BXBX NOVEL Chapter 198: There's A War Coming
He sat up as the door opened and someone walked in.
"Here." A cup was placed at his lips and he sipped, enjoying the soothing quality of the blood wine. It seeped into him, cooling him and calming his headache.
He sighed as he finished drinking, leaning back against the headboard of the bed.
"Blood of a whale." Olivia spoke as she placed the cup on the bedside table. "Perfectly aged."
Ezra turned, smiling softly at her. "Well, it worked, didn\'t it?"
"That it did." She nodded in agreement.
Ezra looked down at himself, pausing.
He was completely naked under the covers.
"How is she?" He asked Olivia.
"Still sleeping." Olivia stood smoothly, walking towards the walk-in closet. "The bond took a toll on her. I expect her to sleep for a few hours more."
"There were no side effects?" He asked.
"None." Olivia answered as she opened the door. "When she wakes, she\'ll be just like the rest of us. Golden eyes and all."
Ezra sighed in relief, watching Olivia sort through his clothes, trying to pick out what he would wear for the day.
"Go take your bath Ezra." She spoke from within the closet. "It\'s a new day. We have to prepare."
Nodding to himself, Ezra threw off the covers, standing.
He swayed as he grew dizzy for a moment before his vitality surged forward, clearing away the last feelings of lethargy from the new bond.
He walked into the closet and began to shower.
As the cold water hit his skin, soothing it, his mind went to the procedure they had undertaken the night before.
After a few hours of sexual intercourse, he had bonded with Red, making her his new wife.
They had drained blood from each other, turning their blood oath into a blood bond.
Immediately after, the bond had morphed into a soul bond, draining Ezra\'s vitality and ascending Red to the third realm in the process.
He sighed as he shut off the shower, stepped out and dried himself up.
He walked out to see his outfit for the day already laid out for him.
In a few minutes, he was dressed.
He stepped in front of the mirror, admiring himself.
Dark blue shoulder length hair, a handsome face, white dress shirt and black pants.
He nodded at his image, turning away to wear his watch.
The door opened and Gen sauntered in, grinning mischievously.
"So," she drawled sultrily, "enjoyed your night?"
Ezra snorted.
"I could have done without the vitality drain." He turned to look at her as she flopped backward onto the large bed. "How about you? Enjoy your trip?"
Gen tilted her head in thought. "Traveling everywhere by teleportation wasn\'t as fun as I thought it would be."
Ezra\'s eyebrows rose on his face. "And here I was, thinking that the ability to be in most places instantly would be the ability you\'d have the most fun with."
"You aren\'t wrong." Gen grinned before her face morphed into a pout. "But it takes the fun out of things. Sometimes, it\'s not about the destination but about those you meet on the way."
"How am I supposed to meet those people on the way if the journey is just a single step?"
Ezra hummed in agreement as he finally clinched the wristwatch in place.
Gen stood from the bed and walked to the window, closing her eyes in pleasure as she stepped in the sun.
"The best part of all this," she said, "is the ability to stand in the sun. Oh, how much I\'ve missed this feeling."
Ezra chuckled as Olivia entered the room, wearing an apron over her dress.
"Breakfast is ready."
"Fucking finally!" Gen exclaimed, walking out of the room immediately.
Ezra chuckled, nodding at Olivia. "I\'ll be down in a moment."
Olivia left, leaving him alone in the room.
He turned and walked slowly to the window, putting his hands in his pockets.
He stared at the view of Southside, a train rumbling away in the distance.
That had been a result of the partnership with TransitLink.
Now, Ascendant Capital now belongs to Countess Yuri. She was the new ruler of Southside and owned all that he had been taking care of previously.
His mansion in Griffin\'s territory had been sold immediately after the incident at the Ascension well. He had no reason to go back there.
Griffin may be dead but everyone knew Natalia still held dominion over the territory.
The City Lord had gone quiet, putting off choosing someone to take over.
He turned away from the view, making his way to the dining room of the apartment.
After eating breakfast, they filed into the living room to discuss their next steps.
"There\'s a war coming." Olivia announced. "Yuri doesn\'t have a strong base of subjects yet and as she would be receiving punishment from the City Lord on your behalf, her strength is weak."
"Itachi Yaiba has gone quiet in recent days and the other counts would take this as an opportunity to act."
"However, this particular war would have two facets."
Ezra leaned back. "Southside and Westside."
"Yes." Olivia agreed. "Everyone will be fighting to either own the Ascension well in Southside or the vacant County in Westside."
"It\'ll be fun, won\'t it? Fighting in a war." Gen grinned for a moment before sighing. "But we won\'t be fighting, would we?"
"Fighting in this war won\'t benefit us in any way." Ezra answered. "We\'re free from Griffin and staying here would be detrimental to our plans."
He remembered the progenitor\'s words.
"The fate of the world depends on it."
"If only it was a fever dream you got during your ascension." Gen sighed, her eyes flashing golden before turning red immediately after. "Then we won\'t have to miss the whole party."
"Nothing is set in stone yet." Ezra stood, fixing his shirt. "I\'ll attend the meeting called by Countess Yuri. After hearing what she has to say, I\'ll make my final decision."
Gen waved from her position on the chair. "Take care."
"Of course." Ezra smiled in response.
It was time to meet the new count.