Chapter 15: The False Report
Lucius
Kraven's office smelled of blood wine and ambition.
The Regent sat behind his desk, reviewing documents I couldn't read from my position near the door. Candlelight painted his features in shifting gold, making his expression difficult to parse.
"Your report?"
I'd rehearsed this. Charisma Lv.1 helped smooth the delivery—controlling microexpressions, modulating tone, projecting confidence I didn't entirely feel.
"The docks are definitely being used for Lycan smuggling operations. I've identified six confirmed hostiles working the night shift, rotating on a three-day schedule." I placed a folder on his desk—selected photographs, carefully curated to show progress without revealing Singe or the warehouse district location. "They're moving cargo to unknown destinations, but I haven't been able to follow the trucks to their final stops. Too much security, too many eyes."
Kraven examined the photographs. His expression remained neutral, but something flickered in his eyes—calculation, maybe, or suspicion.
"You've been investigating for three days. This is all you have?"
"The Lycans are cautious. They change routes, vary timing, use counter-surveillance techniques I haven't seen before." The half-truths came easily. "I'm building a network. Identifying patterns. But it takes time."
"Time is something we're running short on." He set down the photographs. "Viktor wakes in three weeks. I want the UV ammunition source identified before then. Complete information. Location, personnel, manufacturing process."
"Understood. I'll—"
The office door opened without warning.
Erika entered, silk gown flowing, expression carefully composed into something resembling casual interruption. Her eyes tracked between me and Kraven with obvious interest.
"Am I interrupting?"
"Vane was just leaving." Kraven's dismissal was pointed. "What is it?"
She approached his desk, leaning close, lips nearly touching his ear. A whisper—meant to be private, meant to exclude the fledgling Death Dealer standing by the door.
But Enhanced Senses heard everything.
"Lucian wants a meeting. Next week. He says he has information about Michael Corvin."
My heart didn't stop—vampires didn't have working hearts—but something seized in my chest regardless. Lucian. Michael Corvin. The names that defined everything.
Kraven's expression flickered—surprise, irritation, calculation. "Tell him I'll send a representative. I can't be seen meeting with—"
"He insists on you personally. Says the information is too valuable for intermediaries."
Silence. Kraven's jaw tightened. He glanced toward me—still standing by the door, ostensibly oblivious to their whispered conversation.
"We'll discuss this later. Privately."
Erika nodded, casting one last curious look in my direction before departing. The door closed behind her.
"You're still here." Kraven's voice had an edge now.
"Awaiting your dismissal."
"You're dismissed. Report back when you have something useful."
I left the office, mind racing.
[ CRITICAL INTEL ACQUIRED: KRAVEN+LUCIAN ALLIANCE CONFIRMED ]
[ MICHAEL CORVIN TIMELINE: 1-2 WEEKS ]
[ CANON CONVERGENCE APPROACHING ]
The pieces were falling into place. Kraven was conspiring with Lucian—just like the films. Michael Corvin was already on their radar, already being hunted for his blood. The hybrid transformation was coming, with or without my intervention.
The question was: how did I position myself to benefit?
I retreated to my chamber, locking the door, spreading photographs and notes across the bed. The chess board was taking shape.
Kraven: traitor, conspiring with the enemy, desperate to maintain power during Viktor's sleep. He thought himself clever. He didn't know I'd overheard everything.
Lucian: alive, planning something massive, focused on Michael Corvin's blood as the key to hybrid creation. His centuries-old vendetta against Viktor was reaching its climax.
Michael Corvin: innocent human, about to be dragged into a war he didn't understand. His blood carried the Corvinus strain—the genetic key that made hybrid transformation possible.
Selene: Viktor's loyal weapon, completely unaware that her Regent was betraying everything she believed in. In the original timeline, she discovered the truth too late to prevent catastrophe.
Viktor: sleeping in his stone tomb, three weeks from awakening. When he rose, he'd destroy Kraven's schemes—but he'd also try to destroy Selene for her inevitable association with Michael.
And me: transmigrator with foreknowledge, building power in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to intervene.
[ STRATEGIC DECISION REQUIRED ]
[ OPTION A: WARN SELENE ABOUT CONSPIRACY ]
[ - BUILDS TRUST (HIGH) ]
[ - PREVENTS MICHAEL'S TRANSFORMATION ]
[ - BP ACQUISITION: MEDIUM ]
[ - SUCCESS PROBABILITY: 34% ]
[ OPTION B: LET MICHAEL TRANSFORM, THEN CLAIM HIM ]
[ - MAINTAINS TIMELINE ]
[ - HYBRID BLOOD ACCESS ]
[ - BP ACQUISITION: HIGH ]
[ - SUCCESS PROBABILITY: 61% ]
[ OPTION C: HELP LUCIAN, THEN BETRAY ALL PARTIES ]
[ - MAXIMUM CHAOS ]
[ - HIGHEST BP POTENTIAL ]
[ - SUCCESS PROBABILITY: 12% ]
Option B. The calculated choice. Let Lucian bite Michael, let the transformation occur, then intervene during the chaos to claim hybrid blood for myself. Maximum BP acquisition with acceptable risk.
But that meant standing aside while events unfolded. Watching Selene discover truths that would shatter her worldview. Allowing Michael to suffer a transformation he never asked for.
The old me—the surgeon—might have hesitated. Might have weighed the moral implications.
The new me—the vampire, the predator, the system-wielding monster—saw only the optimization path.
"Sentiment is a luxury I can't afford."
I needed power before Viktor woke. 643 BP wasn't enough for Hybrid Fusion. Wasn't enough to challenge an Elder. Wasn't enough to survive what was coming.
The solution was obvious: hunt harder. Feed more. Accumulate BP from every source available.
The photographs of Singe's operations went into a locked drawer. Kraven would get progress reports, but not the full picture. Not until I was ready.
The timeline was fluid now. Canon events were approaching, but I had foreknowledge they lacked. Every variable could be manipulated. Every outcome could be optimized.
I pulled out the folded paper I'd been saving—a list of high-value targets within reach. Lycan lieutenants who'd escaped District VII's purge. Vampire traitors whose deaths wouldn't be investigated. Human blood banks that provided premium feeding opportunities.
357 BP to hit the 1000 threshold. Achievable in two weeks with aggressive hunting.
The system displayed its cold calculations:
[ PHASE 1: FOUNDATION - 72% COMPLETE ]
[ OBJECTIVES REMAINING: ]
[ (1) ACHIEVE HYBRID FUSION - 0% ]
[ (2) RECRUIT SELENE - 35/100 ]
[ (3) ELIMINATE VIKTOR - PENDING ]
[ RECOMMENDED ACTIONS: ]
[ - ACCUMULATE BP TO 1000 THRESHOLD ]
[ - POSITION FOR CANON CONVERGENCE ]
[ - MAINTAIN COVER UNTIL READY ]
Three weeks until Viktor woke. Two weeks until Michael's transformation. Every day mattered.
I gathered my weapons, checked ammunition, donned the combat coat that had become a second skin. The night was young. The hunt was waiting.
The chamber door closed behind me as I descended into Ördögház's depths, heading for the servants' exit and the city beyond. Somewhere out there, Lycans were bleeding. Humans were dying. Power was waiting to be claimed.
I intended to claim all of it.
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