Chapter 254: Victor Woke Up

Victor spent some time staring at the living room ceiling after everyone had finally left.

The silence felt strange now.

Over the last few hours, he had told them about his first life, about his death, about Morgana, introduced Rowena to his family, discovered that Serafall had used a completely unknown sample to create half of his genetics and, to top it all off, confirmed in front of everyone that he could manipulate Natural Energy.

Victor let out a long sigh and sank deeper into the sofa.

"I have so many problems I don’t even know where to start."

Rowena appeared sitting at the other end of the sofa, still only a spiritual manifestation connected to the ring. She crossed her legs and looked at him calmly, seeming considerably less bothered now that there were no longer two vampires trying to punch through her body.

"If you want to solve a problem, first you need to understand what the problem is." Rowena rested one arm along the back of the sofa. "And right now, you don’t even properly understand half of them."

Victor turned his face toward her.

"Thanks for the encouragement."

"It isn’t a lack of encouragement. It’s reality." She shrugged. "You discovered you can manipulate Natural Energy practically yesterday. You don’t know exactly why you can do it, you don’t know who that sample your mother stole came from, and you still don’t understand what your real connection to Yggdrasil is."

Victor closed his eyes for a few seconds.

"When you say it all together, it sounds even worse."

"Because it is worse."

"You really don’t know how to cheer someone up."

"I wasn’t sealed for almost three hundred years to become your personal motivator."

Victor let out a small laugh.

Rowena kept looking at him before continuing:

"Anyway, if you want answers, you’re going to need to learn about the World Tree."

Victor opened his eyes again.

"I figured."

"Not just Natural Energy." Rowena raised one finger. "Yggdrasil. Ley Lines. Blessings. Elves. The origin of werewolves. How a connection like this can exist in someone born a vampire."

She raised another finger.

"And you also need to wait."

Victor grimaced.

"I didn’t like that part."

"Your problem."

Rowena pointed at him.

"Chysis and Serafall are going to investigate the records from nine hundred years ago. Until they find out what was in that sample, any theory about your origin will remain just that—a theory."

Victor remained quiet for a few moments.

He did not like waiting.

In fact, he had spent practically that entire life trying to make sure he would never have to wait for a disaster he knew was going to happen.

But Rowena was right.

This time, he simply did not have enough information.

"So I study Yggdrasil while they search the records."

"Exactly."

Victor nodded slowly.

Then let his head fall back.

"But not now."

Rowena raised an eyebrow.

Victor rubbed both hands over his face.

"Right now I’m exhausted."

"You just came out of a one-month coma."

"Not like that."

He lowered his hands and stared at them.

"My body is fine. Even my energy is coming back much faster than I expected." Victor took a deep breath. "It’s here."

He tapped his own head.

"Talking about all of that was a fucking relief, but now it feels like someone ripped my soul out through my mouth."

Rowena studied his face for a few seconds.

Victor really did look tired.

It was not the kind of physical exhaustion he felt after training with Rakshasa or the emptiness that came after spending all his energy. His shoulders were relaxed, his body was healthy, and his circulation was functioning normally.

It was simply fatigue.

"That’s normal," Rowena said.

Victor looked at her.

"Normal?"

"You carried a massive secret by yourself."

Rowena leaned back against the sofa.

"It wasn’t just some small thing you hid because you didn’t want to explain it. It was practically the entire reason you act the way you do."

Victor stayed quiet.

"You knew your family had been destroyed," Rowena continued calmly. "You knew your mother had lost everything. You knew you had died in her arms. And you spent this whole life making decisions based on that while nobody around you even knew what you were trying to protect them from."

Victor slowly exhaled.

"When you put it like that..."

"Then obviously you’re tired."

Rowena tilted her head.

"You spent months imagining that conversation."

"Years, technically."

"Even worse."

Victor began laughing softly.

Rowena smiled faintly.

"Now it’s over."

Victor looked at her.

"That part, at least."

"Yes."

She paused briefly.

"And since it’s over, maybe you can do something extremely revolutionary."

Victor narrowed his eyes.

"I’m afraid to ask."

"Rest."

He made a serious expression.

"That sounds dangerous."

"Victor."

"I’m joking."

"I know."

Rowena uncrossed her legs.

"But seriously. You don’t need to wake up after a month-long coma and immediately go back to training, investigate a conspiracy, search for your biological father, study Yggdrasil, and figure out who hired a witch to blow all of you up."

Victor became thoughtful.

"When you say it like that, it really does sound like a lot."

"Because it is a lot."

"I could do it."

"I know you could."

Rowena looked directly at him.

"That doesn’t mean you have to."

Victor remained quiet for a few seconds.

Then nodded.

"Fine."

Rowena looked surprised.

"Fine?"

"I’m going to rest."

"No training?"

"No training."

"No going inside the ring to keep testing Natural Energy?"

Victor hesitated.

Rowena narrowed her eyes.

"Victor."

"No testing Natural Energy."

"No investigating anything?"

"You’re abusing this."

"Answer."

Victor huffed.

"No investigating anything."

Rowena smiled, satisfied.

"Good."

Victor adjusted himself on the sofa and kicked off his shoes before lying on his side. He grabbed a pillow, placed it beneath his head, and spent a few seconds trying to find a comfortable position.

"Strange."

"What?"

"I spent a month asleep and I’m still sleepy."

"You weren’t sleeping."

"Details."

Victor closed his eyes.

A few seconds later, he opened one again.

"Rowena."

"Hmm?"

"Wake me up in ten hours."

She crossed her arms.

"Ten?"

"Ten."

"You’re really going to sleep that long?"

"That’s the plan."

Rowena stared at him as though expecting some kind of trick.

Victor closed his eyes again.

