My Stepmom Is A Vampire & Her Entire Bloodline Wants To Breed Me

Chapter 187: Important Information

Andrew drove through town with his favorite song blasting from the speakers, the familiar rhythm grounding him more than he cared to admit.

Learning the layout of a place you would temporarily live in was important. Knowing where the police tended to gather was even better.

He was painfully aware that this healthy, comfortable body was only temporary. Time was borrowed. That was why he could not afford hesitation.

If there was anything he could still do for his son, he would do it properly.

The town was called Bellya, located near the capital of Lilium, separated by hundreds of kilometers. Normally, that distance would feel far, but on the vast Northern continent, it was considered routine.

Surprisingly, Bellya was not depressed. It reminded him faintly of Bork, except everything here was white. The buildings, the streets, even the roofs looked uniform.

Shops lined the roads neatly, and the houses were almost identical, standing quietly beneath the cold sky.

What stood out was the absence of young people.

There were not lots of children playing outside, teenagers rarely loitering, no restless young adults. That alone told him the bodies had not originated here since all the corpses he saw were from children to young adults.

There were no reports of kidnappings or missing persons tied to this town.

That conclusion was reinforced by the investigation. Cara came from a neighboring area, and her last confirmed sighting was at a club in Lilium’s capital.

"We need to widen the scope," Andrew muttered to himself.

"You are right, Andrew," a voice replied calmly. "I can sense something strange in the conflict area."

Andrew’s eyes widened. His foot slammed onto the brake, the car jerking violently as his body lurched forward.

"What the hell?"

He turned sharply and found X sitting casually in the passenger seat, grinning as if he had always been there.

"Why do you keep appearing out of nowhere like that?"

"Hm?" X tilted his head. "I am helping, obviously. I am meditating to broaden my sight. Seeing beyond barriers takes effort."

He crossed his arms. "And maintaining the flow of my power within you is not easy either, you know. So you are welcome."

"Well," Andrew began.

A loud honk cut him off, followed by shouted curses from an impatient driver behind him. Andrew sighed deeply, signaling before pulling over and parking in front of a nearby restaurant.

"At least inform me first?" Andrew muttered.

"Yeah, yeah." X waved it off. "Anyway, the signal is coming from the western conflict zone."

His tone shifted, more serious. "Since the other half is the Vessel of Sinner, this fragment exists to judge and decide punishment. You will need to be careful."

"It might not want to harm you directly," X continued, eyes drifting toward the restaurant window, where a family ate together, laughing despite the cold.

"But its consciousness is likely gone. It has probably turned into a machine, like what the Corvane did, using it as a power source."

Andrew’s eyes widened. "Wait. They used the Crest as fuel? How is that even possible?"

"The same way the Vessel of Sinner influenced that village," X replied quietly. "Through forced resonance."

He frowned. "I cannot believe they used my power like that." Then he exhaled. "You should ask for help from the other Emblems. The Emblem of Bjorn... well, let us say he is gone."

"Gone?" Andrew stiffened. "You mean dead? How? Aren’t Emblems supposed to be stronger than that?"

"We are," X said. "But we are not invincible. And the next Emblem has not been born yet."

That only deepened Andrew’s confusion.

"Then where is the False God?" he pressed. "If They want peace and stability with the existence of the Emblems, why allow this?"

X did not answer. He only said, "Everyone will understand what happened to Bjorne’s Emblem sooner or later."

He stood. "Our time is short. Good luck."

And just like that, he vanished.

Andrew stood there for a moment, processing everything, before reaching for his phone. Seamus was arriving today. So were several Velstrath vampires. This information could not wait.

***

"The Emblem of Bjorne is dead?" Seamus exclaimed.

Even Leah reacted. She stopped drinking, her glass settling onto the table with a quiet clink.

Seamus already knew Emblems could be killed if weakened. X had been living proof.

Without his Crest, his power lingered but could no longer pass judgment properly. There was also the matter of the String of Fate.

Maybe Bjorne’s Emblem had reached the same conclusion that his existence was better off or maybe he was exterminated because he became a thorn for their plan.

Either way, this wasn’t good.

"Unbelievable," Seamus murmured.

"Has this ever happened before?" Diane asked suddenly. "An Emblem dying. What happens to the Covenant afterward?"

"Yes," Leah said from the corner, surprising everyone. "Latros’ Emblem of Enigma was defeated in the past. The one who kills an Emblem usually becomes the next one. The transition happens within twenty four hours."

All eyes turned to her.

"What?" Leah snapped. "I do research. Brewing is not just mixing alcohol. Knowledge matters, you know?"

"But does the killer go to hell first for like thousands of years?" Andrew asked.

He remembered Roanna mentioning something like that.

"That is a misunderstanding," Leah replied. "Ever heard about time dilation in the afterlife? Also punishment isn’t a proper term to describe it. More like purgatory."

"When someone ascends into an Emblem, they lose their memories due to the suffering endured. When they become pure again, they are reborn."

She frowned. "But no new Emblem being born is strange. Something indeed happened and it’s not a good thing. It means that Bjorne is now moving as they like without any consequences."

Seamus said nothing. Dahlia’s words echoed in his mind.

The False God is weakened.

If that was true...

"We are doomed, aren’t we?" he whispered.

"Enough," Ulrich said firmly. "They likely burned the building because they realized we were closing in. Time is against us."

Everyone nodded.

Roles were assigned quickly.

Leah stayed behind with Bianca. Ulrich, Andrew, and Matthew would head to the western conflict zone. The rest would investigate the capital’s infamous club, the Black Lotus.

Seamus. Maria. Dylan. Diane.

The worst possible combination.