RISE OF EROS

After the warm embrace, the two elders parted and Zaros suddenly said, "Let's talk somewhere else," and without waiting for Elidyr to accept his proposal, he disappeared.

Elidyr shook his head at how his old friend behaved, thinking that nothing had changed. Zaros was always a bit overbearing and wanted things done according to what he wanted.

While that was a flaw of Zaros, Elidyr didn't care as it was a minor matter, so he put his thoughts aside and followed his old friend. The two elders appeared at the mansion of the Duke of the City.

The mansion is massive and luxurious. The security at the place was on par with any great noble or royalty on the continent and Elidyr realized that there were more vampires than met the eye.

Being a friend of Zaro's and living next to the duchy of Cannes, Elidyr obviously knew of the existence of vampires in this place, but he never bothered with them, because, unlike the ignorant inhabitants of the continent, he knew vampires very well.

After entering the mansion, the two old men arrived at a small, but very cozy and luxurious room. Elidyr looked around and with a smile said, "I see that you do not change your habits."

"I like good things," was what Zaros replied, while taking a bottle of wine from the shelf. Elidyr only shook his head as if resigned to his friend's attitude and sat down in one of the comfortable armchairs arranged there.

Zaros opened the bottle of wine and a fragrant and delicious smell invaded the room. For two demigods like these, alcohol had to be special or it was not worth it and just the smell of this wine was enough to demonstrate its rarity and quality.

Pouring two glasses of wine, Zaros handed one to Elidyr as he said, "Wine made from centuries-old crimson grapes." Elidyr opened his eyes upon hearing this and happily said before taking a sip, "You always have good things."

Crimson grapes are a fruit that is difficult to cultivate. In fact, only the most erudite farmers among the forest elves who are specialists in plant cultivation are able to produce them and if you add to this the fact that they are centuries old, the rarity increases.

This wine is not only expensive due to the difficulty of finding its materials, but its production process is also demanding, and if you add to that the fact that it is a spiritual wine that helps refine the soul, well that says it all.

It is not an exaggeration to say that a single bottle of this wine is enough to buy a small ducat, that is how valuable this wine is. The two elders enjoyed their glass of wine and after a few minutes Zaros was the one to break the silence, "So, who is that boy?"

Elidyr smiled and began to tell him everything he knew about Andrew. He trusts Zaros, as they have been friends for centuries, so he is not afraid to tell him Andrew's identity. He even tells him that he plans to give him the remains of the gods who died in the war 1,000 years ago.

Zaros, who listened attentively, was surprised by what his friend was telling him. He was not surprised that Andrew was a god candidate since he had already noticed that, what surprised him was that Elidyr thought of giving him the remains of the gods who died in the war.

He understood the benefits that those remains could bring, so he did not expect Elidyr to think of giving them away. "Are you sure you want to give him that?" Zaros asked, a little reluctant to accept his friend's disposition.

It was not that he was greedy for these remains since he and his family had their own benefits from the war, but he still did not think it would be good for Elidyr to give that away to an inexperienced god candidate like Andrew.

Even more so when he learned that Andrew was a candidate for the god Eros. Not being a god of battle was even more of a reason for Zaros to worry, but Elidyr was determined and explained his motives to the old vampire.
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Zaros listened carefully to Elidyr's conclusions and was soon convinced. While Zaros is not as selfless as Elidyr, as to give up his treasures, he has to admit that his friend is making the right move.

Zaros also knew the atrocities of war, especially the one that the fallen god would bring if he were revived. They needed a god on their side and although Andrew was not the ideal, as his domain is not combat, it was the only one they had.

Mortals can ascend as gods, but this is not only difficult, but in doing so, they become the weakest gods in existence. For this reason, even if Zaros or Elidyr achieved godhood, they would still be insufficient against the fallen god.

That's why the best option was to have Andrew absorb the divine domains of the remains of the gods who died in the war a thousand years ago in order to have a better chance of winning.

Andrew's strength when he ascended to divinity and the strength that any mortal in this world would have when ascending to divinity were very different. While all beings have the divinity of the creator god, they are different in quantity and quality.

