~O~

Zoran stumbled into the throne room, the one he had taken away from Gillfrey and the Society, and immediately sat down in the plush chair of power. His body felt heavy and weak, which was to be expected after giving so many Blighted Vampires a taste of his blood.

However, despite being drained and weakened, it was all worth it. Zoran had control over the Blighted Vampires that his people had rounded up and locked away. Now, his plan was almost complete. In all actuality, he could have engaged the plan right then and there, but even Zoran wasn't foolish enough to do so in such a weakened state. He would have to rest and regain his energy, which shouldn't take all that long, maybe a day or two to get back to where he had been before he offered his blood to the caged monsters in the dungeon.

Zoran ran a hand through his hair, which was damp with sweat from the stress his body had just endured. He wiped the sweat from his palm on his pant leg and called out, "Alexander!" Not a moment later, the blonde-haired Vampire entered the throne room and knelt down before his superior. "Yes, Sir?" he asked and stood from his kneeling position.

Zoran closed his one good eye and said, "Please, bring me some blood. My body is in desperate need." Alexander simply nodded and left out of the room to fulfill his master's request without a question asked. Then again, there wasn't really much of a need to ask any questions, seeing as Alexander had been present when Zoran gave his blood away, so the second-in-command knew the reason for his master's weakness. A thought the crossed his mind; Alexander could easily kill him in this state.

If his second-in-command so chose to usurp him, now would be the perfect time. Zoran decided that this would be a good test of Alexander's loyalty. He felt that he could hold off the second-in-command long enough to get away if it came down to it, but odds were that if he didn't, then Alexander could most certainly take him down. This thought made Zoran a bit uneasy, and it only worsened when his second-in-command returned to the throne room, a bloody crystal glass in hand.

Blood trailed down Alexander's hands and forearms, the signs of a fresh kill. Unlike in the enclave, Zoran didn't want his blood to be from some plastic bag in a fridge. He wanted it fresh and warm. He wanted to taste the remaining life that still lingered in the crimson liquid. To ensure that he get very fresh blood, Zoran had ordered that Alexander and Jessie round up humans from nearby towns and lock them away for later consumption, almost like cattle or other livestock.

Alexander strode up to the throne and handed the bloody glass over. Zoran took it, making sure to keep his grip firm on the glass so it wouldn't slip from his hand. Normally, he would have asked Alexander who had given their life for the blood he was about to consume, but Zoran was in no mood to waste time on meaningless details. He needed blood to help speed along his recovery, and the sooner he recovered, the sooner he could put the rest of his plan into action.

Without anymore hesitation, he put the glass to his lips and drank. The blood was at a warm 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, the perfect temperature for consumption, and still flowing with the sacrifice's remaining life. It was a wonderful taste that made Zoran wonder why he ever settled for the bland, stale blood that fed the enclave. He drank all of the crimson liquid, even going as far as to lick the blood on the outside of the glass before handing it back to Alexander.

"Do you want another glass, Sir?" the second-in-command asked. Zoran shook his head and told him, "No, that's good enough for now. You're dismissed." Alexander nodded and exited the throne room. Once alone, Zoran pressed himself deeper into his throne and sighed contently. The blood had done its job and returned some of his strength to him, but not all of it.

He would need more blood over the next few days, as well as plenty of rest if he intended to be well enough to lead his army of Blighted Vampires. Zoran closed his good eye and let out a content sigh. His mind had grown heavy with fatigue, and he knew that there was no point in depriving himself of the sleep that he so desperately required.

So, he allowed himself to drift off into a slumber. It wasn't long after that that a dream started to take shape within his sleeping mind. Zoran found himself standing in an all-too familiar forest, one that he could have walked through blindfolded with ease; it was the forest that surrounded his family's old estate. With a bitter taste forming in the back of his throat, Zoran walked through the trees and underbrush until he came to a clearing.

Within the center of the clearing was the large, gothic-style estate that Zoran and his brother had been born and raised in. Even in a dream, Zoran felt pure hatred towards the place. Yet, something compelled him to approach the old house, and he did. As he walked, he felt oddly reminded of the night he returned home, only to slaughter his parents and take their blood. That had been the ultimate victory for Zoran.

However, in this dream, he didn't feel the same sense of confidence he had felt when he had come back to kill his mother and father. Instead, he felt a sense of forewarn as he approached the large, wooden doors, which swung open on their own when he got close enough. The moment those doors revealed the inside of the estate, a chill shot through Zoran's body, and with good reason, too.

Standing in the main room of the house, was him as a child. Zoran felt his eyes grow wide at the sight, and he tried to take a step back, but his legs felt like they were rooted in place. As he gawked at the child-version of himself, he noticed something; the boy had both of his eyes. Unconsciously, Zoran lifted his hand up and touched the leather eye-patch that was sewn into the skin that surrounded his eye.

This is before father gouged my eye out, he thought to himself. Lowering his hand away from his face, Zoran looked back at his younger self; he had almost forgotten what he had looked like with both of his eyes. They were big eyes, ones that always looked innocent without even trying.

