Chapter 12- The Vaylor Estate (Part 5)
That threat alone made the man's entire being shudder. The cold eyes, the subtle yet clear kill intent within Fiona's aura. George felt like he was being crushed under such immense pressure. It was known that Lady Fiona was a very benevolent and kind person who always treated the servants like equals, talking to them without any tone of superiority or arrogance, even though nobody would ever judge her for that.
She was also extremely hard to anger or displease. She was a very calm and reasonable person, even when her servants made a mistake. However, once she's angered, she becomes terrifying, so nobody dares to offend her as much as they love her and respect her.
'I will die. If I tell the lord… I will die…' The man gulped down a mouthful of saliva. "Understood. I will… refrain from telling him."
Fiona stared at him for a few seconds before she nodded faintly. "Good."
Elio, who stood to the side, watched the interaction with a worried look. He didn't understand half the stuff being said, and the other half sounded like the end of the world for him. However, he didn't dare to speak and simply sat there.
'It's so over for me. I am done for. What do you mean I would change the whole world? I don't get it.' He rubbed his hair. 'I just want to live a normal life. I don't have anything to do with all of this.'
Elio was a normal boy. He can't be anything but a normal boy, it just made no sense to him that he, of all people, would be someone capable of reshaping the world. He didn't deserve to have such a mind-boggling talent.
He isn't some sort of brilliant individual; he is simply Elio Ashenblood, the orphaned boy from the countryside who works in a warehouse.
Reality, however… Doesn't always represent what people see of themselves.
"The second thing I want you to do is… I don't want Elio to awaken. Not when he doesn't want it." Fiona said after much contemplation.
"Huh? Miss Fiona?" George's head shot up. "No, absolutely not. I can understand telling the Lord. But, as a scientist, I cannot let such a monumental talent, unawakened." George said with a far more determined look. "We must study this, thoroughly. We must learn why he has so much Blood Energy and why his body is capable of handling it."
This far exceeded the political side of it and entered a new area. Perhaps a discovery so profound it could change the world of Vampire Hunters forever.
"No," Fiona said. "Unless he accepts that willingly, you shall not awaken him, George. That is final."
"But, Miss-"
"I said it is final." She said as she turned to Elio. "Let's go, Elio. We need to talk."
"... Y-Yes…"
Elio nodded as he followed Fiona, staring over his back at the distressed George. The man looked so lost that it seemed like he was the one who had this anomaly and not Elio.
The two left the lab and found the lab workers waiting outside.
"Go back inside. George will have a conversation with you." Fiona said coldly. "As for today, you have it off as I said. Don't let what happened bother you."
"Understood…"
With that, the duo left the confused masses and walked through the corridors of the mansion. Elio couldn't even bother to admire the scenes around him as his mind was filled with a thousand thoughts.
'Choice? I need to make a choice… Whether to awaken or not? What does that even mean?'
He was so worried and conflicted that he didn't even realize that the place they were heading to was somewhere he would've never even imagined he would ever see. Reaching a particular door on the third floor, Fiona unlocked it and walked in.
Elio followed her, his eyes still lost, and his face was contorted.
"Welcome to my room."
Her voice snapped him out of his daze as he looked up. "Aaah, thank you for inviting me. So this is your… This is… Huh?" Elio took a second for the information to sink in as he froze and stared at Fiona. "Y-Your room…"
"Yes. We need to talk in private, and this is the most private place in the entire mansion. Nobody would hear us here."
Elio stared blankly at Fiona and then looked around him again. The room was naturally… ridiculous. It was so spacious, it might as well be considered an entire house of its own. It looked like a royal suite with a kitchen, a large balcony with a swimming pool, a huge bed that fits 6 people side by side.
He was simply mesmerized by the view.
'So this is… Fiona… Vaylor's room… How did I even get here?' Elio gulped. The beautiful smell of flowers inside made him remember the girl.
It looked so elegant and beautiful, representing Fiona's personality well.
"Now, take a seat. Do you want something to drink? Like coffee? Or juice?" She said as she walked to the open kitchen.
"No need… Thank you."
Elio awkwardly walked to the living area and sat down, staring around him in silence. There was a giant TV mounted on the wall. He didn't even know they made ones that big.
Eventually, Fiona came back and sat down facing him.
"So, how are you feeling?" She asked calmly. "I am pretty certain the conversation earlier has made you think a lot."
"..." Elio clasped his hands together before he sighed. "I honestly don't understand anything happening right now. It's all so… overwhelming. Like this sounds like a complete dream, or a fantasy. Vampires, Vampire Hunters, and Blood Arts or whatever… I don't get that. And I don't get why me of all people." He said.
Elio felt suffocated by the pressure. A pressure he didn't even understand to begin with. "I don't want to die… I can't die. My grandma… I'm her only hope. I don't want to put my life in danger, or I won't be able to take care of her when she needs me…"
That was Elio's worst fear. He was oddly not as afraid of death as he was of leaving his grandmother alone in this world. He was her only family, and if she lost him, he didn't know what could happen to her.
"Is that… what's terrifying you the most?" Fiona asked, seemingly a bit taken aback by his words.
"Yes… She is barely able to live off of her pension, and I promised her I would find a good job so that she can live a comfortable life in her old age. I cannot let myself die… And this… All of this… It feels to me like death is a huge part of it."
Fiona was completely struck silent. 'He isn't afraid of death? And yet, he is afraid of leaving his grandmother behind?'
Such deep care and love for someone was completely alien to Fiona. The girl was born and raised in a family that isn't really a family. She never had the love of her parents or siblings. All she understood was that families were merely genetic bonds between several people with no real emotions involved.
Seeing Elio fear for his grandmother more than his own well-being… It confused her greatly. However, she still nodded.
"Death is the only constant in our world, Elio. Many of us die, and many of us kill. That's how we keep the world balanced. That is why, I brought you here to explain to you what is happening and what you should know. So that, well, you can make your choice and do what your heart leads you to."
"My heart…"
"Yes. As much as it is easy to just tell you that awakening is the better step for you, I do not want nor intend to force that choice on you. After all, the life you are about to live… It will be drastically different from anything you could imagine."