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Chapter 197 – The Sleeper’s Legacy
Chapter 197 – The Sleeper’s Legacy
The cold air of the underground laboratory clung to Seraphis’s skin as she stood over the lifeless form of the Sleeper. The weight of what she had discovered pressed heavily on her mind. A vampire that did not die. A heart that still beat without life. Blood that defied nature itself.
She exhaled, steadying herself.
This body was too valuable to leave unprotected.
Seraphis reached for her dimensional bag, a leather pouch no larger than a coin purse—yet within it lay an expanse as vast as a chambered vault. A relic of magic, capable of preserving even the most fragile of specimens.
With a careful motion, she placed her hand on the Sleeper’s chest. The strange, cold heartbeat still pulsed faintly beneath her fingers.
Then, with a whispered incantation—
The corpse vanished.
The dimensional bag’s runes glowed faintly before fading back into darkness.
The Sleeper’s body was secured.
And now, it was time to unravel the truth behind it.
Returning to the Castle Cave
Seraphis left the underground lab in absolute silence, moving through the lower corridors of Raven Tower before emerging into the cold night air.
The tower loomed behind her, a silhouette against the dark sky. But her destination was not the tower tonight.
It was the Castle Cave.
A structure carved into the very mountain itself, hidden from the eyes of those who did not know where to look. To outsiders, it was a mere cavern—but within, it held a fortress of knowledge, a sanctuary of books, tomes, and secrets gathered over centuries.
With swift movements, she crossed the barren landscape, the wind howling around her like a chorus of unseen voices. The entrance to the cave was marked by an ancient iron door, its surface engraved with sigils that only she could activate.
Seraphis pressed her hand to the cold metal.
A pulse of magic surged through her palm—the door rumbled before sliding open, revealing the hidden world inside.
The Castle Cave welcomed her home.
Descending into the Library
Once inside, Seraphis made her way through the winding stone corridors, torches flickering to life as she passed. The scent of parchment, ink, and old magic filled the air.
The library lay deep beneath the cave’s surface, a labyrinth of bookshelves stretching into the shadows. Rows upon rows of forgotten knowledge lined the walls, some tomes so old that their pages had been bound in protective enchantments to prevent decay.
She stepped inside, the massive room bathed in a cold, golden glow. The enchanted lanterns flickered to life, illuminating the countless texts surrounding her.
Without hesitation, she moved to the central desk, where an empty journal lay waiting.
Recording the Sleeper’s Secrets
Seraphis sat down, her gloved fingers gripping a quill, and began to write.
"The Sleeper’s body defies all known vampiric traits. The skin does not decay. The blood is neither purely red nor purely black, but something in between. The heart beats, yet there is no pulse. It reacts to wounds, but does not register pain. Holy silver has no effect. It neither fears the divine nor recoils from magic."
She paused, tapping the quill against her thumb.
The implications were unsettling.
"If this is not a vampire, then what is it? Or rather… is this the next stage of something worse?"
She continued, detailing every aspect of her examination—the self-sealing wounds, the unnatural resilience, the void-like presence in its eyes.
It was not just a corpse. It was something waiting.
She underlined that thought twice.
Something waiting.
Searching for Answers
Once her notes were complete, Seraphis rose from the desk, stepping toward the search panel.
The Castle Cave’s library was no ordinary collection of books—it was an archive powered by magic, allowing its keeper to call forth tomes with a mere command.
She pressed her fingers against the cold stone panel, her voice steady as she spoke:
"Show me all records of vampiric anomalies."
The air trembled.
Shelves groaned.
From the darkness, books began to move.
Dozens of thick, leather-bound tomes floated toward her, their spines whispering against one another as they arranged themselves neatly before her.
She wasted no time.
She reached for the first volume, its title burned into the ancient cover.
"The Forbidden Evolution of the Nocturne."
The Evolution of Vampires
Seraphis flipped the book open, her eyes scanning the pages.
"Throughout history, vampires have undergone multiple transformations. While the lower species remain mindless beasts, feeding on flesh and instinct, the higher breeds evolve beyond their monstrous origins, gaining intelligence, power, and control over their own hunger."
She turned the page.
"The highest recorded evolution is the Elder Vampire, capable of existing in daylight, commanding legions, and defying mortality through unknown means. However, rumors suggest an even greater evolution—one that surpasses the Elders themselves."
She frowned.
This was the first mention of something beyond the Elders.
She continued reading.
The Unnamed Breed
The next section detailed something ominous.
"There exist records of creatures beyond vampires—beings that do not hunger for blood, yet retain all vampiric strengths. They do not fear the sun, nor do they yield to death. Their flesh does not rot, their bodies do not weaken. They are neither alive nor dead. The few that have encountered them name them the 'Sleepers,' for they exist in a state of unending dormancy, awaiting something unseen."
Seraphis’s grip tightened.
Sleepers.
The exact word used to describe the creature she had examined.
Her heart pounded.
She turned another page.
"It is said that these beings are not natural. They are created. Whether through ritual, experiment, or a force unknown, they are born not from bloodlines but from deliberate intervention. And those who seek to uncover their origins seldom live to tell the tale."
She clenched her jaw.
Someone was making them.
Someone had designed this Sleeper.
And that meant—
There were more.
A Revelation Too Dangerous to Ignore
Seraphis slammed the book shut.
Her mind raced.
Who was creating these things? For what purpose? And more importantly—were they already awake?
She cast her gaze around the vast, silent library. The knowledge she had just uncovered could change everything.
She had to act.
She had to find the creator.
She had to stop whatever force was trying to reshape the very nature of vampires themselves.
But first—
She needed to go deeper.
Because if the books were right…
Then this Sleeper was only the beginning.
And something far worse was waiting to rise.