Chapter 54: Legacy of the Morris Family

The elders and members of the Morris family held high expectations for Richard. However, as the current Duke, their father, Jonathan Morris, did not favor this child. The reason was not solely due to the death of his wife but rather a secret known only to successive dukes.

The Duchess of Morris was born into a prestigious family in England. Her marriage to the Duke was purely to preserve the purity of their bloodline and for the benefit of their families. Vampires, with their cold bodies, also held a detached view of familial bonds. For them, lineage, power, and authority were of paramount importance.

Europe, the ancestral homeland of vampires.

There are many versions of the legend surrounding the first vampire. Some say it was Cain, cursed by God out of jealousy toward his brother, condemned to live eternally by feeding on the blood of the living, suffering the torment of immortality. Others claim it was Lilith, Satan's lover, a powerful witch who gained strength by drinking blood and used it for her own purposes. Yet another theory points to Vlad III, the infamous Dracula of legend…

The Morris family was an ancient lineage. According to the stone tablets documenting their history, they were believed to be descendants of Cain. During the Middle Ages in Europe—a time often referred to as the Dark Ages—nations were ruled by emperors, kings, or dukes. It was during this period that the Morris family established their hereditary dukedom. For a long time, they held sway over the rise and fall of nations.

However, by the 18th century, human power had grown significantly. With the creation of new weapons, human organizations began to "hunt vampires," earning them the title of Hunters. During this period, both humans and vampires suffered heavy casualties. Yet, humans, with their strong reproductive and adaptive abilities, began to gain the upper hand. While vampires could create armies of turned humans, their inability to operate in daylight left them vulnerable to large-scale destruction. Turned humans could not replace the purebloods lost in the wars.

At the time, William Morris, the 21st Duke and head of the Morris family, made a pivotal decision to preserve the family's prosperity and the purity of their bloodline. He invested heavily in building over thirty ships and led his people, along with their enslaved followers, across the ocean to a new land.

Purebloods with royal lineage were the only vampires who could withstand sunlight to some extent. The rest of the vampires could not expose themselves to the sun, or they would disintegrate into ash. Thus, during the day, they slept in coffins hidden deep within the ship's holds, unable to oversee the voyage. These massive black ships were occasionally spotted by humans, and coastal nations began to circulate tales of "ghost ships."

The perils of the sea were unpredictable, and daytime navigation was fraught with danger. The journey proved far more arduous than any records suggested. After a long and treacherous voyage, only ten of the original thirty ships remained, their once-sturdy hulls now riddled with damage. Just as William Morris began to lose hope, he discovered an ideal land—a place where the seasons were mild, and the sunlight was perpetually soft. This land belonged to an ancient eastern empire, the territory of what is now known as Z Country.