Blood Awakening: The Strongest Hybrid and His Vampire Bride

Meanwhile, in a hidden facility built deep underground with dull grey walls and distant screams echoing. A haggard male was kneeling before a council of blurred figures sitting behind a raised stone platform, resembling a courtroom bench.

"Member Seong, are you aware why we have brought you here today?"

The haggard man, chained to the ground, gazed up with dull eyes. His face, once handsome and filled with charm, now gaunt and emaciated.

"…"

He couldn't respond well, shaking with a terrified expression. His lips trembled and opened, but only groans came out, his greying hair messy like seaweed.

"Member Seong, why did you break the rules and attack Nikolai Volkov, a specimen of great value to our project." Another of the blurred figures called out to Ryan's father. A sharp, but elegant voice which caused the mature male to tremble.

This voice resembled the one who ordered his torture.

"I…"

"Member Seong, speak before the council loses their patience."

'How could I have known?'

Frustration, anger and disgust filled his mind at their judgement.

His situation changed because he accepted an anonymous request from a high-level customer. After that attack, Jin Seong's life became a living hell.

The position that his family held for generations vanished. His companies and actions were investigated by the SSS, and he lost all power.

'Why did attacking that monster ruin my life?'

"I only fulfilled a request, posted on the mercenary board!" Jin Seong snapped. He refused to take this treatment lying down and gathered his mind and thoughts, ready to fight.

"Oh? Member Seong, are you telling us that somebody could post a request on a subject classified at the level of SSS Supreme command?"

"Yes!"

His response caused a commotion in the side benches filled with people wearing black masks, and robes hiding their features, curses, and insults were hurled at him.

"Liar!"

"How dare you attack the young lord!"

'Damn it, I knew that the higher ups joined hands with certain monster clans, but my son told me that Nikolai was just a stray…'

Jin's heart grew cold because of his desire to rise in the ranks before his son took over. He never imagined his son would betray him and take the side of a monster, hiding valuable information from his own father.

"Shut up, freaks! How dare you stand above humanity, when you are nothing but insects feasting on corpses and blood!"

He no longer felt guilty, his only regret not killing the bastard when he attacked, because of that most of his comrades and allies were killed, or forced to flee.

"Member Seong, calm yourself! This is an official hearing, do not say anything that would incriminate yourself further!"

"Hah! You've already decided to ignore anything I say, hypocrites."

Because of one mission, he lost everything. His heir took the side of another daughter, condemned him for being a monster.

'How could I be like these freaks? They feast on humans in the shadows, while pretending to be our saviours!'

Clack!

The central figure hit his gravel on the bench, causing a deep echo, while casting his gaze upon Jin Seong, who no longer knelt but stood with trembling legs.

"Member Seong, can you take responsibility for your words?" This man's voice sounded familiar.

A memory triggered, showing in Jin's mind.

Jin found himself reminded of a phone call one month earlier when he took the request. He found the voice identical to the current speaker.

"Your task is to capture, or kill, the target known as Nikolai Volkov."

Ryan sat opposite him, and he suddenly realised this request was something he couldn't tell his son about because Jin recognised the name.

'That was the moment everything collapsed…'

The memory faded, along with his son's curious gaze.

Despite knowing Ryan wouldn't look at him with respect again, Jin refused to admit his mistake and forgave only his son.

"Can you take responsibility for yours, head speaker?"

"Oh?"

The speaker's voice contained a sense of respect, his hidden lips curling under the hood.

Jin Seong's trembling body, his fear, and sense of danger vanished in a room filled with monsters. At least, that's what he believed. He no longer cared about his fate. If it was doomed from the start, he wouldn't fall alone.

He desired to get revenge on the ones who put him here, and Nikolai Volkov. Jin knew it wasn't fair or logical, but when on the precipice of death, why did he need to care about virtues?

'I have no evidence, no one will believe me. Then what can I do to survive?'

"Ladies and gentlemen of the council." Once again, the speaker's voice echoed, filling the room, causing Jin's spine to tingle.

"What do you have to say, chairman?"

"I must request you allow me to deal with this filth, as a matter of our honour and upstanding!"

Jin's heart pounded, the sound almost echoing across the entire room.

"This man knows how to get access to classified information—therefore, he should be considered a grave threat."

One blurred figure spoke.

