ULTRAMagic Interlude (Bonus Chapters)

Chapter 23

"Vex is too nice..." Ekaterina remarked as she flipped through the pages of his grimoire.

"Too nice? Not nice enough? Does it really matter how nice someone is as long as they're nice?" Vlastimir asked in response as he wrote something down. The two had retired to their quarters for the day, not really sure what to do. The room that had been set aside for them was quite the living space. It had the typical decor found in The Singing Storm Tower and a nice view of the city.

"Well yes, I'd imagine. It's a good way to spoil someone..."

"Hum, I suppose you're right. I'm not sure if I'd know given how crazy my childhood was."

Ekaterina temporarily closed her book. "What are you working on?"

"Oh, just some notes, collecting my thoughts and reflecting on my adventures in The Unlight."

"So you are getting ready for your parents' arrival?"

He sighed. "Yeah, I guess so. What else have I got to do?" Vlastimir flipped through his notes and had a realization. "Looking back on it, I think my family is cursed..."

"What makes you say that?" Ekaterina wondered as she took a seat at the desk.

Vlastimir exhaled. "Well, we'll have to start from what I consider to be the beginning, my grandfather... Vlad III Dracula. And that isn't someone pretending to be him, that actually is Vlad the Impaler."

It took Ekaterina a second to process that fact. "Wait, really? Then how did you...?"

"Grandpa Vlad met a, um... Well I don't know if you'll believe me if I told you."

She raised an eyebrow. "It's that ridiculous?"

"Yes... Are you willing to humor me?"

"Of course, go ahead."

Vlastimir took a breath. "Grandpa met a fallen goddess from Atlantis..."

Ekaterina could not help laughing. "Wait, really? You realize that's a myth, right?"

He knew this would happen. "Well, it isn't, but I'll let this go for the sake of conversation. Just know that grandma Fausta is a fallen goddess regardless of her origin..."

"Fair enough."

"Ahem, grandpa Vlad met grandma at the end of his first life. He struck a deal with her of some kind that granted him immortality. All he had to do was consume virgin blood every 100 years. Ideally he's supposed to obtain this from multiple people, in good health preferably."

"Hold up, does this mean you're a vampire?"

"No... I can't say the same about my father, but no. Grandpa doesn't need blood to live, he just needs it for the ritual."

"Oh, I see. Continue..."

"We'll actually get to my dad in a minute, but getting back on track: Come the end of the 19th century, grandpa got himself into trouble, having been sealed away by a team led by Abraham Van Helsing..."

"Wait again! My apologies, but Van Helsing? Like, Bram Stoker's Dracula Van Helsing?"

Vlastimir nodded. "They never told you that it was based on real events? Hehe, well, based on being the key phrase here..."

Ekaterina nodded, albeit in slight disbelief. "Right... So how did your grandfather get out of all that?"

"World War II. The Germans destroyed the tree that created the barrier of his prison. Naturally grandpa Vlad did not take kindly to the Germans of the era and started sabotaging their plans. Eventually he learned grandma was stuck in Belgium and in great danger. He went and rescued her, took her back to Romania, and drove out most of the axis powers to keep her safe."