“I know that there were supposedly six original vampires that were created directly by the Goddess Nycinthea.”
“Yes, then you probably also know that all vampires are descendants of those six bloodlines, whether that means they were born or created.”
Harlow shrugged. “That is what we have been told.”
“Well, what you may not know is that the six lines are actually six siblings.”
“They are related? Sounds…very incestuous.”
Foxx laughed. “I mean, in some years past, I wouldn’t doubt their offspring did some things. But, as far as I know, none of the original six ever didthatwith each other. Anyway, back to the point. Four of the six are still alive to this day.”
That was concerning… Then again, if the old fuckers hadn’t caused carnage so far, he was going to assume they weren’t planning to. “They still live?”
“They do. And they are ancient. I couldn’t really tell you how old they are… I do know one of them. My best friend’s…well, he isn’t technically his sire. He is the sire of his sire. But he is the very man who has been like a father to me, Daydric. Now, let me note before I go on, the names I’m giving you for the six siblings are not their original names. I don’t know what they started out being called. I doubt there is anyone alive who does remember, besides them. These are just the names they have settled on.”
“You know one of the very first vampires?”
“Yes. The very first and the oldest. Anyway, there are six bloodlines. And as I’m sure you know…” Foxx’s nose wrinkled. “I guess you may not. It depends on whether you have come across older vampires or not.”
Harlow snorted. “I know the older you get, the more interesting your powers can become.”
“Yes. But the powers we develop depend on the line we come from. For instance, those of Daydric’s bloodline are often called the Masters of the Dead. His being the Bloodline of Necromancers. You know how most vampires can just sense when a body is near?”
Necromancers? Oh, he didn’t like where this was going. While he didn’t watch many movies, he had seen plenty about zombies.
Harlow grimaced.“Yes, you are all really good at detecting dead bodies. Please don’t tell me necromancers are real.”
“Afraid I can’t. And while most vampires are just using their normal enhanced senses—smell and all that—for those of Daydric’s bloodline, it’s something much more. While the younger vampires of his bloodline can sense the dead, how they died, and how long ago they died, the older can reanimate and control the dead in mass. The numbers they can control only increases with age,” Foxx said, though even he looked slightly perturbed by the thought.
“Literal…zombies are real? Joy.”
Foxx licked his lips, and his voice lowered a bit as he practically whispered the next part. “I’ve heard rumors that Daydric…can control even vampires. Not saying it’s true. But the rumor is concerning, as again, we are not dead.”
“Well, I can’t say I ever came across any zombies, thank fuck. So, I’m guessing I have never faced a vampire from that line that was older.”
“It makes sense. Daydric has not changed as many humans as the others have, and he has no children. Those of his bloodline, for the most part, have kept up that tradition of changing few. It is understood that their type of powers could cause mass chaos. Anyway, then there is the next eldest brother in the line, Xenos. His is called the Bloodline of Lust. The younger vampires can feel the overwhelming urges of those around them, even their secret ones. While the older ones can use those urges to drive people to madness.”
“I once walked into a hunt where a human was…eating another, crying that they were starving.” The violent vision was very clear in his mind. At the time, Harlow had stared on with fascination more than horror. It was probably one of the key moments that made him realize how fucked up he really was.
“That could definitely be accomplished by someone of the Lust line. It's not just about sex. It’s about any cravings. Just making one overindulge, whether it be through violence, eating, or sex. The next in line is the eldest sister, Moirai. Her line is called the Bloodline of Fates. And not just because of the name she ended up choosing for herself later in life. The young of her line cannot do much besides check one's age. But the older can drain someone’s life force to death, change them from a child to an adult, or an adult into an old man, or whatever combination they want. Those of the Fates Bloodline can technically feed off the life force they drain.”
Harlow winced. “They can steal the life force of someone? Change their age?”
He sat there trying to think of any time he came across such a thing.
“Unless you knew of the human victims beforehand…I doubt you would know if you came across one of my bloodline. But then again, Moirai is very watchful. Like the Necromancer line, someone of the Fates line going mad would be very dangerous. She is more likely to put us down herself than let us roam free, sucking the life force out of everyone we meet. And there are many dangers of using our powers. For one, when you feed off life force energy…it’s addictive. It would be very easy to let the high of it consume you. Making you a danger to anyone around you. That includes other vampires and paranormals. And if you choose to kill without consuming, there are risks to letting a vast amount of life energy out in one place. The things it can attract are not…pleasant.”
Harlow eyed Foxx out of the corner of his eye. The sense of danger he felt around the vampire when they first met returned. “You are part of the Fates Bloodline?”
Foxx nodded. “I am. But at most, I check ages. So you don't have to worry about me stealing life force energy,” he said with a laugh before adding, “Of course, I am nowhere near old enough to do that anyway!”
Harlow snorted. “Sure you aren’t…”
Foxx cleared his throat. “Anyway, the next in line is a brother. I’m going from oldest to youngest, by the way.”
“Yeah, I caught on to that.”
“Right. Anyway, next is Zabier, and his line is called the Bloodline of Beasts. The younger ones can speak to animals. And the older can control animals en masse, and transform into whatever animal they want.”
