Ancient One

PROLOGUE

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At a far away place, there is an unknown catacombs that has several levels and has a depth of a thousand meters below sea level. It is a system of catacombs that consists of an irregular network of drainage tunnels, natural caves and secret chambers. It is a labyrinth of passages running up to ten thousand kilometers.

And this catacombs are the secret resting place of the Ancient Vampires.

In one of the secret chambers, there lies an Ancient who is five thousand years old but looks like a man in his early thirties.

And right now, this Ancient One just took his first deep breath as he awakened. Revealing a set of dark blue eyes.

"Someone!"

He was suddenly awakened by a terrified mental scream followed by an onslaught of fear. He did not understand why such a psychic scream was able to penetrate his deep sleep.

With a frown, he traced where the fear came from. Then he froze.

"Iubita mea?" The man whispered in disbelief as he touched again the origin of the fear he felt.

At first his eyes registered incredibility then shock then incredibility again.

A mate!

His mate!

Before the Ancient can rejoice, he felt a ripple in his chest.

THUMP....

THUMP....

His heart is fluctuating, its gaining consciousness.

A beat is vibrating, making a quiet sound.

Then the vibration gradually became strong, making a loud volume.

His heart is awakening.

Then a foreign yet familiar sound blasted his ears!

LUB DUB!

LUB DUB!

The sound continued to increase in pitch, in volume. Drumming strong and steady.

His heart is renewed with life, beating once more!

Before the Ancient can grasp the full meaning of his dramatic change, his entire body suddenly jerked and began twitching!

Then an explosion like a volcanic eruption suddenly blasted within his body!

BOOM!

His blood is stirring awake.

It is rolling and undulating in every direction.

Then like a broken dam, it came gushing forth in violent waves, rushing to fill every corner of his being. Filling his once empty body with greater strength and new found vitality.

He....

He feels alive once again!

Everything is so surreal.

His entire being is encompassed by an extraordinary exaltation beyond any comprehension.

He is floating, lost within the feeling of transcendence. A pleasure so sublime that his tears can't stop from falling.

He thought he was destined to be alone. He has long wanted to end his life and forever rest in peace.

His heart has long been dead since he turned two hundred. At first the beating slowed down to a minimum. Then eventually, his heart ceased to beat. Since then, he felt broken and incomplete. In his mind and in his heart, he was never again the same.

As if what he lost was not enough, his soul gradually followed suit.

His life at two hundred was then in a state of suspended animation. His entire being became empty and hollowed out.

He is blessed with enormous and immeasurable power but, his empty shell of a body is only given enough to live by.

That's why vampires need blood to live. Their hearts has long stopped beating. Their blood has long turned cold.

Blood is needed to survive. To live.

But with an incomplete soul added in the equation, it makes living so grueling to the point of exhaustion.

Each excruciating day, he is battered with a sense of loss. An inexplicable absence of something. Something that is constantly eating him alive. He lived a life like this for thousands and thousands of years.

Who wouldn't give up?

He was merely existing. Not living. Living has all become dull. He has long lost his direction.

If not for his duty to his people, he wouldn't want to hold on for a very long time.

But in the end, he still came to the point that even his duty is not enough of a purpose for him to want to exist.

But when he lost all hope and is about to give up, he is finally blessed with a mate!

Five thousand bloody years! Not including the rest of the years he has lost count of.

Finally!

The Ancient burst out into such boisterous laughter showing his high spirits and excitement.

"Iubita mea." The man whispered huskily. Lightly brushing the mind of his Beloved, his mate.

He again connected his thoughts to his mate and built a bridge between them. Then he used her eyes to see what's causing her fear.

In his mate's eyes, he saw a man with dark hair which is wet with...is that blood?

The Ancient closed his eyes while scanning his mate's condition. Aside from her fear, she is not hurt at all.

He was about to sigh with relief when he was suddenly caught off guard!

His impertinent mate used the connection he built between them to harness his power!

So he has to pay for a toll fee, huh?

The Ancient chuckled at his mate's daylight robbery but gave her the freedom to use his power at will.

While his mate is wallowing in his power, he used his mate's eyes to see what's happening around her.

I see...the man in front of her is an uninvited guest and has the audacity to scare his mate.

The Ancient was about to scrutinize her mate's surroundings when he felt something off.

Then he went still.

Is his mate in a brink of rage?!!!

Bloody Hell!

He quickly searched for her latest memory that deeply touched her.

"No! I will grow up as strong and powerful as my daddy!"

"Aye aye. This father believes our Princess Adrianna will not only be as strong and powerful as this King. She will even surpass this King's achievements and attain considerable feats that this King failed to accomplish."

"But this feat requires great courage, skill and strength."

When the Ancient felt his mate regain her sanity, he unconsciously clenched his hands tightly into fists to stop his hands from shaking!

He can't remember the last time he felt a fear so great that he almost lost his mind!

He has just discovered his mate! There is no way he is losing her!

Taking no chances, he decisively used his mate's body. He faced what his mate dubbed as the "crazy man" and placed him under heavy compulsion to not move regardless of any circumstance.

When he was done with the compulsion, he noticed another strange thing that made his heart leap again!

Something is suppressing her instincts. Did she take a spell potion?!!

How can he connect with a mate who has dulled her primal instincts? Wouldn't that make her like a normal human?

He wants to desperately comb through her memories but he feels like his mate wouldn't be able to bear anymore of his mental rummaging.

But before he can come up with a solution, he can already feel the connection with his mate weakening.

The Ancient is confused.

How feeble is she?

As a last effort, he used his mate's eyes to see her face from the eyes of the person opposite her.

And the Ancient was stunned.

His mate is just a child...?!!

No wonder she is drained! It's already a miracle she can hold up for quite so long. His unadulterated power is no joke.

But he has to give it up to his mate. She can harness his power even at a great distance.

Just connecting with him from such a long distance and waking him from his deep slumber is already a great achievement for a child of her tender age.

The Ancient now understood why his mate is weakening. She has a lot of growing up to do.

"Iubita mea." The Ancient uttered softly as he lost his connection with her.

The Ancient took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He opened his mind's eye to see the above ground then use his perception to sweep around, searching for a particular someone.

A trusted someone whom he exchanged blood pact with.

"Marius." He called.

After a moment, the Ancient can feel the man's shock wash over him followed by profound joy and a great sense of loyalty.

"Lord?!!"

"What year is it?"

"Year 1988, Milord."

Silence.

"Milord?"

"Awaken me after twelve years."

"As you command."

"I will see you soon, brother."

Then the connection was cut off.

Marius wanted to chat! He has a lot of things to say. But sadly, he doesn't have that great a power to connect with someone.

No vampire can. Only the Ancient King has such power over all the vampires.

The one King that connects all.

The Ancient One.

"I will see you soon, Damien."