Chapter 126: Soul Exchange Plan
Hazel and Cyril both turned their attention to Rex, hoping he would reveal the truth.
“At that time, Hawthorne should have used the Royal Blood Crystal in advance. Although Hawthorne is a pure-blood vampire, his power is not as strong as Hazel’s. In the vampire kingdom, everyone’s vampire rank is distinguished by the purity of their blood. The king is naturally one hundred percent pure-blood, and Hawthorne is born to the king’s elder brother, but his mother is not a pure-blood vampire; she shifted from a human to a vampire. So, even if he used the Royal Blood Crystal, he wouldn’t be completely influenced by the will of the vampire progenitor.”
“But I’m not a pure-blood vampire either?” Hazel expressed confusion about Rex’s statement.
“That’s what makes you special, Hazel. Although you are a Hybrid, your power combines all the superior genes, including the power of the vampire progenitor. That’s what surprised them. Therefore, you tend to lose control when in contact with pure blood. Regarding the power of your blood, you should seek out a witch. Throughout generations, witches have been responsible for resolving the hatred.”
Rex suggested, pausing for a moment, then continued, “But before that, you should find people from the Vampire Elder Council to support you in inheriting the throne and to stop Hawthorne and Cluad’s conspiracy.”
“What dark secrets do they have?”
“Hawthorne and Cluad, as Azrael’s two assistants, diligently assist the king. However, their thoughts and actions are entirely contrary.”
“Are you saying that Hawthorne and Cluad both want to become king?”
“Yes. I remember when Putnam made an agreement with the king, he was assigned to Hawthorne. Although Hawthorne was dissatisfied with cooperating with a werewolf, he had no choice but to obey the king’s orders. Moreover, Putnam performed well in front of him. In the first year of their cooperation, they defeated most of the packs in the Northern Continent. However, they have not defeated the largest one, The Swifting Moon Pack.”
Rex took the water cup Elmer handed over, took a sip, and continued, “Hawthorne and Cluad each have their own ambitions, but Azrael sees everything. Because Putnam’s true loyalty is to the vampire king. My brother wasn’t that foolish; he quickly saw through the situation and became a double agent.”
“That’s despicable.” Hazel remembered Putnam’s ugly face and said indignantly.
“Putnam learned about the king’s true plan, which is to awaken the power in your blood. If the Royal Blood Crystal is completely infused into your blood, your body can awaken the soul of the vampire progenitor. In this way, your will becomes irrelevant.”
“Exchange my soul?!”
“The exchange plan with the Royal Blood Crystal requires the approval of the Vampire Elder Council; that’s why they were tracking you. However, Hawthorne and Cluad are completely unaware of this plan; they think Azrael just wants to reunite with his daughter.”
Hazel took a sharp breath; she hadn’t expected her blood to have such an effect.
“So, you mean if the vampire progenitor is revived, I will cease to exist?”
“Yes…”
Cyril was deeply shocked by Rex’s revelation. The thought of Hazel potentially disappearing caused a sharp pain in his heart. He loved Hazel more than anything, and even the slightest harm to her made him feel like screaming into the empty sky. How could the Moon goddess be so cruel, treating his partner in such a way?
Elmer, overwhelmed by the shocking information, accidentally knocked over a vase on the bedside table. The sound of shattering silenced everyone for a while.
“We need to find a witch as soon as possible to protect Hazel,” Cyril finally concluded. “If the witch’s power is the key to breaking the hatred between werewolves and vampires, we don’t need to waste time in the Northern Continent. I’ll contact Theo right away.”
“Hold on!” Elmer suddenly spoke, recalling the events of his captivity. At that time, Cyril had requested everyone to search for Hazel’s traces from all directions of Darkmoon City. That night, the moon hid behind dark clouds, plunging the surroundings into darkness. The weather was similar to the night in the forest before. He suspected this was a characteristic of the appearance of the Dark Robe Wizard.
“Three things happened since we split up. This clearly indicates that we have completely fallen into the trap of the Dark Robe Wizard,” Elmer counted on his fingers. “The first thing is-on the day we separated, when I was searching in the south, I didn’t find a single trace of vampires on any street, as if they had been notified in advance of my arrival and managed to avoid conflicts with me.”
Cyril squinted, questioning Elmer, “Why do you think so?”
“Because even though this is a human city, the actual controllers are vampires and the Dark Robe Wizard. But it can be inferred that the two are only in a cooperative relationship; they don’t have a deep connection. The area I was in belongs to the jurisdiction of the Dark Robe Wizard, and it makes sense not to smell the vampires. However, the strange thing is what happened here. When I finally woke up, I was faced with a group of vampires. So, obviously, they were notified by the Dark Robe Wizard to come and kill me.”
“How did you pass out?”
“Let me explain the second thing I encountered-a rampaging Hybrid.”
“What’s that?” Hazel’s eyebrows furrowed into a line.
“Do you understand the vampire’s thirst for blood in a state of frenzy, Hazel? They lose all reason, like an uncontrollable living dead. At that time, I walked into a bar, intending to find traces of vampires or werewolves. These more luxurious and dimly lit places attract us, and sure enough, I smelled the scent of vampires in the bar. But this vampire’s scent was very strange.”
“What happened to him?” Hazel asked.
“At first, he was just drinking normally, but after finishing a glass of wine, he suddenly went completely out of control. He bit the nearby humans, causing panic throughout the bar. Humans were screaming inside, but basically, none escaped. In less than half an hour, the entire bar was a scene of carnage. I didn’t want to get involved. After all, finding Hazel was my goal, so I tried to leave…”Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.
“He stopped you?” Cyril concluded, contemplating the findings.
“Yes, now that I think about it, the rampage of that vampire could very well have been caused by that glass of wine, or rather, it looked more like a potion that resembled wine. According to the speculation just now, vampires shouldn’t appear in the territory of this Dark Robe Wizard, but there will always be people adept at breaking the rules. However, he doesn’t fully count as breaking the rules.”
“Because he’s a Hybrid?” Cyril pondered for a moment, making a deduction.
“You’re right,” Elmer nodded. “He seems to lose control easily, indicating a lack of control over blood, unlike pure-blood vampires. If he’s not a newborn, it’s highly likely he’s a Hybrid. That’s the second thing I want to point out-Hybrids in this city don’t belong to any faction; they’re free.”
A strange light flashed in Hazel’s eyes, as if she had just thought of something, not entirely displeasing. Before she learned about her identity, she did have some bias against Hybrids.
“Do these two things you mentioned have no direct connection to your coma?” Hazel still wasn’t entirely clear.
“Because I didn’t suffer significant injuries after the Hybrid attacked me. I quickly evaded that vampire, ensuring my speed completely outpaced him. However, I still blacked out. Right at the moment I entered the alley.”
“So, you were also captured by the Dark Robe Wizard,” Cyril concluded.