Kael Cor: A Vampire's Awakening Chapter 308 Journey I : Shifting, Pride Witch of Blood And Thorns

A furry black bat with haphazardly flew through the bright red sky, it's erratic form was a cause for amusement among the onlookers beneath it. And it would have been funny if said black bat wasn't actually me. When Dracula said that I should search for the inner vampire, I was expecting some sort of humanoid bat monster with fangs, wings, and an insane amount of strength and speed. Now look at me, being made fun by Soren and Dracula as I had transformed into a bat no larger than the size of a palm.

It was an embarrassing experience no doubt, but once I tune this idiots out, it wasn't so bad. With each day that passes, it seems I discover more and more things that makes being a vampire all the more exciting for me. Being so tiny, and enjoying the air currents as it brushed past me, and perceiving the world with sound rather than sight was amazing. It was like nothing I've ever experienced, and it wasn't the flying that got me excited, I can already do that. It was the joy of doing it in the body of animal, of something so weak, the whole things just felt so...natural.

At least it didn't take me long to get this transformation thing to work, or so I thought. It took me an entire day, whereas Dracula had said a newly turned revenant would have taken just an hour to learn how to do it with the proper instructions. If I was still full vampire, then it wouldn't have been as hard as this for me, but I'm only half, so what comes easy for other vampires would twenty times as hard for me, depending on the circumstances.

But that only meant that I need to work extra hard to be stronger and master all that I have to. I didn't mind the challenge, or hard work, as long as it gets me where I need to be and gives me the strength I need to protect my family and people, then I'm okay. But all good things come to an end, and the interruption this time, was from Earth.

"What you've touched on, is only just a threshold of what you could here if you master the art of transformation. When this skill gets stronger, and I'll make sure it will, you would be able to change forms at will, and right in the heat of battle. Becoming a fierce some force rage, death and very sharp teeth and claws. A bat is definitely not the only thing you can turn into. So Keep at it." Dracula said to me with a lazy smile on his pretty face. It was annoying because I felt like he was not taking me seriously, but what could I say….I couldn't argue with a god.

Training my ability to transform was not really easy. The transformation was not based on magic, because if it was so, then it would only be an illusion. Whenever I transformed into a bat, everything about me changes, I'm still a vampire, only that I've become a vampire that's a bat. Limbs, organs, brain and heart, every single one of them undergoes the qualitative change to turn me into my creature of choice.

It was a painful process, even for a vampire. So I spent a few days trying to get used to the pain, and learning to work past it. It was a rather slow process, but I was able to consecutively shift my body into a bat, and back to my humanoid form. And as I got a lot more proficient with the ability to shift, I also learnt how to influence my biological makeup. And in so doing, I would be able to strengthen the form that I've shifted to.

So I was able to make my bat form a little bigger, faster, stronger. But according to Dracula, there's always a limit to how much you can alter your own body. While it's possible to have multiple forms, most vampires only have one, with a few having two, and the really rare talents having three, but sometimes said talent is just someone biting off more than they can chew.

It takes a lot of time and effort to improve the battle prowess of whatever form you've learnt to shift into. You have to be really familiar with the form to pull out your fullest potential as a vampire in whatever form you've chosen. And more often than not, the abilities you have in your shifted form, would always be different from your main form, so you would need a lot of time and practice to master those abilities and keep your forms in balance.

In a nutshell, it's like having access to two different bodies, a profound ability to be two different people if you so chose. Of course there was also a lot of complication surrounding the ability to shift forms, but for now I did not have to worry about any of it. I just had to keep learning and getting better at this. A new form means another ace in the hole for me, and this time it was something that would definitely come in handy. Dracula might not know it yet, or he might never find out either, but I plan to get a second shift able form. I was going to look like my old self from back on earth, I was going to look like Jason again.

"Your ability to shift is something that can be practiced on your leisure. But now I need you to train one of your most primal vampire abilities. To turn someone"

"What!"
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ETHERNALIA LEONIS
ASHA LEONA COR
The city was still rapidly expanding, growing in scope and in power. Our economy was better than I expected, and even though I don't know what we rank in the transfer universal market hub, I knew Ethernalia Leonis was now on the map, a city that was no longer just known on Shearath alone, but amongst other and galaxies.

Ever since Kael opened the city to the public, we've been having an influx of visitors, while most of them would claim to be tourists, I knew better than to let my guard down. The city was slowly getting a whole lot more wealthy than it used before, and while we've never really had the need for money, I believe in the end it might come in handy.

