Awakening Domination System: But I'm a Slave?-Chapter 312: The Beggining [3]

Thirteen thrones arranged in a circle.

Eight of those thrones were occupied.

Five remained empty.

The weight of those absences pressed down on everyone present, tangible reminder of how quickly everything had changed.

Lord Erebus Drakenfell sat in the largest throne, carved entirely from blackened bone, its armrests ending in skeletal hands. He appearance frozen in his mid-forties.

Pale skin like polished marble. Hair so black it seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it. Eyes the color of dying stars. His features were sharp, aristocratic.

He wore robes of deepest midnight trimmed with silver thread.

To his right, Lady Valeria Bloodmoon sat rigid in a throne of crystallized blood. She looked perhaps thirty, with crimson hair that moved like liquid even when perfectly still, and eyes that shifted between shades of red depending on her mood, currently burning like fresh arterial spray.

Her house’s matriarch was among the dead. Her stronghold burned. Her bloodline decimated.

The grief and fury radiating from her made the air itself feel heavy.

Across from them, Lord Kaelis Eternal occupied a throne. He appeared elderly, maintaining silver hair and weathered features. His eyes were pale gold.

Lady Serana Nightveil, wearing the colors of the fallen House Shadowveil, the only surviving member of its leadership branch, sat in a throne that seemed to exist partially in shadow. Young-looking, maybe twenty-five in appearance, with hair like spun silver and eyes that were pure black. She’d been visiting another house when Malachai struck. The only reason she still lived.

Lord Thaddeus Crimsonveil. Middle-aged appearance, auburn hair, eyes like copper.

Lady Morgause Paleblood sat in a throne of white stone veined with red.

She looked barely out of her teens, with platinum blonde hair and eyes like fresh snow. Her house had survived Malachai’s initial purge only because they’d bent knee immediately, swearing vassalage to avoid annihilation.

Lord Cassius Dreadmourne. Tall, gaunt, with hollow features and eyes like empty voids.

And finally, Lady Isadora Ravencrest sat in a throne of interwoven bones.

She appeared in her late thirties, with black hair streaked with white and blue eyes.

Eight survivors of the Ancient Houses.

Five empty thrones.

The silence stretched for several minutes before Lord Erebus finally spoke.

"In six days," he said quietly, each word measured, "Malachai Drakenmoor’s coalition has destroyed five Ancient House strongholds. Five bloodlines... extinguished like candles."

His eyes swept across the assembled lords and ladies.

"House Shadowveil. Annihilated. Lord Corvus and his entire direct bloodline executed. Their stronghold claimed, their assets absorbed, their name struck from records."

"House Bloodmoon." His gaze found Lady Valeria, who flinched but held his eyes. "Your matriarch. Your daughters. Your sons. All dead."

"House Ironspire. Lord Theron Blackstone made his final stand in his own throne room. Died with sword in hand, surrounded by the corpses of coalition soldiers. His family was given no such honorable death."

"House Ashenvale. Lady Miriam surrendered hoping for mercy. There was none. She watched her children executed before her eyes, then was drained completely to fuel Malachai’s own power."

"And House Silverthorn." Erebus’s voice dropped even lower. "Perhaps the worst. They survived the initial assault. Fought off the first wave. Sent messengers requesting aid, reinforcements, anything." He paused, letting that sink in.

"Those messengers never reached us. Intercepted or killed. Silverthorn held out for two days before Malachai returned with his full force. What he did to them..."

He didn’t finish. Didn’t need to. Everyone had heard the reports.

Lady Valeria’s hands clenched on her throne’s armrests. "My sister begged for the children’s lives. On her knees, she begged Malachai to spare just the youngest, barely past awakening age. You know what he did?"

No one answered.

"He said—" Her voice cracked slightly. "He said ’Children grow into threats.’ Then he killed her in front of my sister before executing my sister as well."

The temperature in the chamber dropped despite no essence being actively channeled.

Lord Kaelis Eternal leaned forward, his pale gold eyes sharp. "We need to address facts. Five houses destroyed in six days. That’s not just ambition or luck."

"He’s getting stronger," Lady Serana’s voice was hollow. "Each house he destroys, each bloodline he exterminates, he absorbs their essence. Their accumulated power."

"The terror is spreading," Lord Thaddeus added. "Our vassal houses are abandoning us. Joining his coalition rather than face annihilation. We’ve lost nearly forty lesser houses in the past week alone."

Lady Morgause spoke quietly. "He offers them something we never did. Not just survival, but actual power. Autonomy. The chance to rise beyond their station." She met their gazes without flinching. "He’s building an empire based on merit and hunger rather than ancient privilege. And it’s working."