The amount of divinity received by the creator god in Andrew's soul is so great and so pure that it needs to be sealed so that the soul can withstand it, that alone shows the great difference.

"Is that boy reliable?" Zaros asked as he accepted the situation and Elidyr replied, "From what I have seen, he is." The old vampire took a sip of wine and looked into space as if thinking something and Elidyr guessing his thoughts said, "You can offer him a good establishment."

Zaros wrinkled his eyebrows at such a comment, as he did not understand and Elidyr explained, "It is not necessary for you to give away your treasures. Unlike us liquid spirits, your family only received a small reward and it is not fair for you to give it away, but that is not the only way to help."

"What do you mean by an establishment?" Zaros asked, nodding at Elidyr's words, and Elidyr explained, "He is a candidate for the god Eros, so he must improve his mastery. From what I have discovered, he does so by opening pleasure houses, and he will surely do the same in your city."

"So that is why he was wandering around the pleasure district," Zaros murmured, understanding what his friend was trying to convey to him. "That is correct. He surely has not found what he wants, so you can support him in that."

"Still, it would be strange to appear out of nowhere and give him something," Zaros suddenly said, to which Elidyr replied, "Although you could do it anonymously, I recommend that you be direct, even if it seems strange."

"You are right. If I hide it, he will not know that I helped him, and in the future, I will not be able to obtain benefits," Zaros said, and Elidyr added, "Besides, that boy is suspicious. He must have gone through many hardships, so it is better to be honest."

After that conversation, they continued talking about old times until they finished their glass of wine and then Elidyr left. It was already quite late, but Zaros still extended his divinity to call his son.

Seconds later a middle-aged man with silver hair and red eyes appeared in front of Zaros and kneeling on one leg said, "What are your orders, father?".

This man is Damon, the current Duke of Cannes and the ruler of this territory, at least that is what everyone believes and while it is not entirely a lie, since he is in charge of the affairs of the duchy, the reality is that Zaros is the head of the family.

"Damon, tomorrow morning first thing in the morning you will go to the inn called Nightingale's Dream and ask for a young man named Andrew. Bring him to the mansion. Be polite to him and his companions. He is an honored guest, the entire family must be present," Zaros said calmly, but seriously and Damon only responded with a "Yes sir."

Damon didn't even ask who Andrew was, why he was an honored guest, or any other questions because he knew that if his father moved, it wasn't for a simple matter.

That's the reason why everyone thought Zaros didn't exist since he never showed himself or made showy movements. It was always Damon who showed himself in public and managed things in the duchy in the company of his wife and children.

Because of this, both Damon and his family had learned that when Zaros gave an order, it had to be very important, so they didn't dare to be negligent, with this matter.

Damon is an experienced man, so as soon as he receives the order from his father, he sends a group of vampires to investigate the place and who Andrew is. This wasn't to spy on him, but his father didn't give him details, so he needed to know at least Andrew's appearance in order to talk to him.

Oliver noticed that some people were watching them, but he didn't feel any bad intentions, so he didn't make a move, however, he couldn't help but think, "Things are going to get complicated."

After organizing everything, Damon returned to Zaros' room and there he could find his wife Abigale, his two daughters Helga and Layla, as well as his son Jasper gathered.

"What's wrong, Grandpa?" asked the curious Layla who, being the youngest and the princess of the family, could always be reckless in front of them. Zaros smiled at his little granddaughter who was not so little and began to explain.

Even though Zaros trusted his family, he did not reveal to them that Andrew is a god candidate because that information is not something that could be revealed and although he was sure that his family would not disclose it, there is still the possibility that others could obtain that information from them by force.

Since Andrew was a hidden card against the fallen god who could revive, Zaros intended to keep it that way. Still, he sternly conveyed the importance of having a good relationship with Andrew.

Although he didn't give many details, everyone understood the seriousness and Layla being the youngest, the most playful, and the most curious asked, "He's not my fiancé or your sister's, right?".

Such a question made everyone stunned and Damon along with his wife Abigale looked at Zaros fiercely, but Zaros just laughed and answered, "If you guys like him I won't object, he's a good match, but no pressure, I will not force you."