The Fallen Vampire

Continue your adventure with empire

Taira stared down at the rosy pink colored fruit on his plate.

This was apparently the crown jewel of the event- the Jade Essence peaches.

They are grown somewhere secret on the island. Apparently, the qi there is rich enough that it soaks into the very flesh of the fruit and aids in the act of cultivation and mental stimulation.

It was an absolute one of a kind delicacy that was the pride of the Gentle Brotherhood.

The cult members seemed to be enjoying the taste well enough. More than half had already broken through to the next realm, or were nearing it.

But there was one person whom the fox spirit was observing particularly closely…

Even though he never turned his face from what was in front of him, Taira was incredibly aware of Shakti, who sat with Vaal just in the row behind him.

His senses were developed enough that he could perceive her completely, even if he wasn't looking directly at her. Almost like a sort of echolocation.

"..."

Taira considered himself to be a largely perceptive man who rarely let things escape his notice.

And yet, this very same man was now confused as to how he had never noticed just how attractive Shakti was until Aveena had mentioned it.

Because now that he was aware of it, she was just about all that he could think about.

She had full lips, a rather majestic figure, toned stomach, and... she was sweating?

Taira finally looked up from his plate and realized that while he was being discreet with his staring, the other girls were not.

Aside from Aveena and Vermeil, everyone else had their noses pointed in her direction and were watching her every move.

At every second, Shakti just seemed to shrink lower and lower in her chair. Meanwhile, Vaal remained confused as he chewed and looked back and forth between the two groups.

...Even after all of this time, it was still hard to overstate just how alike each there they all were.

"Papa..?"

Taira felt movement in his lap and found Yukiko staring at him with big brown eyes.

"Have?" Yukiko stared at the uneaten peach on Taira's plate that was roughly the same size as a human heart.

Telling her no? The thought never even crossed his mind.

Taira proceeded to cut pieces of the peach into child-sized bits that she wouldn't have to wolf down like a little animal... Even if she was one.

But before Taira fed her the fruit, his hand suddenly stopped and he gave her a small scratch under the chin.

"Practice that breathing art that I taught you as you eat this. It will help you grow a lot if you do."

"Okay!" Yukiko nodded seriously.

Taira began feeding his young daughter gently, and she showed a remarkable depth of understanding incredibly early on.

Even though she was small, Yukiko was currently a 4-star beast. And it was all thanks to the method of forming divine beast cores that Taira had shared with her.

For most people, it would be difficult to notice exactly what stage she was at because she wasn't physically strong and she couldn't use magic.

But his little girl had a lot of raw energy inside of her. She just couldn't really do anything with it yet.

Once she became a 7-Star beast, she would fully form a divine beast core, and she would finally develop a Demi-human form.

And perhaps become a rather strong cultivator too…

As she ate slowly, Taira felt her inner energy growing by leaps and bounds. If she kept learning at this rate, Yukiko would reach 7-Stars by the end of the week.

"...I shit you not, this maybe the most wholesome thing that I have ever seen."

Just like that, Taira's good mood was stamped out.

He looked up at the several Grandmasters who were staring right into his face.

They hadn't really taken his eyes off him or Aveena ever since they sat down.

Had they asked him questions? Of course they had. Had he responded? Of course he hadn't.

Up until a couple of seconds ago, they weren't even 100% sure he actually could talk.

And the one who was the most disappointed by that was Grandmaster Joshua.

Another young guy who looked to be around his age had finally shown up, and he was mute too? That would totally suck!

But it was all gravy baby, because he was just a shy guy at heart.

"I gotta be real, that is the most adorable thing I have ever seen. And the way she calls you dad? I'm envious of that kind of parental bond. I wish my old man wasn't such a piece of shit, ya know..?" Josh sighed.

Vermeil felt as if she'd heard something noteworthy and she put her chopsticks down.

"I've been trying to figure it out for the longest time... From the moment I saw you I've had the strangest feeling of familiarity that I couldn't explain..."

Vermeil leaned forward with eyes that were laden with concern and sentiment. "You're not from earth... Your dad is, isn't he?"

This was the only time anyone here saw the young Grandmaster fall silent.

He actually seemed embarrassed now, as if he'd been caught with his pants down at dinnertime.

Which only confirmed Vermeil's suspicions even more.

"...Your father is Xavier, isn't he?"

"The Hero of Flame..?!" Keran's eyes narrowed as her claws raked over the table.

The other Grandmasters were also in awe, and each seemed to be looking at Josh for an answer.

Josh smiled wryly. "Seeing as you're so familiar with him, I guess you must be the one who ran away..?"

Vermeil nodded.

This only seemed to make Josh even more nervous. "He didn't, uhh... Make a bad impression on you, did he?"

"No... but I heard my fair share of stories later on."

"That's good then… didn't want you to be one more person I had to say 'I'm sorry' to."

Before she could respond, Keran suddenly stood up and bowed to the group.

"My apologies... I'm afraid I've suddenly lost my appetite. I'll be taking my leave first."

Before anyone could stop her, she vanished from the scene; leaving the rest of her beloved family behind.