he pleaded,

"Father, please... stop this."

For an answer, Revon unleashed a pillar of water that struck and planted Kaide into the ground with the *bang* before wrapping him in a tight hold, swinging around a few times, and then slamming him so hard into the ground that it cracked.

The guards flinched at the sight and then, their lips shook as they kept looking between the father and his sons, trying to make sense of any of this.

"My Lord," one of them said in a confused voice as the guards all stepped into the Hall, "What have they done—?"

"Stay out of this," Revon said to them coolly, causing them to wince and recoil.

Revon paid no more attention to them and approached his sons, standing at a spot that put him perfectly between the two. He took a deep breath and when next he spoke, it thrummed with the malevolence of the aura that had reunited with him.

"It’s pitiful that you fight. Your existence brings me nothing but regret, pain, and sorrow. You are the reason I lost at a chance of true happiness, the reason your grandfather now has such a chokehold on my County, and the reason I remain shackled to that bitch of a woman you call a mother.

Your existence has no more meaning than being shackles that hold me down and hold me back. Children are meant to be blessings but you lot are my greatest curses. Cruel jokes the universe played on me to keep me from what I truly need... what I truly deserve.

Why then should you exist?"

Every sentence that left Revon’s lips was backed by an emotional attack aimed at Kyrus and Kaide and as they were hit by wave after wave of attacks, they arched their backs on the ground, their eyes rolled into the back of their heads as they cried out in agony...

"ARRRRGGGGHHHHHH!!!"

The emotional attacks struck the very essence of their existences. It struck their very self-worth and sought to turn them into nothings. Even if the injuries that they had suffered didn’t kill them and they were able to heal, the attack on their psyche will leave them as nothing.

But right when it seemed over and the brothers were losing their touch on what/who they were as individuals, they felt a warmth and a rush of positive energy and emotions that wrapped around them like a cocoon of safety. It shielded their mental states from the mental attacks and healed them from whatever damage they had suffered.

At the same time, vines began to sprout beneath both Kyrus and Kaide, infusing them with Nature magic and healing the injuries they had suffered while also rejuvenating them from a weakened state.

In a second, the brothers breathed better and opened their eyes, ignoring their father to focus instead on the vines they were now lying on.

Revon turned his eyes away from them as well. He had been very aware of Kaya and the patterns she was drawing. He didn’t understand any of it and considered it all to be of no consequence. She would be dealt with after her brothers.

Now though, he felt especially jilted by her little act of healing.

"Maybe you should fall first," Revon said slowly as he approached Kaya.

She was no longer moving now and just glared at him.

Kaide and Kyrus, without looking at one another, downed Healing Potions to expedite their healing process and become strong enough to protect their sister.

"No," Kaya said, "Rest. I’ll take it from here. Thank you for all you’ve done."

There was genuine gratitude in Kaya’s voice. Whether what she was planning worked or not, she wouldn’t have had the chance to try without them taking those attacks to defend her.

"Oh?" Revon laughed, "No longer going to hide behind your brothers? Your rare moment of solidarity finally ends?"

"They’ve done their part," Kaya said calmly, "Now, it’s my turn."

"With your doodles?" Revon asked with a scoff, "Don’t make me laugh."

Kaya raised her staff.

’Please work,’ she prayed. To who? She had no idea.

She struck her staff against the ground, channeling every bit of Nature Energy she still had in her body through her staff and into the pattern on the ground, lighting them up. There was a suction feeling as well that no one else in the Hall could feel except Kaya and Revon because they were the only ones here really capable of sensing a process as metaphysical as drawing in Nature energy from external sources.

In case the Nature Energy she had left wasn’t enough, Kaya drew in from the gardens and other nestles of nature in the Grand Manor.

"This is your attack?" Revon asked and laughed.

"Not an attack," Kaya answered, "An invitation. One you can’t refuse."

Revon was confused at first and then his eyes went wide as the Nature energy crept into his body and made contact with his psyche, creating a link with Kaya’s.

"You— fool..." He let out in mockery and then froze in place.

Kaya let out a breath before she went still as well.

Even though her eyes remained half-open, Kaya felt like she had shut them and opened them up in a space teeming with greenery. A space that was the representation of her mental state.

She looked around and she saw the two she had invited. Her father was on his knees, dressed as he was on the outside. His head was bowed and around him was a cloud of hazy blue mist that collected into a Mask of Malevolent Aura.

"This..." the Mask started and laughed, "This is your mind. Do you know how stupid you have to be to invite me here? After how much you tried to keep me off earlier?"

"I knew you wouldn’t be able to ignore the invite," Kaya said with a smile.

"Of course," The Mask laughed, "This is a quieter end but devouring your mental state is a perfect end to this entire episode."

Kaya kept her smile and then looked down at her kneeling father with pity in her eyes.

"Father, your mind is a mess. It was too much for me to ask you to fight off such a powerful entity of your own making where you would be without any support. You’d lose every single time."

"Is this Surrender?" The Mask asked in a gloating tone.

"How can you still not get it?" Kaya asked the Mask now and laughed a little,

"How can you not see that the battlefield has changed?"

The Mask paused and then took a look about the mental space teeming with greenery, as if it was really only now realizing what it meant to be here.

"You sneaky little half-breed brat...!"

"Bingo," Kaya said with another laugh.

Revon raised his head then.

"There is strength here," he realized as his voice grew stronger with each word.

"Yes, there is. Now, use it to send that Mask packing," Kaya said,

"Because, no matter what help I can provide, only you can really make peace with your pain, sadness, and regret."