The origin of vampires

—Lucius

I sat in the dark throne room of the Citadel, one arm supporting my jaw and the other on the arm of the throne, vehemently tapping away with my sharp nails from index finger through to the pinky and from the pinky back to the index finger.

The rhythmic clicking echoed through the cavernous space, a counterpoint to my racing thoughts.

In my head, I hoped they hadn't been ambushed, not by any other vampire though.

I was confident that Levi could protect Mira from any vampire, except the ones I had been made aware of just two days ago - the antediluvians. I wasn't sure even I could take one down with just Violation.

Violation purred, and suddenly, dark smoke began pouring out of my mouth, ears, and eyes.

I choked, trying to catch my breath as the inky tendrils swirled in front of me. To my astonishment, the smoke formed into an unremarkable figure in a suit and round glasses, with a purple aura around him.