Life force

"This-" Lysandra's said in shock. Her consciousness could see anything that Alex sees, of course it has had its limitations. For example she couldn't read his thoughts neither can she interfere with anything he does without paying a price. If she could, then maybe he wouldn't have almost died for the second time, though in all fairness she knew she still wouldn't have made any move even if she could.

As a celestial guardian she was limited in actions she could take in the mortal realms and even guiding Alex would not normally be accepted. But since he was a special case then rules were tweaked.

Now looking through Alex eyes, what she saw puzzled her. The dead serpent laid on the floor, its body looking dry and pale with it's body mass had severely reduced.

Lysandra deduced that this phenomenon could be attributed to Alex's one of a kind shadow powers.

When it manifested her consciousness felt the presence of something archaic, something ancient seemed to have awakened and darkness filled her line of sight, a sense of crisis had filled her as she suddenly felt disconnected from alex for awhile. Only after the shadow tendrils defeated the snake and retracted into Alex's body did her consciousness reconnected, this entire scenario was very shocking and abnormal but then from the start everything about Alex wasn't.

"Take out your dagger and cut it right below its neck" Lysandra told Alex as a notion came to her about the dead pale snake.

Alex responded by going towards the serpent with the dagger which was always kept in the his spatial ring.

"I thought this was a common dagger and the scales of the snake was too hard for even my claws, will this work?" Alex inquired as he remembered how tough the scales of the serpent was. Even during the fight all that was left was when he tried to hurt it were white claw marks as if the scales where made of some metal.

"Just do it" she said.

"Alright ma'am" Alex replied with a shrug as he walked towards the snake and tried giving it a cut. Half expecting resistance he had added pressure while making the cut but to his shock the dagger sliced through the snake like butter, going all the way in even through the bone.

"This-- is this dagger enchanted for special situations or something?" Alex blurted out in shock, his question directed at Lysandra. This clearly isn't the first time he used this dagger, the times he hunted lesser animals while on training before Lysandra showed up the dagger definitely did not slice up things this easily. He could still remember how he struggled when trying to skin a rabbit for the first time, so a part of him knew something else was going on here.

"You should be more observant Alex, no changes have been made to the dagger. The snake on the other hand, well why don't you look a it and tell me what you feel is out of place after cutting it." Lysandra replied.

Alex stared at the serpent and realized it, the serpent had no blood! Or maybe it used to and later on lost it all, so may be an explanation for why is reduced in body mass and looked so pale as opposed its multicolored body.

"Did my shadow cause this?" He asked, this was the only logical thought that came to him that could explain why this happened.

"I think so but we can only confirm this if it happens again, if my guess is right you have awakened some sort of elemental affinity but at this same time it doesn't feel like one. Whatever it is the power it holds feels ancient and dangerous."

"I always thought I would get like ice or something since I was sired by an ice noble" Alex thought shifted to Erica, at this point he even wondered how she was. The last time they saw, she was in a pretty bad state and talks of some bureau were thrown out by the vampire armored guards that had picked them up.

"Well based of vampire physiology and the way their power chain works, I think you would still get ice but for now I would suggest we explore the various possibilities of your power." said Lysandra.

"Do you feel any different?" She asked.

Alex at this point noticed that he felt more energized which he found weird since he should atleast be a little bit tired from the near-death encounter he just had. Instead he found himself feeling almost...refreshed and a bit stronger.

"Yeah, I feel way different and its almost like I took steroids or something"

"You said the first time you used this power, the shadow struck a vampire unconscious right?"

Alex thought about the gang fight, remembering a the chaos that had happened.

"Yeah, he plunged into some sort of seizure at first"

"Seems like we found the reason why you haven't felt the need to take blood in a while, by the look of things I think the only reason why that vampire could have survived is either because your powers weren't strong enough just yet or the fact that vampires are creatures with the ability to take life force."

Alex felt this notion actually made sense and he actually hoped it was this was cause then how much stronger would he become with this skill? Of course he had to learn to get it under control first and not just it coming forth when his life is severely threatened, for who knows when he would meet a foe that could very well kill him before his power could even begin to take form, which was could be within seconds.

"As we move on everything would come to light, but for now we focus on the hunt. We still haven't confirmed if you can take blood normally as I think you would"

As Alex ventured deeper into the woods, his senses heightened by the newfound power within him, he soon spotted a lone wolf prowling amidst the trees. The creature's fur glistened under the dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves, its golden eyes locked onto him. Alex couldn't help but see this as an opportunity to test how much his strength has increased by.

With a swift and fluid motion, he closed the distance between himself and the wolf. His movements were a blur, a testament to the enhanced reflexes and strength granted his by improved vamprific traits. In the blink of an eye, he was upon the unsuspecting predator.

Alex's clawed hand shot out like a bolt of darkness, slashing through the air with precision. His fingers found their mark, ripping out the wolf's throat in a single, deadly motion. The animal's yelp of surprise was cut short as crimson sprayed from the wound, staining the forest floor.

"Now drink its blood while its still fresh"

Lysandra's voice resonated in his mind as urged him to feed. Alex stared down at the wolf as its breaths became more shallow, the propects of feeding on blood was one he has tried to not think about for a long while, but now staring at the fresh blood flowing off his prey's neck, a little sense of hunger filled him.

With fangs bared, he leaned down and sank his teeth into the warm, furry neck of the wolf. The taste was peculiar, a mix of metallic and something akin to grape. It didn't energize him as much as the vampire's blood had, but it was sustenance nonetheless. This time, he managed to keep it down, his body adapting to the new experience.

As he stood there amidst the wilderness, the echoes of the kill reverberating in his senses, Alex tried once more to summon the shadow-like power he had wielded earlier. However, the connection remained elusive, refusing to manifest. It seemed this gift was still something he had little control over.

With the setting sun casting long shadows through the trees, Alex decided to make his way back to the nearest town. As he emerged from the woods, he was greeted by the lively atmosphere of a bustling town square. It appeared that a carnival was in full swing, with colorful tents, vendors, and entertainers drawing the attention of the townsfolk and visitors alike.

He turned his attention back to Lysandra, their mental connection as strong as ever. "So, what's our plan now?" Alex asked, eager to continue his journey of discovery and self-mastery.