"And don’t let anyone wake me up before then."

"Not even your mother?"

"Especially my mother."

"Scarlet?"

Victor thought about it.

"She can lie down with me if she wants."

Rowena rolled her eyes.

"Carmilla?"

"Same rule."

"You’re impossible."

Victor let out a small laugh, already quieter.

"Ten hours."

"All right."

Rowena leaned back against the sofa.

"I’ll wake you."

Victor nodded faintly.

"Thanks."

...

Rakshasa was sitting in a lotus position at the center of the cave, back straight, hands resting on her knees, and eyes closed for long enough that any normal person would already have given up.

The place was silent, cold, and completely isolated from the rest of the Eastern Domain. The black stone walls carried ancient marks left by blades, fists, and techniques from generations of martial artists, while a small amount of energy circulated naturally throughout the cave.

It was supposed to help someone keep their mind stable, control their impulses, and find balance.

It was not working.

Rakshasa took a deep breath.

The image of the explosion returned.

The Palace disappearing.

Victor spending everything he had to protect the others.

Victor unconscious.

His blood everywhere.

The werewolves involved.

The energy around her immediately became heavier.

"..."

She tightened her fingers over her knees.

Breathed again.

Tried to empty her mind.

It did not help.

The city she had destroyed returned to memory, followed by the feeling she had experienced when she learned Victor was in a coma.

That anger had not disappeared after the massacre. It had only diminished enough for Rakshasa to realize that if she kept following the first impulse that appeared in her head, she would probably cross the entire Werewolf Realm until someone strong enough tried to stop her.

And the worst part was that some part of her still wanted to do exactly that.

"Kill them all."

Rakshasa opened her eyes.

The red was far darker than it should have been.

She remained still for a few seconds, waiting for her mind to calm.

It did not.

"How irritating."

She closed her eyes again.

Only to see Victor unconscious once more.

Her jaw tightened.

The pressure inside the cave increased.

Small fragments of stone began breaking loose from the walls, and a thin crack crossed the ground beside her.

Rakshasa opened her eyes for the second time.

"There’s no point."

She stood.

If sitting there only made her mind return to the same place, then meditating was completely useless.

Rakshasa adjusted the fabric over her legs and walked toward the exit.

That place was known as the Heavenly Demon’s Cave.

For centuries, members connected to the Heavenly Demon’s bloodline and martial arts had used the cave for isolation, internal refinement, and mental control.

Yu Jin Cheon had spent long periods there in his youth, and several important disciples did the same whenever they needed to stabilize a technique or reorganize their own minds.

Rakshasa had entered precisely to try to control her anger.

She left almost as irritated as when she entered.

When she passed through the stone opening, the light outside struck her eyes.

Several soldiers positioned near the entrance immediately bowed.

"Young Lady."

Rakshasa walked past them without answering.

None seemed offended.

In fact, nobody there expected an answer.

She tugged lightly at the sleeve of her hanfu while continuing forward.

The red garment was loose enough not to limit movement, but fitted in exactly the right places for training and combat, with long dark dragons embroidered across the fabric from the sleeves down toward the lower portion.

Rakshasa smoothed a fold near her waist.

In the end, despite being a vampire, she was still a martial artist.

And whether she liked it or not, she remained the daughter of the Heavenly Demon.

That would never disappear simply because she had spent many years living far away from that place.

She crossed the internal paths of the complex without hurry.

Traditional buildings occupied different levels of the mountain, connected by wide stairways, stone bridges, and courtyards used by soldiers and disciples.

Some trained with weapons.

Others practiced body techniques.

Whenever Rakshasa passed, practically everyone slowed down for a few seconds.

She ignored them.

Her thoughts were elsewhere.

Victor.

Rakshasa let out a small sigh.

"I wonder if that idiot is awake yet."

She had asked several times.

The answers remained the same.

Stable.

Recovering.

No immediate risk.

That was good.

But it was not enough.

She wanted to hear his voice.

She wanted to see with her own eyes that he was all right.

And most importantly, she wanted to make sure there was not some injury everyone was conveniently leaving out to stop her from doing something stupid again.

Rakshasa crossed another courtyard and entered the main building.

Two guards opened the doors before she needed to touch them.

The main hall was busy.

Yu Jin Cheon stood in the center before a long table covered with documents, maps, and small wooden markers.

Several officers surrounded him as they received orders concerning patrols, supply transport, and troop movement.

Rakshasa stopped several meters behind them.

She did not interrupt.

Yu Jin continued speaking for several more minutes, assigning tasks in a short and direct manner.

"Reinforce the northern passage."

"Yes, Lord."

"The valley shipments arrive before nightfall. I want everything counted before it enters storage."

"Understood."

"And pull half the men away from that border. If we need them, I don’t want to find soldiers dead from exhaustion before the battle even begins."

The final officer bowed.

"As you command."

Yu Jin made a small gesture.

Everyone began leaving.

When the hall finally became quieter, he picked up one of the scrolls on the table without even looking at his daughter.

"Something arrived for you."

Rakshasa raised an eyebrow.

"For me?"

Yu Jin tossed the object.

It was a small cylindrical scroll tied with a dark cord.

Rakshasa caught it with one hand.

"From where?"

"Vampire Capital."

Her expression changed immediately.

Yu Jin noticed.

"I imagine it’s what you’ve been waiting for since you entered that cave."

Rakshasa was already undoing the cord.

She opened the scroll.

Read the first line.

Stopped.

Her eyes widened.

Then she read it again as though wanting to make sure she had not misunderstood.

Victor had awakened.

He was conscious.

Stable.

Speaking normally.

Rakshasa remained completely still for several seconds.

Then a smile appeared.

Small at first.

But it grew too quickly for her to hide.

"Hehe... he woke up."