BXBX NOVEL Chapter 53: How To Kill A Vampire
Moving to the living room, Ezra was greeted by the sight of Olivia carefully preparing dinner. The aroma of the rich, nourishing blood filled the room accompanied by the familiar aroma of chicken. Ezra inhaled, taking in the scent. "Marinated blood chicken."
Olivia moved gracefully, an apron tied around her waist, highlighting her curves. She looked up and gave a tiny smile as she saw him.
"Good evening, Ezra," she said, her voice steady. "I thought you might be hungry."
Ezra nodded, feeling the thirst gnawing at him. "Thanks, Olivia. I could use something to eat."
As he settled into his usual position at the head of the table, Gen entered the room. She carried herself with her usual confidence, her eyes scanning the room. She nodded in greeting to both of them and took a seat at the table.
Dinner was a quiet affair at first, each of them lost in their own thoughts. They each ruminated on the events of the previous night, each thinking about what they could have done differently.
The dinner Olivia had prepared was as usual, a blend of flavors, rich and sustaining, helping to replenish their depleted vitality.
After dinner, Olivia broke the silence. "We need to talk about our living situation," she began, her tone serious. "Since we were followed to the warehouse, it\'s clear that our enemies know where we live. It\'s no longer safe to stay at the penthouse."
Gen and Ezra exchanged glances, both understanding what was happening. "You\'re right," Gen agreed. "We can\'t afford to stay in one place for too long, especially if it\'s compromised."
Ezra nodded. "So, where do we go from here?"
Olivia sighed, looking thoughtful. "We need to find a new base of operations, somewhere they can\'t track us so easily. It also means we need to be more careful about our movements."
Gen leaned forward, her expression serious. "Ezra, you won\'t be able to move publicly with our new gang anymore. The humans saw you die, and that complicates things."
Ezra frowned, considering the implications. "I could wear a mask," he suggested. "It would allow me to move around without being recognized."
"They know your build but," Olivia nodded slowly, "that could work, as long as you don\'t let the team see you. We need to maintain the illusion of your death."
"I\'ll get started on our new place." Gen stood up, her mind clearly already working on the logistics. "I\'ve got some stuff to take care of," she announced. "We\'ll start packing and make arrangements to move out. I\'ll let you know when I\'ve found perfect location."
As Gen left the room, Olivia turned to Ezra, her expression shifting to one of focus. "It\'s time for our lessons," she said.
Ezra nodded, understanding that no matter how powerful he was, he could still be brought down by lack of knowledge. They moved to a side room, where Olivia had set up a training area. The space was modest but functional, with enough room for sparring and practicing their abilities. Olivia materialized her feather swords, the edges gleaming under the soft light.
"Tonight, we\'ll focus on refining your control over Valaren," she said, her tone authoritative. "You\'ve come a long way, Ezra, but there\'s still much to learn. But before we begin, we\'ll be taking a short time to brush up your knowledge."
"Okay. Let\'s do this."
"What makes a person a vampire?" Olivia asked.
"Being bitten and turned?" Ezra shrugged, grinning.
"A vampire is any being who has no natural soul." Olivia sniffed.
"Wait, what?" Ezra stood at attention. "We have no soul?!" He asked incredulously.
"We have a soul. It\'s just not natural." Olivia explained calmly. "Vampires die in order to be reborn and when you die, you lose your soul. Souls are what give the body vitality."
Ezra frowned.
"When vampires are bitten, the vampire virus changes the body, using it to fashion an artificial soul. This soul is housed in the heart of every vampire." Olivia continued. "That is why there are only two ways to kill a vampire. First, by leaving them for prolonged periods in the sun. The sun is a giver of life and a cleanser. Vampires are a desecration of life.
The sun will burn the vampire to dust and cleanse the earth."
"The second way is to destroy a vampire\'s heart. When a vampire\'s heart is destroyed, their artificial soul is also destroyed. If you destroy a vampire\'s body but leave the heart, they can regenerate back to life with sufficient blood or vitality."
"Wait a minute." Ezra raised a finger. "I\'m pretty sure I stabbed X in the heart yesterday."
"No you didn\'t." Olivia shook her head. "You speared his chest but not his heart. He would\'ve dropped dead immediately. I suspect that is the reason why he was so eager to retreat."
"Okay. If we have artificial souls, why can\'t we create our own vitality like a normal soul?"
"Vampires don\'t have a full soul."
Ezra raised his eyebrows. "What now? First we have no natural soul and now, we don\'t have a full soul."
"Yes." Olivia nodded. "Vampires don\'t have a full soul. The soul is to complex to be housed in a physical location like the heart. That is why male and female vampires each have different halves."
Ezra\'s eyes widened in realisation.
"Yes." Olivia acknowledged. "That is why vampires can produce vitality by having sex. Sexual intercourse is the only known way of joining the two halves of the soul to create vitality. Female and male vampires have distinct halves."
Ezra sat digesting the information. "What about rings?" He asked. "I\'ve heard you guys discussing it. What does being a first ring vampire have to do with power?"