"I agree, Member Seong has shown himself to be resourceful if nothing else…"

'Traitors, all of them!' Jin screamed in his heart, a pitiful and hoarse cry. His eyes never left the central figure, confused and constantly trying to find a way to escape this hell.

"Then allow me, as head speaker and member of the supreme council, to deal with this threat! For the future of our alliance. People like this cannot be allowed to remain." As he spoke, two words kept appearing within the man's dialogue, Alliance and Future.

Jin didn't know what they were referring to and didn't care.

"Who are you to determine my future!"

He shouted out, spittle flying from his mouth, before the guards rushed towards him to beat down the ruffian.

Bang!

The speaker smashed his gravel against the platform once more, his blurred features now gazing downwards.

"Jin Seong, we shall not blame your daughter, wife, or son and your role shall be inherited by Ryan Seong."

"What?! Head speaker?"

"You can't do this, the Seong family must be punished!"

"How dare you all speak against the head speaker! Do you know no shame?!"

Jin's eyes darted across the room.

Various black robed observers complained, while the white and grey robed members argued back at the head speaker's words. Enjoy new tales from empire

'What's going on?' He thought to himself, balling his hands into fists.

Clack!

"Retain Order!"

Once the head speaker hit his gravel twice, the others stopped speaking, before the room filled with a frigid air, causing Jin Seong's body to shake from the chill.

"Mr Seong, let me ask you one last question." Asked another blurred figure.

"…Ok." He nodded, eyeing the surrounding figures carefully, wanting to flee their piercing gazes.

"Will you continue to be loyal to humanity even though you made such a mistake?"

"What is the meaning of this?" Jin responded in a dull voice.

"I'm just asking if you regret your previous actions."

"Never!"

This response caused the head speaker to chuckle to himself once again, causing the other speakers beside him to look confused, turning to each other before the gravel hit the bench twice again.

"I will bestow judgement upon the sinner."

"I…"

"Yes, he deserves it for his crimes!" Several voices cried out together in unison. Their glee sending shivers down the former commander's back.

"No, there's something wrong!"

'Someone save me!'

"Hahaha." The head speaker's laughter caused everyone to look at him confused. His blurry features, almost visible as they flickered in front of Jin's eyes.

"You are sentenced to death, but we are not monsters…"

Before he could finish speaking, the guards grabbed Jin Seong and dragged him away. He struggled, biting at their hands and kicking out in desperation, but it was futile because of the chains binding him.

[Jin Seong, I will give you a chance to survive.]

'A voice?'

Inside Jin's mind, the head speaker's low, arrogant voice echoed.

[You will be sentenced to death, but I shall allow you to survive, wait for the third hour on the second night, and pray to the waning moon. There you will find the chance to retake your future.]

"Take him to the tower of sacrifice, his execution will take place in seven days."

'But why?! Why are they giving me another chance, even after my sins?'

'I'm nothing but an insignificant insect… why would they offer me a second chance?'

[Because it's fun!]

The voice caused his face to turn white, the rough hands of the guards almost breaking his bones no longer hurt, only the feeling of terror, his life decided on such a careless whim. Jin Seong's spirit almost shattered, before he bit his tongue, enough to tear it, forcing himself to remain sane.

'Since you offer a chance, I shall take it. Snake!'

[Hahahaha!]

Chaos overtook the courtroom while guards dragged Jin Seong to the tower of sacrifice.

.

.

.

'That was two days ago… but how could there be moonlight in this damn cell?'

A dull, grey room wrapped in stone more than a metre thick kept Jin Seong trapped. He couldn't contact family or friends, and his death was certain.

The meals were low-quality slop, with barely enough nourishment to survive the two days.

Thump…

Jin hit the walls.

He tried to find the hint before losing hope and wondering if the monster was playing with him one last time.

His sense of time became vague, but the small hole at the top of his cage allowed him to see the tiniest speck of light, and Jin estimated it was close to the third hour, 3am.

"Where could it be, what did the waning moon mean?"

Desperate to survive, his hands slipped across the grey bricks, until the moonlight that barely shone started to move, and when the distant bell struck three.

A certain brick was illuminated.

"T-This?"

Click!

When he touched the brick, it sank into the wall and a moment later the grey wall started to part, piece by piece, before a dark passage appeared.

"He didn't trick me?"