"So we die for our pride?" Lady Valeria’s voice was sharp, angry. "Is that what you’re suggesting? That we should have bent knee like you did? Watched our families slaughtered because we refused to—"

"I’m suggesting," Morgause interrupted coldly, "that we acknowledge reality. The old order is dying. We can either adapt or join the other five houses in extinction."

CRACK!

Lord Erebus’s hand slammed on his throne’s armrest with enough force to fracture bone. The sound echoed through the chamber like a gunshot.

"Enough." His voice carried absolute authority. "We are the Ancient Houses. We have survived wars of even larger scales. We will not collapse now because one brat got lucky."

"Lucky?" Lady Serana’s black eyes fixed on him. "He destroyed five Ancient Houses in six days. That’s not luck. That’s—"

"Strategy," Lord Cassius Dreadmourne spoke for the first time, his void-like eyes unreadable. "Careful planning combined with perfect timing. He struck when we were isolated, unprepared, convinced of our own invulnerability." A pause. "He won’t have that advantage again."

"Won’t he?" Lord Kaelis’s tone was sharp. "We’re scattered. Our strongholds are separated by vast distances. Our communication is slow. He can strike anywhere, anytime, with overwhelming force, and we can’t coordinate fast enough to stop him."

Silence fell again.

Finally, Lady Isadora Ravencrest spoke. "We could seek outside assistance."

Every head turned toward her. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"The Celestials," she continued calmly. "They have vested interest in maintaining balance. A vampire civil war of this scale threatens that balance. They might—"

"No." Lord Erebus’s voice was flat. Final. "We do not invite celestial intervention into internal vampire affairs. That sets precedent we cannot afford."

"The demons then," Lord Thaddeus suggested. "Some of the demon lords owe us favors. If we—"

"And trade one master for another?" Lady Valeria’s laugh was bitter. "Invite demons into our territory and hope they leave when we’re done? That’s suicide."

"Then what do you suggest?" Lady Serana demanded, her hollow voice carrying desperation. "We can’t match his numbers. Can’t match his momentum. Every day we delay, he gets stronger and we get weaker. So what, we just wait for him to come finish us?"

"We fight," Lord Erebus said. "We fortify. We make him bleed for every inch. Yes, he’s strong. Yes, he has numbers. But we have centuries of accumulated power."

He stood, his presence filling the chamber.

"We are the Primordial Vampires. We ruled when his ancestors were barely crawling from graves. We have survived everything this world has thrown at us." His voice dropped to something cold and terrible. "And we will survive him."

"By doing what, exactly?" Lord Kaelis pressed. "Fortifying our individual strongholds and hoping he can’t break them? That’s exactly what the other five houses tried."

"By uniting," Erebus replied. "No more isolation. No more pride. We consolidate. Bring our forces together in a single, defensible location. Create a stronghold he cannot breach, no matter how many bodies he throws at it."

"And abandon our ancestral homes?" Lady Valeria’s voice was strained. "Our territories? Our legacy?"

"To preserve that legacy," Erebus countered. "Empty strongholds can be reclaimed. Dead bloodlines cannot."

He looked at each of them in turn.

"Malachai’s advantage is mobility and numbers. We remove that advantage by refusing to give him isolated targets. We gather. We prepare. And when he comes, we make him pay in blood for every step forward."

Lord Cassius nodded slowly. "The Drakenfell fortress. It’s the most defensible stronghold remaining. Built into the mountain itself, with formations that have held for six thousand years."

"More than held," Erebus agreed. "My house has spent time perfecting those defenses. If we pool our resources, we can make it truly impregnable."

"And if he brings his entire coalition?" Lord Thaddeus asked. "Twenty-three houses. Thousands of vampires. All attacking simultaneously?"

Erebus’s smile was cold and sharp.

"Then we demonstrate why we’re called the Primordials. Why bloodlines deserve that respect." His eyes blazed brighter. "We show him and every traitorous vassal that bent knee to him."

He raised one pale hand.

"Those who stand with House Drakenfell, who agree to consolidate and coordinate, raise your hands."

Lord Cassius raised his hand immediately.

Lady Serana followed, her black eyes showing the first hint of hope.

Lord Thaddeus hesitated, then raised his hand.

Lady Isadora’s constantly-shifting eyes settled on gold as she raised hers.

Lady Valeria stared at her hand for long moments, grief and fury warring across her features. Finally, she raised it, not hope in her eyes, but vengeance.

Lord Kaelis was last. His pale gold eyes studied Erebus carefully, calculating, assessing. Then slowly, deliberately, his hand rose.

Only Lady Morgause kept her hands on her throne. "I’ve already bent knee to Malachai. Breaking that oath means death."

"You were never given a choice," Erebus said quietly. "Join us now, and we’ll protect you. Or stay with him, and burn when we burn him."

Morgause’s expression flickered, fear, calculation, something else. Finally, she raised her hand.

All eight Ancient House representatives were united.