A/N: So here is the deal...
I will introduce a concept in this chapter that may piss some of you off.
I assure you there is a reson for it and I'll 'fix' it quite soon.
I will emphasize this is NOT a nerf!
BUT if choose not to trust me (heretic) I'll leave something for you in the author's thoughts.
Peace!
[Blood Diary Entry]
The week flew by at a crazy speed.
Mother spent most of her time tucked inside this town's main library. Digging through old newspapers and old reports. Sometimes she had to ask Rebekah to compel a few police officers and the librarian to get what she wanted. Other than that, I barely saw her; the times I did were during breakfast and dinner.
Rebekah was the one I spent most of my time with. I could see she was taking my words seriously, as I saw her deep in thought a lot of the time. Though she still wished to be near me, and I saw no reason to deny her that.
She would hug me from behind and rest her chin on the top of my head from time to time. Ruffle my hair affectionately. But never anything that crossed the line.
She was immensely interested in my research and followed it with great interest.
Though I must say I was rather disappointed in myself.
Even though I managed to get some initial success, it was much weaker than I ever thought it could be. The output was underwhelming while energy consumption was at an all-time high.
It felt like hitting a wall.
Still, it is more than enough to hunt down that bloody specter.
One of my hands rose, fingers twitching and twisting in strange manners, sometimes interlocking against one another like coiling vipers.
After I was done, I pushed my hand forward, and crimson light flooded the room.
A crimson sandglass-like rune appeared mid-air, and shortly after, it dissolved into smaller ones, rushing to the corners of the room. They engraved themselves into the floor and walls, creating a sort of zone.
It was satisfying but not at all what I expected.
Mother and Rebekah watched the scene with fascination, twinkling inside their eyes.
I sighed and got out of the sofa, walking to one of the closest runes.
Studying the thing, I went over its specific capabilities once more.
My equivalent of the Yrden sign. It creates an area where no one can turn immaterial—including my own mist form—and all energies besides mine are slowed to a crawl.
This should be just right for the situation.
"So did it work?" Rebekah asked curiously.
"It did," I answered, though the dissatisfaction was seeping out of my tone.
"You are not happy about it?"
"I am not… This seals part of my powers along with my enemies, while it doesn't affect my own energy, I can't turn into mist whenever I am inside of this ability."
"But isn't that quite remarkable already? You've only done this for a week and have already come up with a fairly powerful skill. I am also sure you can improve it with time." She tilted her head.
"That's the thing… I cannot do it. I felt—nah, scratch that, I know this is the best I can do…" I growled a bit. "The most I can do from now is find a way to lower the energy expenditure."
"How do you know for certain?"
"Remember what I told you about my instincts?" She nodded. "That is what they are telling me… Ever since I've developed this, more and more of Sol'Vahr's memories are rushing in without me needing to look for them."
"What did you see?" She asked with worry in her tone.
"He faced the same problem, albeit in a different field."
"What problem?"
"He called them evolutionary locks. Two of them, more specifically.
One limits our potential, as we were supposed to be able to wield our energy with much more ease. He called it 'Potential Lock'.
The second limits the spread of our species. It makes it nigh impossible to pass down our lineage. Sol'Vahr's brother managed to destroy one of these shackles, and the consequence was his demise. He called this one 'Legacy Lock'."
"So, what are you going to do?"
"I am going to continue Sol'Vahr's research, find a way to bypass these locks. There should be enough material and inspiration in this world for me to be able to do that."
Rebekah grabbed one of my hands and squeezed it in a show of support, silently telling me she had faith I could do it.
Mother cleared her throat and spoke up. "Why not shatter them all together?"
I pondered the best manner to answer her question.
"To do that, I would need a powerful enough reaction to do it. Either by sacrificing an overwhelming number of lives, or by using my own energy to attempt it. The latter has obvious results."
The two went quiet at that.
I smiled gently at the scene, touched by their investment in fixing this problem.
"Is there anything we can do to help?" Mother asked.
"You already did in a way, Mom."
"What do you mean?" She asked, puzzled.
"One of the biggest reasons Sol'Vahr chose to forfeit his existence and that I was born was to loosen said locks." She grew confused. "I have a theory, Sol'Vahr was strongly rejected by this world, precisely because this world holds the key to unleashing a Higher Vampire's full potential. He made the first move when he chose to adapt rather than to fight against the world.
By being reborn and living as a human, he managed to create a Higher Vampire who possessed humanity's greatest power."
"And what is that power you're speaking of?" Rebekah asked.
"Adaptability," I answered simply, making the two of them frown, "humanity's greatest asset has always been its capability to adapt."
The two grew pensive at my words.
"Take Rebekah, for example, once a normal human, but a ritual turned her into one of the strongest beings to ever walk this planet."
When I said that, the two opened their eyes wide open.
"But enough of that," I said, shaking off the heavy thoughts. "We've completed the first phase of our ghost hunt."
Rebekah straightened beside me, a hint of excitement flickering behind her eyes.
"Time for me and Rebekah to go scouting."