CONNECT: Rise Of The Undead King

It was already early in the morning; the night sky had completely disappeared, replaced by the brightness of the early morning sun. Uche was still sitting on his bed, legs crossed and eyes closed, and around his fist, a hint of dark crimson glow could be seen there.

Uche had spent the whole night doing the same thing over and over again; he kept doing what Mira had told him to do — silencing his blood awareness, ignoring every presence of blood in his veins as if it weren't there at all. At first, it was so hard for him that Uche thought what Mira had told him was impossible to achieve. Stopping his blood flow was no different from asking him to kill himself, but knowing that Mira had no reason to ask for his life, he continued, and finally, he was able to do it.

He had not been able to perform any blood skills yet, but he was able to stop his blood awareness without killing himself, and after that, he could feel a subtle sense of a different entity that dwelled within him — not just one but two of them.

Uche didn't really think much of the other two entities within him because right at that moment, his vampire instincts bounced back; blood rushed through his veins like a rushing tap, and Uche felt another level of being a vampire.

His senses heightened even more; the feeling of blood within him felt wild, as if it had been suppressed for a long time. When Uche opened his eyes, he could see the faint dark crimson glow swirling around his palm. Then he calmed down, controlling the blood to his fingertips, planning to perform the blood bullet skill that everyone else did.

But then he failed.

He was still unable to control his blood to perform any blood skills, but one thing was certain — he would be able to do it soon because he had finally produced the same glow around his palm like every other student did before performing any blood skills.

"But why is mine dark crimson instead of pure red?"

Uche wondered, but he already knew the answer, given that he's different from everyone else.

He stared at the dark crimson glow for a while before dismissing it and got off his bed.

"That would do for now. Let's prepare for class."

---

Some minutes later, Uche could be seen sitting in class with his attention focused on the history teacher as he explained something to them at the front.

As usual, Mr. Richard had come early this morning to check on his class and make a head count, then left immediately without sparing Uche a glance. The old man didn't even act as if anything had happened yesterday, and the same thing went for the students.

Nobody looked at him weirdly, like some monster or demon that needed to be rid of; nobody gave him that look. In fact, a few of them gave him a respectful look instead of the usual trash look they always gave him, and Uche could guess that was because of his performance in the weekly martial arts duel. So, that didn't relate to what happened yesterday in any way.

"They all forgot about it as Mr. Richard had told them,"

Uche muttered. It was as if he was the only one who knew about the incident — well, Mr. Richard too, who had decided to feign ignorance for some reason Uche couldn't guess.

The history teacher stepped into the class the moment Mr. Richard left, and all the students, including Uche himself, were focused. They gave the man absolute attention as they all enjoyed the history class.

"Today, you'll all be lucky to hear me talk about the Ancient Vampires — the Originals,"

the man said with a dramatic tone that made the class cheer in joy.

"Our last class was about vampire history and their history with humans. But today, we'll be talking about the Ancient Vampires — the Original Vampires, our ancestors."

'I'm thankful I didn't decide to keep sleeping lazily in my room,'

Uche thought. He didn't really have a good night's sleep, as he had spent the whole night doing his best to cultivate his blood skills. Early this morning, he had thought of having a small sleep before going to class, but he decided against it, and now, he was a bit thankful.

"The Originals are the first of our kind, the first vampires in this world — our ancestors."

"The Originals are seven in number. They're the origin of our bloodline, and they have powers that surpass every vampire alive today. Every vampire you see, no matter how powerful, no matter how ancient, can trace their blood back to one of the Originals."

The man paused for a while before continuing.

"It was recorded that the Originals were not born but were turned instead."

"Turned?"

All the students muttered in confusion.

"Yes, the Originals were turned. They were once human before they were turned into vampires — but they weren't turned by any vampire; they were turned by nature."

The man paused for a second.

"They're not just called Originals by name; they're Original by nature — a beginning that refused to end. They possess absolute immortality and have powers that can shift the balance of nature."

"Some ancient scrolls state that they're cursed with vampirism, while some state that they're blessed. But it all depends on the Originals' viewpoint — whether vampirism is a curse or a blessing to them."

The history teacher continued on how the first seven vampires had reacted after they were turned, how they adapted to their new identity, and what led to them being turned into vampires.

He mentioned their adventures in the human world, their relationships with humans after they were turned, and how they had hidden what they were from humans for centuries — hiding in the shadows of the night. The sun was their nemesis, and they never dared to show up during the day.

"At first, they didn't know the extent of their power. They only knew they had supernatural strength, speed, and heightened senses, and also that they could only survive on human blood. They never knew the perks of being vampires — not until Varlock, the first of them to accept vampirism as a new identity, shared his knowledge with them."

"He made the other six realize that blood is not just a means of survival for them; it's not just a source of food. He made them realize that blood is the root of their power, and with blood, they can rule over the world and become the apex predators. He showed them a way to walk freely in the sun, a way to live as normal humans, and a way to make humans bend to their will."

"Varlock was a scientist and researcher before he was turned into a vampire, and as a vampire, all his senses heightened — including his IQ. His thinking was on another level; he could find the best solution to any situation in mere seconds, and that's what made others fear him."

"He created everything we use now. Our advanced technologies were all made by him. He turned the Arcane World into a place we could live without the fear of the sun burning us to death. He also made us realize that we could live without human blood. He created a different source of food for us and made us realize that we could rule over the world, bend it to our will, and become the apex predators."

"This Varlock sounds scary,"

Uche muttered under his breath.

"Varlock was a great man. The other six feared and respected him because of who he was — he could turn any situation to his advantage, make others surrender to his will, and knew how to protect his people. Because of this, he was crowned the first king of the Vampire Council after the Originals found a settlement."

"But then, even Varlock — with how great he was, with how knowledgeable and powerful he could be — still feared someone."

"Huh?"

The students gasped.

Who the hell could that be?

"He feared this person to the extent that he abandoned most of his inventions to his descendants and fled, not only him but the other Originals as well."