Chapter 156 - Pure Blood

"Staxius," a voice called out, warm little hands pulled on the cheeks. It felt like mosquito bites but stronger. The stargazing broke, he turned around to see a worried little Adete trying to garner attention.

"What is it?" calmly, he spoke, the face gentle and voice soothing. "You were just out of it, things happened earlier," she referred to the bizarre nap. "Worry not, there isn't a thing to be cautious about. Count it as a dream of some sort," the words used were to put the attention away from what happened beforehand.

In no way was hiding the truth from Adete the real goal. A quick look around the table revealed all the stares at his mouth, they wanted to know what happened. The curiosity in their eyes lit as if a kid finding a new toy.

"A few hours have gone by," with Adete at ease, Staxius spoke to all. "I guess it's time to call it a night," Scott followed up the thought process.

"We should get going," Sugar stood, "-our manager is a bit on the strict side. I'll catch you all later," both returned to whence they came.

No further words needed to be said, the return to the hotel was a pleasant one. Aceline fell asleep the moment the car drove. Staxius wasn't ready just yet, the face remained neutral. The mind wandered off, 'Akhtar'– he needed answers. The incident earlier today wasn't a mere coincidence. The nature of said attack piqued his interest. The message from Lord Death said to not worry, thus the heir obeyed. Things that couldn't be controlled were better left to the wild.

*Music played,* sat inside a dark room, a phone rang. It vibrated regularly and lit up partially the table on which it rested. With each ring, some parts of the room got revealed. It was as if a giant puzzle. In the end, a bottle of whiskey, a man of a rather large stature sat. The chair faced away from said table, it looked deep into the night sky. The twinkling star brought a feeling of calmness that could put anyone to sleep.

*Clang,* the glass roughly landed on the table. "Damn it, my life is ruined," he mumbled, the mind tipsy and the voice faltering, "I c-can't b-believe that they would send attackers this early," thinking out loud was common to people under the influence of alcohol. "Raiding Star tower, it was lucky that I had rendezvous with another up and coming idol."

"Scott," the car came to a stop. The streets lit; the shops opened but it differed. Rather than crowds walking around and having fun, only a few were spotted. The news about the attack had made many cautious. That incident reached deeper within their hearts; a result that many would not have expected. The trust was lost in this thing call law, Staxius's word lit the fire of change. A change that had yet to be decided in nature. Whether they transformed into something better or worst depended on the citizens.

"What is it?" he replied whilst helping the half-asleep singer out of the car. "There's something I need to take care of," Staxius walked closer, he helped in carrying Aceline upstairs.

"This business, is it anything related to what happened previously?" for a manager, Scott was perceptive and witty. They now stood in the living room, "yes, I can't let that incident create any more problems. I've got a vague idea of who's responsible," without hearing the response, Staxius walked out.

'It's a bit premature to point fingers at the dark-guilds. There's a chance that whatever Akhtar did isn't related to that organization. Despite this, I can't shake this gut feeling.' The elevator headed down, he stood still and thought. 'Contacting Karlson would be the easier thing to do.' An array of improbable options laid out, many possibilities.' The doors opened. 'Let's keep it simple,' the plan chosen in the end was to meet with Akhtar.

The bright hotel entrance came in view, receptionists and assistants were seen all around working. People sat on luxurious couches, some had tea while others read. None paid attention, the presence was erased. Inconspicuous was the best course of action.

"Staxius," Adete called out, she sat on his shoulder the entire time. "What is it?" he now wondered outside trying to figure out the way to Star Tower. "You should check a mirror,' she voiced, the tone a bit frightened. Baffled, he stopped and stared at his reflection, "what about it?" he saw himself.

"Open your mouth," she asked yet again. The truth came to light, the body had begun to change to adapt and assimilate the blood. As a result, the teeth grew sharper and longer. "What is the purpose of long teeth, I get that vampires survive off the blood of people. But surely, I don't need said thing," many questions were asked.

Rather than ignoring the variations, Staxius continued to watch every inch of his body. Something he rarely did. All the alterations began to sink in. From heterochromatic eyes to a symbol underneath the left eye. The face had changed over the course of time. From looking slightly feminine to now more masculine. He could not remember the countless time people mistook the man for a lady, this was due to the long hair. Nevertheless, that physical trait never really bothered him. It worked wonders as a child, passing for someone's daughter to evade attention and things of that nature.

"I've sure changed," he voiced with a smile. Control over facial expression remained to this day. He could swap from sad to happy in a matter of seconds. "About the teeth," Adete flew and sat on the head. "They'll stay like that permanently. I don't know how the blood is going to alter the body furthermore," she turned around and laid on her back. "-do expect more chances," her legs raised to the sky, she played around.

"As long as its nothing more than teeth, I'm happy," the walk resumed.  It felt quiet and lonesome, the night sky slowly filled with clouds. Droplets of water fell, and it rained. The journey had taken them past the many districts, Shadow-step was used. "I should probably teleport to Star Tower."

The mild showers increased in intensity. From gentle to now a full downpour, Staxius materialized outside, underneath the doorway. "As expected, the place is close," not wanting to go inside just yet, he took a walk around to check if there were people. To his surprise, not a single soul.

