The reality of death hit Lukas hard.
These Vampires were not the immortal beings of night and death—but instead as mortal as anybody else. Stronger maybe, but they also died. Bravado and everything might have helped bring him this far, but Viktoria Cadis' words struck him.
Video gas were easy. It was easy to die but then get back up and learn from your mistakes, but one mistake and this second life that Lukas may have would be snuffed from him.
The idea that there was another life waiting also didn't comfort him, nobody was sure about that. But there was only one thing that he was sure of.
"You're right." Lukas said. "I might die, but I don't want to stay here, ensure my survival and be left wondering if things could have turned out different–maybe easier if I ca with Lily's cousin and were able to help in so way. I don't want to live with regrets."
Serena was ready to scold Viktoria once again but then paid attention to Lukas' words. A little surprised, it was incredible to hear soone have that kind of resolve.
But wasn't a life worth living that way?
Lukas could have lied and said that Lily was his other half–that he'd die himself if he lost her, but he had always been alone for the past years. He knew that at the end of the day, that even if he lost everyone… he'd eventually pick himself up again.
However, the idea of not taking his chances and entrusting Lily's survival in the hands of other people? That was sothing that he couldn't accept and live with.
"But yes, we're done here, aren't we?" Lukas grinned. "You don't want to talk with soone who seems like they're one foot at death's door so I'll just take the weapons and call it a day, alright?"
Viktoria Cadis stared at him intently and suddenly walked out of the vault, the heavy tal door shutting behind her.
Wordlessly, she gestured for him to follow her. Confused and yet slightly concerned, Lukas imdiately walked after her and while Serena wanted to follow, she read Viktoria's expression and knew that she only ant Lukas.
The two Vampires walked down the corridor silently and ended up in the sa main hall that Theodore first brought him to. It was the most impressive one and contained the things that might have attracted many people.
There was the sword with a skull that Viktoria talked about, the sa huge hatchet that seed ready to devour its next victim because Lukas could feel a strange energy emanating from it. The full set of dark armor with a bat-like design and others more similar to it.
"Do you know why these are relics?" Viktoria asked.
"There's probably none other like these, I believe." Lukas said. "So blacksmithing techniques are lost to ti, they maybe are made from materials that are not easily found–maybe from extinct species and so. I rember when I took the Hunter test, I encountered a Dark Ancient Serpent Scale–"
"No need to explain all of that to . You're right. And so of them are even crafted with old magic–the kind that the earlier generation of Vampires were capable of. We lost many artifacts during the Great War and maybe countless other incidents, but there are few that are still here."
"And the reason why you're showing these…" Lukas slowly started.
Viktoria Cadis looked at him, her purple eye seeming to sparkle at that mont. It looked less purple but more like a deep hue of sothing you'd see of a celestial galaxy.
"You probably already have a guess and you're only trying to stay humble so as to not spite ," she said.
Lukas coughed. "Well… I don't want to assu out of nowhere, but did sothing I say make you change your mind? Made you realize that I'd survive and that I'm worthy of wielding a relic–"
"Borrow."
"Huh?"
"You're not going to own it. The Blood Works will still have ownership of it and if you end up dying, it will return back here. If I presu correctly–Lily Tenebris's cousin is none other than Theodore, yes? I'll have him recover and pry it from your dead hands if necessary."
"How did you know–?"
"Ah, Theodore is soone who frequents Blood Works. We're acquaintances and yet if there's sothing that I know about him is that he cares deeply about his family," Viktoria said with a bittersweet smile. "I rember a lot."
"I see…" Lukas said. Give it to Theodore to be able to talk up a storm with soone as eccentric as the girl in front of him. Still, it couldn't shake off the fascination that he had with the relics around him.
"Eager to know which one is yours? Why don't you take a guess."
Lukas eyed the Replica of the Blood Arts Grimoire in the distance and yet knew that being able to have it in his hands was sothing probably hard. Still, there wasn't anything wrong with trying, right?
"What about that one?" Lukas pointed at the grimoire.
Viktoria's eyes twinkled slightly. "Ah, that one. I did not presu that you would be of the scholarly type, but I'm afraid that you won't have it."
"Why not?"
"That was written by the Vardoken House Overlord, Anastasius dis Vardoken. And Blood Arts is sothing that many would not like to be available to learn again–put it in the hands of his ancestors and sothing could go terribly wrong."
"Like what?" Lukas frowned.
"Overthrow the current parties in charge." Viktoria Cadis said. "Blood Arts does not only control your own blood but even those of other individuals, and for the Vardoken House? It might just be enough for them to take revenge."
"I really don't think–"
"Bias! There it is, but don't worry, I'll get you sothing good too." Viktoria Cadis smiled.
"You're not going to give the skull sword are you?" Lukas sighed and glanced at the sword who had its hilt shaped in an actual skull.
"No! That's mine!" Viktoria Cadis gestured to sothing beside the display that didn't imdiately catch his eye when he first ca here. It was an ornate looking dagger that seed more ceremonial than anything else.
"What does that do?"
"Honestly–we really don't know. It was found near the Sanguise House Overlord when he died, so it's important."
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