But there was something to be said about Ethernalia Leonis, we've moved from a primitive age of slavery and suffering to an age of great technological and magical advancements; and it all happened in just the span of a few months! We were slowly becoming one of the most powerful city...no that's a wrong word, I should say an empire. And empire that wouldn't be here for much longer.

Baeki, Ashes and Malek grew a little greedy, but I don't think I blamed them. They were supposed to place the magical markers that would transport Ethernalia Leonis to this realm of the dragon Kings, and keep it safe and isolated from the rest of the world. All they had to do was place the magical markers around the city or a little ways around the territory we now controlled. But they were trying to make a statement by not just taking the entire mountain range, but also by taking a significant portion of the great ocean to the north, and a massive forest whose name I've forgotten at the moment.

They wanted a large country to play with, plus chipping off a significant amount of Shearath is sure to cause so complications. Whilst it wouldn't take the extremely powerful individuals on this planet long to fix it, it would still cause a bit of trouble for them, and that's what they were aiming for, petty revenge…..it's just too bad that I agreed with them.

But our once peaceful city had changed. I would be a fool to just pay attention to just the gains that came from opening our marvel of a city to the whole universe. But the crime rates have gone up immensely, with a majority of them being caused by the people visiting. Many of them were mercenaries who came here for the bounty on Kael's head, and I've had to kill quite a few who thought it was wise to use me, Xaseah or our children as leverage against him. Besides I had an entire city and it's army behind me, any wrong move and they'll be swarmed with vampires in seconds.

But crime or not, this was still a city that was predominantly filled with vampires and Nephilims, crossing the path of a child was not even advisable, because then you'll become food. But I knew I couldn't keep watch on everything, Nefisat was not all seeing, and she was still busy with construction and managing the cities defenses. The police force were keeping the peace a s best as they could, but evil was like water, it would always find a way to flow. But these changes and worries were not what had me concerned today, it was the fact that I had a delegate of dark elves coming to see me.

Now dark elves were not a new sight, the only difference being that this particular breed of dark elves; were off world refugees. And entirely different race of elves, native to another planet that just suffered a war with an avian alien race called the Toroth. As it stands, these guys were probably coming to seek refuge.

"Asha it's time to play queen, get your ass up that chair." Xaseah said to me as she walked into my dressing room. I couldn't help the smile that crossed my face as I turned to her and say.

"Play queen? You do realize that you're also a queen right, and though I came first, I could just as easily foist all this responsibility on your head, and decide to take a break."

"Please don't, I'm not delicate enough for politics. If you need to kill someone, just point in their direction and set me loose. That's the only thing I know how to do." Xaseah answered.

"Killing? That's the only thing you know how to do?" I asked her with a blank look on my face.

"What? No! I'm also good at being beautiful, devastatingly so. And as you can attest, I'm really, really, really good in bed." She said to me with a grin, leaning over my chair as she kissed me.

Even with all of my poise, she left me feeling embarrassed. Out entire relationship was three way thing. We were not just married to Kael, we were married to each other, and I knew I loved her just as much as I love him. And she just loves me just as much too, she never let's me forget it. I hole that somehow, our happy moments would last forever, moments like this. But the whole universe seems adamant to throw one massive pile of shit after another at me and my family; it leaves me scared of what the future might hold, and of what might become of my family….I really didn't have that much time to spend with them.

"love are you okay?" Xaseah asked me, drawing me out my melancholic thoughts.

"You look like you have a literal dark cloud hanging over your head. If meeting with the dark elves delegate would be too much for you to handle, then take a rest. Farina and I would receive them and hear what they have to say." She said to me looking worried.

"Don't worry Xaseah, I'm okay, really! I'm just thinking about how much I love my family, and that I would do everything in my power to make sure you guys stay safe."

"You just focus on being Queen Asha Leona Cor of Ethernalia Leonis. Leave the protecting to me, after all you can't just take all the responsibilities. Now come on Pride Witch of Blood and Thorns, your subjects awaits." She said with a chuckle.

"I told you I don't like that name, it's too pretentious." I complained as we both made our way out of the room, and into the brightly lit hall outside.

"Hey your enemies gave you that name, and your people chose to keep calling you that. It instills fear in the hearts of your enemies, and hope within those of your people. Besides you have to admit, the name's rather epic. Now come on, we'll be late if you ask any more questions!"

Chapter end