My Vampire Harem Will Dominate Everything

Ezra stared at the diamond, the memory he had just watched playing over and over in his mind.

Everything was clear now. Too clear.

Gen had gone on a crusade of vengeance for her sister and now, she was dead. Gone. Forever.

Now, there was no need for him to hold back. He would make sure James and Anya paid for what they'd done.

He glanced down at the memory cache. The vitality contained in it was gone and with it, the memory. But he didn't need the memory to make them pay.

If the memory was true, and it is, Nicodemus was still alive somewhere. He just needed to find the man and he'd have exactly what he needed to destroy them.

He and his brother-in-law, fighting side by side.

He returned the diamond back to the box and that was when he noticed it sitting innocently like it was deliberately hiding. A plain gold ring. It shone with the light of vitality.

Another memory cache.

He cast out his Aura and examined it. What could it contain?

Well, he didn't need to wonder. He'd just check it. It could turn out to be the location of Nicodemus.
Stay connected through empire

He picked up the cache and was immediately dragged into the memory.

Another memory of Hyde's. This time, he was standing beside a familiar man.

Nicodemus!

Ezra remembered him from the memory of him unconscious when Hyde, James and Anya had been discussing their Veilbreaker plan. But this time, he looked healthy and well, with a big smile on his face.

They were standing in front of the statue of the money king.

The moment Ezra stared at the statue, the pain in his soul intensified. "Argh!" He clutched his chest but it was as if Nicodemus didn't notice. He kept staring at the statue.

As for the statue, it stared straight at Ezra as if it was a living being. It sat regally, complete with its breastplate and trident.

"Why are we here, Nicodemus?" Hyde asked. "Why come to this city with James when we could be in our own city with you as Count. Is it because of this statue?"

"This statue isn't just any statue, Hyde." Nicodemus said confidently, his eyes never leaving the statue. "There's more to it than meets the eye."

Hyde glanced between Nicodemus and the statue before asking the question on his mind. "It's just a statue, isn't it?"

"No." Nicodemus crossed his arms. "It's not just any statue. It's a key."

Hyde frowned. "Key to what?"

Nicodemus chuckled, shaking his head. "The key to a special kind of knowledge. Unfortunately, it's currently out of my reach."

He sighed before continuing. "I'm not strong enough. Not yet."

Hyde said nothing for a moment before speaking. "You know, I tried learning about this money king and I found nothing about him."

"That's by design." Nicodemus chuckled. "It won't be fun or hard to find him if the information was everywhere but fortunately, I looked in the right places."

"Where?"

"The Ark." Nicodemus said. "It is the only place where traces of the story of two people still exist till this day."

"Who are they?" Hyde asked.

"This," Nicodemus motioned to the statue, "is the man called Shadrach."

The moment Ezra heard the name, it was like a veil had been removed from his eyes. The more Nicodemus talked, the more pieces fell into place.

"Shadrach was a descendant of the Progenitor. From what I could find, he was beloved by the progenitor and this was his city."

The reason the money king looked like him! It had been the other way around. He looked like Shadrach.

"He was always seen in the company of a lady called Valaren and they were apparently powerful together. And based on what I could find, Shadrach was murdered and Valaren disappeared never to be seen again. This statue was built after his death."

The feeling in his gut. He had been dragged to the statue all along and he hadn't known. Why?

"You see that breastplate?" Nicodemus said, motioning to the breastplate designed with concentric circles that the statue was wearing. "It's important. Very. That's why I have to do this."

"Do what?" Hyde asked.

"Protect it." Then Nicodemus spread his hands and this time, instead of a black zone, clouds of red mist poured out of him before slowly seeping into the statue. "All must forget this statue. Until I'm ready to claim my right."

"Shadrach." Just before the memory cuts off, Nicodemus uttered six words that completed the puzzle. "At the tip of his tongue."

Ezra was pushed out of the memory as the vitality ran out.

Nicodemus had come to the city of Faewall seeking the same thing he'd been seeking. He hadn't known what it was but Nicodemus had.

A key. A key to something hidden away by the progenitor.

His mind went to one of the first stories he'd heard of the progenitor. The formation of the Book of Nightmares. The progenitor had hidden the sixth page at the tip of his tongue.

And it could be said that he mentioned Shadrach a lot. And Shadrach was at the tip of his tongue.

That meant the relic inside of James was the sixth.

And if the sixth relic was here with a key, there was only one lock he could think of in which the key would be able to open.

The lock of the progenitor's palace. The place where the throne is. The place with the entrance of the abyss.

He dropped the ring into the box, closed it and left the secure room. This wasn't the time to reflect. This was the time to act.

All he needed to do was claim the key and this pain in his soul would be gone. He'd destroy whatever it is that Nicodemus had placed on the statue and after claiming this power, he'd make sure Anya and James paid the price.

For Gen.

For Avenger.