Ambrogio in the house

"He got back his soul, right? Just imagine, even if he got it back after 1478, he won't have to do the offerings again. Then why now? Is it his own will to kill all those innocent people now?" She looked disgusted as she asked the question that she didn't want an answer for.

However, Addison was bound to bring a plot twist to it. "I haven't finished the story yet."

"What's more to say?" She asked. Zinbad got pretty bored with the Q&A session and looked for Kuro.

"This is the story that's available for the normal folk. Search Scriptures of Delphi on the internet, you'll see this. But in reality, there's another story that people of Delphi are used to hearing. It said that Hades tricked Ambrogio, brainwashed him, and made him his personal servant rather than fulfilling his promise. Then, he hid the soul away." He laid out everything that he learned about in the past week.

"That fucking cunt of a man. Well, I should've expected it from Hades. Wait, does that mean that I've been living a lie for the past few centuries?" This time it was not the annoying voice of Tanya, who was asking question after question. Neither was it Zinbad, who had lost interest in it and wanted to go on an adventure. It was the voice of a man who was lamenting over his past mistakes and life choices.

"Ambrogio!" Tanya got up and grabbed his collar. Wardlow interrupted and she had to take a step back. She had an intelligent man with a frail-looking body and an unintelligent man with no redeemable qualities on her side, so she had to set her priorities straight.

"Whoa, whoa. Wait, I'm here as a friend, not foe. I'm one of you now—the kind who gets fucked up." He said as he glanced at everyone in the room with pity.

"Tanya, leave him. Come on, there's a seat for everyone." Addison persuaded her to get back and subtly invited the self-proclaimed friend into the meeting.

"Thank you, Addison. And by the way, it was not two." Ambrogio said things that made no sense.

"What?" They literally had no idea what he was speaking of.

"Not two Gods, but three. Artemis was involved in some way too." Now, Ambrogio was the one who explained.

And Addison asked the questions. "By Artemis, you mean Apollo's twin sister?"

"Yes, that one." He nodded.

"Wait, weren't you brainwashed? How come you remember it?" Tanya was quick to reclaim her position as the questioner.

"Not me, him. He remembers it. After all, he was amongst the ones who faced their wrath in real-time." Ambrogio pointed towards Wardlow who waved.

"Wait, does that mean?" She asked for the countless time like she always does. It had already been a norm for them.

"Ah, let me reintroduce him. Wardlow, my butler for almost a thousand or so years." Ambrogio said, with a chill demeanor unique to him.

"Wait, you shared his power with him?" Addison's interest was piqued.

"Yes." He nodded.

"And he lived?"

"Yup." He clapped.

"That happened before the brainwashing session, I presume?"

"Right again." Ambrogio took a bell out of nowhere and started ringing it since Addison's intelligence exceeded his imagination by leaps and bounds.

"Are there others like him? Who became… true vampires?" Addison hesitated as he uttered the word true.

"My brethren—they were slaughtered. The Gods, they were afraid of our growing community. They feared that the vampires might take over the world. So, when Hades summoned my master, the angels ascended and killed my brethren." Wardlow, whom they had never seen speaking, all except Ambrogio, of course, started speaking.

"Why did they leave you?" Addison didn't quite get that part.

"They didn't. I somehow stayed hidden from their sights until the master came back. They did not dare to kill me then. But the master was different—I felt it, he was brainwashed. I tried telling him, but the wretched Gods stopped me from doing so every time." Wardlow had pure hatred in his eyes.

"I see, the recoil is a curse, isn't it?" Addison focused on Ambrogio almost immediately.

"Hmm?" Ambrogio didn't quite notice the sudden turn of events.

"They were afraid of whether you'll try that shit again and placed a curse on you so that there would never be another true vampire, since only you have the power of transfer and Wardlow's days are numbered, even though it's a big number." Addison stopped suppressing and finally took on the mantle of the master of explanations.

"Numbered?" And it's a question from you-know-who yet again.

"Well, Ambrogio's basically immortal because he has no soul but Wardlow has it. Even though he'll live for a long time, he won't be immortal." Addison looked at Wardlow, who looked impressed yet horrified on the amount of intelligence he possessed.

"You're right." Ambrogio smiled.

"So, how does it feel? Having this curse on this body and all, is it a burden?" Addison asked seriously. Yet it sounded sarcastic.

"I feel completely fine. The curse doesn't affect me. Only the ones that I pass the power of mine are affected. And that's why I give it to the ones that I chose as offerings." He replied as he jumped around like a monkey.

"So, that means you have no idea how it works, eh?" Addison asked as he folded his arms. He looked quite serious in that posture.

"Well, it's a God's curse, anyway. A mere human or vampire is not capable of finding its secrets." Ambrogio laughed. "But, there are still two ways to deal with it."

"Two ways, huh? I'm listening." Addison's ears stood up.

"One, find all the three Gods involved—which would be impossible for you guys. Even finding one on your own would involve extreme luck." He laughed.

"You're right. What's next?" Addison agreed with him.

"Instead of three, find one—Hades. Find where my soul is from him and destroy it, basically killing me is the second way." Ambrogio gave a thumbs up.

"But, that wouldn't guarantee the curse from being lifted, am I right?" Addison had his doubts on this method.

"Yes, but what choice do you have? You have got to take the gamble to get anything out of it." Ambrogio shook his head.

"But, weren't you the one who said it would involve extreme luck even if we were to find one?" He asked, upon which the vampire gave out that familiar smile.

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