**Ch 339: Chain Link

As the icy mental chain link rubbed into my skin, my body clashed with the darkness as day and night fast-forward into a super high speed until my ghostly feet land inside this decorative interior that was made out of marble from the ceiling to the walls and the floor. Windows were perfectly chiseled out into square shapes or circles with a shiny sheet of rainbow-tinted glass in the center of it. Rugs sewn from strange animal fur or skin, were laid over parts of the floor. Furniture was woven from what looked like strips of bamboo, but it was orange, not green or brown, and it had animal skin sewn together with it. Fluffy furs and glass beads bedizened all the pillows and cushions. All the tables or stands were marble. Then the dishware was made from clear glass, but they were round like saucers. The glasses they drank from were irregular because the stem was carved into a sharp zig-zag, and the cup part looked like any ordinary wine glass. Lastly, the silverware looked like wooden chopsticks with scoops on the tips of them. If I had to guess, I'd say this large home came from wealth since I noticed the chest on the stand was fully loaded with golden coins and jewels in a variety of colors and sizes.

"Kai, where am I?" I called out as I moved around, and I realized the gravity pull was less intense.

"It's roughly four weeks later," Kai replied. "Watch, and you'll see."

I took his words for it as I heard these sudden terrified crying and shrill shrieking.

"I'm getting a little scared."

The horrifying screams made my blood freeze against my flesh. Nothing helped when I found blood spattered on the walls and floor, which led me to a man's dead body.

"I'm sorry to do this to you, my love. But you know Vampires are vile. If it's too much to handle, I can pull you out." Kai's gentle voice uttered to me.

"No, it's ok. I want to know how this happened," I dauntlessly affirmed as I heard an awful sound of flesh being torn into. As I cut the corner to the next large room, I found Morbius digging into a woman's neck. She wears a beautiful glittery pink drapery long dress with a leg slit. Once he had his fill, he dropped her dead body to the floor without remorse.

His face was crusted in blood like he had eaten more than his fair share. As I walked further into the room, I noticed Vlad had finished feeding from a different woman whom wore a green flowy gown that was embellished with layers of jewels. Laying on the floor were twelve dead men who looked like guards and a master who was dressed comparable to a sultan as his outfit was white and gold. Also, there were seven beautiful women all dressed aesthetically irresistible for a man's attraction.

Along the back wall, on their knees, was a line of young men and women, including teenagers. Their ages were between their early twenties, while the youngest teenager was fourteen. The young men and boys wore brown sackcloths. Alas, the young women and girls wore brown leather haft tops that were string tied together at their breasts. On their hips, they wore brown elastic short shorts. Locked on their wrists, they were bound in chain links, and they all looked hungry, like they only survived on scraps of food.

"Their slaves," I refuted.

"Yes, now watch," Kai advised, so I did.

Vlad and Morbius stared at the shaken slaves. From wearing a loincloth, now they were fully dressed in richly made garments. Their garments were black with hoods that weren't over their head as gold and silver were woven into them for a divine design.

"P-please..." a young man shakingly stuttered. "D-don't kill us..."

"Don't be frightened," Vlad responded. "We offer you a new life."

"A-a new life?" a teenage girl shuddered between two boys.

"Yes, an immortal life," Morbius answered. "We'll thrive together in our Covens."

A lot of their shaken spirits settled down after the word Coven was mentioned.

"Since you killed our Master, would you be our new Masters?" a beautiful twenty-year-old woman questioned them in the middle with curious big eyes.

"No, your Master was your Master, but not us," Morbius replied. "We are called Headmasters."

"Will we be your slaves in the Covens?" asked the same woman.

"No, you will be our members," answered Vlad. "You'll be immortal like us. You'll choose whose Coven you will follow."

"What do you call yourselves?" a teenage boy inquired.

"My name is Morbius, and this is Vlad. My Coven's name is Mill," announced Morbius as he introduced their names.

Vlad then finished. "My Coven's name is Collin. If you choose, you will follow us and our chosen Queens once we find them. We will care for you and your descendants."

Another girl asked. "What are you? Clearly, you aren't human."

"A smart one you are, child," Vlad chuckles, amused. "We are vampires. The first of our Kind known as Predatory species."

"And you survive on b-blood?" the fourteen-year-old boy stuttered weakly on the right end.

"After we transform you, then you will drink blood too. I'd imagine your required taste for food will diminish," Vlad chuckled more to himself.

"Raise your hand if you wish to be like us?" Morbius jumped in to ask them. "Questions can be discussed later."

Everyone's hands shakingly went up. After what they had witnessed, I felt they were too scared to decline. After all, their mouths were smeared in blood, so how could they not say yes?

"Good, now we must move before people come," Morbius warned, but then his nose smelled the air before he growled. "We've missed one household member!"

To the left side, he darted and pushed a young woman aside as she screamed. "Please, I beg you, don't hurt him!"

Hidden underneath a table, Morbius pulled out a little five-year-old boy. He had snow-white hair, which he had trimmed into a bowl-style haircut.

"And why not?" Morbius eyed her as he picked the child up, and surprisingly he didn't cry.

"He's mute! His mother fell sick and died seven months ago. He hasn't spoken since then. Unlike her husband, she was kind-hearted. I promised her I'd look after her child," the woman with light brown hair begged.

"What use is he if he's mute!" Morbius growled as he intensely eyed the child hungrily. Still, not even disturbed, the little boy only blinked at him with such innocent eyes.

"Please spare him!" she pleaded.

Morbius growled in refusal. "The household must die!" His mouth opened as his fangs grew into spears, and he brought the child to his mouth.

"I can't watch him eat a small child! Please get me out!" I exclaimed in horror, but Kai did not reply.