Kapitel 18: Devouring Shadows and Bloodlust

The atmosphere crackled with tension as the vampires fought against the bloodlust.

Slowly, they began to rise to their feet.

X, with his red hoodie and blank iron mask, shook off the effects of the Aura easily. Before long, the four vampires were standing once more.

Together, they faced the ominous sight before them. An unassuming opened box, its interior bathed in a dim, otherworldly crimson light. Nestled within was a single page, its surface blank yet the source of the eerie light.

Ezra wished his heart was still beating so it could race within his chest and reassure him that he was still alive. What the hell? I think I can now relate to mice in front of a snake.

Wisps of dark, transparent shadows danced around the page, intertwining with the aura of palpable bloodlust that filled the air. Ezra could have sworn the page was a hibernating monster in disguise.

Through the shadows, they could notice an absence of visible markings on the page. If not for its Aura and the presence of wispy shadows, it could be mistaken for an ordinary page!

X, with an air of reverence, whispered two words that reverberated through the room, his voice tinged with a mixture of fear and awe. "My precious."

He slowly stretched a hand to the box, his eyes filled with desire.

Just before he touched the page, he hesitated, his hand trembling imperceptibly. With a sardonic chuckle, he withdrew, a knowing smirk playing upon his lips. "Olivia," he commanded, his voice suddenly cold and commanding, "take it out."

"No."

"No?" X turned to stare at her and the chains on her neck glowed a menacing crimson. "Did I just hear you say no?"

Silence reigned in the room. Even the sound of breathing was absent. The two vampires stared at each other.

Fuck! FUCK! We don't need to give X an excuse to use those tattoos. "I'll do it." Ezra volunteered.

"No!" Olivia said sharply, a hint of panic in her eyes. "I'll do it!"

Silence filled the room once more.

Ezra watched with a mixture of apprehension and curiosity as Olivia reached hesitantly into the box.

She glanced at Ezra and Gen before taking a deep breath, a gesture she technically didn't need. With trembling fingers, she grasped the page.

Suddenly, a flash of inky blackness engulfed the chamber, casting everything into shadow. Ezra's senses reeled in confusion as he struggled to comprehend the strange incident unfolding before him. How can light be black?!

In the chaos, the shadows covering the page surged forward towards Olivia's face.

Whoomph!

The shadows devoured the tattoo around Olivia's neck, leaving behind a bruise.

Before anyone could react, X's red chains coiled out of his arms and wrapped around Olivia's arm, severing it with a swift, decisive tug.

"AAARRRRGGGHHHH!" A guttural cry of pain echoed through the room as Olivia collapsed to the ground, her agony echoing in Ezra's ears like a haunting melody.

But before he could intervene, X's hand shot out like a snake, tendrils of glowing red chains snaking from his fingertips to wrap around Olivia's writhing form.

With mounting horror, Ezra and Genesis crouched into defensive positions, their eyes blazing with determination. "What the fuck did you do?" Gen snarled at X.

X jumped back, his hands raised in the universal symbol of surrender. "Easy. Easy. I had to stop the page from devouring all her vitality."

"Fuck." Gen whispered before crouching to check Olivia as Ezra's eyes remained fixed on X.

Olivia's groans echoed through the room as she slowly sat up, her movements pained and labored. Ezra's gaze flickered to her, and he couldn't help but notice that her red irises were spinning even more rapidly than before.

What does the spinning mean? Is Olivia dying? His heart clenched at the thought. He hadn't known the two ladies for long but they'd literally saved him from the jaws of death. He couldn't help but care.

New glowing red tattoos from X could be seen, twisting like serpents around her neck and arms. She clutched her severed stump, her gaze fixated on the hand still grasping the page that lay beside her.

The inky black shadows that had once covered the page had dissipated, revealing cryptic symbols etched on the page's surface.

The air crackled with anticipation as X, his movements slow and deliberate, reached out to retrieve the page.

Everyone collectively held their breath as X touched the page. Everyone waited for the inevitable shadows. The page sat lifelessly, its surface devoid of any immediate reaction.

Relief washed over the room as the tension flowed away, replaced by a sense of cautious curiosity.

With a flick of his wrist, X's chains wrapped around a nearby table and dragged it to them. He picked up the page and placed it on the table.

Gen lent a helping hand to Olivia, assisting her to her feet and Ezra joined them to crowd around the table, their eyes fixed upon the confusing markings on the page.

Lines and dots danced across the page from left to right, forming an unfamiliar written language.

"What language is this?" Ezra looked at his companions for enlightenment. They were older vampires. They should have seen things like this before.

X's response was a solemn shake of the head. "I don't know," he admitted, his voice tinged with a hint of frustration. "I have never encountered any language like this before. Even if it were a dead language, I would recognize it. But this? This is something else."

"There can only be two possibilities. Either this language is a language that died at least two thousand years ago, or it's a language created by the progenitor himself. Whatever it is, I haven't seen it before."

A heavy silence descended upon the room. Olivia shifted imperceptibly.

"What do we do now?" Gen asked.

X turned his gaze to Olivia, his expression unreadable behind his mask. "Decode it," he commanded once again.

"What?"