"Adete, before we continue," he spotted a faint aura on the fiftieth floor, "-could you tell me more about what sort of advantages and disadvantages turning into a vampire could bring?"

"Honestly, that question is vague at best," she remained on his head. "-Being a vampire doesn't necessarily mean one has to drink blood and not go out during day time. It all depends on how much the body assimilates. For example, some can't walk during day time, whilst others can. The blood is what decides how powerful one becomes. The emphasis on the purity of blood is a big factor. Take two individuals, for example, one given a noble's blood – a purebred, whilst the other, one of a commoner and lesser status. The former will receive more advantages than disadvantages compared to the lesser and tainted blood," She took a pause and sat, "in your case; the blood given was the purest and most noble out of all. No disadvantages can be expected. A more charismatic aura, enhance speed, more acute senses, superhuman strength, and immortality. Those are a few of the main attributes, despite this, you've already got all of those things. A general increase in said abilities can be expected," she flew and hovered before him. "-As said before, you're still weak. I heard about the things that are to come. Get more powerful; the true skill that you need to master is the All-seeing eyes. The potential it has can rival even a demi-god; mastery will be crucial. I need not repeat what Hermes said. I may look weak and feeble," her face grew serious, "-don't let that deceive, vampires are beings that went against mother nature herself," she sighed.

"I'm impressed," he watched with amus.e.m.e.nt, "-Adete can get serious when she wants."

"Sure, sure," she sat back down on the shoulder. "Well, I've got things to master, why not start with the All-seeing eyes," the left eye shut, the vision jumped from people to people. 'This is so hard to control,' a jolting pain rushed throughout the right side of the brain. "Found it," at last, the eyes saw a man drinking and staring at the sky.

*Ancient Magic: Teleportation,* with a snap, a blue mist later, Staxius stood behind Akhtar.

"How pitiful," the tone menacing and cold, he walked.

"Who stands there," scared, the glass fell. The chair turned around and the hand immediately grabbed onto the gun hidden under the table. "Come on," the footsteps approached. Seeing in this dark room was a challenge, the businessman could not but take the gun and aim in the general direction of the sound.

"Is this how you greet a friend," the hand conjured a white fireball, the Void Flame. It lit his face. "Aceline's bodyguard?"

The footsteps stopped, "what are you doing here?" he continued to ask questions, Staxius remained silent and watched. "Are you going to stand there and do nothing?" the lights came on.

"Let's just say I came to pay a little visit," the fireball dispelled. The gun remained aim at the head, Akhtar wasn't going to back down that easily. "A little visit, did the dark-guild send you?" having tattoos and symbols on one's face was a clear sign of being part of that organization. It was obvious that he would mistake Staxius for one of them.  

"Wrong," the voice monotonous. "Oh god," he mumbled, at that moment, he accidentally revealed he had ties with them. No normal individual would ever try and say their name out loud. Especially when said organization was a myth in the public's eyes.

*Bang,* scared, he fired.

*Snap,* it echoed around the room, the bullet stopped. The absolute barrier conjured. "Quite unwelcoming to use such brute force on someone who might have been innocent." The moment the bullet fell onto the floor, Staxius disappeared.

"Where are you?" fear overtook rational thought process, fight or flight kicked in. Desperate, the face looked around frantically. "Don't move," the voice came from behind.

The heart sunk, something pressed against his back. "W-what d-do you w-want?" Akhtar now felt what most people sensed before breathing their last breath. All the previous lives were taken by him, the death reaper. "Information, and that is all," the aura cold and ruthless.

"I'll tell you everything, just don't kill me," he said whilst tears began to build. The man sobbed; death was one thing he never wanted to experience. The tension from being tracked down by gang-members to now face to face with death, the mind crumbled and the gun fell.

Amidst the sobbing and begging, *driing,* the phone rang. "What do we have here?" Curious, Staxius looked over to check who called so late at night. The caller's id revealed the name of, Prince Ernis.

"I'll get that call for you," without much effort, he picked up the phone and answered.

"A bit late to be calling someone,"

"Who is this?" Ernis asked, the voice a little threatened.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten about a friend you made a few days ago," Staxius fired back.

"Why is there someone crying in the background?" he asked.

"SHUT UP AND STOP CRYING," the chair was kicked, Akhtar desperately tried to calm down. "I apologize about the noise, but tis Staxius, how may I be of help?" as nonchalant as always, he replied courteously.

"Quite a surprise, I call to ask information about the incident earlier. The Emperor is breathing down my neck to find a way to calm our citizens. Honestly, I'm at a loss for words, care to help out a friend?" he asked with genuine helplessness.

"I can't make promises," he answered to which the prince replied with an "Ohh…," it felt disappointed.

"No need to sound lost, I can assure you that I'm working on resolving the situation in mine own way. The people will forget about this incident soon enough, the guards are to do something for that to happen. Pressure the news outlets to change the people's opinion – may be inventing a story about someone who was saved by the so-called protectors. You're the prince, use that weight to coverup the failure that is the law system." The words harsh but true.

"I see, thanks for the suggestion. I'll see what I can do, see you later," the phone hung up. Akhtar was lost in thought, the mind had traveled into another realm.