I was na?ve. So damn na?ve. Every time I thought I progressed, matured as a leader, my immaturity and incompetence was brought completely into the light. No more holding back, no more hovering around the settlement, where ever our new home may be. I will train, I will grow, I will destroy everything the bitch Vacuolentia holds dear. I was thinking too small being the lord of a small village of Earth survivors. This world is vast with the combined population of two worlds.

  I will build an empire strong enough to eradicate everyone and everything remotely connected to the Empty Sun cult. First, however, we must find a safe place. We didn't know where that was, so we simply picked the direction opposite to Mithra'Vheen.

  Sad to say, not everyone who survived the attack came with us. Too many simply gave up. Frank included. The only thing keeping the old man going was his wife. With Luanne gone, he was just a tired withered husk of a person. The light in his eyes that showed a seemingly endless care for those around him were gone. He let Rico in and allowed him to stay unharmed despite knowing the type of man he was. Had he let me kill Rico that day, Luanne would likely still live. At least, that's how he saw it. It took some time, but I eventually agreed with letting Rico join our group and nothing I said now could reignite that dead ember of hope. In the end, we buried the dead and with a clap on the shoulder, I left him and the several others to mourn.

  The rest of us totaling about one hundred and fifty, departed for greener pastures. Due east, should be an extremely dense forest. It might be dangerous, but it is dense enough and vast enough to hide so many people. I walked alongside Eliara and Asha, a few makeshift carts hauling the children or those still in no condition to travel. Among those were my two new Vampiric Nobles. Despite being a full twenty four hours after their transformation, they were still unconscious.

  I was less worried about the danger the inquisitor held to me and more concerned about April. How would she react to her human daughter? What if she lashed out in hunger when she awoke? What if her maternal instincts were overpowered by inhuman traits? Asha told me long ago that each tier of Vampire loses more of their humanity as they get less pure. Of course, Asha waved off my concerns since Nobles were as close to Royals as you could get. The jump from Royal to Noble is apparently much less than Noble to Greater Vampire. Worry stilled gnawed at my heart, but some of the tension did ease.

  I kept Ashley in my sights at all time, I swore I would protect her, no matter what. The only ones I wouldn't sacrifice for the child would be Eli and Asha and that's as close a call as it can get. I wasn't enough to protect the kid, I knew that. The only absolute in this new world was personal power. If I wanted her safe, then I would need to flood her cultivation with as many resources as I could spare without hindering my own growth.

  Another day passed, then three, then a week. Finally, after a month of harsh travel full of dangerous monsters, we found ourselves at the entrance to a primordial forest. The trees were as tall as skyscrapers. I clenched my fist before nodding to my friends, this is where we establish our new empire and where Vacuolentia's noose shall began to tighten. Unbeknownst to us, many miles deep within the forest, were several someone's who may not appreciate our intrusion.

  ~End~

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