To the right of the room, Zoran heard footsteps coming down the grand staircase. He looked up and saw the younger-version of his brother, and noticed that Loran had the same big, innocent eyes. "Father says it's your turn for your lesson," Loran said and ran back upstairs. Zoran saw as a dark, haunted expression took over the face of his child-self, and he knew exactly why, too.

The young Zoran, head hung low, ascended the staircase very, very slowly, and a moment later, Zoran himself followed behind, like a phantom, unseen and unheard. He walked into the room that was his father's study and saw all of the text books strewn out across the large table. "Took you long enough," his father said bitterly. If this hadn't been a dream, Zoran might have attacked and killed his father a second time.

But he was nothing but a ghost, simply observing. The young Zoran sat down in one of the chairs and mumbled, "Sorry, Father." His father scoffed and flipped through the pages of an old text book. This had been their way of learning the history of Society and other things that Zoran and his brother would have used to climb the ladder of success. Pretty much, it was school.

And even though there were places run by the Society that young Vampires could be taken to in order to learn these lessons, their father insisted that they be taught at home, claiming it was a more suitable environment than with hundreds of other Vampire children.

Zoran had always wished that he had just gone to the school instead of being taught at home. His father slammed a text book down in front of the young Zoran and said, "You're three lessons behind. Mind telling me why you are behind your brother, even though you both started the same lessons at the same time?" Zoran tightened his hands into fists; if only this wasn't a dream.

He knew exactly why he had fallen behind Loran at the time, and it wasn't because he didn't understand the material or cared to learn, but it was because of his father. Zoran remembered always being terrified of the lessons and being unable to focus because he was always stricken by the fear of when his next beating would come. The young Zoran shook his head and said nervously, "No, Sir, I don't know why I've fallen behind…."

Then, in the blink of an eye, his father stood up and back-handed the young Zoran with enough force that he fell from his chair and onto the floor. "If you ever want to amount to anything, then I suggest you catch up on your lessons!" his father shouted and threw the text book at his child. Zoran stood there, unfazed by what had just happened; after years of being abused, it didn't bother him to watch it happen all over again.

As far as he was concern, he was numb to the concept of a parent beating their child. But just because he was numb, didn't mean that he was unable to feel the raging hatred that it had left behind, and it had been that hatred that drove him to kill his parents. He watched as his younger-self crawled beneath the table to get away from his father, but that did very little to keep him safe.

His father reached under the table and savagely pulled the young Zoran out and backhanded him again. This time, blood poured from his nose as a result of the force behind the blow. Zoran watched as his younger self tried desperately not to cry, because crying only resulting in a much worse beating. His father picked up another book and tossed it at his terrified son.

He then said, "Here, I'm done with you for today. I suggest you take that book to your room and catch up on those lessons. If you don't, then I can't guarantee that your next your next lesson will be anymore pleasant. Now, get out of my study." The young Zoran didn't hesitate.

Book clutched against his chest, the boy ran from his father's study. Zoran remained, though. He glared at the monster that he had called father. And even though he knew that his father wouldn't hear him, he said, "I wished I had savored killing you just a little bit more."

Zoran's good eye opened up, and he found himself curled up in the throne. His body ached from being in such a tight position for an extended period of time, so when he uncurled, his joints popped and his muscles sighed with relief. He stood up and walked down the small flight of stairs that led up to his throne, his heels pounding against the glistening marble floor.

The weight of his dream added onto the weight of his fatigue, making him feel as if he were walking through some kind of fog. Zoran threw open the doors to the throne room, revealing the Grand Hall. He walked to the center of it and bellowed, "Alexander! Jessie!" His voice boomed off the towering ceilings and walls.

Not a moment later, the two Vampires appeared in the room. They both knelt down as a sign of respect, and only stood when given the okay from Zoran. He turned to his two loyal servants and said, "Start releasing the Blighted Vampires from the dungeon." Alexander and Jessie both looked at him as if he had lost his mind. "What?" Alexander asked, his voice full of shock. Zoran said back, "You heard me. Let them out. I'm putting my plan into action now."

Jessie, who Zoran had previously altered in the mind, said, "But, Sir, do you think you have recovered enough from losing all of that blood?" Zoran turned his back on both of them and said flatly, "It doesn't matter if I have or have not. Now, do as I said and let them out. My plan can no longer wait. I want to prove myself now and show all those who doubted me that I am a force to be reckoned with."

He didn't turn to face Alexander or Jessie to see their reactions. Instead, he kept his back to them until he heard their footsteps fade off into the distance. Zoran looked up at the elaborately painted ceiling of the Grand Hall and said to himself, "I'll make them all feel the same fear that I experienced. Then, they'll no longer pity me. They'll fear me. They'll beg, beg for mercy like I did, and no mercy will come."


The plot is officially really getting going now. There's going to be some action and altercations coming up in probably two chapters, maybe three, so keep your eyes peeled. I also hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and that Santa brought you all what you wanted, cause as such awesome readers, you guys deserve it. Well, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, so please read and leave a review on the way out. ~Copperpelt~