Enthroned (Bloodline, #3)

Chapter 3

03 : Onerous Oath

My unfamiliar reflection stared back at me as I stood in front of the mirror. I could hardly remember my appearance while still living as a human, but this current felt even more unusual.

Rurik had already offered me explanation, but it was still hard to believe that the runes on my face were manifestations of Zaria's loyalty towards me and mine to her.

I scoffed at my reflection while gently brushing the rune on my right cheek. "You must really want to be my sister."

"And even if it takes me several lifetimes, I wish we can be sisters again in one of our next lives. I want to be part of your life once again..."

Her last words rang clear in my head, and it didn't take a lifetime for her wish to come true. Zaria had clearly become a part of me in a literal sense, with her blood assimilating into mine, and her charm protecting me beyond her death.

"I will use your gifts accordingly," I murmured.

After much deliberation, I decided to visit the royal library. There were still a lot of questions in my head, but Rurik couldn't answer everything all at once. As he was also getting busy with magic affairs, it would be much more efficient to search the answers to my concerns myself.

My footsteps echoed through the dark and desolate hallway of the main keep leading to the royal library. Aside from few select scholars, only Zaria frequented this place, and it had become less visited after her demise. After all, most royal followers would rather hone their physical skills instead of wasting time in the library.

The earthy smell of old paper immediately hit my nose as I stepped inside. I walked past the rows of ceiling-high shelves lining the dimly lit main hall and stopped in front of the locked chamber infused with natural magic. Beyond the door was a room where classified information and unpublished materials about the undead and humans were kept.

Those of Stryzygan bloodline could access to the restricted chamber any time, but I wasn't able to visit it before as I was busy with a lot of things.

With a drop of blood on the handle, the double doors creaked open. I could immediately feel the ominous air inside the chamber, as if it was a realm for dangerous and unfathomable information.

There was only a single table in the middle and the room was much smaller than the main hall, but every single paper stored here was much more important than the books outside.

I started scanning the books and documents about the first group of undead who developed self-awareness. Although some information were already known to most vampires, there were still details that could only be passed on to members of the royal family.

I pulled out several books from the shelves and placed them on the table. Amongst them, I was most intrigued by the book titled History of the Dark Age, written by a human who got enlightened as a magus. From the brief description on the front page, a vampire stole this book from a traveling warlock, and had become a prized good as only ten copies had been printed since its production.

Due to the fragile state of the books, I had to turn every page in a careful manner, slowly absorbing everything that was written. It took me a while to understand everything, and I realized how brutal the earliest days were.

Undead creatures were branded as savages and spawns of the devils in the ancient times. They ravaged human settlements in search for flesh and blood, forcing the latter to engage in violent fights to protect themselves. The continuous bloodshed amongst villages gave rise to humans who surpassed the threshold of humanity, gaining enhanced strength and wisdom to counter the undead. They were called the "enlightened" and were later recognized officially as magi—humans who could use magic and divinity.